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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Kathryn Jurek says
I made it prior to reading up on it – I think the heat was too high cause my pasta was gummy and gross – but the sauce was delicious. I will give it another shot. I’m wonder if you can make just the sauce and cook the pasta separately and add it in??? Might experiment.
Amanda Formaro says
I don’t see why you couldn’t do that. Did you use gluten free pasta by chance?
nathalie says
very good recipe.
i use mini pasta shells instead.
works well. and all the cheesy goodness goes into the shells
Rachel says
I read the whole recipe from beginning to end plus all of the comments and it still turned out over cooked, gritty, and the wrong flavor. But I see there is potential in this recipe so I did some research and I have figured out how to fix it for the second round:
1) Only cook it for one hour, even if the pasta is al dente at that point. Even if the cheese/milk mixture is runny at that point. The crockpot is hot and will continue to heat the pasta and sauce for a while, so turn the heat down to keep warm at the one hour mark and let the heat slowly dissipate. This will simultaneously finish the pasta and thicken the sauce
2) Don’t add all of the cheese at the beginning, overheating the cheese is what causes it to separate and be gritty. I would put half of the cheese in at the beginning and then when you turn it down to keep warm at one hour, add the other half of the cheese and stir it in and then close the lid. It will melt from the residual heat in the crockpot. This will also help bring the temperature in the crockpot down a little bit so that the pasta doesn’t overcook.
3) I used Tillamook sharp cheddar and boars head yellow American cheese. The flavor was way too sharp and did not have enough of that bright cheddar top note. I’m going to change the proportion of cheese to mostly medium cheddar, and then a little jack, sharp cheddar, and sharp white cheddar. Nothing shredded, everything from the block that I hand shred with a grater.
I will report back with an updated review after employing these changes :)
Amanda Formaro says
Thanks for all the tips Rachel – can’t wait to hear how it goes the second time! i haven’t had an issue with the recipe as written, but I know it happens with others sometimes.
Keri says
Hi Rachel & Amanda,
So my crockpot runs hot. I was thinking about cooking just the mac with the milk and butter first for one hour on low, then add the cheese and spices after on warm. Do you think that’ll work too?
-Keri
Barbi Watt-Wood says
Thank you. I should’ve read this before making it.
Barbara says
Sorry to say, but I won’t try this again. Followed all the directions and read all the notes, but it was tasteless and mushy. I will go back to the old-fashioned way. It is way better. Glad I didn’t make it for an event.
Amanda Formaro says
Sorry you had trouble Barbara! Many have enjoyed it, but everyone’s tastes and experience are different.
Jamie says
Noodles were still raw after 1 hr on low.
After the 2nd hour ended up with a big mushy mess, noodles all broken and sauce gritty.
(Crock pot is 3 yrs old, yes I read all the notes)
A lot of time and money spent on this bummer recipe!
Amanda Formaro says
I’m sorry you had trouble! I wish it were easier to pinpoint what goes wrong sometimes. The success rate on this recipe is high and I’ve never had a problem with it myself.
Paul says
Followed recipe exactly, read the tips and tricks and a soupy mush after one hour on low. I guess my crock pot is to “new”. Better luck next time I guess
Tracey says
Super easy recipe and turned out great. It has become our family’s favorite mac and cheese :-)
Joan says
Mushy and cheese curdled. Lots of ingredients (cheese off deli) for it to bomb!
Amanda Formaro says
Sorry you had trouble Joan! Did you go through the entire post and read all the notes and tips first?
Randy says
I’m sorry but something went way wrong. Pasta is WAY overcooked and the sauce is gritty. Seems to have a good flavor but texture was really bad. Use Boar’ Head cheese and dry pasta noodles as described in the recipe.
Amanda Formaro says
I’m sorry you had trouble. Did you read through the troubleshooting guide before going ahead with the recipe? That seems to have helped people tremendously. Sometimes when a crockpot is older it will cook hotter than others, so it’s important to start checking the mixture at about an hour or so. It’s also why I suggest in the post to do a test run before the holiday, NOT do it for the first time ON the holiday.
Terri rigg says
I agree after an hour the macaroni was mush, totally disgusting I will not make this again
Sierra says
I see the recipe calls for 4 oz of American cheese in bold and 1 cup in smaller print. Could you give some clarity on which I should do? Same thing for the sharp cheddar.
Amanda Formaro says
It’s always better to use the weight. The measurement (cup) is given for those that don’t have a kitchen scale or there’s no weight on the package.
Stephanie says
Can ziti noodles be used instead of elbow?
Amanda Formaro says
I’m sure you could do that, I haven’t tried it. Would love to hear how it works out!
Abby says
I used xl macaroni because that is what I prefer. I did let it sit in warm water for a little bit. I don’t like al dente noodles. The noodles still turned out great! My only issue is I feel like it came out a little bitter with an aftertaste. I couldn’t find extra sharp cheddar, so I used mild. That’s all the deli had. Then I used American… maybe I should’ve used velveeta?
Amanda Formaro says
The cheese is likely the culprit. The sharp cheddar adds better flavor.
Monica says
I made this for an office holiday pot luck today. I shredded the cheese the night before and assembled/cooked at the office. I didn’t have American block cheese so I substituted Jarlsberg (Swiss) which gave a bold (adult) flavor. Everyone loved it. One hint- don’t get impatient. When I checked it after one hour, it looked like soup and thought it wasn’t cooking right. After another 30 minutes it was clearly thickening. Then another 20 minutes, it was done. I have a Crock Pot Multi Cooker that’s less than one year old. I can see the urge to switch to the “high” setting- don’t do it. Thanks for the recipe- it’s a keeper!
Amanda Formaro says
wonder Monica, so glad you guys loved it! And great advice!
Stephanie says
Made this for a work pot luck with gluten free pasta. Turned out delicious! The only thing is the pasta was done at about 1.5 hours in and started getting really soft at 2 hours. Just have to keep checking it and turn off the heat before it gets to mushy. Everyone loved it though! :)
Amanda Formaro says
That is so great to know, thank you! I’ve been wondering how GF noodles would hold up :)
Jennifer says
Sooo… If I want to use GF noodles. Should I just use cook for even less time? Has anyone done this with GF noodles? I prefer to use the quinoa and corn GF noodle, not a rice noodle.
Amanda Formaro says
I would not recommend this with GF noodles, it will likely become mushy. However, if you DO decide to try it anyway, I would love to hear your results!
Jane says
So good!! I needed this to cook while we were all at sports practices, so I wasn’t able to stir at all. I decided to try it anyway and hope for the best. Cooked for 2:15 and it came out wonderful, even with no stirring. The edges browned a bit just like our traditional baked mac & cheese recipe. The whole family loved it!
Amanda Formaro says
That’s awesome Jane, thank you so much!
Sharon says
Will it be that much of a difference if I use 2% milk instead of whole
Amanda Formaro says
It should not! ;)
JA says
Wonderful! Doubled the recipe. Used the ninja cooking system. Results were amazing.
Thank you Amanda!
Amanda Formaro says
That’s awesome, thank you so much for commenting JA!
J says
Delicious.
Thank you!
Lisa Brinker says
Just made this yesterday for Thanksgiving for the first time………..absolute HIT – AAA!!!
Here’s a few tips: Put all the ingredients in your crockpot and give a vigorous stir, then as per the recipe
give everything another good stir in 1 hour.
I wanted mine to have a less creamy and more baked consistency, which was achieved by using 2 cups of whole milk
instead of the specified 2 1\2 cups and cooking on low for 2 1\2 hours.
Used spices exactly as called for, shredded my own cheese (3 cheddar, 1 Jack) and rinsed the pasta first as instructed. Must use evaporated milk which I read, prevents the sauce from breaking.
You want your family and friends to rave?……..then use this recipe!
** Clean Up Tip – line your crock pot with a crock pot liner. Absolute mess saver.
Amanda Formaro says
Amazing, so glad you guys loved it! HAPPY THANKSGIVING!