Highly requested from my readers, this mac and cheese is made entirely in the slow cooker! No boiling pasta, no making a cream sauce, and no standing over a hot stove. Perfectly creamy and packed with flavor, this dish is great to take to a potluck, have as a holiday side dish, or even a fun family dinner!
Looking for other non-traditional crockpot recipes? Check out my No Boil Crockpot Mashed Potatoes, Crockpot Meatloaf, Crockpot Chicken Lo Mein, and Crockpot Spaghetti Casserole!
CROCKPOT MAC AND CHEESE RECIPE
Here it is… the recipe you’ve been asking for! You’ve LOVED, and continue to love, my Baked Mac and Cheese recipe… some of you have even won awards in cooking competitions using that recipe. But we all love a great slow cooker recipe, and I’ve been busy developing the PERFECT crock pot mac and cheese recipe. One that yields an ultra creamy sauce, doesn’t get too thick, and one that tastes every bit as delicious as the OG baked mac and cheese.
HOW TO MAKE CROCK POT MAC AND CHEESE
- Add pasta and liquids to the slow cooker. Sprinkle in seasonings and stir.
- Cover and cook 1 hour. Stir. Cover and cook another 10 minutes.
- Stir in cream cheese and grated cheese. Cover and let sit for 5-10 minutes. Stir and serve.
How easy is that?! No fancy cream sauce to make… just hands-off cook time so you can go relax!
COOKING TIPS FOR CROCK POT MAC AND CHEESE
I’ve tested this recipe more times than I’d like to admit, and through all those trials and errors, I’ve come up with a few helpful tips.
- Spray the crockpot. I know it might sound weird, but it really helps keep the pasta from sticking too much to the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Use the right liquids. For most of my attempts, I was using regular, whole milk, and every time it would thicken way too much and sort of seize up on me. I’ve found that a mixture of chicken broth, evaporated milk, with a little heavy cream for richness, yields the best creamy sauce.
- Grate your own cheeses. I know… I know. It’s SO tempting to open a bag of pre-shredded cheese from the store… and I’ve done it on occasion. But most commercial pre-shredded cheeses are coated in cellulose, which essentially keeps the cheese from all clumping together in the bag. Ever noticed how bags of pre-shredded cheese that are coming up on their expiration date usually have clumps of cheese stuck together inside? It’s because the cellulose is just about gone from the cheese. That coating prevents the cheese from truly melting down into a gloriously gooey cheese sauce, and can leave your sauce a bit on the gritty side.
VARIATIONS OF CROCK POT MAC AND CHEESE
- Pasta Shapes – to mimic the classic recipe, I normally use elbow pasta. But any short-cut pasta works just as well! Medium shells, penne, rotini, etc. Just note that different pastas will have slightly different cook times, so use the recipe times as an approximate.
- Cooking Liquids – like I mentioned above, I prefer the taste and consistency of chicken broth, evaporated milk and heavy cream. However, feel free to test out different proportions of those liquids, or try out different liquids. Just note that I can only vouch for this recipe as written.
- Cheeses – As with most mac and cheese recipes, the types of cheese called for are not the only ones you can use. Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, Colby, Gruyere, sharp cheddar… any and all!
- Seasonings – feel free to add in additional seasonings that you love in your mac and cheese.
MAKING CROCK POT MAC AND CHEESE AHEAD OF TIME
I don’t recommend making this ahead of time, as I think it loses texture and creaminess. However there are some things that can be done ahead of time to prepare.
- Combine the liquids and refrigerate.
- Grate cheeses and refrigerate.
- Combine seasonings and refrigerate.
- Cube butter and cream cheese and refrigerate.
STORING CROCK POT MAC AND CHEESE
The leftovers from this mac and cheese recipe need to be refrigerated. Let the leftovers cool completely, cover, then refrigerate for up to 3 days. For optimal texture, add enough milk to thin the sauce before packing up the leftovers, that way you can easily scoop out a portion to reheat, and the milk will meld into the cream sauce as it reheats.
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT USED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE
- Slow Cooker – I prefer using a smaller slow cooker for this recipe, as I think it cooks the pasta more evenly, and this is the model I have and love. The exact slow cooker used in the photos is this one, but it’s pretty pricey!
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AND DON’T FORGET, IF YOU’VE MADE THIS RECIPE, LEAVE A COMMENT AND PLEASE GIVE IT A STAR RATING!
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Ingredients
- 1 lb. uncooked elbow pasta (or other shortcut pasta)
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter cubed
- 12 oz. can evaporated milk (use whole milk, not low fat)
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth (unsalted or reduced sodium)
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp ground mustard
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp paprika (or cayenne pepper if you like a small kick)
- 2 to 3 oz. cream cheese (cubed) at room temperature
- 2 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Spray a 4 quart slow cooker insert with cooking spray. Add pasta, butter, evaporated milk, chicken broth, heavy cream, salt, ground mustard, black pepper, and paprika. Stir well to combine.
- Smooth pasta into an even layer, trying to press it down into the liquid. Not all of it will be submerged, and that's okay. Cover and cook on LOW for 1 hour.
- Remove lid and stir. At first it will be a big clump, but as soon as you start to stir, it will break up easily. Spread back into an even layer again. Cover and cook on LOW another 10-15 minutes or so, or until pasta is chewy. Not crunchy, but not finished cooking either.
- Remove lid and add cubed cream cheese and grated cheeses. Stir well, cover and let sit (with the heat off), for 5-10 minutes.
- Keep stirring and you'll see a glorious cheese sauce appear! Serve hot.
Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!
Chef Tips
- Mac and cheese will thicken slightly as it cools.
- Other cheeses can be used if desired.
Video
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Tim Owens says
I tried a Mac n’ Cheese tip from David Venable of QVC and he recommended that a good-sized dollop of your favorite BBQ sauce on your Mac n’ Cheese takes it to a whole new and amazing level of flavor. He was right! The mix of the two flavors compliment each other so very very well.
Jade says
I’ve cooked this for the past four years. Absolutely amazing, highly recommend. Always a hit!
Lori Keveney says
Can this mac & cheese be frozen after it is made?
The Chunky Chef says
I haven’t tested freezing this recipe, although many other readers have successfully frozen it.
Amanda D says
Amazing family loves it!
Bert Scott says
I use also sharp cheese. mozeralla cheese and cubed valeeta cheese along a can evaporated milk with a equal amount of water and uncooked mac all in crock pot then after 1 hour I stir up all together and put cover back on and cook 1 more hour on high for 2 hours and then turn on warm until I get to eat
Laina says
so essentially…you’ve made a completely different recipe? LOL
Jen says
what is the nutrition information for this?
The Chunky Chef says
Since I’m not a nutritionist or dietician, I don’t provide full nutritional information for recipes as there is a potential for error, and I wouldn’t want to potentially and/or unknowingly pass along incorrect information. If full nutrition information is important to you, I recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer, or that you seek a nutritionist/dietitian for exact nutritional information.
Lauren says
This recipe has been a go-to! It’s definitely a family favorite and so easy! The only homemade one I’ve used in awhile! Love that we don’t need to cook the pasta before. The best creamy mac and cheese!! The only (very minimal) thing that I change is using garlic salt instead of regular salt. We are a garlic-loving family haha. Thank you!! 🙂
Angela Jenkins says
I noticed you have the Ultra Creamy Crockpot Mac and Cheese as well. Out of the 2 what would be the difference (besides the ingredients) as far as taste, texture etc. I am going back and forth between the two trying to decide which one to try first. Thank you in advance.
The Chunky Chef says
My family and I prefer the texture and flavor of the ultra creamy crockpot mac and cheese 🙂 My readers wanted a recipe where you didn’t have to boil the pasta first, which is why this recipe was developed, but it can be tricky to get the texture just right when it’s cooked in a slow cooker (since all slow cookers cook a little differently).
Jenn Barfield says
I’m driving 2 hours for Thanksgiving. I was wondering if I could make this in the crockpot then drive 2 hours?
The Chunky Chef says
I’ve not kept this recipe on warm for that long, so I can’t say for certain how it’ll turn out.
Melissa says
Did you end up cooking it and then driving 2 hours? I have to drive 1 hour and was wondering the same thing.
Celia says
I’ll be driving two hours to Thanksgiving dinner, as well. Did you end up making this? How was it after the drive?
Laura says
I made this but I did these substitutions:
I used ff evaporated
I used whipped cream cheese
I used 1/2lb of velvetta and about a cup of reduced fat Mexican blend instead of cheddar and mozzarella
I used FF half and half instead of whipping cream.
I did a dash of garlic hot sauce
And Smoked paprika
I used the lower fat dairy because I watch my fat and because it’s what I had on hand. I’m not a cheddar fan at all. I believe as it cooked I may have added a little more cheese but I stirred it every 30 or so minutes. It was a huge hit! I just really needed the liquid ratios to make sure I didn’t over or under use them for the pasta to cook!
Vera says
I have tried many different recipes but all ask for flour to make a rue. I find the texture pasty How do i make baked mac and cheese with out the flour
I want creamy cheesy not pasty. Help
The Chunky Chef says
This recipe, when followed as written, is not pasty at all. https://www.thechunkychef.com/family-favorite-baked-mac-and-cheese/
Patti says
Roux. This recipe is great!
Kelly Fors says
I’m making this tomorrow for my coworkers and thought I had kosher salt and unsalted butter. Do you think it would be too salty using regular salt and salted butter?
Amanda says
I would use less of the table salt, since it has a higher sodium content than kosher.
Sarah G says
Delish it was a huge hit with my 3 kids!!
I will definitely share this with family and friends!
Reta Cheryl Horner says
crockpot on low or high????
Amanda says
Steps 2 and 3 have that information listed.
Deborah says
Way too much sauce which came out like glue
Stephanie says
This recipe is pretty good as-is but more stringy-gooey than creamy-gooey. I think next time I’ll try splitting the cheddar in half and subbing an equal amount of American.
Cathy says
I have never made mac n cheese in a crock pot before and made it for today for work. Many cannot go home for Thanksgiving due to Covid so we decided to have it here. I doubled the recipe and cooked it in a 7 quart crock pot and it turned out GREAT!!! I followed the recipe as written and it was excellent, definitely a keeper!! The crock pot is empty!! Thank you for a great recipe Amanda!!
Amelia says
If doubling the recipe for a large group, should I also double the cooking time?
Thank you!
The Chunky Chef says
I haven’t tested doubling this recipe, but a few recent commenters mentioned they doubled it with ease, keeping the cook time relatively the same. I would cook it as directed, then check the consistency and texture.
Susan says
Flavor was good, but it was a too thick gluey mess. I followed the directions exactly, gratedd my own cheese, etc. Jealous of those it worked for……. Maybe I’ll give it a go again sometime. Probably not.
Shannon says
Same for me. Very stick to your guts thick not to my liking. Flavor was good though just wish it wasn’t so thick
Sheila says
Can I use whole wheat pasta with this recipe?
The Chunky Chef says
This recipe has only been tested as written, and whole-wheat pasta has different cook times… I’m sure it could be used, I’m just not certain on the cooking time required.
Angela says
I use whole-wheat pasta all the time with this recipe! I add a splash more chicken broth and 5-10 mins to Step 3. Usually the cheese sauce at the end helps finish off the cooking as well. Hope that helps!
William D Markham says
I was a little hesitant to try pasta in a slow cooker, but this recipe was fabulous! The quantities were exact, and it is so delicious. Thanks and have a great day!