This Crock Pot Mac and Cheese is a family favorite and appears at every holiday! With just minutes of prep, the sauce is unexpected and always gets rave reviews!
Serve this slow cooker macaroni as a holiday side dish or alongside baked ham for Sunday supper. This comes out of the slow cooker perfect every time!
Holly’s Notes From the Test Kichen
Elbow macaroni noodles are slow cooked in a rich, cheesy sauce. Homemade mac and cheese is my personal favorite food, and I can assure you that this is the best crock pot macaroni and cheese I’ve ever had!
- Unusual ingredients, amazing flavor. Thousands of reviews can’t be wrong!
- It has a perfect consistency every time, and the pasta is not mushy.
- This recipe takes only about 10 minutes of prep, and the slow cooker does the rest.
- This recipe can be doubled for a crowd and left on warm for serving.
- Everyone loves this recipe , it’s the best.
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Why This is the Best Crockpot Mac & Cheese Ever
1. Precooked Pasta
To ensure a perfect texture, precook the pasta to ensure it is perfect every time.
After testing countless “no boil” mac and cheese recipes that call for uncooked pasta, I’ve found the results to be inconsistent, with some brands becoming mushy or gummy.
Tip: Boil the macaroni about 2 minutes less than indicated on your package to keep it from getting mushy.
2. Sauce Ingredients
I prefer crock pot macaroni and cheese without Velveeta or evaporated milk. This sauce uses an unusual mixture that I created, and while some of the ingredients may seem odd, they come together to make the best cheesy sauce!
A traditional cream sauce or cheese sauce doesn’t hold up well in the slow cooker, as dairy can curdle and/or separate in the crock pot. The mayonnaise keeps the sauce silky smooth, you can’t taste it, and either regular or light mayonnaise or dressing will work.
Crock Pot Mac and Cheese is perfect for camping or potlucks, basically, anywhere you don’t have an oven. It’s also a great way to save oven space for Thanksgiving dinner (including turkey and stuffing!) and cook this on the side.
How to Make Crock Pot Mac and Cheese
This slow cooker macaroni and cheese takes less than 10 minutes to get into the Crock Pot and then it’s ready to go!
- Boil pasta for about 2 minutes less than the package indicates.
- While pasta is boiling, shred the sharp cheddar cheese.
- Put all of the ingredients into the slow cooker and cook per the recipe below.
Tips for Perfection
- Pasta: Do not overcook the pasta, it should be very firm after boiling. Rinsing the pasta stops it from cooking.
- Cheese: Our recent recipe tests have shown little difference between shredding your own cheese and pre-shredded cheeses.
- Cooking time: Check the pasta early, slow cookers can vary.
- Slow cooker size: A single batch of this slow-cooker mac can be cooked in a 4QT slow cooker. If using a 6QT slow cooker, it will cook faster so check it early.
- Double the recipe: To double this recipe, use a 6QT crockpot. Cook on high for 2 1/2 hours, stirring after 1 hour and 2 hours. (When stirring, try to do it as quickly as possible to keep the heat inside).
- Make ahead: To prepare this ahead of time, mix all of the ingredients except the pasta. The pasta can be cooked ahead, rinsed, and cooled. Combine the pasta and sauce ingredients in the crock pot just before cooking.
- Baking in the oven: If you prefer or if you are short on time, you can bake this in the oven (and I have many many times!) Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake 30 minutes covered and 30 minutes uncovered.
Note: Slow cookers can vary! You may have to slightly adjust the time for your slow cooker. If your Crock Pot Mac and Cheese is done early, you can turn your slow cooker onto warm.
More Crock Pot Holiday Sides
- Crock Pot Creamed Corn
- No Boil Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes
- Crock Pot Scalloped Potatoes
- Crockpot Sweet Potato Casserole
- Crock Pot Stuffing
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups elbow macaroni uncooked
- 10.5 ounces condensed cream of chicken soup 1 can
- 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded gruyere cheese
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup sour cream regular or light
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon dry mustard powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Boil macaroni noodles according to directions to make them very al dente. (I cook them for at least 1-2 minutes less than directed on the bag. Mine boiled for 5 minutes). Drain and rinse under cold water.
- Combine all ingredients in a 4qt* slow cooker and cook on high for 2 hours or low for 3 hours, stirring once or twice.
- Serve hot.
Video
Notes
- Pasta: Do not overcook the pasta, it should be very firm after boiling. Rinsing the pasta stops it from cooking.
- Cheese: If you do not have gruyere cheese, you can use an additional cup of cheddar instead (4 cups in total).
- Cooking time: Check the pasta early, slow cookers can vary.
- *Slow cooker size: A single batch of this slow-cooker mac should be made in a 4QT slow cooker. If using a 6QT slow cooker, it will cook faster so check it early.
- Double the recipe: To double this recipe, use a 6QT crockpot. Cook on high for 2 ½ hours, stirring after 1 hour and 2 hours. (When stirring, try to do it as quickly as possible to keep the heat inside).
- Make ahead: To prepare this ahead of time, mix all of the ingredients except the pasta. The pasta can be cooked ahead, rinsed, and cooled. Combine the pasta and sauce ingredients in the crockpot just before cooking.
- Baking in the oven: If you prefer or if you are short on time, you can bake this in the oven (and I have many many times!) Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake 30 minutes covered and 30 minutes uncovered.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Casserole, Main Course, Pasta, Side Dish
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I’m assuming that the recipe here is NOT the doubled version?
The recipe here is a single version.
I made this tonight with a few changes….. I thought I had cream of chicken and I didn’t, so I used cream of mushroom instead. I also added shrimp. And I used a bunch of different cheeses, a little bit of everything I had in my fridge…… mozzarella, cheddar, pepper jack, monser, and Monterey Jack. It was AMAZING!!!! Like I’ve seen many comment, I was skeptical of the mayo…. but it was amazing! Cant wait to try it again!!
I’m so glad you loved it Sonya!
I would like to try this recipe tonight ad my family loves homemade mac n cheese. I have a slow cooed amd a crock pot. Which one do I use as I see both words use throughourt the recipe area and in comments swctions.
Crock Pot is a brand of slow cooker. You can use either, I use a 4qt slow cooker for this recipe.
Kids love Mac & cheese. This is a keeper.
What about cooking al dente noodles a s freezing ao that in future u can just dump into crock pot? Does anyone think itll work
I haven’t had great success with freezing cooked pasta.
is there a substitution for the condensed chicken soup ? Don’t care for the little bits of chicken that get mixed in .
Cheddar cheese soup would also be a great option.
This was the best mac & cheese I’ve ever made and I brought it to work and it was a HIT. I only changed a few things up.. I used Pepper Jack cheese because its my favorite and queso cheese. added bacon and fresh chopped jalapenos (added when half way done cooking then topped with a bit of Mexican bleed cheese. Thank you for the recipe!
Awesome! Queso sounds amazing!!
Can any cheese be subbed? I love this uses gruyere, but want to use something other than cheddar.
Colby is good in mac and cheese! Sometimes I also like to use pepper jack to add a little spice to the mix!
When you say or 4 cups of cheddar cheese instead of the gruyere cheese, does that mean 7 in total?
4 cups total.
Going to make this as a side for a family get together, six adults and two young children. Do you think I could get away with not doubling it if it is a side not an entrée, or would you recommend I go ahead and double it?
It makes about the equivalent of a 9×13 pan. You could probably get away with 1 batch but there wouldn’t be much extra.
This receipe looks good and im going to cook it tonight. When doubling, do you mean double all the ingredient amounts?
Yes, this could be doubled by doubling all of the ingredients.
I’ve made this many times now and it’s great, love it. My only issue is with re-heating. It seems to form into a clump in the fridge, and then gets really oily when it’s re-heated, either in a pan or in the microwave. Maybe it’s because I used shredded cheese? I’ll have to try block cheese instead next time and see if that helps.
You might like to try reheating on a lower temperature (high temperatures can cause the cheese to separate) and adding a splash of milk if needed for consistency. :)
I made this yesterday for dinner, and I will say, as written this is the best Mac & Cheese I have ever had, I did not change anything.
I’m so glad you loved it Lee!
For vegetarians what other kind of soup would work instead of cream of chicken?
Thank you!
You could try cream of celery or cream of cheddar.
Can you make without the chicken soup.
I have only tried this as written. Another type of soup can be substituted if you’d like. The soup is a sub for dairy since dairy doesn’t hold up well in the slow cooker.
Loved this mac and cheese. I have made it several times I nice I tried cream of celery soup didn’t care for the taste, felt cream of chicken was much better.
SO glad you love this Debby!
I just made this for my family tonight! My kids are super picky when it comes to Mac and Cheese and they LOVED it! Mine turned out a bit more hearty- as opposed to creamy. Any suggestions? I was thinking of adding milk after it was done (as I’m told milk doesn’t do well in the crock pot).
I’m so glad they loved it!! If you’d like it more creamy you can reduce the cooking time slightly or add a little bit of milk or cream before serving.
(And you’re right about dairy in the slow cooker, it tends to curdle or separate if cooked too long. A few minutes to heat it up a bit if needed will definitely be ok though)!
Do you add milk or water to the soup ?
No, you just used it condensed
I’m making this recipe tonight for the second time. I made it as written the first time and it was delicious. The gruyere is a little pricey but gives it a great flavor. I would encourage anyone that is questioning this recipe to make it as written and enjoy. While I wouldn’t describe myself as a foodie, I’m a mac and cheese snob and this recipe is going to thw top of the list. Thank you.
So glad you enjoyed it Craig! :)
Question my husband is a vegetarian. What other soup would you suggest. Thanks!
Cream of Celery works well in this recipe.