Cheeseburger macaroni is made with ground beef and pasta that is coated in a creamy cheese sauce. A kid-friendly dinner idea that's made in an Instant Pot. This recipe can be made in a 6-quart or an 8-quart pressure cooker.
When the kids were little and our food budget was tight I would make homemade cheeseburger macaroni. The kids loved it and it was fairly budget-friendly.

When I purchased my Instant Pot a couple of years ago I quickly set out to make this kid-friendly dinner recipe.
Cheeseburger macaroni is a simple recipe to make and turns out so creamy.
How To Make Cheeseburger Macaroni In The Instant Pot
What you need to make this recipe is.
- An Instant Pot
- Spatula
- Spoon
- Ground Beef
- Onion
- Salt
- Black Pepper
- Elbow Noodles
- Cheez Whiz
- Beef Broth or Water
On the front of your IP press, the sauté button. It will say 30 minutes then your IP will read HOT when it's ready to sauté. This will take about 3 minutes for your Instant Pot to read HOT.
Add the ground beef into the inner pot. Season with salt and pepper and add the onion. Sauté until the ground beef is no longer pink.
When the ground beef is fully cooked drain the grease out of the inner pot. I keep a can under the kitchen sink just for this. I don't recommend draining grease down your kitchen sink.
Now that you have the ground beef cooked you can add the beef broth and elbow noodles. I like to push the noodles down into the broth with a spoon to make sure the noodles are covered with broth.
How Long To Cook Cheeseburger Macaroni In The Instant Pot
With the lid on your Instant Pot make sure that the pressure release valve is set to sealing. This will depend on the make of your IP. Go ahead and press the high-pressure button. Adjust the cooking time to 4 minutes.
The cooking time will not start until the Instant Pot come to pressure. This may take 5-10 minutes. Mine took 8 minutes. Once your IP comes to pressure the cooking time will start.
Once the cooking time is done, you can do a natural release for 5 minutes. The screen on your IP will say L5. Release your pressure release valve of the remaining steam there might be.
Remove the lid and stir in cheez whiz. There may have been some noodles that stuck together but they will break up as you stir in the cheez whiz.
I have tried to make this recipe other ways but our family really likes the taste of cheez whiz. Cheez whiz makes this cheeseburger macaroni so creamy.
Can Cheeseburger Macaroni Be Made On The Stovetop?
Yes, you can make this recipe on the stovetop. When I make it on the stovetop I will brown the meat in a frying pan.
I will season it the same way with salt and pepper, adding the onions into the ground beef to cook.
While the meat is browning I'll have a pot of water boiling. Once the water has come to a full boil I'll add the elbow noodles and cook until done.
Once the ground beef is fully cooked I will drain any grease from the pan. With the noodles fully cooked I drain them in a colander.
Add the noodles into the pan with the ground beef and mix in the cheez whiz. Heat on medium-low until all ingredients are heated all the way.
This cheeseburger macaroni dinner recipe is quick and easy to make in the instant pot for busy week nights.
Sharing one creative recipe at a time~ Jen
Other My Creative Manner Instant Pot recipes you may enjoy are:
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Cheeseburger Macaroni~ Instant Pot
A creamy cheeseburger macaroni recipe that can be made in an Instant Pot or on the stovetop.
Ingredients
- 3 Cups Beef Broth water will work also
- 2 Pounds Ground Beef
- ½ Cup Onion Diced
- 1 Teaspoon Salt or to taste
- 1 Teaspoon Black Pepper or to taste
- 16 Ounces Elbow Noodles equals 3-cups
- 15 Ounces Cheez Whiz 1 container
Instructions
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Press the sauté button on your IP. When your IP says Hot it's ready to add the ground beef.
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Season the ground beef with salt and pepper. Add the onion into the ground beef to cook as well.
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Cook ground beef until meat is fully cooked. Turn sauté button off and drain any grease from the ground beef.
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Add the beef broth or water into the inner pot with the ground beef.
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Add the elbow noodles into the inner pot. Using a spoon push the noodles down into the beef broth.
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Place lid on your Instant Pot and make sure your release valve is set to sealing. Press the high-pressure button and adjust the cooking time to 4 minutes.
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When the cooking time is done do a Natural Release for 5 minutes. The screen on your IP will say L5. Turn your release valve to venting and release any remaining steam.
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Add the jar of Cheez Whiz into the inner pot. Stir until all the ingredients are mixed together.
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Serve and enjoy
Recipe Notes
See post on how to make Cheeseburger Macaroni on the stovetop.
The nutritional value may vary depending on the ingredients used.
Thank you for visiting My Creative Manner. We hope that you enjoy this and many more of our recipes. My Creative Manner is not responsible for the outcome of any of our recipes found on our website. Or that may be linked from or to other websites. The desired outcome of these recipes may not be achieved due to several factors, including ingredients, equipment, errors/typos, or the reader's individual cooking skills.
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