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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Irene says
The cheese sauce broke and was gritty. How do I fix this next time?
Amanda Formaro says
Be sure to buy a good quality cheese from the deli (ask for a block, not sliced) and shred it yourself.
Jen says
Have you ever doubled this recipe?
Amanda Formaro says
I personally have not, but there have been quite a few readers in the comments saying they have.
Nicole says
I double it every time I make it. Turns out great.
Georgia says
Exceeded our expectations. We used very sharp cabot cheddar and Monterrey. We used 1/8 tsp cayenne. The rest of the ingredients were consistent. Took only 1 1/2 hours on low. Delicious!! Will triple and add to our Thanksgiving menu.
A says
Turned out fantastic – thank you so much for sharing your experience with us.
Sherri says
We followed the recipe exactly as far as ingredients go, except we did not have whole milk so we used 2% instead. After cooking on low for an hour the macaroni was not done and it had not thickened. I turned it up to high at that point because we had company coming and I was getting nervous based on other reviews. I actually forgot about it and when I checked it an hour later it was perfect! Everyone loved it and it disappeared. I will definitely be adding this one to my recipe collection- thank you!
Joey Jo-Jo Junior Shabadoo says
It took three hours? In a CROCK POT? Oh man, that’s so weird that the food cooked slow in a slow-cooker.
Susie says
Very gritty and not a good flavor. Ised good cheese too (tilamook)
I wouldnt recommend this recipe and am unsure why its ratings are ao high.
Autumn says
It’s recommended to grate the cheese yourself instead of using pre shredded cheese. This will eliminate the gritty taste
Meaghan says
Yummy! Easy to make
Shaun says
I have made this several times. Turns out perfect each time.
Jennifer Strolsee says
I’ve made this twice and it was a hit both times. I used pre-shredded cheese and american cheese slices, although the recipe says not to, as a time saver. It was still great!
Grace Godfrey says
I loved this recipe! It was very easy to make and not hard to alter so I could use what I already had. I didn’t have enough evaporated milk so I used half heavy cream. I got so many compliments from my friends and family and would 100% make it again!
Lori. G says
I made this for a birthday party today. Used Muellers Large Elbow noodles. It came out fantastic & was almost too easy.
I got a lot of compliments. Followed directions , except added Cooper sharp cheese , Extra Sharp Cheddar & American. Shredded it all (no bags of cheese)…..after 1 hour, i stirred it—-was very soupy & was nervous it would not work out….1/2 hour more & i turned it off & took it to the party. When i got there, it was PERFECT! Leftovers tonight were also great.
Shelly Mccarthy says
Made this for Father’s Day it was a huge hit!
Karen Burns says
This is awful. No one is responding to any questions. Horrible way to run a site. These are legit questions…. guess no one really runs this , just wants you to sign uo????
Amanda Formaro says
If you look up in the blog post there is huge Frequently Asked Questions section. All the questions asked in these comments are answered. Please read the blog post first before posting angry comments. It also states in the recipe card note to read that section first.
Lucy says
What an extremely snotty thing to say when you’re trying to make money by people following your recipes.
Amanda Formaro says
You are certainly entitled to your opinion, however I don’t believe my answer was snotty at all. Just factual.
Lisa says
I did not see any questions about this recipe asked by you on here so I’m not sure why you are saying this. You didn’t even say why it was awful so did you even make the recipe? If it was awful you probably didn’t fallow the directions. From every word you said it just sounds like you wanted to get some attention today. And there is nothing to sign up for and I don’t see how she is making money from anyone making the recipe because she is not selling you the ingredients so how does she make money? Legitimate question for you so tell me how she is making $.
Ann says
Trying it now to the recipe T. Sorta. Added a knob of cream cheese, lashings of melindas hot sauce, and had to sub aged white cheddar, manchengo and deli slices of mild cheddar. Splash more whole cows milk.
Elicia says
Did the cream cheese make a difference? I was thinking about that too.
TIA
Debbie says
I found this recipe this morning, saw that I had all the ingredients to make it, so threw it together and brought it to a family birthday party tonight. First of all, it was the easiest Mac and cheese I have ever made from scratch. And everyone loved it – it was the only dish that was completely eaten up. And 3 people asked me for the recipe too. This recipe is a keeper! I used a corkscrew pasta with ridges that held the sauce really well. It was super creamy and delicious!
Pam says
Hello! I’m planning a party for my son and wish to make this at home, then turn off slow cooker, transport it 20 minutes and continue “cooking” or keeping warm. Will this work or impact the texture if I pause the cooking for transport? Also how long can it keep warm on a low setting? Thank you so much!!
Gina says
Well I used the packaged cheese. I’m hoping it tastes good 😊
Kelli says
How did it turn out with that packaged cheese? I have packaged also….
Shelly Mccarthy says
I used the seriously sharp white cheddar ( plus extra cups) ha packaged along with the Monterey Jack and it came out amazing!
Rachel says
Can this be doubled and fit in the same size crock pot? And, would cooking time most likely increase?
Kelli says
Did you get an answer on this?
Fisher Sandra says
Did you double the recipe in 6 quart slow cooker and did it turn out? Did it take longer than one hour to cook?
Michael Kelley says
Can you double this recipe if using a 6 quart crock pot?