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
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I have made several times and love it! and the kids always love it… and by kids I mean 20 somethings :-) I was curious, Is using mayo and sour cream essential or could I just use mayo and double it? also, I’ve done it with all cheddar when I haven’t had the other and it’s still been great!
I haven’t tried this recipe without sour cream so I can’t say for sure—let us know how it goes if you try it!
So excited to try this tomorrow but I think I’ll need to make a triple batch!
Do you think this could be done in an enamel dutch oven on the stove top or will it run the risk of burning to the pan?
I haven’t tried it on the stovetop in a Dutch oven. If you’re cooking on the stovetop, you’ll want to use a very low heat and stir frequently. I might suggest heating everything through without the cheese and then adding the cheese at the end once hot and stirring just until melted. Let us know how it goes!
Am I able to dump the mac and cheese in a baking dish when it’s done cooking and add bread crumbs and broil it for a few minutes to make a crust? Or do you suggest making the crust separately?
Sure you can. Another option is to combine breadcrumbs and salted butter in a skillet and cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently until golden and crisp. This can be done up to 48 hours ahead of time and left uncovered at room temperature and sprinkled over the mac and cheese before serving. The slow cooker will give the mac and cheese the nice little brown bits on the edges.
is 6 cups of shredded Cheddar correct?
For a single recipe you’ll need 3 cups of cheddar and 1 cup of gruyere. For a double recipe, you’ll need 6 cups of cheddar and 2 cups of gruyere. The gruyere can be replaced with additional cheddar cheese if you’d like.
Will this work in a 2 QT slow cooker if I half the recipe? I want to make a smaller amount.
Yes it will work. Check it early as it won’t need as much time to cook.
You can also cook your pasta in the crockpot in water before making the macaroni.
Been using this recipe for a while and it’s amazing. Wanting to make it tonight but have just moved house and don’t have a hob to boil pasta – will this still work if I put dry pasta in or is there any way around it? Thanks!
So glad you love it! I’ve never tried this recipe without cooking the pasta so I can’t say for sure how it will turn out—when I’ve tried recipes in the past that don’t cook the noodles, I find the texture of the pasta can become gummy.
You’ll need to add additional water, I’d suggest about 1 ¾ to 2 cups of water. Let us know how it goes!
Can I use your breadcrumb topping from your mac n cheese casserole for the crockpot version?
If you’d like to add a a breadcrumb topping, I’d suggest cooking the topping to a skillet and sprinkling on before serving as the crumbs won’t brown or crisp in the slow cooker.
Add the breadcrumbs and butter to a skillet and cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently until golden and crisp. This can be done up to 48 hours ahead of time and left uncovered at room temperature.
if I make this tonight can I reheat on warm for tomorrow’s potluck? we don’t have access to ovens in my office.
I would suggest preparing the sauce and keeping the pasta separate. In the morning, combine it all and place it in the slow cooker before your potluck.
What happens if you don’t keep the pasta and the sauce separate?
The pasta can soak up some of the sauce—you can add a little milk if needed.
Can I use a different soup / vegetarian option instead of cream of chicken? Is cream of of celery the best substitute?
Yes, you can use cream of celery or cheddar cheese soup.
I luv Mac an cheee
Will the sour cream or mayo curdle in the Crockpot? Should I add it at the end of cooking?
No they do not curdle as long as it isn’t overcooked. They’re both essential to the sauce and should be added at the beginning.
Followed to the letter! Fantastic. Thank you.
Am I totally screwed if I double the recipe in a 4-quart crockpot?
You’ll want to ensure your slow cooker isn’t more than ¾ full. If it’s a little more than that, quickly stir after about 90 minutes (trying not to let too much heat out) and it should work just fine! Let us know how it goes!
Family are harsh critics, and they all LOVED this!
Quick to prep, I had doubled the recipe. It was delicious and easy!
Do you add milk to this recipe?
No milk is needed.
Sorry, I meant back..
Can the block cheese be cube instead of shredding? Making this for Thanksgiving dinner for church, hope I could hear something bad before Sunday!!
Thank you…
If it is cubed very small it should work, you may need to stir it once or twice.
I have been using this recipe for Thanksgiving for years (love it, thank you), but as I gather my ingredients for it this year, I’m reminded that I always have trouble converting the cups to ounces for the cheese, and struggle with the sauce to noodle ratio.
Since I’m buying blocks of cheese, how many ounces should I purchase to yield 3 cups of cheddar and 1 cup of gruyere?
For the noodles, do you find that 2 cups = about 8 ounces of dry pasta? That just doesn’t seem like nearly enough
For cheese, 1 cup shredded = approx. 4oz in weight. 2 cups dry is approximately 8 oz, I use a measuring cup to measure them dry. This will be more than 2 cups once cooked as they’ll absorb water.
Hi Holly,
So if I double the receipe and shred the cheese. How much of each cheeses would I need? Also, in preparing the night before. I can mix the ingredients for the sauce and cook the pasta. Then refrigerate and add everything in the am to cook how long in crock pot?
If you double the recipe, you would want to double the cheeses. For a double recipe you will need 6 cups shredded cheddar cheese (about 24oz) and 2 cups shredded gruyere cheese (about 8oz). If preparing the night before, store the pasta separately. Cooking time will remain the same.
I’m wanting to make this for a Thanksgiving lunch at my workplace. I have access to an oven but not a stove top, and have a variety of crockpots, including a casserole dish style. You mention if making ahead, the pasta can be rinsed and cooled, but have you ever tried chilling it overnight? If not, should I boil the pasta before I leave for work and just leave it out for a few hours?
I’m probably more inclined to bake it than just using the crock pot. I’m probably a little scarred from other crock pot mac and cheese recipes, but I would love your thoughts on that as well!
I often prepare this ahead of time and store the pasta separate from the sauce. I combine it just before baking or cooking in the slow cooker (or bake it). Let us know how it goes!
I made this last year for my works Thanksgiving potluck. Was a huge hit. It’s now sitting in my office cooking for this years potluck. Being able to prep it all the night before and cooking the morning of the event makes things really easy. Made it a few times at home too.
I also recommend trying out the different gruyere cheeses, found one with herbs that gives it alittle more ‘classy’ taste. The truffle gruyere is good too.