Boxed cheeseburger macaroni in the Instant Pot is so easy to make, and your whole family will be ready to dig in. Everyone loves Hamburger Helper in the Instant Pot!
Make an easy meal even easier when you make Instant Pot Hamburger Helper!
Note: This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. If you make a purchase, this site may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. You can read my full disclosure policy here.
I love cooking and spending time in the kitchen when time allows, but I am not above taking a little help from the grocery store every now and then.
Because, let’s be honest–there are days when you just need something fast and easy to save you from another evening in a fast food drive-thru lane.
This recipe is for how to make a box of Hamburger Helper in the Instant Pot. If you’re looking for a homemade version instead, check out my Instant Pot cheeseburger macaroni recipe as a delicious alternative!
Boxed meals, such as Hamburger Helper, are convenient and affordable. Plus, they’re often very kid-friendly, so there will be smiles all around the dinner table. That alone is a win in my book!
I love making pressure cooker Hamburger Helper because everything is cooked in a single pot, so it’s easy to make, and cleanup is a breeze.
Plus, we almost always have ground beef in the freezer and I like to keep a box or two of Hamburger Helper in the pantry, so I always have an easy-to-make dinner in my back pocket.
In fact, I have a whole list of Instant Pot ground beef recipes for nights such as this!
More Easy and Convenient Instant Pot Recipes You’ll Love:
- Instant Pot Au Gratin Potatoes (from a box)
- Instant Pot Chicken and Stuffing (from a box)
- Instant Pot Frozen Tortellini
- Instant Pot Knorr Rice Sides
How to “Doctor Up” Instant Pot Hamburger Helper from a Box
On its own, Instant Pot Hamburger Helper from a box is really tasty, but it also provides a canvas for you to do a little more with if you’d like. And I try to never miss an opportunity to sneak in a few extra veggies! 😉
Here are a few ways to doctor up a boxed pasta meal:
- Add in a can of diced tomatoes (drained) or toss in a chopped fresh tomato. The fire roasted tomatoes add a hint of smokiness that is really flavorful.
- Cook some chopped onions along with the ground beef.
- Add minced garlic or garlic powder, or some Montreal Steak Seasoning.
- Toss in some sliced black olives or a few handfuls of sliced mushrooms if that’s your style.
- After you have released the pressure, stir in a bag of frozen peas and carrots and let them sit for 5 minutes before serving.
- Add extra cheese after cooking. Because can you really ever have enough cheese?
How to Make Instant Pot Hamburger Helper
It’s really easy to make boxed cheeseburger Macaroni in the Instant Pot.
Ingredients You’ll Need:
- Ground Beef
- Water
- Milk
- Hamburger Helper (I used the Cheeseburger Macaroni variety)
How to Make It:
(Full printable recipe is available below)
Brown the Beef. First, you’ll use the Saute function on the Instant Pot to brown the ground beef. When cooked through, you may want to drain off any excess grease before returning the beef to the Instant Pot.
Add Liquids and Seasonings. Next, you’ll add in the water and scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Add the milk, pasta and seasoning packet from the Hamburger Helper box and stir well to combine.
Pressure Cook the Hamburger Helper. Last, you’ll close and seal the Instant Pot and set it to 5 minutes at high pressure. Once complete, carefully perform a quick release of pressure and remove the lid.
Give the Hamburger Helper a good stir to combine. Allow everything to sit for 5 minutes before serving to allow the sauce to thicken slightly.
Enjoy your easy-breezy dinner!
Notes and Adaptations:
- Yes, the amounts of water and milk in this recipe are different than what is recommended on the box. That’s because there is less evaporation during pressure cooking compared to stove top cooking, so we don’t need as much liquid.
- I often don’t advise pressure cooking dairy, but in this case, the milk is diluted enough that it won’t curdle, so it works just fine.
- Forget to thaw out your hamburger? You can cook frozen ground beef in the Instant Pot, then proceed with the recipe.
Recommended Equipment:
- Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker
Instant Pot Hamburger Helper (From a Box!)
Some nights, you just need a shortcut up your sleeve. Making a box of Hamburger Helper in your Instant Pot is a wonderful time-saver!
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 1/3 cup water
- 1 1/3 cup milk
- 6.6-oz box Hamburger Helper (I used the Cheeseburger Macaroni variety)
Instructions
- Add ground beef to the insert pot of your Instant Pot. Using the Saute function, cook the ground beef until browned, breaking it apart with a spoon or spatula as it cooks.
- Once ground beef is cooked through, press Cancel to turn off the Saute function. Drain excess grease from beef if needed and return beef to the pot.
- Add water to the hot pot, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot.
- Add milk, pasta, and seasoning packet to the insert pot. Stir to combine well.
- Close lid and set vent to the sealed position. Select a cook time of 5 minutes at high pressure.
- Once the cook time is complete, perform a quick release of pressure. After the pressure has released and the valve has dropped, carefully remove the lid. Allow to sit for 5 minutes so sauce can thicken.
Notes
- Yes, the amounts of water and milk in this recipe are different than what is recommended on the box. That's because there is less evaporation during pressure cooking compared to stove top cooking, so we don't need as much liquid.
- Feel free to "doctor up" your Hamburger Helper by adding a drained can of diced tomatoes (or a chopped fresh tomato) prior to cooking, or add some additional seasonings (Montreal Steak Seasoning is one of my favorites), or you can also add some frozen peas or fresh shredded cheddar cheese after cooking.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 462Total Fat: 27gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 133mgSodium: 312mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 41g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and is not guaranteed for accuracy.
If I use two boxes do I double the water and milk.? Would adjust the time too?
You can double the ingredients but leave the cook time the same. Enjoy! 🙂
Hi! Do you do the same with any flavor of Hamburger Helper?
Hi Karen! I haven’t tried all varieties, but I think the general idea is the same. Keep in mind the amount of liquid will be decreased compared to what’s on the box, and the cook time could vary by a minute or two depending on the shape/size of pasta in other varieties. I hope that helps! 🙂
I just got an instant pot and this was my first recipe I made and I’m
Not sure where I went wrong. I followed all you directions and amounts. I set pressure to high for 5 mins. The pressure never built up and the display only said on and the time never came on the display. There was no steam and it just kept cooking as finally the display said burn food. I canceled the cooking and opened it since there was no pressure and it was still very liquidy but the noodles were soft and cooked but it did burn and scorched the bottom of the pot so some of it was inedible. I’m not sure what happened
Hi Sara! I’m so sorry to hear this, especially since it was your first recipe in your Instant Pot! I wonder if your silicone ring was inserted in the lid properly? Or if the vent on the lid was left open? If either of those things happens, then pressure won’t build up in the pot, which can cause scorching.
I’m an avid instant pot user and also burned my food. I think milk should be added last. I even deglaze the pot. This will be fun to clean.
I’m sorry you got the burn notice, Jamie! I don’t think the milk is the culprit, but you could try omitting the milk and doubling the water instead (I’m not sure adding the milk after cooking would allow enough liquid to cook the noodles).
Thanks so much for this recipe. My husband is very funny about the macaroni noodles being too over done. This recipe worked perfect for me for the cheeseburger macaroni. I have not tried with the other types. Would the recipe vary if you use like, the stroganoff?
Hi Starsha! I haven’t experimented with the stroganoff yet. I think it would primarily come down to whether or not the other Hamburger Helper varieties call for the same amount of liquid as the cheeseburger macaroni variety. If so, then this Instant Pot recipe (with the reduced liquid amounts) would probably work fine. If the liquid amounts are different, it may require a bit of tweaking. I hope that helps! 🙂
I got the burn notice the first time I made this, but after some tweaks, it’s worked wonderful. I don’t add the pasta with the milk & seasoning packets. I add the water, deglaze the pot, add the milk & seasoning packets, stir well, THEN, add the pasta without stirring. I gently press the pasta so it’s mostly under the liquid, and then I place the lid and continue with the recipe.
Also, I’ve done this with other hamburger helper, and they’ve worked fine with the same liquid amounts as this recipe.
Hi Rachel! Thanks so much for sharing your tweaks–I’m glad you were able to find a way that it worked well for you! 🙂
I have a hamburger helper with rice. (Hamburger Helper Old El Paso Cheesy Enchilada)
Would you brown rice first like in your rice a roni recipe and then the beef (says you can also try chicken) ? Or saute meat and then rice?
Thank you for advice – new instapot user
Hi Crystal! I haven’t tried one of the Hamburger Helper rice varieties in the Instant Pot, but I would probably brown the beef first, then add the rice. I don’t think you would need to saute the rice like you do with Rice-a-Roni. I’d love to hear how it turns out for you! 🙂