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 uncooked elbow macaroni
- 10 ½ ounces condensed cream of chicken soup
- 3 cups cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 cup gruyere cheese shredded
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup sour cream regular or light
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon dry mustard powder
- ½ teaspoon 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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Have made this easy recipe numerous times now and always get told it’s the best mac and cheese someone’s ever had. I like to use Cavatappi pasta for this one (bigger noodles = less work shovelling it your mouth).
I’m so happy to hear you loved this recipe as much as I do Tammy!
Would regular cheddar be best compared to sharp cheddar? Or doesn’t it matter?
I use sharp because I prefer a stronger cheddar flavor, but either would work.
Delicious recipe. I didn’t have sour cream so I used 1/2 cup of cream cheese.
Love this recipe. I used cream cheese instead of sour cream. Delicious.
I make new dinners for my family at least 3 times a week. My kids are picky but We absolutely! love this recipe.
I would make this recipe again. I really don’t like sour cream or mayonnaise, but couldn’t taste them in the finished product. I doubled the recipe, and next time would use one can cream of celery and one can cream of chicken. I thought two cans of cream of chicken was a little strong. I also added 1 extra cup of cheddar and 1 extra of gruyere, I like it extra cheesy :)
I think a great finishing touch would be to put some bread crumbs on top once finished and broil in the oven for a few minutes. Overall, surprisingly delicious result from this non-traditional mac n cheese recipe.
I want to make this recipe for my sounds second birthday party and just have a question- when the recipe says 2 cups uncooked macaroni noodles, are you measuring 2 cups or using a 16oz box?
You will measure 2 cups with a measuring cup.
I like it. I made it with cream of mushroom soup and added some frozen peas. I made it in my ninja foodi, and it cooked a lot faster than the recipe plans. but it turned out really good. I used the air fry lid on my foodi and broiled it for 10 minutes at the end
Made this for a 4th of July pot luck at work and it was the hit of the party! I wish I had made double because it was gone within minutes. Will definitely be a new staple for me
I would love to try this but am wondering what I can sub for the Mayo? I absolutely dispise mayonnaise even if I can’t taste it I will know it’s in there :-)
You could try additional soup but I can’t say for sure how this will change the texture/flavor. We have only made this as written. Let us know how it goes!
I love this recipe so does the family! so creamy …
Hi
I tasted this recipe at a pot luck this week and it was lovely.
Do you think gluten free pasta would stand up to slowcooker prep?
The only issue that might arise is that Gluten Free noodles do not require the same cooking time (they cook much faster) and often don’t hold up well when overcooked. So I would recommend checking it more often to ensure you are not overcooking and end up with mushy noodles! Hope that helps!!
I’m considering making this recipe for a birthday party next month but would like to know if there’s a (vegetarian friendly) recommendation for a replacement of the condensed chicken soup? Would regular condensed milk work with a vegan chicken bouillon cube? Thanks!
Any cream of soup should work just fine Ann. Cream of celery would be my first choice but any vegetarian “cream of” soup should work just fine.
I made this with cream of onion soup as I don’t care for chicken in veggie dishes (but not a vegetarian) I do the same with cheesy potatoes. I thought it came out very tasty but a little dry for my taste but I admit my crock pot runs hot so it may be that, we still really liked the flavor so I’m going to make it again and add a small can of evaporated milk and I may dump it into a baking pan so I can top with crushed potato chips browned in the oven, my favorite topping.
Wanted something easy to have for my son’s 2nd birthday and man was this a hit. Doubled the recipe and cooked pasta for 4 minutes. Cooked on low heat for a little over 2 hours and it was done. Set to warm and it was perfect temperature for everyone to eat with their burgers and hot dogs. We subbed out vegan Mayo because of egg allergy. Highly recommend for an easy dish to serve to a large group! From kids to adults. Thought there would be a lot left but barely has 2 servings left for next day.
Served this to 12 ladies and the final vote was, unfortunately, less than favorable. The cream of chicken soup taste was overwhelming and the overall texture of the dish was underwhelming; removing from my potential favorites
Oh no! I’m sorry to hear you didn’t love this as much as we do Susie.
Not sure which brand of soup you used, but Campbell’s with no added salt works really well!
Was a big hit at family barbecue, everyone raved about it. I used all cheddar in the recipe. It’s now a family favorite
I have tried so many disappointing mac and cheese recipes. This is my favorite so far. It is the only mac and cheese that has been promoted from my Recipes I want to Make, to my Recipes that Make the Grade board. The only block cheese I had on hand was white cheddar, so the color was not the norm, but the flavor was good using Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar. I cooked it on low, and recommend checking it early. Mine was starting to brown on the bottom in a little over two hours. I was afraid the noodles would be too al dente, but they were perfect.
I am so happy to hear you love this recipe as much as I do!
this recipe makes a DELISH mac n cheese. My kids said that it tasted similar to Panera’s mac n cheese. I would say the prep of grating all the cheese was annoying, but worth it! I cooked my Barilla elbow macaroni for exactly 5 minutes then drained and rinsed it with cold water so it stopped the cooking process. I took this to a neighborhood BBQ and it was a huge it!
Could you use velveeta cheese instead of shredded cheese in this recipe?
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure Tammy, but it should work just fine. It may change the flavor slightly but will still be delicious. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
Can vegan mayonnaise be used? Egg allergy
Yes Catherine, that’ll work just fine! The taste may change a little, but it’ll still be delicious!
Thank you