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If your family is like ours and could eat Homemade Mac and Cheese every night of the week, then you have to try this super easy slow cooker version!
Moms love this crock pot mac and cheese because it’s low-effort, and kids love it because it’s delicious! It’s great for busy nights, busy holidays and
It’s definitely a main dish favorite that everyone will love!
Why we think you’ll love it:
- So delicious! Made with lots of cheese, butter, and sour cream, it’s very flavorful and the whole family loves the taste
- Great for holidays. It’s especially nice to have side dishes that can be made in the slow cooker on busy days like potlucks, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
- Quick prep. It preps in minutes and can be made the morning of for busy weeknights!
Crock Pot Mac and Cheese Ingredients and Substitutions
- 2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni – Elbow macaroni noodles are a mac and cheese classic, but you can use other similarly sized noodles like shells, cavatappi, penne, farfalle, fusilli, or rotini.
- 4 tablespoons butter – salted or unsalted butter both work for this recipe
- 2½ cups grated cheddar cheese – use any cheese that melts well, or add a flavor twist with manchego, muenster, provolone, Monterey jack, fontina, gruyere, or American cheese. Even Velveeta cheese works.
- ½ cup sour cream – or plain Greek yogurt
- 1 (10.75-ounce) can condensed cheddar cheese soup – or cream of chicken soup
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup whole milk – whole milk makes the creamiest sauce but a lower fat milk can be used.
- black pepper, to taste – for added flavor, use garlic salt with parsley flakes
How to Make Crock Pot Mac and Cheese
- PASTA. Bring water to a boil and cook macaroni for only 6 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- SAUCE. In a medium pan, mix butter and shredded cheese until cheese melts. Add sour cream, condensed cheddar cheese soup, salt, whole milk, and season with black pepper. Stir until combined.
- SLOW COOK. Spray the crock pot with nonstick cooking spray. Add the cheese sauce to the slow cooker and the cooked macaroni. Mix until combined and cook on low for 2 hours stirring every once in a while.
Use at least a 6-quart crockpot for this recipe. To double this recipe, which we do all the time, we have been able to have everything fit in out 8-quart slow cooker.
Crock Pot Mac and Cheese Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
- 4 tablespoon butter
- 2½ cups grated cheddar cheese
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 (10.75-ounce) can condensed cheddar cheese soup
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup whole milk
- pepper
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.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
> Remove the lid of the crock pot to allow for some liquid to evaporate
> Add in more cheese
> Cornstarch slurry. in a separate bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of COLD water with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. Stir it into the Mac and Cheese and the dish will thicken as it continues to cook.
When there are about 30 minutes left in the cooking time, add in some of these suggestions:
– cooked bacon bits, diced cooked ham, grilled chicken, or cooked hamburger
– parmesan cheese
– broccoli or roasted red peppers
– garlic powder, dry mustard, onion powder, red pepper flakes, or paprika
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
Reheat. The key is to reheat slowly on low heat. Adding in a bit more milk can help smooth out the texture. You can reheat in the slow cooker, covered in the oven, stovetop, or microwave.
This pasta dish can be frozen for 2-3 months. When you’re ready to use, thaw it in the fridge and reheat slowly over low heat.
Complete The Meal
Main Dish
Roast Turkey
3 hrs 20 mins
Easy Meatloaf
1 hr 25 mins
Flat Iron Steak Recipe
2 hrs 35 mins
Country Style Pork Ribs
2 hrs 40 mins
Mac and Cheese Recipes
Velveeta Mac and Cheese
43 mins
Mac and Cheese with Ham
40 mins
Chick Fil A Mac and Cheese
42 mins
Best Homemade Mac and Cheese
40 mins
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This recipe was originally published February 2015.
“Farken-tastic”, my hubs said. I used Boar’s head white cheddar and it was a little too sharp so I cut it with some Velveeta. Next time I may try all Velvetta or white American as Kristen suggested in the notes. I made it via stove top since time got away from me and it came together so fast! Another hit out of the park, Kristen! I’ll report back when I make it again with different cheese!
There are so many variations for recipes, I can’t possibly test them all, so I love when people share changes they’ve made and how it turned out. It’s helpful for others who may wish to try the same thing.
Been using this recipe for years now and love it everytime. Thank you so much.
That’s fantastic! Your feedback really makes it worthwhile and helps other people decide to try it.
Looks delicious! I’m attempting to tweak for GF and need a substitute for the condensed soup, any suggestions? Thanks!
I have Cream Soup Substitute recipe that you could try. Instead of using all purpose flour the make the roux, you can replace it with a Gluten-free baking flour, or a blend of rice flour and tapioca. If you try this, I would to hear what you did and how the cream soup substitute turned out as well as this Mac n Cheese recipe.
First time making this. I took it to a Kentucky Derby party and it was devoured. I got so many compliments. Didn’t add the salt or pepper.
Thank you
Woohoo! Glad it was a hit! Thank you!
I’m looking forward to making this for thanksgiving this year!
Question – if you leave the crockpot on warm for an hour or two after cooking on low for 2 hours, will the pasta get mushy? Thanks!
If I make this a day ahead of time will it keep okay? Or should I wait to bake it the next day?
Yes, you could. The key is to reheat slowly on low heat. Adding in a bit more milk can help smooth out the texture too. You can reheat in the slow cooker, covered in the oven, stovetop, or microwave.
My “go to” mac and cheese recipe. My family loves it and I recenty made 6x the recipe for a potluck and it came out just as good, everyone loved it! So easy to make and delicious too