Say goodbye to the boxed stuff — this Instant Pot Hamburger Helper is a lightened-up, homemade version of the classic comfort food. It’s quick, cheesy, hearty, and made in just one pot! Perfect for Weight Watchers, meal prep, or busy weeknights when you want something nostalgic without the sodium overload.
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🧡 Why You’ll Love This Recipe
I've made a lot of pasta dishes on this site, including Quick and Easy Lasagna Pasta and One Pot Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta. Readers love these easy weeknight dinner recipes for a reason:
- WW-friendly: Just 7–8 points per generous serving
- Made in the Instant Pot: No babysitting, one-pot cleanup
- Familiar & family-approved: Just like the boxed version, but better
- Customizable: Easy swaps for dairy-free, gluten-free, or veggie-packed versions
- Meal-prep gold: Makes great leftovers and reheats like a dream
Ingredients (with Substitution Tips)
- 8 oz 96% lean ground beef - Sub with 99% lean ground turkey or chicken to lower points even more
- ¼ cup yellow onion, diced or shallots or red onion for extra sweetness
- ½ tablespoon minced garlic Use garlic powder if you’re out of fresh
- 2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce - No Worcestershire? Mix soy sauce + balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste Sub with 2–3 tablespoon tomato sauce or a squeeze of ketchup
- Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
- 2 cups low-sodium beef broth No beef broth? Use veggie or chicken broth if needed
- 2 cups dry elbow macaroni - Any small pasta works: shells, penne, rotini, or even gluten-free pasta
- 1 cup low-fat shredded cheddar cheese - Dairy-free cheddar or reduce amount to lower fat/points
- 2 scallions, chopped (optional) - Adds flavor and freshness on top — totally optional
- Scallions, chopped (optional)
- See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to make Instant Pot Hamburger Helper
Step 1 Set your Instant Pot to Sauté Mode, and add ground beef and onion. Break up the ground beef with a wooden spoon, until crumbled and cooked through. Drain any excess fat. You can add a little bit of olive oil if you like here or spray the pot with some cooking spray before adding the beef and onion.
Recipe Tip: You can make this on your stove or in an Instant Pot!
Step 2 Add garlic, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, salt and pepper to the pot. Stir to combine and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
Step 3 Pour in 2 cups of beef broth and continue stirring. Add in the elbow macaroni and make sure all the elbow macaroni is submerged into the liquid.
Step 4 Lock the lid and set the valve to sealing mode. Set the timer to 5 minutes. When the instant pot is done cooking, quick release the steam valve.
Step 5 Sprinkle cheese on the top and close the lid for a while until all the cheese is melted on top.
Pro Tips for Hamburger Helper
- Lean ground beef keeps this Hamburger Helper lighter while still giving you plenty of flavor.
- Let the beef brown before adding the other ingredients for the best flavor.
- Cook just until tender so it doesn’t become mushy as it sits in the sauce.
- Let it sit: Give the Hamburger Helper a few minutes to rest after cooking. The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.
- Make it your own: Add diced onions, mushrooms, bell peppers, or extra vegetables for an easy way to bulk up the meal.
Serving Suggestions
Serve Weight Watchers Hamburger Helper on its own for an easy one-pot dinner, or pair it with a simple side dish. A green salad, steamed broccoli, green beans, or roasted vegetables all work well.
Storage and Freezing
Store leftover Hamburger Helper in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave, adding a splash of water or broth if the sauce has thickened.
To freeze, let the Hamburger Helper cool completely before transferring it to freezer-safe containers. Freeze for up to 2 to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave. The pasta may soften slightly after freezing, but it still makes a convenient freezer meal.
Meal Prep
Weight Watchers Hamburger Helper is great for meal prep because it reheats easily and can be portioned into individual containers.
Divide the cooked Hamburger Helper into meal-prep containers once it has cooled slightly. Add a side of steamed vegetables or a simple salad to each container for a complete meal.
Recipe FAQs
I prefer ground beef for hamburger helper but you can sub ground turkey if you like. I get 96& lean ground beef at Aldi or Wal-Mart.
If you don’t like opening the smaller cans of tomato paste, I just love the tomato paste that comes in a tube.
I have the Instant Pot Duo 6 QT Electric Pressure Cooker. You can find it on Amazon. I'm not sponsored by them, it just a kitchen appliance I really like to use. Gotta love those muti-cookers!
Don’t be intimidated by your pressure because you’re afraid the lid will pop off or explode! Pressure cookers have built-in features that are for safety reasons. Some of the most common errors made are when the user forgets to turn the venting knob to sealing mode, overfills the pot, or uses the timer button to set the cooking time.
Other Instant Pot Recipes
If you tried this Instant Pot Hamburger Helper any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you! Follow along on Tiktok @jennarecipediaries
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Instant Pot Hamburger Helper
- Cook Time: 14 min
- Total Time: 20 min
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Easy
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: American
Description
You won’t believe how easy it is to make homemade Hamburger Helper in your Instant Pot! The Instant Pot comes with a Saute function mode so the ground beef and onions can cook in the pot.
Ingredients
- 8 oz 96% lean ground beef
- ¼ cup of yellow onion, diced
- ½ tablespoon of minced garlic
- 2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
- kosher salt and black pepper to taste
- 2 cups of low sodium beef broth
- 1 cup low-fat shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 cups of dry elbow macaroni
- 2 scallions, chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Set your Instant Pot to Sauté Mode, and add ground beef and onion. Break up the ground beef with a wooden spoon, until crumbled and cooked through. Drain any excess fat.
- Add garlic, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, salt and pepper to the pot. Stir to combine and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
- Pour in 2 cups of beef broth and continue stirring.
- Add in the elbow macaroni and make sure all the elbow macaroni is submerged into the liquid.
- Lock the lid and set the valve to sealing mode. Set the timer to 5 minutes.
- When the instant pot is done cooking, quick release the steam valve.
- Sprinkle cheese on the top and close the lid for a while until all the cheese is melted on top.
- Makes 4 servings. 1 ¼ cup serving size.
Notes
My WW Personal Points: 6 Click here to see in recipe builder (will have to log in)
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 ¼ cups
- Calories: 253
- Sugar: 2.5g
- Fat: 5.4g
- Saturated Fat: 2.3g
- Carbohydrates: 24.5g
- Fiber: 1.4g
- Protein: 25.4g
Jenna says
No, I don't.
Jill Goodwin says
Hi there! Do you have instructions for this using an oven? We haven’t purchased an insta pot yet.
Jenna says
Ketchup is a great substitute! Glad they liked it. 🙂
Jessica says
My kids loved this! I made as described, except I had to sub ketchup for tomato paste. So nice to have a recipe like this—won’t be buying HH anymore when I can make it at home with simple ingredients I have on hand and can pronounce!
Thanks.
Jenna says
Saute for 5 minutes until the ground beef is cooked then pressure cook for 5.
Donna Robinson says
Do I pressure cook it for 5min or just leave it on saute for 5 min?
Jenna says
No, you don't have to have everything! Thanks, Patrick. 🙂
Patrick says
It's so simple! I like to use what I have available sometimes.
I kinda went by the resipe, instead of burger I used leftover pulled pork That I smoked the other day. I also didn't have any elbow macaroni an have been on a rice kick lately. So I added a little extra broth and put in 2 cups of rice. Oh, and I sautéed the onions and garlic in olive oil before adding the other ingredients.
Once I added the rice I made sure it was just barley under the liquid. I've had problems with the rice recipes in the past getting a burn notice so I just used the rice button on my duo. Once it was done I added the cheese after mixing it up well. Came out amazing! Just wanted to say that you don't always have to have everything just so for a recipe to come out good.
Jenna says
Thank you for the review, Sarah!
Sarah says
I made this and it felt just like mom was too tired to cook so she made that classic hambuger helper. It hit the spot! I loved it and I cant already wait to have it for lunch tomorrow! Also, super quick and easy!