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 Muenster or Havarti 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?
Muenster 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 Pin 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 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 30 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, 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, be quick! Don't let too much heat out. 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
The recipes on this blog are tested with a conventional gas oven and gas stovetop. It’s important to note that some ovens, especially as they age, can cook and bake inconsistently. Using an inexpensive oven thermometer can assure you that your oven is truly heating to the proper temperature. If you use a toaster oven or countertop oven, please keep in mind that they may not distribute heat the same as a conventional full sized oven and you may need to adjust your cooking/baking times. In the case of recipes made with a pressure cooker, air fryer, slow cooker, or other appliance, a link to the appliances we use is listed within each respective recipe. For baking recipes where measurements are given by weight, please note that results may not be the same if cups are used instead, and we can’t guarantee success with that method.
This post was originally published on August 21, 2017
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Mark B says
Good stuff! holiday or everyday favorite.
Cindy says
This recipe was THE BEST mac n cheese I’ve ever made!! I usually make it in the oven, went out on a limb and made this and it was delicious!! Thank you!!
Beth says
Terrible recipe. I made it exactly as written, taking care to follow the directions precisely. The flavor was horrible, it was very soupy and after an hour and twenty minutes on low the macaroni was mush.
Lori says
I read and re-read the instructions so I would fully understand the steps, so not as to mess it up based on all the bad reviews. I still chose to give it a try in hopes of saving myself some time in the kitchen and I wish I wouldn’t have. It was way too watery and mushy, even when followed exactly as written. What a waste of money.
Franny says
Can the milk be warmed to jump start the process?
Ettenna says
Followed the recipe and helpful hints to a T. It was mushy, gritty, and the flavor was not good. This was the second time I tried the recipe. The third time will not be the charm.
Gregory says
Put it on for an hour and a half and the pasta was nowhere near cooked. It needed another hour on high before it was edible. Would not recommend for a pot luck
Ruth says
Such and easy recipe to make and it tastes wonderful. So happy I found it. Like you said my took a little longer to cook but with a sturdy pasta it made no difference. It was fantastic.
Franz says
More like a soup than Mac and cheese
John says
You obviously did something wrong.
Samantha says
Do you think I can make just the sauce and cook the pasta separately to just under al dente, bring it like that to my pot luck and then add the pasta and reheat when I get there? Not letting the cheese cool all the way?
Amanda Davis says
We haven’t tried that ourselves, but I believe it should work.
Diane says
Ok but be careful when it is done. You can’t leave it on warm only as it gets too gummy and thick. You have to time it pretty close to serving time.
Overall, not much flavor but I’m not sure what to add to fix it.
Deb says
I sure wish I had read your comment first. Mine was done at the one hour point, but the rest of the dinner wasn’t ready so I left it on keep warm. Turned to mush and no one would eat it.
Cayden says
I thought it was great. No mushiness. I just like more of a cheesy rather than creamy! I used cavatappi as well and it was perfect.
Jennifer says
Followed the recipe exactly and it still turned out mushy. Disappointed!
Daryl Oren says
Have you tried to cook a double batch at one time?
Did cooking times change?
Alex Margo says
I had the same experience as many other reviewers where my pasta noodles came out mushy, even following the recipe exactly and using the recommended brand of pasta (Barilla).
However I thought the sauce was good so I made small adjustments to make this work for me: Follow the recipe but do not add the uncooked pasta to the crockpot. Cook the pasta separately and add it at the last minute once your sauce has reached the desired consistency. Make sure you rinse the cooked pasta with cold water to stop it from cooking any further and turn off the crockpot before adding the pasta. I ended up taking the lid off for the last 45 minutes of cooking to help it thicken up.
I got many compliments on the macaroni at the office potluck and went home with no leftovers.
Deb McGarrity says
Can you use a kitchen torch when the Mac n cheese is done to give it the baked, browned topping look?
Amanda Davis says
We haven’t tried that but I don’t think that would work very well since the cheese will be liquid. However if you sprinkle on some bread crumbs when it’s done and brown those, that might work. If you prfer a baked mac and cheese, here’s a great recipe https://amandascookin.com/baked-macaroni-and-cheese/
Catrina says
What cheese can I use instead of American?
Amanda Davis says
Using a melty cheese like Muenster or Havarti will work.
Mary Schumacher Loeber says
I had to add a lot more milk. I used block cheddar but it was still gritty and not creamy at all. I’ll be looking for a different recipe.
Patricia says
Enjoyed you Mac and cheese crock pot style. Unfortunately my son and I are eating all of it due to too much other sides but enjoying for dinner and breakfast🥰👍.
Liz says
Can’t print it. Whole left side is blacked out. What’s that all about? Just screenshot it and print from there.
Amanda Davis says
Hmm, I’m not sure what you might be experiencing. I’ve never seen that before and no one else has mentioned it. Is it still like that for you now?