Description
This super creamy and lush Instant Pot Vegan Mac and Cheese comes together in just 20 minutes with a few simple ingredients and a “hands off” approach.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 pound pasta (see note 1)
- 4 cups water + optional 3 tsp Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base (see note 2)
- 1/2 vegan cheddar cheese, shredded, or 2 heaping cups store bought vegan cheese
- 1/2 cup canned coconut milk or 2-4 tbsp vegan butter, optional
Instructions
Note: this recipe will work in any pressure cooker, but buttons may be called by other names on non-Instant Pot brand pressure cookers. Consult your manual for any questions based on your specific brand of pressure cooker.
- First, add the water, optional vegan chicken bouillon paste (or use vegan chicken broth instead of water), and dry pasta to the pot. Give it a little stir.
- If you made my vegan cheese recipe you’ll need about half the block--shred it on the largest setting or side of your grater. If not, 2 heaping cups of store bought vegan cheese will work. And if just adding a vegan cheese sauce, leave it out until the pasta is cooked.
- Give everything a good but gentle stir, close the lid, set the pressure valve to “sealing,” and cook on high pressure for 4 minutes. When the pot has come to pressure the 4 minutes will reappear on the screen and it will start counting down.
- Quick Release: after it beeps that it’s finished, turn it off and carefully switch the pressure valve to venting. I like to use a wooden spoon to release the pressure so my hands aren’t anywhere near the escaping hot steam. With Instant Pot, it’s safe to release the pressure when there is no more steam or anything coming out of the pressure valve and the safety button switched to down/off position. Please consult your pressure cooker manual to determine how to safely use your pressure cooker. If you’d like to add a cheese sauce, do it after the pressure has been released fully.
- And if you’d like it to be extra decadent, add your coconut milk or vegan butter now, stirring well until it melts and incorporates. Serve it up, maybe with some air fried broccolini and BBQ tofu, and enjoy!
- Like all pasta, this is best the first night. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Note 1: Both regular and whole wheat pasta have worked well for me in this recipe. I like the flavor of regular better in this, but it’s a trade-off in my opinion. You should be able to make this with gluten-free pasta but I have not tested it. I would err on the side of caution and cook it for one minute less than I say to. If the pasta is not cooked enough, you can always turn the “saute” function on and cook it for a few minutes until the pasta is soft. You could also look up instant pot instructions for the exact type of pasta you bought.
- Note 2: The vegan chicken broth is optional in and of itself, but it’s a game changer in my opinion. If you like the idea of flavoring your cooking water and you can’t get Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base, you could get a prepared vegan chicken broth (Imagine makes a good one), vegan chicken bouillon cubes, or just try vegetable broth.
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Entree
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Vegan, Oil-Free, Nut-Free, Sugar-Free, Can Be Gluten-Free, vegan instant pot mac and cheese