Instant pot pumpkin mac and cheese is an easy meal that is ready in 30 minutes of time and its perfect for fall season and also Halloween, Thanksgiving times. This creamy macaroni and cheese is also a great way to use any leftover pumpkin puree you may have at home.
If you put off the idea of adding pumpkin to your mac and cheese thinking its weird, you got to try this delicious pumpkin mac and cheese prepared in the instant pot, which is creamy and so flavorful.
Tips To Make Creamy & Delicious Pumpkin Mac And Cheese In Instant Pot
We use pumpkin puree and sour cream in this instant pot pumpkin mac and cheese which balances the flavor of pumpkin, so make sure to use the sour cream or it may not taste as good.
So just like the pasta and pumpkin, another most important ingredient (which shouldn’t be skipped for the best results) is sour cream, so make sure to have the sour cream in hand when you make this pumpkin mac and cheese.
The addition of sour cream not only balances the slightly sweet flavor of pumpkin, but it also makes the mac and cheese more creamy and more delicious.
You can always sprinkle more dried oregano powder, black pepper powder or other spices like red chili flakes if you like it spicy.
The pumpkin mac and cheese is so colorful with the orange hues as well, making this a perfect lunch or dinner for the fall time, and its simple and easy to prepare in the instant pot as well.
And its totally delicious too! Even picky kids can’t find out and it is a good way to sneak pumpkin in kids food!
How To Make Instant Pot Pumpkin Mac And Cheese?
We need the following ingredients to make the creamy and delicious pumpkin mac and cheese.
- elbow pasta
- water
- pumpkin puree
- salt
- butter
- cheese
- olive oil
- onion powder
- garlic powder
- chilled milk
- chilled heavy cream
- sour cream
- dried oregano powder
Steps To Follow (The Process)
- Add the elbow pasta shells to the instant pot. Also add the water, pumpkin puree, salt, garlic powder and onion powder, mix everything well.
- Place the butter also on top of the pasta. Close the instant pot with lid in sealing position and cook for one minute in high pressure.
- Once the cooking is done, wait for a natural pressure release of 14 minutes. Then, carefully and gradually do a manual pressure release.
- Once the pressure is all released, carefully open the lid. Now add the olive oil and milk and stir well to combine with the pasta. If any pasta shells looks clumped together, adding the chilled milk and olive oil and stirring will help to release the clumped shells.
- Add the heavy cream, sour cream and shredded cheese also to the pot and stir everything well until well combined.
- You can also sprinkle the oregano powder and gently mix in. Make sure to serve the delicious pumpkin mac and cheese hot or you may need to reheat the pasta if serving later for best results.
How To Reheat Mac And Cheese In Instant Pot?
You can easily reheat small amounts of mac and cheese in the microwave oven.
But you can also easily reheat mac and cheese in instant pot if you want to save the whole dish for later use in the pot itself. This is why I love the instant pot even more. It is so convenient to reheat the leftover food or the whole food if you decide to store the leftover food in the inner pot itself.
To reheat the mac and cheese in instant pot, add some milk (start with about two tablespoons and add more if needed), stir well so the milk mixes well with the pasta.
Press the saute button and heat for few seconds, stir well and heat for few more seconds if needed. Its important that you carefully watch the contents at this time, so the contents won’t burn at the bottom.
If you have an ‘Adjust’ button in your instant pot model, use the ‘Adjust’ button to change the saute settings if needed so you can reduce the heat if necessary. The mac and cheese at the bottom will get heated quickly and the top will be heated later only, so once the contents are heated at the bottom make sure to stir up which will help the dish to heat up more evenly.
At any point, if you doubt its starting to burn, immediately press the ‘keep warm/cancel button’ or you can adjust the saute settings to change the heat level.
More Pumpkin Recipes In This Blog:
- Pumpkin Banana Mini Muffins Vegan Recipe
- Pumpkin Banana Bread Recipe With Olive Oil
- Pumpkin Vegetable Soup
- Easy Crustless Pumpkin Pie Recipe
More Instant Pot Pasta Recipes In This Blog:
- instant pot buttered egg noodles
- instant pot spaghetti noodles recipe
- instant pot penne pasta
- easy instant pot pasta soup
- instant pot peas noodle soup
- instant pot spinach pesto pasta
So here is how you can make this delicious, easy and quick pumpkin flavored mac and cheese in your instant pot using macaroni pasta shells, pumpkin puree, sour cream and few other ingredients.
Instant Pot Pumpkin Mac And Cheese
Ingredients
- 4 cups elbow pasta
- 4 cups water
- 1 cup pumpkin puree I used canned pumpkin
- salt as needed
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cups shredded cheese I used Mexican blend which is a blend of sharp cheddar, colby and Monterey Jack cheeses
- 1 cup chilled milk
- 3/4 cup chilled heavy cream
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano powder optional
Instructions
- Add the pasta to the instant pot.
- Add the water, pumpkin puree, salt, garlic powder and onion powder, mix everything well.
- Add the butter also to the instant pot. Close the instant pot with lid in sealing position and cook for 1 minute in high pressure.
- Once the cooking is done, press the 'keep warm/cancel' button and wait for a natural pressure release of 14 minutes. After that, carefully and gradually do a manual pressure release.
- Once the pressure is all released, carefully open the lid.
- Add the olive oil and chilled milk and stir well to combine with the pasta. If any pasta shells appear to be clumped together, do not worry, adding the chilled milk and olive oil and stirring will help to release the shells easily.
- Add the chilled heavy cream, sour cream and shredded cheese also to the pasta and stir everything well until well combined. Also sprinkle the oregano powder and gently mix in. Serve the delicious pumpkin mac and cheese hot!
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