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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Amanda Formaro says
The flavor is dependent on the cheese you choose. Sharp cheddar has much more flavor than mild cheddar, for example. What type of cheese did you use? Also, cheaper, generic brands tend to be more bland.
Amanda Formaro says
Unfortunately I cannot control the flavor of different cheese brands. Sorry it wasn’t enjoyable for you!
Karen McAlhaney says
I see the serving size is 1 cup, but aproximately how many servings does this make?
Amanda Formaro says
8 servings
Kathi Beatty says
Lived in Texas and had a million Mac recipes, baked, smoked and slow cooker. This is the best Mac I’ve ever had and served it at a family gathering, gone! Creamy, moist, cheesy. I used sharp cheddar as it was on sale and I’m frugal however, this was a win and I have 2 bonafide chefs in the family.. Thank you!!
Cinda says
Not sure what went wrong, but this came out incredibly dry for me :(
Heather says
Why can’t I use Barilla gluten free Elbows with the lines?
Amanda Formaro says
Gluten free noodles tend to get mushy faster. The elbows with the lines are definitely a heartier noodle, but I’m not sure how the gluten free version would hold up.
Amanda Formaro says
I’m sorry the flavor was not to your liking. Not everyone loves every recipe.
DAVID SCOTT JEFFREY says
GREAT RECIPE!! Thanks for sharing!
Deanne says
Why can you use bagged shredded cheese in this recipe?
Amanda Formaro says
Bagged shredded cheese contains an anti-caking agent that can cause grittiness when the cheese melts.
Elise Chapman says
I want to use this for a graduation party. Ever cooked and left on warm for a couple of hours? How does it fare? Looks really yummy! Thanks!
Amanda Formaro says
As with any pasta, keeping it on warm for a short period of time should be fine, but too long will cause it to get mushy.
Kathi says
Elise
After mine was to desired fineness, I remove it from slow cooker, sat on a rack and uncovered for 10 minutes. Placed the lid back on aft 10 min. And it was still quite warm. I too was Leary of it getting mushy if it remained covered because pasta keeps cooking when hot and covered.
Collette says
Could I double this recipe and still cook in crockpot but for longer time?
Amanda Formaro says
Yes, this recipe can be doubled provided you have a large enough slow cooker. The cooking time will not change.
Chelsea says
This seems like a really silly question but how do you get the cheese from the deli counter and shred yourself? Just ask for a big chunk cut?
Amanda Formaro says
Yes that’s what I do!
S.C.V. says
Hi CHELSEA haven’t you ever heard of a Box Grater that can shred block cheese. They do come in handy for different things. Here is a place you can look at the different kinds.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=grater&crid=310HZ5PH4M1YT&sprefix=grater%2Caps%2C109&ref=nb_sb_noss_1
Ali says
Unfortunately, wasted time and money on this recipe. I wish I would’ve read the comments prior to making. Pasta noodles do not turn out al dente, they become a weird flour mush in the sauce. Should’ve known, pastas not meant to be cooked in a crockpot.
Amanda Formaro says
If you use a thin pasta noodle it will turn mushy. Use the macaroni that are heartier, the ones with the grooves are best.
Jana Farrell says
I made this for a family party and everyone loved it! I followed the recipe instructions exactly and it worked! Mine took about 2 hours. I used half Boars Head Colby jack and half Cabot Extra Sharp white cheddar. Delicious!
Avery says
Great recipe. Hard to believe it’s made in a crockpot and tasted so good. I subbed spicy mustard for the mustard powder and I used a Cabot colby jack and Cabot Seroius Sharp and it came out great!
Cathy Cronk says
How would one reheat this? This was amazing 10/10 would recommend.
Lauren says
Tried at home twice, and mushy pasta after one hour both times. Are there any other ways to get the pasta not to turn to mush?
Karen Lorbecki says
Plan to let this cook a lot more than an hour. At two hours, it wasn’t close, so I poured it in a pot, and cooked it on my stove and had it finished in 13 minutes. But the good news is that it cooked great on the stove top so that is a good option if you need it cooke and ready to go in a hurry.
Michele says
Maybe try cooking everything for a while and then adding in the elbows later, like after 45 minutes. Also I use real mustard in mine, not dry.
Lynn M says
Haven’t made yet. When it’s finished cooking do I leave on warm or turn crock pot off?
Amanda Formaro says
You can leave it on warm
Cathy says
I would like to know from the author recommendations for adjusting this recipe or suggestions when using the instant pot. I don’t seem to have the awesome results that everyone raves about with this appliance and was seeking some guidance. Thank you
Amanda Formaro says
Try our instant pot mac and cheese here https://amandascookin.com/instant-pot-mac-and-cheese/