Looking for a way to add some nutrition to your child's plate? This Instant Pot Cauliflower Mac and Cheese may be just what you need.
Make this recipe and get a creamy, fast and easy meal in only 8 minutes!
So the next time someone wants macaroni and cheese for dinner, add this to your meal planning radar. They may not even know the difference!
What I love about this simple side dish is that it's loaded with noodles and cauliflower. The kids will want a big serving because it's just that good!
Table of Contents
Recipe Video
Why This Recipe Works
This one-pot meal contains very simple ingredients with surprisingly easy steps! You just need about 5 minutes as well to make it - does it get any better than that?
- Fast and simple to make
- Full of mac and cheese flavor
- A great way to sneak in some veggies to the kid's daily diet
Recipe Ingredients
Cauliflower - Clean and cut into small florets. You can use the food processor to chop it up.
Butter - I like using unsalted butter at room temperature because it melts better.
Cream Cheese - Adding cream cheese adds creaminess! I typically add full-fat cream cheese because I like the flavor a bit more.
Cheddar Cheese - You can easily cheese up the type of cheese that you want to use as well. Cheddar cheese is my favorite, but Colby Jack and Mozzarella are good.
Whole Wheat Pasta - Wheat pasta is delicious, but any type of pasta is fine.
Evaporated Milk - This helps to add a smooth texture to the mac and cheese.
Spice - You can literally season with anything that you'd like. Salt, pepper, garlic powder, or even hot sauce to spice it up!
How to Make Instant Pot Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
You're going to love not only the taste of these ingredients but the ease as well!
Step One: Clean and cut up the head of the cauliflower into small pieces.
Step Two: Add water to the Instant Pot and then add the chopped cauliflower.
Step Three: Add the pasta shells and salt.
Step Four: Add the butter.
Step Five: Put on the lid cook on high pressure for 4 minutes. Use the "manual" or the "pressure cook" button depending on your model.
Step Six: When cooking time is complete, do a quick release.
Add the cream cheese.
Step Seven: Add the milk.
Step Eight: Add the shredded cheese.
Step Nine: Add the seasonings.
Step Ten: Stir with a wooden spoon and let simmer.
Dish out the yummy creamy cauliflower mac and cheese and enjoy!
Variations
Add meat - Love the idea of adding meat to your mac and cheese? You can add bacon bits, sliced or diced ham, or even leftover chicken from the night before. I also love adding tuna to the dish!
Recipe Notes
- The texture of the cauliflower is up to you. You can add larger pieces or smaller pieces, so change it up and see what you prefer.
- Shredded fresh cheese will give you a delicious cheese flavor, better than already shredded store-bought!
How to serve
You can serve this as a side dish or a main dish - totally up to you.
If you want to use it as a main dish, a nice side salad would be a great pairing.
If you serve this as a main dish, pair it up with more steamed veggies or even a side of Instant Pot Carrot Fries or Air Fryer Radish Chips.
Need more ideas? Check out What To Serve With Mac And Cheese for 15 delicious side dishes.
Recipe FAQs
You can change or add other spices like onion powder, mustard powder, chili flakes, hot sauce or grated carrots, or whatever you think would go perfectly with your recipe.
Let the mac and cheese cool down all the way before adding it to an airtight container. Keep it in the fridge for 2-3 days, max.
To reheat, warm it up in the microwave for 1 minute. Stir, and make sure that it's heated all the way through. If it needs more time, add a few more seconds and warm it up more.
Yes, you can. Broccoli would be a great addition as well and will cook up perfectly in this dish.
Yes. You can always make the classic Instant Pot Mac and Cheese.
Can I eat a pizza instead?
Yes. You can also combine both and make Mac and Cheese Pizza!
More Cauliflower Recipes
Love cauliflower? Here are some other delicious cauliflower recipes that you'll love as well!
More Pasta Recipes
Here are some of my other favorite pasta recipes that I think you'll like as well!
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a comment below. Thanks!
Instant Pot Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower thickly diced
- 16 oz whole wheat pasta
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 oz reduced-fat cream cheese
- 2 cups cheddar cheese grated
- 12 oz evaporated milk
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ½ cup water
Instructions
- Clean and cut the cauliflower.
- Add water to the Instant Pot and then add the chopped cauliflower.
- Add the pasta shells, salt and butter.
- Close the lid and cook on high pressure for 4 minutes.
- When cooking time is complete, do a quick pressure release.
- Add cream cheese, milk and shredded cheese.
- Add the seasonings, stir with a wooden spoon and let simmer.
- Serve and enjoy 🙂
Video
Nutrition
Notes
- The texture of the cauliflower is up to you. You can add larger pieces or smaller pieces, so change it up and see what you prefer.
- Shredded fresh cheese will give you a delicious cheese flavor, better than already shredded store-bought!
- Feel free to add broccoli instead of cauliflower.
- Feel free to remove the cauliflower
I made this recipe today, and my pasta didn’t get cooked all the way through. I notice that this recipe calls for only 1 1/2 c water, where your regular m&c recipe calls for 4 c. water. I’m thinking next time, I’ll use more water/ chicken broth for this recipe. P.s. the flavor is great, even if the pasta is a little chewy.
Corrie,
Thank you for sharing all your wonderful recipes. I’m going to try this recipe today. Just wanted to share something I’ve done with my mac & cheese: I add a little Smokey Gouda with the cheddar cheese. I love the smokey flavor on top of the richness of the cheese.
You're very welcome. And that sounds delicious, I'll have to try it! Thank you for sharing.
Can you use frozen cauliflower ?
Yes, you can. It might be a little more watery, so maybe reduce the amount of water added by 1/2 cup or so.