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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Kate says
I really wanted this to work. I read the entire blog post and a bunch of the comments. I bought good quality blocks of cheese and followed the recipe exactly. I checked after an hour and the pasta was already really soft, but it had a weird chewy texture and the cheese sauce is so liquidy. I left it for another half hour and it didn’t improve. The pasta was very soft though so I didn’t cook it anymore. The flavor is good so my son and I ate it anyway, but I was hoping to make it for Thanksgiving which is not going to work. I’m glad I did a test run.
Amanda Formaro says
So sorry you had trouble. I wish I cld nail down what the issue is. I have never had a problem with the recipe as written, and many others haven’t either. Yet when people do have trouble it’s always th same issue. I will keep testing and trying to replicate it.
Carolyn says
Hello! I love your recipe, however, how can I make it dairy free. I can still have cheese but can’t have milk. I understand you can’t use almond milk with this recipe?
Ashley says
Tried it be followed every instruction to a T and it was like soup. I kept it on low and stirred it and still came out crazy runny! It smelt amazing, but sad we didn’t get to eat it
Amanda Formaro says
I’m sorry to hear that. How old is your crockpot?
Nikki says
I’m having the same issue. Mushy pasta. Soupy sauce. It has been cooking for 1.5 hours in a crockpot that’s a few years old, but not what I’d consider an older model. Any tips to salvage this?
Amanda Formaro says
What brand/type of pasta did you use? If gluten free, it doesn’t hold up well. Mine usually doesn’t start looking like mac and cheese until at least 90 minutes, which is where you said you were. Did you let it cook longer? Did you make ANY changes to the recipe at all?
Shantel says
Followed this to a T and it didn’t work out. Very runny, noodles are gummy. So sad. Glad I tried it before making for thanksgiving. Bummer! The flavor is good!
Amanda Formaro says
How long did you cook it? What type of pasta did you use?
Melissa says
I’m going to start by saying the flavor was amazing! I’m not really sure why other reviewers said their dish was bland. I used Boars Head Vermont sharp white cheddar and white American. I don’t usually add garlic powder to my Mac and cheese but I really enjoyed the added flavor. Now onto what I didn’t like – the end result was pasta bobbing around in a delicious cheese soup. When I was mixing it all together, I was worried I didn’t have enough liquid since not all of my pasta was covered. However, the cheese sauce and the pasta never seemed to incorporate together and it seriously looked like a noodle soup and not macaroni and cheese.
I’m really glad I tried this recipe at home before taking it to our Thanksgiving dinner at work – I would have been quite embarrassed to present to the rest of my coworkers.
Amanda Formaro says
How long did it cook for?
Abby says
First try of this didn’t go well. I’m not sure why, I followed recipe closely. My only thought is maybe my crockpot cooked the pasta in a way that made it gummy. At first I thought that the pasta just wasn’t fully cooked yet, but checking a half hour later and it was so gummy it stuck to my teeth like a starburst. I’ve read the other comments and if everyone is following the same recipe and some come out great and others come out weird it’s got to be how it’s being cooked
Amanda Formaro says
I’m sorry to hear that. What type of pasta did you use?
Shantel says
Checked it an hour and 15 minutes after starting it. Wasn’t even close to being done.. checked it one hour after that, noodles turned into baby food texture and it was incredibly watery. Used regular elbow macaroni. I wanted to continue to test it out, just for science… cooked it for another 45 minutes, it finally thickened up but like I said, the noodles were gummy and gross. And my crock pot is not the issue. Flavor was good, texture was not. Oh well. I’ll play around and maybe figure it out. LOL. Better luck next time, maybe!!
Katie Lenky says
Made for my husband’s work pot luck and it was a hit! My kids also enjoyed the leftovers and asked for it this Thanksgiving! We made it the night before and husband warmed it back up in the Crock-Pot the next day. Gave it a good stir and it was ready to go. I actually used the weight from each cheese. So 4oz of Monterey Jack went in the pot! It’s Mac N Cheese folks…not filet mignon!
Denise says
We made this yesterday and it was amazing! I first had this at my sister’s last year, but because of covid we aren’t getting together for football (cry!!). So I did a test run yesterday and it was a hit. I don’t know how well it would hold up after cooking because we ate it too fast haha, but I’m making it again tomorrow for football!
Jane says
They must delete anything below 4 stars and have bots and fake reviews because this was not mac and cheese. It was an inedible gummy mess full of oil and grease. Disgusting. Horrible. Do not make. I’ve made a ton of mac and cheese recipes and this was the worst. DO NOT MAKE!
Amanda Formaro says
So here’s the thing. No I do not delete comments like these. But I find them frustrating because it’s likely you did something wrong. No one ever wants to hear that, and sites like All Recipes just allow people to leave nasty comments making other people think the recipe doesn’t work. While a few people have had trouble, the majority of people that have made this recipe have had success.
Did you read the information in the post before making this? If so, you could have avoided difficulty. What type of cheese did you use? Cheese can become oily for multiple reasons including the type of cheese (for example, parmesan is more oily than mozzarella or cheddar), its fat content, age, etc. What type of pasta did you use? In the post I explain about not using gluten free and what pasta we have tested this with. Did you change any from the ingredient list, or not follow the recipe exactly? How old is your crockpot?
There are just so many factors, and you simply don’t give enough information in your comment to allow me to help you.
Mikayla says
Should I place paper towels under my crockpot lid (I normally do this for everything in the slow cooker) to catch the excess water? Or is that water necessary for cooking? I just read some comments saying it was too watery.
Amanda Formaro says
I have never done that before. I personally wouldn’t do it because the pasta will need the moisture to cook and expand.
Jennifer Phillips says
Help!!! I doubled the recipe and put it on high for an hour. Have to take it somewhere in an hour and it is nowhere near done. Can I put it in a pot on the stove for a bit? Don’t know what to do.
Amanda Formaro says
When I make it, it’s nowhere near done at an hour either. It’s usually at 90 minutes when I see it getting close. By the time you have to leave it should be good to go.
Amanda Formaro says
What type of cheese did you use? Mild cheddar will be bland. Use extra sharp cheddar for best results.
Elisa says
Hi so how would I do this is a 2 quart slow cooker crockpot? I just bought this thing and have been wanting to make something I know my daughter will eat. Is there a way for you to tell me the recipe for that size amount?
Amanda Formaro says
I believe you should be able to halve the recipe and it will be fine.
Heather Gatien says
Unfortunately this did not turn out for me. Flavor was good, but pasta was gummy and falling apart starting at the one hour check and never changed after that. After 3 hours I gave up. We could not eat this.
Amanda Formaro says
3 hours is definitely too long. Did you use a gluten free pasta by chance?
London says
Can you use the block cheese or do you have to get it from the deli
Amanda Formaro says
The prepackaged block cheese should be ok, just make sure it’s not a processed cheese spread type of cheese.
Becca says
Um…. yeah didnt work. Epic fail. It was VERY watery way to much milk. And it didnt taste anything like mac and cheese just straight up cheese liquid and watered down.
Bill says
I had the same experience first time I made it. Second time I made it I doubled all of the spices, used 16 ounces extra sharp cheddar and 8 ounces Pepper Jack. Also mixed in a pound of browned ground beef after cooking. With those changes it has become one of my favorite crockpot dinner recipes.
Becky Quan says
Can I use cavatappi noodles and leave them uncooked? Or is it just elbows that can be uncooked for this recipe?
Amanda Formaro says
I haven’t tried it with that pasta, but I would think it would be fine.
Bryn says
This was awesome!!! I added some jalapeños and 1/2 of an 8oz bar of cream cheese and it was AMAZING. Cooked in my crock pot (about 2 years old) on low for about 1.5 hours before it was at a creamy perfection.
Sue says
I am a pretty good cook and even taught some classes. I found this recipe to be bland. Also, if you don’t eat it as soon as it finishes cooking, it gets worse and you end up with a block of mac and cheese. We needed up throwing most of it away
Amanda Davis says
Mine turned out bland too-I’m wondering if there’s a way to fix it.
Amanda Formaro says
What type of cheese did you use? Mild cheddar will be bland. Use extra sharp cheddar for best results.
Mallory says
Should it be salted butter or unsalted butter? I know some box mac & cheeses call for unsalted, so I just want to make sure I get the right one for this. Really looking forward to trying it — thank you!!
Amanda Formaro says
Salted is better
Keena says
Why is a food processor needed if it has no place in the recipe? What would you even need to process?
Amanda Formaro says
Sorry for the confusion, that was included for quickly shredding block cheese.