Making mac and cheese in the Instant Pot is such an easy dinner–and adding diced ham rounds out the meal!

white plate with a serving of macaroni and cheese with ham on it

Dinner is taken care of with this easy recipe for Instant Pot macaroni and cheese with ham!

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Macaroni and cheese is probably one of the most family-friendly dishes around, and for good reason–who can resist pasta and cheese?

It’s sometimes nice to take a departure from the boxed variety and enjoy the real stuff–especially when you can easily adapt it to become a hearty and tasty meal.

Did you know you can cook pasta in the Instant Pot? It’s pretty much my go-to way to avoid having boiling starchy water bubble over onto the stove top.

You can easily set it and forget it!

I’ve made lots of macaroni dishes this way, including Instant Pot cheeseburger macaroni, Instant Pot chili mac, Instant Pot macaroni salad, and Instant Pot pumpkin macaroni and cheese–which is why I know you’re going to love this Instant Pot macaroni and cheese with ham!

plate of ham and cheese macaroni in front of the Instant Pot

An Easy One Pot Mac and Cheese Recipe

One of the great things about this recipe is that it’s a simple one-pot meal, so not only is the prep easy, but the clean-up is, too.

This is a tasty way to use up leftover ham to round out the meal–plus it’s cheesy goodness all the way!

It’s like a ham and cheese pasta bake, only it’s made in the pressure cooker!

How to Make Ham and Cheese Macaroni in the Instant Pot

It’s really easy to make this classic dish. Just a few ingredients transform into a tasty meal in your Instant Pot.

Ingredients You’ll Need:

Butter
Onion
Garlic
Uncooked elbow macaroni
Diced ham
Water
Shredded Swiss cheese
Shredded cheddar cheese
Sour cream
Salt and pepper

Macaroni with cheese sauce and ham on a white plate

How to Make It:

(Full printable recipe is available below)

Saute. First, you’ll add the butter and onions to the insert pot of an Instant pot. Using the Saute function, cook the onions until soft, then add the garlic.

Add pasta, water, and ham. Next, you’ll add the pasta, water, and ham to the insert pot. Close the lid and set the vent to the sealed position.

Pressure cook. Select a cook time of 4 minutes at high pressure, followed by a natural release for 5 minutes, then a quick release of remaining pressure.

Make it cheesy. Add in the sour cream, Swiss cheese, and some of the cheddar cheese.

shredded cheese, sour cream, and macaroni in the Instant Pot

Stir until it’s nice and melted. Don’t worry if it looks a little soupy at first–the sauce will thicken as it cools and the pasta absorbs more liquid.

Then, sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese on top.

shredded cheese on top of macaroni in the Instant Pot

Close the lid again, and let that top layer of cheese melt for a couple of minutes.

Remove the lid and let it stand for a bit to thicken up before serving. Enjoy!

spoon scooping out a serving of macaroni and cheese with ham

Notes and Adaptations:

Feel free to use different cheese if desired. Colby Jack, white cheddar, and Gruyere are all good choices.
I prefer to shred my own cheese, as I find it tends to melt better that way. But you can use bagged pre-shredded cheese if short on time.
If you don’t have sour cream on hand, you could use Greek yogurt or stir in a bit of heavy cream or evaporated milk.
Feel free to add some frozen peas if you’d like–these can be added along with the sour cream and cheese.
You can use a different pasta besides macaroni if needed–penne, rotini, or bowtie would all work great. The general rule of thumb is to take the cook time on the box, divide it in half, and subtract one to get the amount of time to cook it.

Recommended Equipment:

Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker
Box grater for shredding your own cheese

Yield: 8 Servings

Easy Instant Pot Macaroni and Cheese with Ham

Name: Easy Instant Pot Macaroni and Cheese with Ham
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 4 min
Total time: 29 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 tablespoons butter; 1 small onion, diced; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 16-ounce box uncooked elbow macaroni; 2 cups diced ham; 6 cups water; 2 cups shredded Swiss cheese; 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese; ½ cup sour cream; Salt and pepper to taste

This easy Instant Pot macaroni and cheese with ham is a family-friendly pasta dish that comes together quickly!

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 4 minutes

Additional Time 20 minutes

Total Time 29 minutes

Ingredients

1 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
16-ounce box uncooked elbow macaroni
2 cups diced ham
6 cups water
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
½ cup sour cream
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Add butter and onion to the insert pot of the Instant Pot. Using the Saute function, cook until the onion is softened, about 3-5 minutes.
Stir in the garlic and press Cancel to turn off the Saute mode. Stir the garlic and allow it to heat for a minute.
Add the macaroni, water, and ham to the insert pot.
Close the lid and set the vent to the sealed position. Select a cook time of 4 minutes at high pressure.
When the cook time is complete, allow a 5 minute natural release followed by a quick release of remaining pressure.
Add in the sour cream, Swiss cheese, and 2 cups of the cheddar cheese, stirring until melted and creamy.
Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of cheddar cheese over the top of the pasta and place the lid on the Instant Pot for a few minutes, allowing the cheese to melt. The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.

Notes

Feel free to use different cheese if desired. Colby Jack, white cheddar, and Gruyere are all good choices.

I prefer to shred my own cheese, as I find it tends to melt better that way. But you can use bagged pre-shredded cheese if short on time.

If you don't have sour cream on hand, you could use Greek yogurt or stir in a bit of heavy cream or evaporated milk.

Feel free to add some frozen peas if you'd like--these can be added along with the sour cream and cheese.

You can use a different pasta besides macaroni if needed--penne, rotini, or bowtie would all work great. The general rule of thumb is to take the cook time on the box, divide it in half, and subtract one to get the amount of time to cook it.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 456Total Fat: 28gSaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 101mgSodium: 684mgCarbohydrates: 22gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 28g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated and is not guaranteed for accuracy.