Slow Cooker Macaroni and Cheese
Are you looking for a Slow Cooker Macaroni and Cheese recipe that is going to take your taste buds on a ride? Sharp cheddar, Velveeta, cream cheese, dry mustard, and milk are the base for this pasta dish. Cheesy, creamy pasta.
It’s no secret that we love our Slow Cooker. Not only does it do all the work for us, but it also allows us to add the ingredients and walk away. What’s not to love about that?!
I am a sucker for slow cooker recipes. Pair your mac and cheese with these slow cooker country ribs! Or maybe you might want to try out this lemon chicken thighs recipe or these savory Rotel tacos.
❤️Reasons To Make Slow Cooker Macaroni And Cheese…
- This classic comfort food recipe is slow-cooked, creamy, and cheesy.
- Slow cooking allows for hands-off cooking and keeps it warm for a tremendous buffet-style dish.
- A wonderful slow cooker recipe that is very easy to customize to fit your taste buds.
- With all slow cooker recipes, you will find this is a very straight forward recipe.
🛒Ingredients
- Macaroni Pasta
- Sea Salt
- Ground Black Pepper
- Butter
- Evaporated Milk
- Milk
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- Velveeta Cheese
- Cream Cheese
- Dry Mustard Powder
📝 Variations
Check out a handful of ways to change up the recipe. Keep the recipe in the recipe card, or try out these changes.
- Use any pasta you would like. Shells, rotini, penne, or other types of medium-sized pasta. You can use gluten-free, whole wheat, or protein pasta.
- Swap the cream cheese with sour cream if you would like a bit more of a tangy twist.
- Switch up the sharp cheddar with a Monterey Jack, pepper jack, or other variety of cheese.
- Mix in cooked crumbled bacon, ham, cooked cubed chicken, etc.
- Broccoli or peas are wonderful vegetables to mix in for added flavor and nutrients.
- Top the pasta with crushed crackers or even breadcrumbs melted with butter. Then, for a crunchy topping, place it in the oven with a broiler for a couple of minutes.
- Add some cayenne pepper, hot sauce, or buffalo sauce for a spicy kick.
How to make slow cooker macaroni and cheese:
- Add salt to a large pot of boiling water and cook macaroni pasta for about six minutes.
- Strain and rinse to cool pasta. Grease the bowl of a slow cooker with cooking spray and combine all ingredients in the slow cooker, reserving 1/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese.
- Stir to combine all ingredients and place the lid on the slow cooker. Cook on HIGH for 2-3 hours, stirring twice during cooking. Sprinkle with reserved shredded sharp cheddar cheese and cover until cheese has melted before serving.
🥄Supplies
- Slow Cooker
- Cheese Grater
- Large Pot
- Strainer
- Spoon for Stirring
🥫Storing
Refrigerate: Refrigerate the macaroni and cheese you do not eat. Store in the fridge for 3-4 days. You will find the cheese soaks up a bit in the pasta.
Freezing: You can also freeze the pasta if you want to extend the shelf life. Simply place in a freezer container, and freeze for 1-2 months. Then thaw in the fridge overnight.
Reheat: Reheat the pasta in the microwave or in a skillet on the stovetop. You will want to heat the pasta until it is warmed through.
💭Tips For Success
- Cook your pasta until it is al dente. Do not overcook it, or it will become mushy in the slow cooker.
- Feel free to use a slow cooker liner for an easy cleanup.
- Quality cheese is the key. Shred the cheese off the block. Using pre-shredded cheese can create an oily mess.
- Ensure not to overcook the mixture, or it will break down the pasta too much.
- This is a recipe. If you can stir a few times, it is helpful as it will ensure it cooks evenly.
⁉️FAQs
All that means is that you will have to do a lot of cleaning afterward. It won’t change the taste at all, but it could change the texture.
If the noodles are starting to stick, you’ll have to scrape and scrub to remove them. This could break the noodles and cause them to look less than pretty. I highly suggest you grease the slow cooker.
The milk is going to make your mac and cheese ultra-creamy. You can always use the half and half if you would like it to be a bit richer in flavor.
You can double the recipe but, you need to ensure you have not over-filled the slow cooker, or it will affect the cooking process.
OTHER SLOW COOKER RECIPES YOU MIGHT LIKE:
- Slow Cooker Chicken and Gravy
- Crock Pot Elvis Pudding Cake
- Slow Cooker Asian Chicken Noodle Soup
- Crock Pot Reese Peanut Butter Lava Cake
- Slow Cooker Poblano Salsa Chicken
- Slow Cooker Gingerbread Cake
Slow Cooker Macaroni and Cheese
Equipment
- large pot
- Stainer
- slow cooker
Ingredients
- 1 pound macaroni pasta uncooked
- 1 tablespoon Sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 12 ounces evaporated milk
- 2 ½ cups cups milk
- 1 pound shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 8 ounces Velveeta cheese
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- ½ teaspoon dry mustard powder
Instructions
- Add salt to a large pot of boiling water and cook macaroni pasta for about 6 minutes.
- Strain and rinse to cool pasta.
- Grease the bowl of a slow cooker with cooking spray and combine all ingredients in the slow cooker, reserving 1/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese.
- Stir to combine all ingredients and place the lid on the slow cooker. Cook on high for 2-3 hours, stirring twice during the cook time. Making sure noodles aren’t over cooked!
- Sprinkle with reserved shredded sharp cheddar cheese and cover until cheese has melted before serving.
Notes
Disclaimer
Any nutritional data I provide is an approximation and actual dietary information can vary based on ingredients and proportion sizes.
Only 1 Tablespoon of Sharp Cheddar cheese?
Hi Marsha it’s 1 lb. not 1 tbsp.
Can I use bagged shredded cheese or actually shred the block of cheese?
Shredding your own is always better as bag cheese has ingredients in it to keep it from sticking together. But you can use bagged if you want
you can just wash it out with a pasta strainer
yes you can do that
Hello
Can I put this in slow cooker on low if so how long do you think it would take?
Hi Kim we have never made it on low so I’m not quite sure. The recipe calls for 2-3 hours on high so I would say to try for 5 but watch it
This recipe calls for 3-4 hours on high. We have never made it on low. If you want to try it I would say maybe 5 hours but I would watch it carefully
This recipe sed to have a lot of flavor. So delicious
How many does this recipe feed? I am looking to make this for a party.
It depends on the serving. It’s one pound of pasta so I would say 8 if there is a lot of other food and people don’t want seconds.
Can I make this without cooking the noodles at all first?
I’ve never made it any other way. I don’t know how long you would need to cook the pasta in the crockpot along with the sauce because the cheese
sauce only cooks for a certain amount of time.
I took this to a family reunion picnic and it was a hit. I hesitated on the velveeta cheese, but went ahead and followed the recipe. It was cheesy and delicious. I thought it got done in like an hour instead of two to three hours. It ended up sitting on warm for a long time. Next time I won’t let it cook so long. It wasn’t dry, and was delicious, but a lot of the creaminess was cooked out.
Sharon since we make this so often we have found that it really depends on what slow cooker you are using. Some cook very fast others cook much slower. We have one I would never use for this because it really just cooks too quick.
This is my go to Mac and cheese! I will never make it another way. I have made it for every holiday! Everyone loves it! Especially the littles!
It is always a bi hit!!
Could you double this recipe in the crockpot and cook for same amount of time? Do you think it would fit doubled in a standard size crockpot?
I’ve never made a double recipe in a standard size crockpot. I would use a larger one since this recipe fits this crockpot perfectly.
If using a larger crockpot I would check to see if it is done at the suggested cooked time.
I made one and a half times the recipe. It all fit perfect in a 6qt casserole. I doubt doubling it would fit. I took it to a reunion of about 45 people and there was enough since most everyone just took a spoonful.
I eliminate to salt and add bacon. Everyone loves it.
That’s great Karla! Glad you all liked it!
Made this today for Thanksgiving! It came Out PERFECT!!!!
That’s so great to hear! glad you enjoyed it!
Can you use more real cheese to substitute for Velveets.
You could use any cheese you normally use in a crockpot mac and cheese. After trying many recipes we found we loved this one best.
Please tell me how you add cooked hamburger to this to make it Hamburger Mac N’ Cheese???
Hi Peggy I would just cook it on your stovetop and add it after draining. You can add it the last 20-30 minutes of cooking since it’s already cooked.
Have you done everything as directed put in crockpot but not started cooking for a couple hours?
I think you should be able to do that. We never have but if everything cold I don’t see why not.
Instead of using the slow cooker, how long would you put this in the oven?
We have never made it in the oven only in the slow cooker but I would think the same as any mac and cheese recipe.
Could you use shell pasta instead of the macaroni?
Of course! We have used small shells and it comes out perfect
Can I use the shredded cheese that’s already shredded in a bag?
Yes that should be fine.
I am wondering how long to cook it in the oven as well. This is the first Mac and cheese recipe I have seen that doesn’t require adding an egg. I also wonder if you could substitute American cheese for the cheeses. I am trying to remember my mom’s recipe. TIA
We have never cooked it in the oven but I would say about 35-40 minutes at 350. I have never used just American cheese for Mac and Cheese
Sounds like a lot of salt!
If 1 tbsp. Sea salt in the pasta water is too much for you use less.
Rob my only thing is this I actually never ever cook my noodles the time the box says bc of it getting mushy anyway so I did it half the time on the noodles and I used 1lb ex sharp cheddar 8oz Gouda cheese and 8 cream cheese I was outta heavy whipping cream but I usually use that instead of milk .
I get it! We sometimes change things around when we are cooking and use what we have on hand. This recipe has been made many different ways. But we posted the one everyone loves the most. Feel free to change things up so it works for you!
This is the bomb
Thank you Ginger so glad you loved it!
I made two crocks full yesterday. It turned out so good! Creamy and full of cheesy strings. Unfortunately, when I set it up at the party, someone turned it up to high, so by the time we ate it was overcooked and mushy… So be careful!
So glad you liked it Phyllis. Sorry about turning it on high! That sure does ruin the whole thing!
Oh my goodness! This turned out sooooo good! Thank you for sharing your recipe.
PS. Only cooked it for 2 hours on high & stirred it twice.
So glad you liked it!! 🙂
What size slow cooker?
You can use an 8 quart
Best Mac & cheese I’ve ever made…get so many compliments and it’s so easy!
So happy you like this mac & cheese recipe! We love this easy recipe!! 🙂
Can I put this in a 7 court crockpot?
The one we use is a 7 quart slow cooker
I need to triple the servings…is tripling the numbers ok or would it be more or less???
I would triple every thing to keep it cheesy and creamy
I made the Mac N Cheese recipe for a family Christmas dinner. Everyone loved this Mac N Cheese! Since there were going to be 12 people and it said it served 8 I added half a recipe to it. I had way more than I needed. Makes more than you think. It was so good I will be making this recipe again!
So glad everyone loved it! We usually make this as a main dish that’s why the serving for 8 and leftovers are always good
I’m making this for the first time. I’m excited to see how it comes out. Question: The recipe calls for 1 (8 oz.) package of Velveeta, but the smallest Velveeta package is 16 oz. Do I use the whole package or just half?
It’s 8 oz Velveeta so half of the 16 oz package
This is the most delicious Mac and cheese recipe. Thank you for sharing!!
So happy you liked this recipe. It’s one of our favorites 🙂
Have you ever made this using one of those slow cooker bags to help with clean up?
You can use it if you want to. We normally don’t
I was cautious about making this , seeing powdered mustard . But I made it exactly by the recipe. Turned out great. I have a 7 qt . Slow cooker mine just needed 2 hours.
So glad you enjoyed it. It is a big favorite in our home
I make this for events all the time. It is delicious and everyone will ask you for the recipe. You can’t screw it up. It never takes as long as it says and gets a bit sticky if it sits warming too long, but is still delicious. Comfort food in a crockpot. Sometimes if it is a big crowd I will do 1.5 of the recipe. It will all fit in a standard 6-7 cup crockpot. Doubling may not fit if smaller crock.
It has become a family favorite and we love that it’s so easy to make!
We love this recipe! But right now I’m cooking for less people so I was wondering if I halve the recipe would I change the cooking time?
Hi Donna I would cook it in a small crock pot if you have it or cook it an hour less then check it for doneness.
I tried this recipe tonight and this macaroni recipe is just what I have been searching for! I made Mac and cheese in the oven and it was too dry! I love the texture that these ingredients give you in this recipe! This will be my go to Holiday Mac and cheese! Thanks for sharing! It’s the best!
So happy you liked this easy recipe. It is a favorite for us too!
Made this today for Thanksiving, and it was a huge hit! It reminded me of Stouffer’s, in the best possible way. I did a 1.5 recipe, and it fit fine in my 6qt crockpot. I had to wait until the big chunks of Velveeta and cream cheese melted before I could add in the shredded cheese, but once it was all melted, it fit perfectly. Will definitely be making again!
great recipe. my family loves it. great for potlucks.
Excited to be trying this tonight. I always boil my pasta in broth or water with bouillon cubes added. I understand why velvetta is used but I don’t like using it. Can you recommend an alternative?
we always use Velvetta. I find it make it creamier
This is a really good recipe. My first time making it was for a scout Friendsgiving (Thanksgiving) type potluck. I wanted Mac and cheese but this was at someone’s house so the traditional way of making it was not gonna happen. But I wanted something more than boxed stuffing and instant mashed potatoes. I did a practice run a few days prior. Everything turned out great. I did add more seasoning. Just whatever your family prefers. Cayenne pepper, a pinch of nutmeg, some garlic powder- stuff like that. I accidentally only added 8oz cheddar cheese once and it still turned out good. I didn’t realize I had even made the mistake until the next time I made it. It is a very creamy recipe. So now I follow recipe almost exactly. Only thing I change is I add a little more than 1lb of pasta and I just add my extra seasonings. In my crockpot, it’s done around 2 hours.