Everyone loves a good slow cooker recipe, and this Crock Pot Mac and Cheese is so simple, cheesy and delicious. With loads of cheese, butter, and sour cream it’s hard not to love this creamy macaroni and cheese recipe.
Moms love this recipe because it’s a low-effort slow cooker meal, and kids love it because, well… it’s mac and cheese! Pair with fresh veggies, or a quick green salad for a fantastic weeknight dinner. This is definitely one dinner that the entire family will love!
Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese
If your family is like mine and could eat mac & cheese every night of the week, then you’ve definitely gotta try this super easy slow cooker version! Made with lots of cheese, butter and sour cream, this mac & cheese will definitely be a new favorite with your family.
Other than cooking the macaroni before-hand and melting the other ingredients, there isn’t much to this recipe.
It’s great to throw together when you have multiple things going on at home, and don’t have time to be standing in front of the stove.
How to Make Crock Pot Mac n Cheese
You guys know we are all about simple here and we think you’ll love just how easy and tasty this mac and cheese recipe is. And as you can imagine having 6 little kids, macaroni is ALWAYS a hit at dinner time! Here is what you’ll need to do to make this recipe:
BOIL. Bring water to a boil and cook macaroni for 6 minutes. Drain and set aside.
MIX + MELT. In a medium pan, mix butter and cheese until cheese melts. Add sour cream, soup, salt, milk and pepper until combined.
SLOW COOK. Add this mixture to the slow cooker along with the cooked macaroni. Mix until combined and cook on low for 2 hours stirring every once in awhile.
The result is a super cheesy, tasty macaroni that the kids go nuts over!
macaroni Add-ins and leftovers
Add-ins. When there is about 30 minutes left in the cooking time you can add some of these suggestions: cooked bacon bits, parmesan cheese, salsa or jalapenos, broccoli, roasted red peppers, diced cooked ham, grilled chicken, cooked hamburger, chili flakes.
Storing & Reheating. Store leftover mac n cheese in the fridge for 3-5 days. You can reheat it using the microwave: stir in 1 tbsp of milk to add some moisture, cover the dish with plastic wrap, then microwave on medium heat for 1 minute and then stir every 30 seconds until it is fully heated.
Note: Discard if left out for more than 2 hours at room temperature.
Can mac and cheese be frozen? This pasta dish can be frozen for 2-3 months. When you’re ready to use you can thaw it in the fridge and cover the dish with plastic wrap, then microwave on medium heat for 1 minute and then stir every 30 seconds until it is fully heated.
what to serve with mac and cheese?
There are so many great sides to go with this recipe. Veggies and breads are great – so are salads. Here are some of the go-to recipes we like to pair best with this cheesy dinner idea:
Nothing beats cheesy, creamy macaroni and cheese!! We hope you like it. 🙂
For more macaroni and cheese recipes, check out:
- Favorite Macaroni and Cheese
- Baked Penne
- Fried Mac and Cheese
- Beef & Tomato Macaroni Soup
- Macaroni And Cheese With Ham
Crock Pot Mac and Cheese Recipe
Ingredients
Instructions
- Bring water to a boil and cook macaroni for 6 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- In a medium pan, mix butter and cheese until cheese melts. Add sour cream, soup, salt, milk and pepper until combined.
- Add this mixture to the slow cooker along with the cooked macaroni. Mix until combined and cook on low for 2 hours stirring every once in awhile.
Made this for my grandkids, they really loved it. Will be making it again!!
I love All your recipes!
Thank you SO much! I’m so happy to hear the recipe was a hit with your grandkids!
This was awesome!! I needed a quick mac and cheese recipe to take to small gathering yesterday. This literally took less than 5 minutes to throw together after I boiled the noodles. I was skeptical about the can of cream of cheese soup. My go-to recipe for macaroni and cheese is to make a white sauce on the top of the stove and then add the cheese, boil the macaroni mix it together and then bake it in the oven. I’m going to try this recipe again but put it in the oven and bake it with my usual bread crumbs on the top and I think it’s going to be delicious!
So glad to hear that you enjoyed the recipe!! I’m sure you could bake and top with bread crumbs and it would be fabulous! You’ll have to let us know how it turns out.
Literally THE best mac and cheese ever! My husband (whom will only eat Kraft!!!.. yes Kraft) LOOOOOOVED it. I only had 2 cups of cheddar so I added .5 of colby jack to it. I cooked mine for 2.5 hours and it was perfect!
Oh that makes me SO happy to hear! I bet the Colby Jack was great in it. So glad your hubby was a fan, too. Thanks for sharing!!
He6 there 8m looking to make this fir a crowd of 20+ can you double this recipe
Thank you
Hey there I’m looking to make this for a crowd of 20+ can you double this recipe
Thank you
You can! It may take a bit longer to heat up in your crockpot since it will be more full. Depending on the size of your crockpot, you may need to do each batch in a separate crockpot.
Absolutely loved this recipe. Delicious Mac n cheese. Definitely don’t cook it for more than 2 hours and don’t use shredded cheese.
Thank you!! So glad that you enjoyed the recipe!
So smooth, creamy & tasty! Another absolutely delicious recipe and the best homemade Mac & Cheese I have tried to date. I followed the recipe as is using sharp cheddar I grated/shredded myself, but also served it with fresh grated/shredded parmesan on top as mentioned in your add ins note. So many scrumptious possibilities for additional add ins, varying cheeses etc. and you noted some of my favs, lol, I will have to try some bacon or ham in it next time 😋
From my family to yours, thanks so much for sharing your time & talents in the kitchen. Your recipes are always the best!
Thank you so much for your kind words! They mean so much. I’m so glad that the recipe was a hit for your family. And yes, some of those add-ins and adaptations are a fun way to switch up the recipe. Thanks for giving the recipe a try!
This has been my favorite Mac & cheese recipe for several years now!! Everyone loves it, I’ve passed it onto more people than I could countNn
I am going to attempt to make it with gluten-free pasta tomorrow night.. any suggestions? I don’t want the pasta to turn to mush, so I was thinking I’d probably only cook it halfway through.
Yay!! I’m so glad you love the Mac and cheese. It’s a favorite here too, for sure. I imagine you have already made the dish with gluten-free pasta. I’d be curious to hear how it turned out/what you did? Yeah, I would suggest to keep an eye on those noodles so it doesn’t cook too long.
Awesome very easy recipe great taste. Only downfall is nothing
Aw, thank you!! So glad to hear that you love the recipe!
So I’ve made this many times. I usually prepare as directed, then dump into a casserole dish and top with butter breadcrumbs, then bake at 350° for 40 minutes or so. It’s perfect! Today, I’ve added shredded chicken and green onions. It smells amazing! I also usually add a pinch of ground mustard and a pinch of nutmeg, it really makes it pop.
Thanks for sharing what you did!! Sounds delicious! Glad you enjoy the recipe. 🙂
My stove is broken so I was excited to find this recipe. my family loved it! Amazing!!
Love this recipe! It’s simple yet so good!
Love how quick and easy this recipe is! Not to mention my kids gobble it up. Thank you!
Love this mac and cheese! It’s a family favorite to bring to all holidays!
Absolutely delicious and easy! Started it on my lunch break and came home to a great meal!