This Crock Pot Mac and Cheese is super simple and has amazing flavor! NO boiling required — just dump, stir and cook. Super creamy!
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2019 is the year of the Instant Pot and the slow cooker around here, and this month I’ve been stocking up on easy, family-friendly, mostly-healthy dinner recipes to make getting dinner on the table more doable.
This Crock Pot Mac and Cheese is not totally hands off, but it’s a dump and go crockpot recipe that only requires a little stir here and there, so I’m adding it to my list of “doable dinners”.
Plus, who doesn’t love macaroni and cheese?!
Tips for making the best Crock Pot Mac and Cheese:
I absolutely wanted this to be a no boil recipe, because if I’m going to pre-boil the macaroni then I’m just going to make a simple stove top mac and cheese recipe or this Instant Pot Mac and Cheese (which requires no other pots or pans!).
Here are a few tips to keep in mind to get the best results:
- You need to spray your crockpot, and you need to stir it — every hour is best. Otherwise, you’ll end up with one big clump of pasta forever stuck to the bottom of your slow cooker.
- You need to use cooking liquids that can handle some heat. This is why I choose to use a combination of evaporated milk and chicken broth — they both handle heat well. I don’t recommend using a low fat or skim milk for this recipe.
- Why chicken broth? I like to use some chicken broth because, well, that’s just the way I like my mac and cheese. I’ve found if I use all milk that it becomes very thick and almost difficult to get done. The sauce doesn’t turn out as smooth. If you want to go all out, feel free to substitute the chicken broth for whole milk.
- Why cream cheese? The cream cheese in this recipe helps the sauce to thicken. If you prefer a thinner mac and cheese, you can omit or reduce the cream cheese, but it will be quite saucy!
- Please note that the sriracha in this recipe will not make the crockpot mac and cheese spicy, but it does add a bit of flavor that helps to cut some of the richness.
What are the best cheeses for this slow cooker mac and cheese?
Pick cheese that melts well for this and all macaroni and cheese recipes.
I prefer to use:
- full fat over low fat
- freshly shredded from the block over pre-shredded, bagged cheese
- cheddar gives mac and cheese that classic orange color and flavor, but others work well, too: gruyere, monterey jack, or gouda are also favorites!
Variations on this crock pot mac and cheese:
- If you like more noticeable spice in your mac and cheese, feel free to bump up the sriracha to 1 or 2 teaspoons or drizzle some on after cooking.
- If you want to make it a full meal deal and bump up the protein, feel free to add some cooked, shredded chicken or some cooked ground beef, meatballs, or a can of chili for a really interesting chili mac twist!
- If you want to bump up the veggie content, feel free to stir some in with the macaroni or if you prefer your vegetables with more bite, add them just at the end when you add your cheese.
Looking for more crock pot pasta dishes?
- Healthier Slow Cooker Hamburger Helper Recipe
- {Slow Cooker} BBQ Chicken Chili Mac
- Spinach Ricotta Slow Cooker Lasagna
*recipe images updated since original posting
Crock Pot Mac and Cheese
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 375 grams uncooked macaroni (1 box, white with fiber)
- 354 ml evaporated or whole milk (about 1 ⅓ cups)
- 1 3/4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon sriracha sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 oz cream cheese room temperature
- 2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (175g)
Instructions
- Spray 2.5-4 quart crock pot with non stick spray.
- Pour in dry pasta, then add evaporated milk, broth, butter, salt, sriracha, mustard and pepper. Stir to combine, breaking up the butter as much as possible but know that it will still be chunky.
- Cover and cook on low for 1 hour. Stir well (it might be clumpy, but will come apart easily as you stir). Cover and cook for 30 more minutes or until al dente or slightly firm (you don’t want it too soft at this point).
- Cut the cream cheese into very small pieces and stir into the pasta with the cheddar cheese. Cover and let sit for 10 minutes, then stir to melt.
- Serve.
Nutrition Information
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Lisa says
Once cooked, could I put my crockpot on the keep warm setting to allow it to sit for 4 hours until kids get home from school? It would be untouched. Basically I’m leaving at 1pm and I want dinner ready for the nanny at 5pm.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Lisa! I would say it can but it won’t be great — it will continue to cook and soften and will likely be mushy.
Barbara Duty says
Can I take out the ceramic insert of my crock pot and place under the broiler of my oven and put more shredded cheese on top and have that golden brown yummyness like the baked Mac and cheese??
Ashley Fehr says
Yes definitely! As long as your crockpot liner is oven safe