This one-pot dinner brings all the cheeseburger flavors, like seasoned ground beef and melty cheese, all together in the Instant Pot for a fast, no-hassle meal. Everything simmers right in the pot, so cleanup is just as easy as serving it up. It’s creamy and comforting without needing a bunch of steps. Perfect for a busy weeknight when you want something hearty, cheesy, and satisfying. Inspiration from The Kitchn! My family absolutely loves this one.
Ingredients Needed
- butter
- ground beef – I used 93% lean
- onion powder
- garlic powder
- ketchup
- yellow mustard
- red wine vinegar
- pasta – I recommend short, dry pasta, like cellentani or cavatappi
- water
- kosher salt
- cheddar cheese – I used medium sharpness. You can buy it pre-shredded, but I strongly recommend grating your own. They put a powder on grated cheese to keep it from sticking that sometimes impacts melting and makes dishes like this not as smooth and creamy.
- half and half
How to Make Cheeseburger Macaroni
This is a simple overview of the recipe, you’ll find a full printable recipe below!
- Set Instant Pot to saute; melt butter.
- Add ground beef; cook until browned and broken up.
- Turn off heat; stir in onion powder, garlic powder, ketchup, mustard, and vinegar.
- Add pasta, water, and salt; stir to submerge pasta.
- Pressure cook on manual for 5 minutes; quick release.
- Stir in cheese and half-and-half until smooth.
- Cover loosely, let sit 3 minutes, season, and serve.
Storage & Other Tips
- Untested Non-Instant Pot Directions
- This is one of the only Instant Pot recipes we have where I’ve never tried making it another way. Usually we like to offer an alternative cooking method because I know not everyone has an Instant Pot, but I haven’t ever made it another way, so I feel uncomfortable giving you very specific directions. However. If I were to make this on the stovetop, I would cook the pasta in salted water while the beef is browning. Before you drain the pasta, reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water and set it aside. Add the ketchup and seasonings to the beef, combine, add the cheese and half and half, and then if you need to thin things out, add the pasta water, a little at a time, until the desired consistency is reached.
- Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for 3 – 4 days.
We haven’t tested it ourselves so we can’t guarantee it’s success, but we’ve posted an hypothetical, untested procedure in the recipe card notes.
Short noodles like elbow, cellentani, or cavatappi hold up well under pressure. If using smaller pasta, you may need to tweak the cook time slightly.
Yes! Ground turkey works just fine, just keep in mind you might need a bit more butter to cook it in, and seasonings to boost the flavor.
You can buy it pre-shredded, but I strongly recommend grating your own. They put a powder on grated cheese to keep it from sticking that sometimes impacts melting and makes dishes like this not as smooth and creamy.
Instant Pot Cheeseburger Macaroni
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 pound ground beef, lean I used 93% lean
- 1 ½ teaspoons onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 pound short dry pasta like cellentani
- 4 cups water
- 1 heaping teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 cups cheddar cheese, medium freshly shredded
- ½ cup half and half
Instructions
- Heat an electric pressure cooker to the sauté setting. When hot, add the butter, stirring until it melts.
- Add the ground beef and cook, stirring frequently, until it's cooked down and broken into pieces. Turn off heat and add the onion and garlic powder, ketchup, mustard, and red wine vinegar. Stir to combine.
- Add dry pasta and combine. Add water and salt. Stir, trying to keep as much pasta as possible under the water. Use the manual setting to cook for 5 minutes. When done, use the quick release on the pressure cooker. Remove the lid and turn off the power.
- Add the shredded cheese and half and half. Stir until smooth. Lightly cover and let sit for 3 minutes. Season to taste and serve.
Questions & Reviews
A top dish! We love it and so easy. My daughter calls it “Hamburger Helper” but it’s so much better!
My family loves this! Can it be doubled in the instant pot?
It would depend on the size of your instant pot- you just need to make sure you are not exceeding the max fill line!
I don’t have 1/2 and 1/2, can I use milk or heavy cream? Or half of each?
I woud probably do half milk half cream 🙂
Every one of my kids eats every bite of their dinner every time I make this! WINNER!
So easy and super kid friendly! While my 11yo son loved it, sadly, his 2 younger brothers refused to eat more than 2 bites. Such a bummer as I would love to use this again! What is wrong with my picky eaters?! They love mac&cheese, love cheeseburgers, love ketchup… ????
Made this tonight to tremendous success. Added little peas for color and fibre and it was a great one pot meal! Thanks for posting!
I made this on the stove tonight! It worked out great! I browned the beef, stirred in the seasonings, then added the water and noodles. I added an extra 1/2 cup of water. I covered the pot and let it simmer till the noodles were cooked, about 15 minutes. Then I stirred in the half and half and cheese. It came out so creamy and delicious! My whole family loved it!
Thanks for sharing your method! My instant pot broke and hasn’t been replaced but I really wanted to try this recipe.
Thanks for sharing! I made this a last night, and it turned out great! (Don’t make it in a Dutch oven) it fed my family of five perfectly (two hungry teens included.)
My whole family loved this, even my picky kids! So easy, total comfort food on this chilly Sunday. YUM. I used regular vinegar and added a bit more water because we are at a high altitude. Worked great!
Are you guys down to posting only once a week now? I miss your old regular schedule!
Just posted again—-we’re both crazy busy right now!