This Crock Pot Mac and Cheese is a super simple recipe! It makes the perfect side dish or weeknight dinner. This slow cooker mac and cheese is virtually fool proof and comes out extra creamy and extra cheesy every time. Mac n cheese is always one of the best cheesy comfort foods around!
Simple Crock Pot Mac and Cheese
Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese is the cheesy easy weeknight meal you’ve been waiting for!
This is the type of recipe I could fall in love with. You guys already know this, but I’m OBSESSED with super simple recipes, especially easy slow cooker recipes. Oh, and if there’s cheese involved, all the better!
Good ole’ mac n cheese is just so comforting, and it’s always there for you, am I right? So being able to make it in the easiest way possible is an absolute dream!
Making macaroni and cheese in a crock pot is extra easy, extra creamy and EXTRA CHEESY, just the way I like it. So prepare to make the perfect holiday side dish or comforting weeknight dinner.
Doesn’t matter when you eat it or why, it’s will definitely be delicious!
Everything’s Easier in a Slow Cooker
This Crock Pot Macaroni and Cheese recipe takes a classic and gives us an easy slow cooker version. Winning!
I have always loved my crock pot. Even back in the days when I didn’t know how to cook at all, there were some recipes that I felt confident throwing in the slow cooker and letting them do their magic.
With recipes like French Dip Sandwiches, Slow Cooker Pot Roast, and Crockpot Chili, a crock pot can make you feel like a chef in your own home. If you’re not keen on making stove top Mac n cheese or the boxed kind, this slow cooker version might just be for you. SO SIMPLE!
How to Make Mac and Cheese in a Crock Pot
This creamy mac and cheese is the best set it and forget it recipe for dinners or side dishes. I just love the mix of cheese, heavy cream, and sour cream to create that super creamy texture and cheesy flavor!
Ingredients:
- Elbow Macaroni
- Salted Butter
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- Eggs
- Sour Cream
- Condensed Cheddar Cheese Soup
- Heavy Cream
- Milk
- Dry Mustard
- Salt & Pepper
Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese Step by Step Recipe:
- Boil 2 quarts of water on the stove, then cook the pasta until tender, drain, and set aside.
- Melt butter and shredded cheese together in the saucepan.
- Next, combine everything (melted cheese & butter, eggs, sour cream, heavy cream, cheese soup, milk, dry mustard, salt & pepper) into the crock pot. Then stir in the cooked pasta to fully coat in mixture.
- Cook on LOW setting for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
Be sure to watch the video to see the step by step process!
Top Tips for this Mac and Cheese Recipe
- Keep it Warm: It’s already in the crock pot, so just keep it on a low setting, with the lid on, to keep it warm throughout dinner.
- Store It: Place leftovers in an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator up to 4 days. Or freeze it for up to 1 month.
- Reheat It: If you want to reheat this mac n cheese after storing it in the refrigerator, you can use a microwave, the stove, or place it back in the slow cooker. Add a small amount of liquid (milk ideally) to help rehydrate it.
- Best Cheese: Classic cheddar cheese is perfect for this recipe, but you could add in other types of cheese if you prefer.
There’s nothing better than combining two true loves: the slow cooker and macaroni and cheese. This just might be my new favorite easy recipe!
We love to serve this easy Mac and Cheese as a side dish to recipes like Buttermilk Fried Chicken, Chicken Burgers, Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu, and Parmesan Pork Chops, or by itself as an easy main course.
Watch the Video and See the recipe card for details on how to make Crock Pot Mac and Cheese. Enjoy!
Don’t have a crockpot? Don’t worry, I’ve got plenty more mac n cheese recipes to share:
- Baked Mac and Cheese Casserole (Two Flavors!)
- King Ranch Chicken Mac and Cheese
- Mexican Macaroni and Cheese
- One Pot Macaroni and Cheese (15 Minute Recipe!)
- Pumpkin Mac and Cheese
- White Cheddar Mac and Cheese (Made in a Skillet!)
- Hawaiian Pizza Macaroni and Cheese (another Slow Cooker variation)
Ingredients
- 2 cups elbow macaroni uncooked
- 4 tablespoons salted butter cubed
- 3 cups cheddar cheese shredded
- 3 eggs beaten
- 1/2 cup light sour cream
- 1 can condensed Cheddar cheese soup 10 3/4 ounce can
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a 2 quart saucepan of water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for 7 minutes, or until tender. Set aside.
- Return the saucepan to the heat and melt butter and shredded cheese until cheese melts.
- Combine melted cheese, eggs, sour cream, soup, cream, milk, mustard, and salt and pepper in a slow cooker. Stir in the macaroni and give the entire mixture a couple stirs.
- Cook on low for 1 1/2-2 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Serve and enjoy!
This is a recipe we have been making in our family for years. I’m not sure if there was inspiration or not, but I wouldn’t be shocked as there are so many slow cooker mac and cheese recipes out there. She does have fabulous recipes.
This is adapted ever so slightly from Paula Deen’s recipe. You should really give credit to her and not yourself.
I believe there is a typo – this bullet point is a bit confusing (eg the 10 3/4)
“1 can condensed Cheddar cheese soup 10 3/4 ounce can”
Hi! That’s frustrating, I’m sorry! Here is a great recipe for a substitute: https://dinnerthendessert.com/cheddar-cheese-soup-condensed/
Thanks for saying hi!
Hi, I just found your recipe, and I have a question. I’m living in Germany, I really love my Slow Cooker and I’m always looking for new recipes. I’d really like to try this one but I’m not sure I’ll be able to find 1 can condensed Cheddar cheese soup anywhere around here. Never saw it at a shop so far. Could you point out what else I can use? Or how to make it myself? Thanks a lot.
I’m so sorry it didn’t work out for you. I have had so many people tell me it was a success and it always works for us so I’m not sure what happened! Hate to hear that.
Please revisit this recipe. I made it just as the recipe read. These were the results:
The Macaroni was mushy after being precooked and then cooked for another 3 hours. The cheddar cheese was lumpy and curdled. I set it on low, yet it burned to the side of the slow cooker. Not a winner.
That makes me so happy to hear :) :)
A great recipe for potlucks. I never bring any home. It is very good.
Unfortunately, it didn’t come out right. The cheese didn’t right for some reason, it was a big clump and melted a bit after putting it in the crockpot. It wasn’t smooth.
Where’s the recipe?
Darn, I’m so sorry! I’m not sure…there are some recipes online for making your own I think, but definitely makes the recipe less easy. Hate that!
Hi Becky, I’d love to try this but can’t get any condensed soup where we live…any suggestions?
Thanks :)
Hope you love it!
I’m gonna try that..
So you keep the water from the pasta and add that to the cheese and butter? Or do you separate the pasta from the water and add?
YAY! Love to hear that! Hope you loved it!
I’m gonna make this for our family picnic this weekend. The pic’s make this Mac an Cheese look so good!!!
I’m sorry yours didn’t melt! I’m making this recipe right now actually, it’s in the slow cooker, and the cheese melted fine for me. I used 16 oz of sharp cheddar cheese from Lucerne (blocks, not from a bag) that I grated in my food processor. It wasn’t a very smooth melt, i could pick up the whole thing with my spatula, but it was *melted* I suppose. Did you put the butter in with it? Maybe melting the butter before adding the cheese could help.
The grated cheddar cheese didn’t melt. I followed the recipe. Maybe it’s the brand of cheese I used? This was disappointing.
It got gritty. It tasted great. Did I cook it too long?
Add 1 cup water per cup of uncooked pasta if you want to cook the macaroni in the sauce. If using rotini the ratio is 1-1/2 cups rotini to 1 cup water.
I make slow cooker mac n cheese all the time. The recipe I use also calls for cooked macaroni but then it cooks in the slow cooker for an hour and a half, not 3 hours. I tried it once with uncooked noodles and they tasted awful. I will try this recipe as well, but unsure why you have to melt the cheddar in a pan first. I just throw everything in the pot and let go for an hour, stir and then cook another half hour and the cheese melts perfectly. Seems like melting it in butter first is an unnecessary step.
Do you have to use the condensed cheese soup, or can sub or leave put altogether?
I was thinking the same, maybe I’ll try uncooked first, there seems to be enough liguud to soften it up.
Cooking the pasta in a pot and them putting it in the crock pot for 3 hours already soft is not going to make it soggy? I really want to try it, just don’t want it to be all mushy.
Slow cooker mac and cheese is the best, I make it all the time. Your recipe sounds awesome!
Okay, so I’ve never been a big mac & cheese person but I REALLY want to try this one! It looks awesome!
I’m always interested in a new slow cooker idea. Your mac and cheese looks fantastic and it’s something I have to make this weekend!!
Oh my goodness, this looks divine!
I love comfort food and I LOVE that you can make this mac and cheese in a crock pot!
I have yet to try slow cooker mac and cheese, but this just looks too good NOT to try! This looks amazing, girlfriend!