Crockpot Mac and Cheese
Ultra-creamy mac and cheese made right in the slow cooker with uncooked pasta. No boiling, no draining, just stir and serve.
- Crockpot
- Slow cooker
- Veggie
- Side
- 155 min total
- Serves 10
Ingredients
Ingredients for servings
Enter a number of at least ½, in steps of ½.
Original recipe serves 10. Ingredient amounts adjust automatically. Cooking times and pan size may need adjusting separately.
- 1 lb elbow macaroni, uncooked
- 12 oz evaporated milk, one can
- 2 1/2 cups whole milk
- 4 tbsp butter, cut in pieces
- 4 oz cream cheese, cubed
- 3 cups sharp cheddar, shredded from a block, divided
- 1 cup Colby Jack cheese, shredded
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp dry mustard
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- nonstick cooking spray
Steps
Step 1: Spray the slow cooker well. Add the uncooked macaroni, evaporated milk, whole milk, butter, cream cheese, 2 cups of the cheddar, the Colby Jack, salt, mustard, paprika and pepper. Stir well.
Step 2: Cover and cook on Low 2 to 2.5 hours, stirring every 30 minutes, until the pasta is tender. Slow cookers vary, so start tasting the pasta at 1.5 hours.
Step 3: As soon as the pasta is tender, stir in the remaining 1 cup cheddar. If it looks tight, stir in a splash of warm milk.
Step 4: Turn the slow cooker to Warm and serve within an hour.
Swaps
- Cheese: Swap the Colby Jack for Gouda or pepper jack.
- Add-ins: Stir in crumbled bacon or diced ham right before serving.
- Pasta: Shells or cavatappi work; keep the same weight.
Tips
- Shred cheese from a block. Bagged shredded cheese can make the sauce grainy.
- Don’t use High. The pasta cooks unevenly and the cheese can break.
- This doesn’t hold all day. Pasta keeps softening, so plan to serve within an hour.
The story
HAM Cooking. Let’s fire it up.
Mac and cheese in a slow cooker sounds like a shortcut that shouldn’t work. You’re telling me I don’t have to boil the noodles? Yep. The noodles cook right in the cheese sauce.
The trick is that dry pasta needs liquid and heat to soften, and it doesn’t care whether that liquid is water or milk. As it cooks, it soaks up milk and releases starch, and that starch thickens the sauce. That’s why this comes out so creamy: the pasta is helping make the sauce.
Evaporated milk is the secret ingredient. It has less water and more milk proteins than regular milk, and those proteins keep the cheese smooth instead of letting it turn greasy or grainy. Cream cheese backs that up and adds a little tang.
The catch: unlike a pot roast, this isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it dish. Pasta goes from tender to mushy, and the edges cook faster than the middle. Stir every half hour and start tasting early.
It’s still way less work than boiling, draining and baking. And it frees up the oven on a holiday.
HAM out.
Related recipes
Slow cookerSnackCrockpotCrockpot Spinach Artichoke Dip
Hot, cheesy spinach and artichoke dip made in the slow cooker so it stays warm and creamy for the whole party.
135 min · serves 12 · Veggie
- Slow cookerDessertCrockpot
Crockpot Hot Fudge Pudding Cake
A soft chocolate cake on top and a pool of hot fudge sauce underneath, made by pouring hot water over the batter. Serve it warm with ice cream.
165 min · serves 8 · No meat
AI illustrationPan frySideEasyBoxed Mac and Cheese with Bacon and Jalapeño
Upgrade a box of mac and cheese with crispy bacon, sautéed jalapeño, extra cheddar and a little cream. Fifteen minutes to grown-up mac.
20 min · serves 4 · Pork
Cooked this? Tell us how it went.
Loading reviews…