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Everyone loves a good slow cooker recipe, and this Crock Pot Mac and Cheese is so simple, cheesy, and delicious!
Moms love this Crock Pot Mac and Cheese because it’s a low-effort slow cooker meal, and kids love it because it’s delicious! It’s definitely a dinner favorite.
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!
Why you will love this
Check out the reasons below…
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.
Easy to customize. Use your favorite cheese, or add a bread topping or even mix-ins like bacon, if desired.
It’s a simple recipe, 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.
Ingredients
Here is all that you will need:
elbow macaroni – Elbow macaroni noodles are a Mac and Cheese classic, but you can use other similarly sized noodles like shell, cavatappi, penne, farfalle, fusilli, or rotini.
butter – salted or unsalted butter both work for this recipe
grated cheddar cheese – Other shredded cheese that melt well, or add a twist of flavor, include manchego, muenster, provolone, monterey jack, fontina, gruyere, or american cheese. Even Velveeta cheese works.
sour cream
condensed cheddar cheese soup
salt and black pepper – For added flavor, use garlic salt with parsley flakes
whole milk – Or at least 2% milk
HOW to make it
Three easy steps:
PASTA. Bring water to a boil and cook macaroni for 6 minutes. Drain and set aside.
SAUCE. In a medium pan, mix butter and cheese until cheese melts. Add sour cream, soup, salt, milk and pepper until combined.
SLOW COOK. Add the cheese sauce to the slow cooker (spray with nonstick cooking spray first) along with the cooked macaroni. Mix until combined and cook on low for 2 hours stirring every once in awhile.
TIPS and TRICKS
Here are some advanced tips to take it to the next level…
Thicken the sauce. The sauce should be creamy, not soupy. To thicken your Mac and Cheese, use a few methods:
remove the lid of the crock pot to allow for 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. Repeat if needed.
Add-ins. 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.
Pairings
Here are some other awesome recipes to make the perfect meal..
There are so many great sides to go with this Crockpot mac and cheese. Veggies and bread are great – so are salads. Here are some of the go-to recipes we like to pair best with this cheesy dinner idea:
STORE. 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.
FREEZE. 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.
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
STORE. Store leftover slow cooker Mac and Cheese in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. 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.Note: Discard Crockpot Pot Mac and Cheese if left out for more than 2 hours at room temperature.FREEZE. 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.
My name is Kristyn and I’m the mom of SIX stinkin’ cute kids and the wife to my smokin’ hot hubby, Lo. My mom’s maiden name is Luna, and I’m one of the many crafty “Lil’ Lunas” in the fam. On this site I like to share all things creative - from recipes to home decor to gifts and home decor ideas. Welcome!
Made for a family gather. Turned out great. Everyone loved it. I used an immersion blender to smooth out all the ingredients. Was super smooth. Will be making again.
HELLO !! I made the mac-n-cheese for Thanksgiving dinner. It was my side for the kids. Well, the adults loved loved loved it ALSO. Amazing thing is I haven’t made mac-n-cheese for 30 years & that came from a box 🙂 I didn’t have a very good grater so that took me longer ! I used the small elbow noodles from Trader Joe’s. I believe what ever size or style pasta used would be DEEEEELISH 😋 TY Steve
I made this for a family function and the family loved it❣️❣️
They’ve asked me to make it again for another family gathering.
I think this will be the item I’ll be required to bring from now on! 😉
You could use another condensed soup that you enjoy. Cream of chicken perhaps.
Did a huge batch (x10 the recipe) for a graduation party of 100 people. Cooked it in a large roasting pan and it was a hit! I cut the salt in half since condensed soup mix is ultra salty and I’m glad I did….it probably could’ve gone without any salt added at all. This is much easy and holds up better with a better texture than making a traditional cheese base using a roux. Melting the cheese slowly is key to a smooth texture and slowly add milk to not chill the cheese sauce down too much. Look forward to making again in a normal batch size. That was a lot of cheese to shred!
You could do a different condensed soup… like cream of chicken. It would alter the flavor of the Mac and cheese alittle but should still taste yummy. You’ll have to let us know how you like it if you try it with a substitute soup.
I was wondering with your crock pot Mac and cheese, can I put macaroni in the crock pot uncooked? I’ve tried a recipe that you could and it came out amazing. Your recipe sounds even better, I just don’t wan to cook macaroni ahead of time. It seems to take the most time.
We couldn’t love this any more. Mt son jsut requested it for his birthday dinner lol! We are definitely making it again.
Yay! So glad this recipe is a hit with your family. Happy birthday to your son!
Made for a family gather. Turned out great. Everyone loved it. I used an immersion blender to smooth out all the ingredients. Was super smooth. Will be making again.
I’m so glad to hear the mac and cheese was a hit! Thanks for giving it a try.
Can you make this a day or two ahead of time and just bake it when you’re ready?
HELLO !! I made the mac-n-cheese for Thanksgiving dinner. It was my side for the kids. Well, the adults loved loved loved it ALSO. Amazing thing is I haven’t made mac-n-cheese for 30 years & that came from a box 🙂 I didn’t have a very good grater so that took me longer ! I used the small elbow noodles from Trader Joe’s. I believe what ever size or style pasta used would be DEEEEELISH 😋 TY Steve
Oh I’m so happy to hear that the mac and cheese was a hit!!
So good! My college-age daughter went nuts over this. Will definitely be adding this to my list of staples! Thanks you for the recipe.
You’re welcome! So glad to hear she enjoyed the recipe!
I made this for a class of 6th graders who all gave it 5 stars! All the adults did as well! I will never make Mac n Cheese any other way!
I made this for a family function and the family loved it❣️❣️
They’ve asked me to make it again for another family gathering.
I think this will be the item I’ll be required to bring from now on! 😉
What can I use to substitute the cheddar soup? Couldn’t find it!
You could use another condensed soup that you enjoy. Cream of chicken perhaps.
Did a huge batch (x10 the recipe) for a graduation party of 100 people. Cooked it in a large roasting pan and it was a hit! I cut the salt in half since condensed soup mix is ultra salty and I’m glad I did….it probably could’ve gone without any salt added at all. This is much easy and holds up better with a better texture than making a traditional cheese base using a roux. Melting the cheese slowly is key to a smooth texture and slowly add milk to not chill the cheese sauce down too much. Look forward to making again in a normal batch size. That was a lot of cheese to shred!
Do you have any other options for the cream of cheddar soup?
You could do a different condensed soup… like cream of chicken. It would alter the flavor of the Mac and cheese alittle but should still taste yummy. You’ll have to let us know how you like it if you try it with a substitute soup.
I was wondering with your crock pot Mac and cheese, can I put macaroni in the crock pot uncooked? I’ve tried a recipe that you could and it came out amazing. Your recipe sounds even better, I just don’t wan to cook macaroni ahead of time. It seems to take the most time.