This Crock Pot Mac and Cheese is a family favorite! Elbow macaroni noodles are slow cooked in a rich cheesy sauce.
It is great as a holiday side and a favorite for Sunday supper. This easy mac and cheese recipe needs just minutes of prep and comes out of the slow cooker perfect every time!
Why This is The best Crock Pot Mac & Cheese Ever.
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. The recipe (and the reviews) speak for themselves.
- 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 when I make it.
Why This Recipe Works
1. Precooked Pasta
Precooking the pasta ensures it is perfect every time. I’ve tested countless “no boil mac and cheese recipes” (using uncooked pasta). Depending on the brand, the pasta can become mushy or gummy in texture and I find it to be inconsistent.
Boiling the macaroni about 2 minutes less than indicated on your package (so it’s quite firm) keeps it from getting mushy.
2. Sauce Ingredients
I prefer crock pot macaroni without evaporated milk or Velveeta cheese. While some of the ingredients in this recipe may seem odd, they really make a great 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 addition of mayonnaise sounds odd and even if you don’t love mayonnaise, it works (as you can see by the reviews on this recipe below). 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 – Shred the cheese from a block, pre-shredded cheeses do not work as well.
- Cooking time – Check the pasta early, slow cookers can vary.
- Double the recipe – A single batch of this slow-cooker mac is cooked in a 4qt slow cooker. To double this recipe, cook in 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
Crock Pot Mac and Cheese
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 - Shred the cheese from a block, pre-shredded cheeses do not work as well. 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.
- 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.
do you mix it all together then put in in the crockpot?
You can mix all the ingredients right in the crock pot. One less bowl to wash! :)
OMG.. wow this did not disappoint. i used 4cups of medium cheddar as i didnt have gruyere on hand and was amazed at how delicious this turned out! Quick and easy using ingredients from my pantry. I will be keeping this recipe. As noted, all slow cookers work differently. Mine took 1.5 hrs on high. Thank you!
can you leave the can of soup out. If so, would more milk need to be added? what could I use as a substitute?
Hi De, you can substitute the soup for any other ‘cream of’ soup. Other readers have had great results with cream of mushroom and cream of celery soup!
Can I add an extra cup of pasta without adjusting the rest of the ingredients?
We have only tried this recipe as written, Dale. Adding more pasta might result in a dry dish. Let us know if you decide to try it, though!
Best and easiest crockpot Mac and cheese! I didn’t change a thing and just doubled the recipe. It held up all day on warm after it was fully cooked for a football tailgate and never got dried out or gummy!
Hi! I’m hoping to make this for thanksgiving, but I have a niece with an egg allergy. Do you think I could omit the Mayo and double up on the sour cream?
Thank you!!
I haven’t tried it with just sour cream so I can’t say for sure how it would change the consistency. Let us know how it goes!
Helman’s makes a vegan mayo. There is no egg and it tastes just like their regular mayo. My vegan friend makes dishes with it all the time and I can not taste any difference.
Have you ever tried freezing all of the ingredients (minus the noodles) and thawing them the day they go in the crockpot?
I haven’t tried freezing the sauce ingredients (although I do love that idea!). Let us know how it goes if you try it!
Hi!
This recipe tastes amazing! I grated my own cheese but it still turned out a little bit clumpy. Any recommendations?
Thanks!
CC
Hi CC, did you take the pot off the heat before adding the cheese? Sometimes if the temp is too hot, the cheese can become grainy.
Hello!
Thank you for the quick response. I combined all ingredients in the crock pot before turning on the heat. I’m wondering if maybe I use too many noodles and it was more dry for that reason.
It was definitely a big hit and we loved it. Just wondered what I was doing wrong.
Thanks!
CC
Hi there! I wanted to make this for a Friendsgiving. I love the crockpot method but I thought maybe I could throw it in the boiler with some breadcrumbs to crisp up once it’s done. Do you think it’ll be fine or the extra cook time would mess it up?.
I think it’d be great with breadcrumbs, be sure to preheat the broiler and give it just a couple of minutes. Another option would be to add the crumbs to a skillet with butter and heat them until golden and toasty so they can be sprinkled on top!
Hi!
What kind of cheddar did you use? Sharp cheddar?
Thank you!
Hi Hannah, we used regular cheddar cheese in this recipe but sharp cheddar would also taste great!
Love this recipie! I am boiling the noodles a day in advance this time and then combining everything the next day. Would you recommend refrigerating noodles after boiling or keeping them room temp before I combine the ingredients the next day?
Thank you!
Hi Laura, I would refrigerate the noodles after cooking them (to al dente) and combine them with everything else the next day :)
Hi!
To double the recipe, will it turn out just as good to double each measurement for each ingredient?
Yes, I often double this recipe, it works perfectly!
Doubled the recipe for a bbq and it was a huge crowd pleaser!
What cooked quantity is a “serving”? Thanks
p.s. made this for a 1st birthday party. Great Grandma hates mac n cheese. She went back for seconds! Yummy
I love that! So glad everyone enjoyed it. Each serving is approximately 1/2 cup.
I made this almost exactly- I did not realize until I came back and read the comments that you cannot use pre-shredded cheese. Unfortunately, this came out quite greasy as a result.
Oh no! I am sorry to hear that, Mary! I hope you were still able to enjoy it.
I won the best dish award at our office Halloween potluck with this dish. Thanks for sharing it!
Congratulations, Roxane! So happy to hear that.
Question – I’d like to make for a party – that I’d have to travel 40 mins to get to. I see comments below to keep pasta separate. Does that mean all other ingredients cook for 2 hours, (travel 40 mins) then I should add the pasta once I arrive at the party? How much longer from there should everything cook?
Hi Stacey, it should be fine to travel just 40 mins. I would make the recipe (cooking the pasta very al dente since it will absorb the sauce as it sits), wrap the crockpot in a towel to keep it warm while you travel, and then plug it back in to warm back up when you arrive. I would love to hear how this turns out for you!
Best substitute for cream of chicken soup in this?
Hi Chloe, any cream of soup should work just fine in this recipe.
Second time making it and it was amazing! Used a 4 oz block of cheese for each cup. I doubled the recipe and used one box of large elbows, which was a little more than called for and it worked out well. It all went quickly- will definitely make again! Great recipe!!
I’ve made it with cream of mushroom before and added truffle and it was awesome. Cream of onion will turn out great but maybe omit the onion powder. Could also try cream of broccoli!