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To make this recipe, I’ve used Banza penne. Banza is made with chickpeas and is a bit more dense than most gluten-free pasta. This also makes it less likely to fall apart or disintegrate like many other gluten-free pastas. This recipe has not been tested with other gluten-free noodles, so please be aware of that when making this recipe. Plus I think you’ll like Banza anyway. It’s high in protein and fiber, lower in carbs than average pasta. Since trying all of the varieties of Banza, I haven’t bought any other gluten-free pasta. I find it locally at Sprouts and have also ordered online.
Instant Pot Macaroni & Cheese, gluten-free
Ingredients
- 8 ounces Banza Penne Pasta (a full box)
- 2 1/4 cups water
- 2 Tablespoons Earth Balance vegan butter , butter or coconut oil
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 cup dairy-free milk of your choice (or regular milk if that works for you)
- 2 cups shredded cheese or 2 cups Daiya shreds for dairy-free (the macaroni and cheese in the photos was made with a combination of Colby Jack, Sharp Cheddar and Baby Swiss cheeses)
- -OR- use 1 to 1 1/2 cups of the dairy-free cheese sauce here.
Instructions
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This recipe is made using a six quart Instant Pot.
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Combine Banza pasta, water, salt and butter of your choice in the bowl of the Instant Pot.
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Lock the lid in place, press "Manual" on the Instant Pot and reduce the time to 4 minutes.
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Once the Instant Pot pressurizes, the timer will start counting down the 4 minutes. When 4 minutes it up, quick release the pressure.
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When pressure is released (in my model, you know for sure it is released as the silver insert in the steam port disappears), remove the lid. Add the milk to the pasta and stir.
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Press the "Saute" button on the Instant Pot and cook until the milk begins to bubble. Once it is bubbling, stir the cheese in. Continue stirring until all cheese is melted.
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Serve immediately. Remove any macaroni and cheese from the bowl, do not leave it in the Instant Pot as it is hot and will scorch on the bottom of the bowl. No fun cleaning that up. (Ask me how I know...)
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I have to give an instant pot a try!
I really drug my feet about buying one. I’m always trying to reduce how many kitchen gadgets and appliances I have. But when the Prime Day price was under $70, I jumped in. Now I’m wishing I would have bought it much earlier, even at full price. I’ve used it every day since it was delivered!
I have got to try Banza after all the wonderful things I have heard. Thank you for sharing!
I really like Banza. Because of the other benefits (lower carbs, higher protein), I would eat it even if I didn’t have to be gluten-free. Good stuff!
I love the dairy free option of this recipe.
Thank you! I make my homemade dairy-free cheese sauce and freeze it ahead. It works so well with pasta cooked in the Instant Pot.
Looks unbelievably cheesy and the options are super helpful!
Thank you!
Umm….yeah, I need to get an Instant Pot! I’ve heard great things!
I kept hearing great things but am hesitant to get more kitchen gadgets and appliances. This one is fantastic though and I’m so glad I got it!
This is a completely ‘new to me’ gadget! Looks like a great time saver. Your Mac n Cheese looks super!
Thank you! Also new to the Instant Pot and can’t figure out why I waited so long to get one. Game changer!
I can’t wait to try this! I, too, just got an Instant Pot and LOVE it. I have to admit it scared me at first because the only thing I knew about a pressure cooker came from watching Breakfast at Tiffanys! Needless to say, the Instant Pot is light years away from Holly Golightly’s.
Oh, do I ever hear you on the fear of a pressure cooker! I even took a master canning class to become comfortable with traditional pressure cookers and still wouldn’t have one in my house. But the Instant Pot is a breeze. (And poor Holly, left with nothing but that iceberg lettuce salad and saffron rice all over the ceiling…)
I made this with Ronzoni gluten free pasta and it turned out amazing! My daughter loved it, plus she enjoyed helping!
Yay! I love hearing all of that! I haven’t seen Ronzoni gluten-free pasta at my local grocery store, will keep an eye out for it. And I’m so glad to hear your daughter was in the kitchen with you. I love those moments!
We are trying to go gluten free for my son, but my mother and I are having a hard time with it. That said, this recipe worked pretty well with some boxed pasta we had, made from corn and quiona since he isn’t supposed to have rice either, and it turned out fairly good. I think next time I make it, I’m going to use some chicken stock instead of water since it doesn’t called for draining. I think it will do wonders for the flavor. Thank you.
Terrific! I’m so glad it worked for you. I do enjoy using stock or broth instead of water in many recipes, too.
Thanks for the suggestion Valorie. I replaced 1/4 cup of the water with chicken stock and it came out perfect. The noodles did foam up a little and spit out the steam release valve but thankfully I covered that with a dishtowel so there wasn’t too much of a mess.
I just tried this and it came out great! I used macarona instead of penne and I used one cup of mozerella and one cup of pepper jack (both from Daiya). It’s 100% vegan approved and my non-vegan cheese addicted husband loves it as well!
I love hearing it worked well with Daiya. Yay!
OMG! I just made this in my IP with Deboles Quinoa and Flax Penne and Cheddar Daiya. It tasted just like the frozen Macaroni and Cheese from Amy’s but there was so much more at less cost. This is going into our regular rotation. DH who can tolerate dairy said it was the best gluten free macaroni and cheese he has eaten. I took Valorie’s advice and researched using chicken stock. Other recipes used 1/4 cup stock and 2 cups water so that is what I did as well. So cheesy and the noodles were the perfect texture (I have had other noodle recipes fail in the IP)! Thank you!
Yay! I’m so glad this worked out for you!
I make this recipe on almost a weekly basis! I double the recipe and add cayenne, garlic powder and onion powder with the milk for a little zing.
Yay! I’m so glad to hear you enjoy it!