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.Â
- 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.Â
- 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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Mary says
I brought this to a Friendsgiving and everybody LOVED it! The only difference I had was different cheeses: 8oz monterey jack, 8oz sharp cheddar and 8oz gruyere; the gruyere is the secret, so worth it! Everything else was the same. All the people saying the pasta was the wrong texture simply did not cook it long enough; it was the same for me and I kept it on for another 20 minutes and it was good! Impress everyone with this delicious recipe!
Dani says
I followed the recipe exactly except I didn’t asthe seasoning and I used Kraft preshredded Mac and cheese mix. The noodles were cooked after an hour and 45 mins, I stirred every 15 mins after the hour I let it cook on low. The milk evaporated well. The texture was fine but the taste had no flavor at all, I don’t know if that was from using a different cheese but it definitely had no flavor. The cheese mix I used was mozzarella and cheddar.
Sue says
The worst Mac and cheese I’ve ever made, why the evaporated milk? It made it extremely sweet and I threw it out.
Amanda Formaro says
Sounds like you used sweetened condensed milk instead of evaporated milk
Shelly Renner-Allen says
I made this Mac and cheese, followed the recipe and added lil smokies. It was finished in 2 hours and it was creamy and delicious!
MJ Shull says
This recipe is a favorite in my household! I switch up the cheeses to ones we prefer – I’ve used various combinations of colby jack/ sharp white cheddar/ pepper jack/ cheddar and swiss… always following 12 oz of one type and 4 oz of the other. I’ve always followed the note where you need to shred the cheese yourself… and I always use whole milk. Comes out perfect every time!
Emma says
I made this for the first time for a work potluck (brave, I know) and it came out perfect, or at least close enough. I made it exactly as written only I used corkscrew pasta (personal macaroni and cheese favorite) and added in some pre-cooked bacon. I wish I’d started it maybe 15 minutes earlier (took over 3 hours in my older crockpot) because the noodles were still a tad to al dente though the pasta shape might’ve been the culprit on that. I was nervous it wasn’t going to pull together but within the last 45 minutes everything started combining beautifully. Also wish I’d had factored in time to let it sit as it was creamier than I usually prefer but all my coworkers loved it just how it was. Would definitely recommend and I would make this recipe again in a heartbeat.
Nina Bacchus says
Love this recipe! We make it very often in my house. I have made it with both bagged cheese and fresh cheese from the deli and it is so much better with the fresh cheese. I ask for .5-.75 lb of each cheese and I usually have some left over.
Are we able to double the recipe? I have wanted to try but haven’t yet.
Rachael Vultaggio says
Fantastic recipe. Thank you. I substituted Old Bay seasoning for cayenne. Easy and delicious.
Michael says
Pasta didn’t cook, soupy mess.
K Pierce says
Can this be doubled, if the crockpot is big enough?
Amanda Formaro says
Some have successfully doubled this recipe but we have not tested it.
Kelly Ann Davis says
Great! I just put this in the crockpot about 5 minutes ago and the whole family is coming to dinner!! Looks like it might turn into pizza night
Rosi says
This recipe was great! Nice and easy. It took about 1.5 hours. Our crockpot is a few years old but barely used. Will be making this again!
Jen says
Made recipe yesterday exactly how it said I needed to cook 2 hrs. I am not a fan of this recipe did not think it tasted good.
Sean Albert says
Delicious, everyone loved it, the recipe was easy to follow literally fix and wait for the deliciousness. We will definitely make this again as it has become our go to for every occasion.
Marie Elene says
I made this recipe today.
Just the right amount of ingredients, cooked one and half hours. I used sharp cheddar and Asiago ( great combo).
Thank you
Kara says
While not the best I’ve ever had, it was still great! Easy to do. I used Monterey Jack and high quality cheddar. Cooked for about an hour and a half. It was somewhat thick and creamy- became thicker as it sat and cooled off some.
Amanda Formaro says
Sorry you had trouble. Without being in your kitchen with you, I can’t really troubleshoot this with you. We have had this recipe tested by five different independent testers and all had great success as have hundreds of people in the comments. We know others have had trouble like you, but have been unable to pinpoint the problem other than each crockpot cooks differently. It’s possible that if you had waited another 15 or 20 minutes, the results could have been drastically different.
Caleb says
Ditto – This whole thing was a nightmare. Such a waste of expensive cheese.
Brittany says
Easy breezy! I had been craving mac n cheese; and with my AC being out for three weeks in the middle of a Florida summer, I was on the hunt for crockpot meals. I cut the recipe in half as I’m only cooking for myself, and used a bag of Sargento shredded cheddar jack. The store was oddly completely out of dry mustard, so I substituted a tsp of spicy mustard and also added a few dashes of Cholula. OMG! So satisfying! Took about an hour and half; I could’ve probably turned it off 15 minutes beforehand as the cheese was kind of burning and sticking to the sides of the crock. Forget using the stove to heat up pasta – this will stay in the rotation. I can’t wait test adding other ingredients to it.
Gegi Martin says
Where was crockpot Mac and cheese when I was raising 4 boysand working full time (teaching special education in 7th grade). I’m allergic to milk and all it’s products. So…, light 💡 bulb. I used Soy milk and goat raw cheddar cheese along with goat mozzarella cheese. My hubby 💕 loved it so much he had two large helpings. Thanks again for the great recipe and the genius idea 💡 for use of my crockpot!!!!!