This easy creamy mac and cheese recipe takes 30 minutes and tastes amazing. Serve it as stovetop mac and cheese for super creamy results, or bake it for a crisp golden brown top.
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My family’s creamy mac and cheese recipe is easy with a short list of ingredients. I often serve this as stovetop mac and cheese, but it bakes really well, too!
The cheese sauce is like velvet and super creamy!
Key Ingredients
- Pasta: The shape and size are entirely up to you. Look for pasta that has nooks and crannies that will hold onto the creamy sauce. Elbow macaroni and shells are great options.
- Butter and flour: The combination of butter and flour thickens our cheese sauce.
- Milk: I use whole milk or reduced-fat milk when making this recipe. For the best sauce, gently warm your milk before using it to make the cheese sauce.
- Cheese: I love sharp white cheddar cheese for macaroni and cheese. It’s flavorful and melts beautifully. I also prefer to grate the cheese myself. It melts better than the bags of pre-shredded cheese.
- Cream cheese: To make this mac and cheese extra creamy, we add a little cream cheese to the sauce. It adds a lovely silky texture.
How to Make Mac and Cheese
This mac and cheese recipe is really easy to make. First, you’ll cook your pasta. While that cooks, you can make the creamy cheese sauce.
The base is a Béchamel sauce made with cooked flour, butter, and milk. You’ll make a roux with the butter and flour in the bottom of a large pot. Make sure you stay close and whisk until the mixture of butter and flour turns light brown. Then, whisk in warm milk. Adding the milk warm makes this go quickly. As the milk heats with the roux, it will thicken.
Now it’s time for the seasonings and cheese. Our simple recipe has salt, pepper, shredded white cheddar, and cream cheese. When the sauce is velvety and smooth, stir in your cooked pasta, and then cover with a lid so that it absorbs some of the sauce. From there, you can serve (for baked, see the recipe below).
Storing and Reheating Mac and Cheese
Store macaroni and cheese in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Keep in mind that when freezing creamy sauces like this, the texture may change when you reheat them. Thaw the frozen mac and cheese in the fridge overnight and reheat gently.
When reheating your mac and cheese, you want to do it low and slow. Otherwise, the sauce might become grainy and greasy. I use a heavy-bottomed saucepan over low heat, add my mac and cheese and an extra splash of milk, then heat, stirring often until warmed through.
If your mac and cheese sauce breaks on you, try stirring in a little more cheese (cheddar or cream cheese), which helps re-emulsify the sauce.
What to Serve with Mac and Cheese
Our family loves mac and cheese. Here are a few of our favorite main dishes to serve next to it:
Mac and cheese is really good with other sides, such as a simple salad, roasted broccolini, and roasted green beans. As a kid, I loved my mac and cheese with ketchup (is that weird). Anyway, if you do as well, here’s our recipe for homemade ketchup!
Macaroni and Cheese Variations
- Baked Mac and Cheese: Once the pasta and cheese sauce are combined, add it to a baking dish and bake with a little more cheese and breadcrumbs sprinkled on top (see this baked macaroni and cheese for reference).
- Garlic Mac and Cheese: Stir mashed roasted garlic into the sauce. Here’s how to roast garlic.
- Use a variety of cheeses: Try Gruyère, Fontina, or Monterey Jack. For more flavor, a bit of parmesan or pecorino cheese is lovely.
- Spiced macaroni and cheese: Mustard (Dijon or mustard powder), nutmeg, and a pinch of cayenne pepper are classic additions to the cheese sauce. Smoked paprika is also delicious.
- Broccoli Mac and Cheese: A kid favorite! Stir roasted broccoli or steamed broccoli into the pot before serving.
- Lighter Mac and Cheese: Swapping half of the cheese sauce for pureed cauliflower cuts calories and tastes incredible. You might also enjoy our pumpkin mac and cheese.
Easy Creamy Mac and Cheese
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PREP
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COOK
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TOTAL
This is our quick and easy homemade macaroni and cheese recipe. It’s made on the stovetop and does not require any baking. That’s not to say that you could not bake it. We’ve shared how in the recipe below. Cream cheese is optional but adds tanginess and even more creaminess to the sauce.
Makes 8 servings
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
1 pound (450g) dried pasta like elbow macaroni, shells or penne
5 tablespoons (70g) unsalted butter
5 tablespoons (45g) all-purpose flour
5 cups (1180ml) milk, warmed, whole or 2% reduced fat preferred
1 pound (450g) white cheddar cheese, shredded
4 ounces (113g) cream cheese, optional
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Directions
1Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta, and then follow package directions, but cook 1 minute less than the package calls for. Drain.
2Meanwhile, make the creamy cheese sauce. Melt the butter in a large, high-sided pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
3Sprinkle the flour over the melted butter and whisk it into the butter. Continue to whisk until it smells toasted and looks light brown, 2 to 3 minutes.
4While whisking, pour in the warm milk. Continue to cook, constantly whisking until the sauce begins to simmer and thickens. The sauce only thickens after it has reached a simmer.
5Turn the heat to low then stir in the cheddar and cream cheeses, salt, and black pepper. When the sauce is smooth and velvety, taste it and adjust with more salt and pepper. If it does not pop, add a bit more salt.
6Stir in the cooked pasta. It will look like there is too much sauce, don’t worry. The pasta absorbs the extra moisture as it sits.
7Take the pot off the heat, then cover with a lid. Leave for 5 minutes, stir once more, and then serve.
8For baked mac and cheese: After adding the pasta to the cheese sauce, spoon it into a large baking dish, scatter over some breadcrumbs (optional), and add more shredded cheese. Bake, uncovered, in a 375°F (190°C) oven until bubbling and browned on top, 25 to 30 minutes.
Adam and Joanne’s Tips
- Storing: Keep covered in the refrigerator up to 3 days. To freeze, transfer to a freezer safe container and freeze up to 2 months. Bake, covered, in a 350°F oven for about an hour. Or thaw overnight and gently reheat on the stove (if it seems dry, add a tablespoon or two of extra milk).
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
Nutrition Per Serving
Serving Size
1/8 of the recipe
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Calories
571
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Total Fat
31.9g
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Saturated Fat
18.2g
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Cholesterol
89.6mg
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Sodium
564.7mg
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Carbohydrate
48.7g
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Dietary Fiber
2g
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Total Sugars
2.3g
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Protein
21.8g
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