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!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
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.
Kate Rossman says
I am planning to make this for a group of 15-20 as a side dish. Should I double or triple the recipe? Thanks! I look forward to trying it.
The Chunky Chef says
I would probably double it 🙂
Michelle C says
Can this recipe be halved? I only have a 2.5q crock pot….
The Chunky Chef says
I’ve only tested this recipe as written, so I can’t guarantee the results, but I think it should work
Michelle C says
Can this recipe be frozen? Trying to plan for work lunches 🙂
Sarah Cremer says
I so wanted to love this recipe because of the short amount of cooking time, but it didn’t work for me. Maybe because my crockpot was larger? It took another hour to get the elbows so they weren’t chewy and the final consistency was gluey. The flavor was excellent however, I may try the award winning recipe instead.
Diane Atkinson says
I followed this recipe exactly and it turned out to be the best Mac n Cheese I have made yet.. if you like creamy Mac this recipe will not disappoint…Dee
sonya stepanovich says
Mine turned out very tasty, but stringy-cheesy? I grated my own cheddar…also need to add some more pasta to it as well…otherwise it’s really good.
Shannon says
How much pasta did you end up adding? I had the exact same problem! Otherwise, delicious!
WhatEvsBlevs says
Hello! I tried this recipe and was a bit disappointed because the pasta was not cooked completely in the hour and 25 mins as described in the recipe. I even left the crockpot on the low setting after the last step of adding chesses. But still not cooked through. Perhaps because I used a larger crockpot (6-quart)? Has anyone else had this happen? I turned on high for an additional 15 mins and the pasta was done. The flavor was crazy good. I would highly recommend.
Amy says
Made this for family Christmas. I did use packaged cheeses, we found it to be too cheesy. I know, not sure that is actually a thing, but it was. When we spooned it out it was mostly cheese. Will make again but will use less cheese for sure.
Janice Wilkerson says
AWESOME recipe! Made it for Thanksgiving and by popular demand it is back for Christmas! THANKS- it works just as she describes!
Katie McKenzie says
Great recipe
Claire says
Want to make this for the holiday. Don’t moisture from the lid drip on to the Mac and cheese and make it watery?
The Chunky Chef says
That can happen, to counter act that, you can place a thin, clean kitchen towel over the crockpot and put the lid on top of that. That way it will catch the condensation. I’ve only done this when I’m home and right by my kitchen though, as I don’t know if it would cause the crockpot to get too hot on the outside.
Bert R. says
This all sounds amazing really! But I will like to know if this can be done on an Ninja Foodi (pressure cooker) for it to be faster. Any plans on making a recipe for making it in the Ninja Foodi? Many thanks in advance!
The Chunky Chef says
I have not tested this recipe other than as written, so I truly can’t say for certain. I do have plans to develop a pressure cooker mac and cheese in 2020 🙂
Linda BELDON says
Could I use buttermilk in place of the heavy cream. Obviously I m a novice.
The Chunky Chef says
I don’t think buttermilk would work as well. You could try substituting half and half or milk for the heavy cream if desired.
Katie says
Can I substitute with gluten free pasta in this recipe? I saw another user had used gnocci as well, just keeping my options open!
The Chunky Chef says
I’ve only made this recipe as written, so I can’t say for certain how that would work. We don’t have any celiac issues in our family, so gluten-free isn’t my area of expertise.
Shelley Nevins says
I’m making this for a family pot luck, I notice you put short cut pasta, I just got regular pasta is that going to make a difference?
The Chunky Chef says
I just meant to use a shorter cut of pasta, like elbows or shells, rather than longer cut pasta, like spaghetti.
Jennifer says
Can you double this recipe easily?
The Chunky Chef says
I haven’t tested doubling this recipe, but a few recent commenters mentioned they doubled it with ease.
Lori Dickow-Linze says
I made this and doubled the recipe. Not much more on the cooking time and it turned out so good. I made another recipe for crockpot mac and cheese and it turned out gluey. This recipe is hands down the easiest and best slow cooker mac and cheese. 🙂 My only mistake with the first time run was I used regular full salt chicken broth and a little extra kosher salt and guess what, it was a little salty. No complaints from the coworkers from the Thanksgiving feed at work so it was okay. I loved the creamy sauce and nice texture of the mac. Making this again for the neighborhood Christmas party. Thanks for the recipe. Good Stuff.
Janice says
Apparently the blogger doesn’t allow reviews with 1 or 2 stars so I had to give 5 stars to get this posted. It really deserves zero stars. It’s the worst Mac and cheese ever. If you have ever had good Mac and cheese you will know this. I took a few bites and threw the rest out. So glad I tried it before serving it to anyone. It would have been embarrassing. Mac and cheese is not meant to be cooked in a crock pot….most foods aren’t. The good reviews must be coming from friends and family. Wasted a lot of money making this.
The Chunky Chef says
Actually Janice, all comments have to be approved by me, unless the commenter has commented on my website previously. This cuts down on the enormous amount of spam comments. I’ve been ill, and am going through a backlog of comments, so no, I don’t “not allow reviews with one or two stars”, and I honestly resent the implication. I’m sorry you didn’t find this recipe to your tastes. I posted this recipe as I was getting a LOT of commenters on my baked mac and cheese post asking for a crockpot recipe. I’m curious, if you are so adamant that most foods aren’t meant to be cooked in a crockpot, then why did you make a crockpot mac and cheese recipe?
Teresa Whitcomb says
You are rude! No need to be mean in your comments. And I’m wondering why you own a crock pot. I’m not a mac and cheese fan, but I recently tried someone’s crock pot mac and cheese and it was really good, so I looked up this recipe and will be trying it for the first time with my family for Christmas. If they don’t like it, they don’t have to eat it!! 🙂 W
Michelle says
Obviously operator error. When our kitchen was remodeled I learned to cook everything in a Crock Pot, including mac & cheese several times. If you don’t know how to use a Crock Pot that is your own fault.
Jennifer Elkins says
I doubled this recipe and the cooking times essentially remained the same. I made the mistake of buying Medium cheddar rather than mild cheddar and the recipe was too sharp tasting for my liking, maybe too salty, hard me to tell the difference sometimes. I’m not very skilled in the kitchen, so operator error, I’m sure. The texture and creaminess were amazing though.
Anyone try any other cheese combos that were satisfying?
Laura says
Made this for Thanksgiving and it came out AMAZING!! so easy to make and so delicious. Will definitely be saving this as one of my go-to recipes year-round. Thank you so much for posting this!
Liz Faucher Adams says
I made this for thanksgiving. It was so easy and necessary to free up my oven for the turkey. There wasnt any left!
Lauren says
Made for Thanksgiving, everyone loved it! It’s the only thing my daughter ate. I used sharp cheddar, but followed the rest of the recipe as is. Had to keep in crockpot on warm for about an hour and a half, but was still super yummy! I try a new Mac and cheese recipe every year and this is my fav so far. Always looking for one with no velveeta.