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
- Food processor for shredding cheese
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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MDD says
I love this mac n cheese. The only changes I made were: I did buy the bagged shredded cheese, not deli-sliced. I used 8 oz of sharp cheddar and 4 oz of triple cheddar. I also add in a half a block of cream cheese. I don’t add dry mustard or cayenne pepper. Cook on low for 1 hour, then stir. Cook for 30 more mins (still on low).
JoDean says
Try larger shells.
Emma says
I have a large family and for every gathering they ask for this recipe. I double it and use medium shells, and I actually sub out half of the cheddar for velveeta cheese because it’s just good. I cook it on low the whole time and only check or stir every thirty minutes, it really makes the difference. It usually is finished about 2.5 hours in my crockpot but they’re all different. My go – to mac and cheese!
Amanda Formaro says
I’m sorry you had trouble. It’s clearly stated in red bold letters NOT to make this on the day of your holiday gathering and to do a test run first. This recipe has been tested by us multiple times and with different crockpots, and each time it’s been perfect. Again, sorry you had trouble, but we’ve been unable to duplicate the issue you describe which would lead me to believe that you may have done something wrong.
Courtney says
Great recipe! I loved the different seasonings, it definitely brought good flavor to the Mac. Unlike the other commenters, whenever I realized the milk was not reducing after an hour, I turned up to high and it cooked perfectly! My suggestion is low for 1 hour and then high for another 30-45.
Peggy W says
I am making this for the first time today. My niece and nephew have a food truck and also do catering. I have seen them make as many as 7 Slow-cookers with this Mac and Cheese. Always perfect and delicious. I hope it will turn out as well for me.
JENIFFER MARTINEZ says
After t’s done can i set my slow cooker on warm to keep it creamy while guests serve themselves?
Jenn simons says
gelatinous mess. Terrible texture.
Sherry says
I literally turned on the crockpot five minutes ago and just found out they’ve moved my potluck up an hour. Can I cook this in the oven or on the stove instead?
Hanali says
No rating yet but 1pound of pasta? Somewhere you should give equivalencies. Cups or grams.
PR says
REALLY??!! A pound is 16 ounces. 8 ounces is a cup so therefor 16 ounces or 1 pound is 2 cups. not rocket science to figure it out, where did you go to school? not to mention in the time it took you to write this you could have googled the answer…
Emily says
If you had Googled it rather than giving a snarky condescending answer, you would see that a pound of dry pasta is about 4 cups.
Kim says
A pound is 16 ounces. Usually one box of pasta is a pound
Amanda Formaro says
In the US, pasta is sold in 16 oz boxes (1 pound).
Jennifer Petro says
This is soooo easy and delicious. I used the monterrey cheese.
Jessica says
I’ve made this recipe a couple of times but always use capatavi pasta and cook it for about 1 minute less than al dente. It’s always a huge hit!
Julia says
Love this recipe. I’ve been using this recipe for years. Everyone including my picky eaters love this Mac And Cheese recipe. I use Velveeta and monterey jack. Creamy and delicious Everytime. Use spices and make sure your checking it and turns out great Everytime!
Ahmed says
I used Monterey Jack instead of American and doubled the recipe, but I followed everything else. It took about 2.5h in my Hamilton Beach slow cooker, and it turned out delicious, but a bit gritty.
Connie says
I followed the instructions perfectly except for the part about doing a trial run if making for the holidays. After 2 hours, it was still like soup and we needed to leave soon. So, I threw it in the oven for another 25 minutes and it came out perfect. I will try it again just for our family at home. We have an old crockpot so maybe it will take the full 3 hours.
Ailish says
This is such an easy recipe! I made it was Sargento shredded cheddar cheese and a block of Monterey Jack and it tuned out totally fine! I also used almond milk with no issues. I ended up adding more milk at the end because it wasn’t as creamy as I would have liked. Kept it in for 2 hours but could have done 1.5.
Sadie says
Followed the recipe tasted a little salty but was easy and tasty for the most part.
Renee says
My cook time was 1 hour 45 minutes. My family said it was the best Mac and cheese they had ever had!
Arlene says
Sooo confused. In the notes it says don’t use reg milk..but in the ingredients it says use reg milk.. which is it?
Amanda Formaro says
I apologize for the confusion. In the notes it’s referring to the evaporated milk portion of the ingredients. So in other words, use the ingredients listed. Do not substitute the measurement of evaporated milk for regular milk.
Gale Dacalio says
I made this last year and it came out wonderful. I love that it didn’t have the bad ingredients some other recipes have.
Making a double batch tomorrow for Thanksgiving! I think some of the bad comments nay be from people that didn’t check it every 1/2 hour. It’s not aet it and forget it.