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.
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
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
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
It’s a little greasy but other than that it’s super easy and my family loved it!
Glad you enjoyed it Megan!
Just made a triple batch of your mac & cheese. . I have to tell you it is the creamiest mac & cheese I’ve ever made. Love the flavors all together. Thank you
Thank you Robin! So happy you loved it.
what size crock pot did you use for the triple batch?
I had a can of Cream of Bacon soup which I subbed for Crm of Chicken. Delicious. Great recipe.
Ooh! Cream of bacon soup sounds like a delicious addition to this soup. I don’t know that I have ever tried cream of bacon, what brand did you use? I need to find some of this Patrice!
Amazon has it! I stock up when I have an Amazon prime pantry order. I make this Mac and cheese for my coworkers. They love it!
Thanks! I certainly will Shelley!
I could definitely taste the Mayo in this. It tastes more like pasta salad than Mac n cheese. It’s not terrible but I won’t make it again.
Glad you were able to enjoy it Jocelynne!
I just made this recipe today for a Mac & Cheese Cook-Off at work, and I won! Not only was I able to prep all of the ingredients this morning before I left for work (I shredded the cheese the night before), but this recipe was also so easy to make. As the mac & cheese was cooking, it started to look a little too oily so I kept stirring occasionally and opened the lid about an inch which allowed the oil to soak in. Other than that, this recipe was perfect! Multiple co-workers requested I share this *secret* recipe with them.
That makes us so happy to hear Whitney! Congrats on the win!
Our grandchildren loved this recipe. I loved it as well. It tasted wonderful and was so easy to prepare. Thanks.
So happy to hear that Merry! Glad you all enjoyed it.
I made this macaroni and cheese for a church potluck thinking I’d be bringing home leftovers. I was wrong! I tripled the recipe and it was all gone! People kept telling me how good it was! I’ll definitely be making this again. In fact, this is the only macaroni and cheese I ever plan to make from now on.
So happy to hear that Dana! You’ll have to quadruple the batch next time for leftovers lol!
Is 2 cups of uncooked macaroni the same as half a box and would I double the whole recipe then if I use a full box?
Hi Julie, that will depend on the size of your box of macaroni. To be safe I would scoop out four cups of pasta when doubling this recipe.
I am looking at this recipe for my daughters birthday party. I need to feed 16 people at least. How much of every ingredient would I need?
You may want to double or triple this recipe Michelle to feed that many girls. Plus leftovers are always a hit with this recipe!
I normally do not write reviews however, this Mac & cheese is the best I’ve ever had! I made it for the first time yesterday and it was such a hit with my family I had none left so it’s in my crockpot again now! I will never use another recipe. Whoever gave this recipe a bad review I’d have to say either didn’t follow the directions properly or did not use the exact ingredients! Thanks for this awesome recipe!
I am so glad your family has enjoyed the mac n cheese Alyssa!
I have to set this and wont be home to stir or anything for 5 hours. Is that possible and what adjustments could I make?
I have only tried the recipe as written. While I haven’t tried it, I’d suggest that you cook it for 2 hours, then turn it to keep warm.
Fabulous Mac & Cheese. Made it while camping this summer and it was enjoyed by everyone. Have made it 3 times since. I used an extra cup of cheddar instead of gruyere cheese, as suggested in the recipe as gruyere is too expensive. Stirred after the first hour as directed but it didn’t take the full 2 hours to cook. Delicious.
I am thrilled that your family has enjoyed the recipe Charlene!
Hello,
Just a quick question. Is it 3 cups of shredded cheese or if I use block cheese do I just get 24 ounces of it? Can’t wait to make it for my husbands birthday party!
8 oz per cup is a liquid measure while you would want a weight measure for this recipe. 1 cup of cheese weighs approximately 4 oz (so you would need approximately 12 oz of cheddar).
Made this for a gathering last night and it was a hit. Followed recipe as is, except used all cheddar and sharp cheddar, and only cooked on high for about 1 1\2 hours before switching to ‘keep warm’. Made a double recipe for about 20 people and it was all gone and everyone was commenting on how good it was. My only negative was I didn’t care for the small bits of chicken in the pasta and a couple of people asked why there was chicken in the mac&cheese. Flavor and consistency was great though and I’ll be making it again for future gatherings. Thanks for the recipe!
So happy everyone loved it Elesem! Mac & Cheese is one of my favorite dishes.
I’ve made this with cream of onion soup instead of cream of chicken to make it a vegetarian dish. I leave out the onion powder. I made this for a ski weekend and it was absolutely perfect on a cold day! The kids all said it was the best ever.
Great substitutions Amanda. So happy to hear everyone enjoyed it!
I am not a star in the kitchen, however this recipe made me look like one! Made for a birthday party to go with my Brother in laws smoked ribs. My brother in law said he felt like he was eating grown up mac n cheese. I bought apple wood smoked Gruyere cheese. The smokey flavor was perfect!
So glad you loved it Stacy, I bet the smoked cheese was delish in this recipe!
Very disappointing. I was hoping to use this recipe for an upcoming party and wanted to test it out first (and I’m glad I did as I won’t be using it!). I made the recipe exactly as described and it was dry, pasty, and fairly bland. About an hour into cooking everything seemed dry and I even added some more sour cream (milk probably would have been better but I didn’t have any on hand). After a couple of hours I even added some crumbled bacon on top, but everything was just disappointing. I was hoping to have something new for the upcoming party but will go back to an old standard as this recipe is something I don’t feel would impress my guests.
How disappointing Paul, I”m sorry to hear that! I can’t say for sure what went wrong, I’ve made this countless times and have never had it dry out (and most readers have had great success). Did you measure the dry macaroni noodles using a measuring cup (vs. weight etc). Did you use pre-shredded cheeses (which can sometimes contain starches and don’t tend to melt as well). Were any of your products low fat/light?
This was hands down the best mac and cheese I have ever tasted. I’m curious about using cauliflower instead of pasta. Cook al dente?
I would suggest al dente if trying this recipe with cauliflower. Ensure you drain it very well so it doesn’t get watery!! Let us know how it goes.
This was delicious. The creamy texture was incredible. Made it for the first time a couple of weeks ago for a church picnic. Son’s family enjoyed the left-overs. Doubled the recipe and it was still good. Making it again tomorrow for In-Laws! Used only cheddar cheese, that came shredded. Worked just fine.
Yay! That is awesome Kathy! So happy to hear that.
The worst frankly. Doesn’t taste like southern Mac and Cheese at all.
Sorry you didn’t enjoy it, it’s one of our favorites. That being said, it’s not intended to be a southern mac and cheese. :)
So excited to make this recipe! I was wondering if I could use cream of mushroom soup instead of cream of chicken for a vegetarian in the family?
Absolutely, that would work just fine.
Ive made it both ways and I think cream of mushroom tastes way better!