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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Yuri says
If I could rate 0, I would.
Macaroni became too soft and cheese curdled. I am going to stick with my usual stove top recipe. I ended up throwing out.
Amanda Formaro says
I am sorry you had trouble with this recipe. However, I have to insist that it’s not the recipe. I have tested it many times myself and have enlisted five different recipe testers, all which came back with no issues and said it was great. If you deviated from the recipe at all, it will have changed your outcome. If you crockpot cooks higher than it did when it was new, that can be an issue as well. Please read the troubleshooting notes in the post before making it should you decide to try again. I cannot stress enough how important it is not to deviate from the ingredients as written. If you change the type of pasta or you don’t buy the cheese from the deli or you leave out any ingredients, those can all cause issues. Again, I’m sorry that you had trouble, but without being in your kitchen with you I am unable to help figure out what went wrong.
Hanna says
Great flavor! Took about two and a half hours, but wasn’t very creamy, quite chunky, should have used less cheese and maybe traded the milk for heavy whipping cream and cream cheese. Overall tastes great!
Megan says
I used heavy cream instead of the evaporated milk and it was heavenly! Definitely something worth trying :)
Ashley Q says
How long is the recommended cook time if I double the recipe?
Debbie says
Made this recipe today, very easy to put together, I used whole milk and made sure to measure everything accurately using a scale and proper measuring tools. My crockpot too 2 hours and 15 min….I checked after an hour and then 30 min until I was happy with the cooking of the noodles….they were al dente….sauce thickened up in about 15 min after turning heat off….everyone enjoyed and asked for it again
Marcie says
Like many others have experienced, my noodles turned out soggy but chewy?? Turned out more like a gritty soup. Sad to have wasted this much cheese on a mushy mess :/
Amanda Formaro says
I have 4 different recipe testers making this. I’ve never experienced this issue before. In fact, one of the testers just messaged me today and said she had zero problems and that they loved it. Can you tell me exactly the brands of products you used and what types of cheese? Did you buy bagged shredded cheese (that’s usually the culprit for grittiness), or did you get the block of cheese from the deli? What brand of pasta? Did you change or add anything?
Zeinab says
I’m trying this recipe for the first time this week and I’m wondering what brand of pasta and cheese do you usually use to get the perfect texture?
Amanda Formaro says
Hi there. I use Barilla elbow macaroni, comes in a blue box. And I always get the cheese from the deli counter. I just have that cut off a chunk from the block and I shred it myself at home. I prefer to use very sharp cheddar and block american cheese :)
Barb Clough says
We made this for Thanksgiving and it was delicious! We grated a combo of sharp cheddar, extra sharp cheddar and Colby Jack. Leftovers warmed up well the next day on the stove with a little milk added
Connie Poole says
I did this recipe for Thanksgiving.
It was disgusting.
It was at best a cheese mushy mess.
I don’t recommend this recipe unless you like your pasta very mushy with an overwhelming sharp cheedar cheese taste with a little grit.
A box of Kraft or Velveeta would have been better.
Amanda Formaro says
I am sorry you had trouble with this recipe. However, I have to insist that it’s not the recipe. I have tested it many times myself and have enlisted five different recipe testers, all which came back with no issues and said it was great. If you deviated from the recipe at all, it will have changed your outcome. If you crockpot cooks higher than it did when it was new, that can be an issue as well. Please read the troubleshooting notes in the post before making it should you decide to try again. I cannot stress enough how important it is not to deviate from the ingredients as written. If you change the type of pasta or you don’t buy the cheese from the deli or you leave out any ingredients, those can all cause issues. Again, I’m sorry that you had trouble, but without being in your kitchen with you I am unable to help figure out what went wrong.
Taylor says
Okay guys here’s the deal. I don’t think there’s anything “wrong” with the recipe info but where I think some users may be having some mishaps is the COOK TIME. It does state it’s different between slow cookers and that exactly what I experienced. At the three hour mark I was having what a lot of people were, gummy noodles and runny sauce. I was scared.. I had followed the recipe perfectly. My mother in law then tells me cooking raw noodles in a crock pot is trial and error, a lot of different variables and takes PATIENCE. So as the recipe recommends, I checked it every thirty minutes. At the 5 HOUR mark we were in business and it was amazing!!! It should also be noted that I doubled the recipe and it didn’t even feel like the sauce was getting warm until the 2 hour mark. I didn’t do a fry run like the recipe recommended either…oops. But it was still a hit because I had the time to let it finish and I know next time I will definitely use this recipe and I will better prepare for the cook time. I hope this helps because this Mac and cheese is new favorite and I hope everyone can have a successful run at it!!!!
Amanda Formaro says
Thank you so much for this Taylor, I really appreciate it :)
R says
Taste was good pasta was well cooked. Sauce was not creamy almost like the cheese separated not very creamy
Kate says
Followed the recipe exactly and mine was done in just under two hours in an older slow cooker. I didn’t stir it after the first hour and I think that helped it thicken up and not get soupy like some other mentioned. The only thing I would do differently next time is to keep the lid off the slow cooker after it got to the right consistency, it thickened a bit too much while we got the rest of our Thanksgiving meal together. Would definitely make it again though, thanks for the recipe!!
Rachel says
This did not turn out as indicated. The mixture was like soup for the longest time. By the time it started to thicken, the pasta had turned to mush.
Amanda Formaro says
I am sorry you had trouble with this recipe. However, I have to insist that it’s not the recipe. I have tested it many times myself and have enlisted five different recipe testers, all which came back with no issues and said it was great. If you deviated from the recipe at all, it will have changed your outcome. If you crockpot cooks higher than it did when it was new, that can be an issue as well. Please read the troubleshooting notes in the post before making it should you decide to try again. I cannot stress enough how important it is not to deviate from the ingredients as written. If you change the type of pasta or you don’t buy the cheese from the deli or you leave out any ingredients, those can all cause issues. Again, I’m sorry that you had trouble, but without being in your kitchen with you I am unable to help figure out what went wrong.
Connor says
Chunky. The max and cheese is chunky but the noodles are done. It was on low the whole time so I don’t know why it is not correct
Amanda Formaro says
I am sorry you had trouble with this recipe. However, I have to insist that it’s not the recipe. I have tested it many times myself and have enlisted five different recipe testers, all which came back with no issues and said it was great. If you deviated from the recipe at all, it will have changed your outcome. If you crockpot cooks higher than it did when it was new, that can be an issue as well. Please read the troubleshooting notes in the post before making it should you decide to try again. I cannot stress enough how important it is not to deviate from the ingredients as written. If you change the type of pasta or you don’t buy the cheese from the deli or you leave out any ingredients, those can all cause issues. Again, I’m sorry that you had trouble, but without being in your kitchen with you I am unable to help figure out what went wrong.
Heather says
I have the same issue with the soupiness. Used Great Value elbow macaroni, and followed all the instructions. My Thanksgiving is in an hour so hoping for a miracle. It’s been cooking on low for 2 hours now.
Bobby Beefboy says
Sorry this was awful. Followed directions exactly and noodles were mushy and cheese was runny.
Amanda Formaro says
I am sorry you had trouble with this recipe. However, I have to insist that it’s not the recipe. I have tested it many times myself and have enlisted five different recipe testers, all which came back with no issues and said it was great. If you deviated from the recipe at all, it will have changed your outcome. If you crockpot cooks higher than it did when it was new, that can be an issue as well. Please read the troubleshooting notes in the post before making it should you decide to try again. I cannot stress enough how important it is not to deviate from the ingredients as written. If you change the type of pasta or you don’t buy the cheese from the deli or you leave out any ingredients, those can all cause issues. Again, I’m sorry that you had trouble, but without being in your kitchen with you I am unable to help figure out what went wrong.
Carrie says
I made this today. Double batch. 3/4 in my large crockpot and the other 1/4 in my small one. The large crockpot is about 15 years old and the small one, maybe 4 years old. The smaller batch turned out better than the larger one.
I did triple the spices because we like a LOT of flavor. Both batches, the noodles (gluten filled elbow macaroni) are mushy but the flavor is awesome. The larger batch was more liquid at 90 minutes, while the small batch was more firm. I did mix the two batches together, placed it all in a large roaster pan, covered it in more sharp cheddar and put it in the oven at 180. I am hoping some of the liquid will dissipate. I did use Vermont white sharp cheddar cheese as well as Colby jack. It is very rich and super cheesy. :-)
I think next time I make this, I will make the sauce in the crockpot and cook the noodles separate because I LOVE the flavor just need more noodle firmness.
Taylor says
I made this for the first time yesterday and it came out so amazing and delicious! My croc pot must be weird because the low setting wasn’t warm enough to fully cook the pasta and melt the cheese all the way, so I cooked it for an additional 40 minutes on high and it was perfectly cooked. I also added 4 oz of cream cheese in addition to sharp and mild cheddar for some tangy flavor and it’s delicious! Don’t be afraid to play around with the cheeses :)
Carla D Amos says
Recommendations for doubling the recipe? Double everything?
Lindsey says
Came out terrible and I followed the steps exactly. Do not recommend
Amanda Formaro says
Without more details, I can’t help you with what might have gone wrong. if you really did follow the recipe, as well as the product recommendations, then it should have worked just fine.
Chelsea says
Just made this today came out wonderful! Followed the recipe to a T!
Lindsey says
The pasta was mush surrounded by cheese soup. I understand you have many “testers” but I feel like the issue is uncooked pasta. The cheese sauce itself tasted fantastic however the entire crockpot needed to be dumped as the mushy pasta was awful and totally inedible
Char says
I made this, altered the cheeses a bit and it was delicious and creamy. Took about 2 hours on low on my brand new crockpot. Question- what’s the best way to reheat? Trying to figure out how to travel with it haha! It was delicious immediately but the warming function ruined (probably left it warming too long?). Would it better to scoop out and warm in oven?
Amanda Formaro says
Yes I think warming in the crockpot can be problematic. I think the oven or even the stovetop would work better!
brandi says
I agree, mine is super gummy. I really think it is due to rinsing the pasta beforehand.