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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How long did you bake it, and at what temp?
You can also find this information in the recipe notes. Enjoy!
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.
The best Mac and Cheese I’ve ever made! I’m 58 and live in the south so I’ve made different recipes for Mac and Cheese for years too! I was hesitant to use cream of chicken soup but I went straight by the recipe with wonderful results. I did cook it in the oven instead of the crockpot and again, my only Mac and Cheese recipe from now on!
Thank you for trying our recipe, Sherry! So glad you enjoyed it.
The only mac and cheese recipe ive found that stays creamy the next day!!!
Didn’t have some of the cheeses so I used extra sharp cheddar and provolone, didn’t have sour cream so I used a cup of mayo instead. Baked in the oven since I was nicked for time came out great! Thank you
I made this at work for a mac and cheese competition and won 2nd place! Mine wasn’t very creamy though. How do I make it creamer? I used just about 6 cups of dried elbows. I used only 2 cans of cream of chicken and 1 cup of mayo and 1 cup of sour cream.
Hi Kelly, if tripling the pasta I would recommend tripling the sauce ingredients as well to ensure it is as creamy as expected.
I’m giving this recipe 5 stars because it tastes amazing, even though mine came out a little crazy through user error haha. I realize now that I converted cups to oz and I shouldn’t have. I used 32 oz of cheese and 16 oz of pasta. It came out slightly too oily, maybe from the overabundance of cheese. I also accidentally put 1 TBS of onion powder instead of 1 TSP. Woops! Still tastes amazing and better than having to make a roux on the stove the traditional way!!
I was a bit nervous about the rather unorthodox ingredients, but this came out perfectly delicious and garnered many compliments. I used Cavatelli pasta instead of elbow macaroni, but otherwise stayed true to the recipe which I doubled for a crowd. I bought too much cheese and pasta because I was not thinking that 8 oz of cheese will yield more than 1 cup of shredded and 8 oz of dry pasta by weight will yield more than 1 cup dry pasta by volume. Keep this in mind unless you want to wind up like me with bricks of expensive cheese in your freezer and a pantry overflowing with pasta! Cooking on high and stirring only at the 1 and 2 hour marks yielded coveted browned cheese bits. I used the full sodium version of the creamed soup as opposed to the healthier lower sodium options. I worried about this as I do not like super salty food, but I found the result to be perfectly seasoned. I will definitely keep this recipe on hand for the rare times that I am called to make such a rich dish. I highly recommend that you try this – it’s fabulous!
I have never made Mac and Cheese in a slow cooker or with ingredients other than pasta, cheese, butter, and milk or cream. This was really delicious. My husband doesn’t normally like macaroni and cheese and said it was the best he’s ever had. I premade the noodles the night before and put in the fridge. On Easter, I put it on to cook before leaving the house and it was ready when we got home, to go with everything else. (I went EXACTLY by the recipe.)
Is the cheese measured by weight or volume? 16 oz block of cheese is 2 cups of cheese by weight..but grated, I assume it is much more than 2 cups by volume…
1 cup of shredded cheese weighs 4oz (not 8oz which is a volume measure). If using weight, you’ll need 8oz of cheese.
Thank you. That is what I assumed..but..you know what “assume”means. I have JUST made it – it is cooking in the slow cooker now – for a late afternoon Easter dinner with the neighbor’s family – age 87 to 22! (8 people total..they think…)
I am in Mountain time zone .
Enjoy the recipe Dot and happy Easter to you and your friends and family!
Measure by volume.
Only two cups of uncooked pasta? Is that half a box?
It can depend on the size of the box but I use a measuring cup to measure 2 cups, it’s approximately half of a 16oz box (or just slightly less). This recipe can be doubled if you’d like.
Is there a vegetarian substitute recommended for the cream of chicken soup?
You can use any “cream of” in this recipe.
This recipe is amazing! I like to use the condensed cheddar soup by Campbell’s!
With the soup do I add the water also?
Add the can of cream of chicken soup but no need to add water. We would love to know what you think, excited for you to try it!
We had this last night! Absolutely loved by the whole family. So I added the soup can of milk and it was still amazing maybe just made more of sauce. Delicious!!
Trust the process and ingredients. It works
What kind of cheddar cheese? Mild, sharp?
You can use either, I prefer sharp as it has the most flavor.
I have not made this yet, but am going to try for a volleyball tournament on Sat. We have to be there very early. Is it possible to make a day before?? Or somehow partially cook before?? Thank you :)
Hi Missy, you can make this ahead but I would suggest keeping the pasta and sauce separate and combining them just before cooking. This will keep the pasta from soaking in the sauce and getting mushy.
I made this for a birthday party and it was loved by all. Delicious and easy. The hardest part was I doubled the recipe and it was a fair amount of cheese to shred but it was worth it.
When you double the recipe, can you cook it on low? I only see the cook times on high for a double batch.
Yes, it can be cooked on low. You will just want to increase the cooking time but about half and hour. Stirring after every hour.
I’m trying this tomorrow but want to know if I can swap one cup of the cheddar cheese for smoked Gouda? And if I can get creative with other cheese combos as long as the total amount equals 4 cups?
I think that sounds like a great idea, Rob! I would love to hear what combination you come up.
I’ve made this several times & I always use a variety of cheeses, but a good portion is always sharp cheddar. I don’t think I’ve ever used Gruyère ‘cuz it’s expensive & not as readily available…instead I’ve used regular Swiss or emmenthal. I like Muenster ‘cuz it is creamy & melts nicely.
I’m actually making this tomorrow for a get together. I have sharp white cheddar & Monterey Jack, but will need to pick up more cheese in the morning for a double batch.
I cooked my noodles for 5 minutes. Set the slow cooker for “low” x 2.5 hours, then “warm” for several more hours, since I was at work. Still turned out great. Not mushy at all!
This mac n cheese was so good!! We had a party for about 45 people so I multiplied the recipe by 6 just so there would be plenty. I got so many compliments on this dish. We all loved it! I probably could have just quadrupled the recipe and had plenty but I didn’t want to run out. I had planned to separate it into two crockpots but it was way too much for two crockpots. I ended up getting two extra large disposable pans and baked it in the oven. I used 6 lbs of cheese! 4 lbs of sharp cheddar and 2 lbs of Colby Monterrey Jack. I never would’ve thought to make it with mayo, sour cream, and cream of chicken but it is a perfectly creamy and cheesy combination! I already saved this recipe to make in the future. So delicious!! Thanks for sharing!
Wondering if I can sub extra sour cream for the mayo? I absolutly depise mayo even if you can’t taste it I know it’s in there,
Hi Gail, yes you can sub extra sour cream for the mayo. Keep in mind the flavor might change a bit, but it will still taste delish!