This creamy crockpot mac and cheese starts with uncooked elbow pasta; no boiling these noodles. Simply throw the milk, cheese, and seasonings in the slow cooker for a meal everyone will love!
The slow cooker is super portable and the dish won’t dry out. This is a great casserole to take to a potluck or family get together.
Creamy Crockpot Mac and Cheese
There are lots of different ways to make mac and cheese, but two of them are more popular than others. The first type is southern or baked mac and cheese, which includes eggs and is almost like a casserole. The second type is cooked on the stovetop in a béchamel sauce. There are no eggs and it is super creamy.
In order to get that ultra creamy texture in a crock pot, you either have to use condensed cheese soup or Velveeta cheese, neither of which appealed to me.
The next best thing is to use evaporated milk and American cheese, the kind you get from the deli counter. Barring American cheese, using a melty cheese like Monterey Jack or White American will also produce creamy results.
If you are making for the holidays
If you’ve never made this before, please do a dry run before the holiday! Everyone’s slow cooker acts differently, so it’s important to try this out first. Please read through the FAQ below as well for best results.
Frequently Asked Questions
There have been quite a few questions on this recipe, please check here before asking in the comments as it may already have been answered. PLEASE READ the notes in the printed recipe.
Can I double this recipe and does it change the cooking time?
Yes, this recipe can be doubled provided you have a large enough slow cooker. The cooking time will not change.
I don’t eat yellow cheese, what is a good white substitute?
Monterey Jack works well, as does White American and White Cheddar. A marble cheese should work as well. Sharp cheddars will give this dish the best flavor, try Vermont white sharp cheddar!
Can I make this ahead and reheat it?
We don’t recommend reheating macaroni and cheese as it never tastes quite the same and there’s a possibility that the macaroni will become mushy. However, if this is a deal breaker, you can reheat it – simply add some milk to loosen the thickened sauce while reheating. We recommend making it and having it ready right before you leave. Turn off the slow cooker but leave the lid on. When you arrive stir it and loosen with milk if needed.
Why was my mac and cheese gritty?
Prepackaged shredded cheese contains an anti-caking agent that can cause your final product to taste gritty. Purchase your cheese from the deli and shred it yourself. We’ve also discovered that some less expensive cheeses are gritty even when you shred them yourself, but after the mac and cheese sits for a while the grittiness goes away.
Why was my mac and cheese mushy?
If it cooks too fast or too long it will get mushy. The biggest culprit is thin macaroni noodles. We use Barilla brand and have also used Creamette. These noodles are thicker and sometimes have ridges. Thinner noodles will cook much faster and turn mushy.
Another reason could be an older slow cooker that may cook hotter (even on low) than a newer crock pot. Leave the lid on for one hour on low. DON’T increase the temp to High! Stir after one hour then check after 15 more minutes. Check and stir every 15 minutes after that if needed. Mine was done is 1 hour and 45 minutes.
Mushy mac and cheese can also be the result of using gluten free macaroni noodles as they do not hold up as well. One of our readers made this successfully with gluten free pasta. she said hers was done in 90 minutes but began to get mushy at 2 hours, so it’s important to keep an eye on it!
Can I mix all of the ingredients, refrigerate overnight, and put in the crockpot a few hours prior to serving?
Yes, with the exception of the pasta. Wait until you take it out of the fridge and are turning the slow cooker on before you add the macaroni.
I’m confused by the cooking time, is it 2 hours or 3?
Actually, it’s up to 3 hours. You should cook the dish on low for 1 hour, then stir it and check for doneness. After that, check it periodically (every thirty minutes or so) until it is done. The actual cooking time is completely dependent on the slow cooker you have (similar to ovens, they all cook differently), hence the “up to 3 hours” instruction.
To keep our mac and cheese from being bland we added mustard, garlic, and cayenne to ours in addition to the basic salt and pepper. These can all be adjusted to your taste.
Crockpot Mac and Cheese
IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Rate ItIngredients
- 1 pound elbow pasta uncooked (regular, NOT gluten free, NOT quick cook pasta) We use Barilla brand
- 2 ½ cups whole milk
- 12 ounces evaporated milk
- 12 ounces Extra sharp cheddar 3 cups shredded (from the deli, shred yourself, don't buy bagged)
- 4 ounces American cheese (or Monterrey) 1 cup shredded (from the deli, not processed slices)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dry mustard
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- Dash of cayenne pepper to taste
- ¼ cup butter cubed
Things You’ll Need
Before You Begin
- IMPORTANT – please do not use the bagged shredded cheese. It contains an anti-caking agent that can make your mac and cheese gritty. Get the cheese from the deli and shred it yourself.
- PASTA – please use a sturdy pasta, not the really thin noodles. Thin noodles will cook much faster and turn to mush. Since the pandemic manufacturers have changed their noodles, look for sturdy ones!
- Also, every slow cooker is different. Newer slow cookers should work fine for this recipe. Cook on low for one hour without disturbing. Remove lid and stir well. Replace lid and check every 15 minutes after that. DO NOT turn the heat up! You will make your macaroni mushy. My slow cooker is only a couple years old and my mac and cheese is done after about 1 hr and 45 minutes.
- For BEST RESULTS be sure to read the Frequently Asked Questions in the blog post before making your mac and cheese.
- Making for the holidays? If you’ve never made this before, please do a dry run before the holiday! Everyone’s slow cooker acts differently, so it’s important to try this out first. Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas!
Instructions
- Spray 6-quart slow cooker with non-stick spray.
- Rinse the uncooked pasta well in cold water and drain.1 pound elbow pasta
- Add uncooked pasta to crockpot along with milks, cheeses, salt, pepper, mustard, garlic and cayenne pepper. Stir to combine, making sure macaroni is submerged in liquid as much as possible.2 1/2 cups whole milk, 12 ounces evaporated milk, 12 ounces Extra sharp cheddar, 4 ounces American cheese (or Monterrey), 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, Dash of cayenne pepper
- Dot with cubed butter.1/4 cup butter
- Cover and cook on low heat for 1 hour. Remove lid and stir. Depending on your slow cooker, your dish could be done at this point or require UP TO 1-2 more hours.
- If not done, continue cooking and checking periodically (ever half hour or so).
- When done, pasta will be tender and liquid will be thick and creamy. Sauce will thicken even more after lid is removed and mac and cheese sits.
Expert Tips & FAQs
- Condensed milk is sweetened and the two cannot be used interchangeably. Use evaporated milk.
- Don’t use regular milk in place of evaporated milk. However, you can create your own evaporated milk. To make 1 cup of evaporated milk, simmer 2 1/4 cups of regular milk down until it becomes 1 cup. Replacing the evaporated milk with regular milk will result in sauce that is too runny because of the water content in regular milk.
- For the milk in the ingredient list, use whole milk as directed. Using a lower fat milk can add more water and make your mac and cheese more liquidy nand not cook properly.
Nutrition
This post was originally published on August 21, 2017
Amanda Davis
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Chris says
Thanks for the recipe! I’m not sure how people ended up with mushy pasta, unless they left cooking and ate awhile after making. We followed recipe, except-we did use preshredded cheese (we used 3 state cheddar) and used velveeta vs american. Everyone liked it and wanted the recipe! It’s definitely one that I will make/take to family get togethers again!
bri says
how can you rate this 1 star when you basically screwed the entire thing up yourself? LOL you’re the one people make fun of on allrecipes when you entirely change it and then rate it 1*
Mary Lou Mowrer says
I made this mac and cheese and it was delicious. The problem I had was that the cheese curltled and wasn’t creamy. What did I do wrong? I followed the recipe directions just as printed.
Marylou Mowrer says
The mac and cheese was delicious, but the cheese curdled. What did I do wrong? I followed the recipe exactly. Marylou
Sue Arehart says
Delicious and so simple! The whole family loved it! I also made it for a party and it went so quickly!
Kristen Penick says
I have been looking for a slow cooker recipe like this for 25 years. A friend once made crockpot Mac and cheese with dry pasta and cheese ends that the deli sold. It was affordable on a poverty budget and the best max and cheese I’ve ever had. I have been looking ever since and this is perfect! I used old cheddar, mozzarella, Monterey Jack, havarti and cream cheese. I like having a recipe that allows me to use up whatever is in the fridge. This will be a got to recipe from now on!
Mike says
I wanted something easy without so many dishes, this was perfect. I end up eyeballing most of the ingredients, so I basically just have my slow cooker to clean. I added a few extra seasonings and used a mix of cheeses that I smoked, turned out great. I’ve made this many times now without any issues, and having made it with the smoked cheese I doubt I will go back to regular cheese. Thanks for the recipe.
Gail Kenney says
My niece told me this was the best mac and cheese she ever ate. I switched out the cheeses and used smoked white cheddar, havarti and a blend of italian cheeses (parmeson, asiago and romano). It was so easy to make and an hour seemed to be just right.
Katie Marie says
I made this macaroni and cheese turned out excellent, my boyfriend loved it. So tasty 😋
Mary MG says
This Mac n cheese recipe is awesome! My grandkids loved it (as did I). I followed the recipe as written and my noodles were AOk. No mush problem in this household! Thanks for sharing. This will definitely go into rotation.
Mary
Georgiann N Cain says
I am allergic to wheat, can i not use gluten free pasta?
Amanda Formaro says
Some people have had success with gluten free pasta. WE HAVE NOT TESTED THIS so I cannot attest to those results. Others have ended up with mushy pasta from using GF versions.
Bernadette says
I made this for a second time. Instead of doubling the batch, I did 1.5 as suggested and it worked great! I used old cheddar and mozzarella (that’s what I had in the fridge) and I added 1.5 blocks of cream cheese (diced) to the mix (it would be 1 block for a single batch). It made the final result very creamy and delicious!
Allison says
Just made this and it was delicious. Not mushy at all. I cooked it for 2 hours total, stirring every half hour after the initial hour cook time. The noodles are very firm the way I like them! Not sure why others had a problem.
The flavor is delicious and plenty cheesy. I let it sit with the lid off for 15 minutes (and crockpot unplugged) after the two hours, and the cheese sauce thickened right up! This is a very easy yet delicious gourmet recipe.
I used shell pasta and 6 slices of American cheese instead of shredded. Thanks for the recipe!
nicole dawson says
Just made this for our surgery center’s Juneteenth party- opted for 4oz Beecher’s peppercorn studded white cheddar, 4 slices of unsmoked provolone, 8oz tillamook white cheddar – it was a home run. Made it in my large instant pot on low setting slow cook function. Perfect texture in 2 hrs.
Kalynn says
Made this for our trial run for Fathers Day this weekend. Followed the directions to a T except used mozzarella instead of American cheese (we couldn’t find it at our store) But it seemed like there was almost a separation between the noodles and cheese mixture. And the cheese seemed to get a little clumpy? Any idea why the cheese wouldn’t be sticking to the noodles?
SF says
Mozzarella does not melt like American cheese. They have different consistencies. Mozzarella will remain chunky and stringy and not meld with the other ingredients.
Mandy says
I just made this recipe for the third time tonight.
I can’t tell you how obsessed I am. Delicious, easy and a crowd pleaser! Tonight’s batch turned out a little thicker and gummier than it normally does but I just left it on too long I think, and we waited too long before eating it. Even so, it was so flavourful and delish.
Made it for a girl’s night, and got rave reviews.
Definitely a recipe I’ll keep using.
Julie says
Recipe is spot on. The only thing I did different was using New Your White Cheddar and 8 oz. Of American instead of 4. Let it cook, like author suggests, for exactly one hour without disruption and then stirred. Cooked another 20 minutes and unplugged the crockpot. We ate about 40 minutes later and it was creamy w perfect noodles. The longer it sat, the thicker it got. Probably perfect for serving around about 15 minutes after being shut off. Of course it’s eventually gonna get mushy, it’s pasta in the crockpot after all. However, mine did not. All 3 of my boys loved it, me too!
Amanda Formaro says
I’m sorry you didn’t like it. We have tested this recipe over 10 times following the recipe exactly as you state and have enjoyed it every single time. Not sure where you went wrong, and without being in your kitchen with you I am unable to troubleshoot.
Hannah says
The sauce was great. The macaroni was “gummy” and mushy. Followed directions exactly.
Amanda Formaro says
Mushy pasta is addressed in the notes and tips of the recipe. It’s either from an older crockpot that cooks hotter than most, or it’s because you cooked it too long. As the tips suggest, after the first hour you must stir and check every 15 minutes as at the end it can go from watery to done very quickly. Sorry you had trouble.
Alicia says
Mush.
I followed the recipe to a T. I shredded my own cheese as instructed. At one hour I checked and it was already mush. The cheese minute tasted good, so maybe next time I’ll just make the noodles on the stove and add them to the crock pot after the cheese is done.
Amanda Formaro says
Mushy pasta is addressed in the notes and tips of the recipe. It’s either from an older crockpot that cooks hotter than most, or it’s because you cooked it too long. As the tips suggest, after the first hour you must stir and check every 15 minutes as at the end it can go from watery to done very quickly. Sorry you had trouble.