Growing up, my mama always made baked mac and cheese the Southern way but it just took so long to get to eating it. This Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese is gonna be a game changer when you just ain’t got the time. I love the creamy texture that develops, and adding a crispy breadcrumb topping adds bomb texture too.
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How to Make Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese
Step 1: Cooking the Macaroni and Cheese
- Spray your crockpot or slow cooker with non-stick spray. This step makes clean-up a breeze.
- Place the macaroni, cheeses, and milks in your slow cooker after spraying it.
- Stir everything together.
- Cover with the lid and turn on the slow cooker to cook.
- Add the Worcestershire sauce, mustard, salt, and pepper when it’s close to the end of the cooking time.
- Stir together and continue cooking until it’s done.
Step 2: Making the Crispy Topping
- Melt the butter and add the panko crumbs to toast them.
- Sprinkle the toasted breadcrumbs over the top of the dish before serving.
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Slow Cooker Macaroni and Cheese Recipe
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I’ll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups dry elbow macaroni
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 cup Gruyere cheese shredded
- 8 ounces American cheese thinly sliced and roughly chopped
- 1 ½ cups milk
- 12 ounces evaporated milk
- 1 ½ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- ¾ teaspoon dry mustard
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ⅔ cup panko crumbs
Instructions
- Prepare inside of your slow cooker with a non stick spray coating all parts.
- Next add macaroni, all cheeses, and both milks to the slow cooker and stir together to combine. Once thoroughly mixed, turn on slow cooker and cook for 3 hours on high or 4 hours on low.
- When 25 minutes are left for cooking the macaroni, stir in the worcestershire sauce, dry mustard and salt and pepper and allow to completely cook.
- Finally add butter to a medium skillet on medium heat and allow to melt. Next add panko crumbs and cook to golden brown color. Sprinkle toasted crumbs over macaroni and cheese and serve.
Notes
How to Store & Reheat Crock Pot Mac and Cheese
Allow the mac and cheese to cool to room temp. This will keep it from sweating in your storage and making it soggy. Once it’s cooled, transfer the mac and cheese to an airtight container. I personally like to store the breadcrumb topping separately from the cheesy pasta. If you know from jump that you will probably have leftovers, I suggest adding that topping just to the amount you will be serving. Store the rest so it stays crunchy. Reheat leftovers in the oven at 350°F (175°C). Place the mac and cheese in an oven-safe dish. If you’ve stored the breadcrumb topping separately, sprinkle it on top now. Cover with aluminum foil to prevent the top from burning and to help retain moisture. Cook for 15-20 minutes, or until heated through and the breadcrumb topping is crispy again. If the breadcrumb topping isn’t crispy, you can remove the foil and broil for an additional 1-2 minutes. Watch closely so you don’t let it burn up! How long will crock pot mac and cheese last in the fridge? About 3 days. Can I freeze slow cooker mac and cheese? No, I don’t recommend freezing this boos. Dairy often breaks when it’s frozen so when you thaw it out again the cheese sauce can be a bit grainy instead of creamy. Also, the pasta will often thaw out with a much softer texture.Nutrition
Recipe Tips
- Use Blocks of Cheese. While pre-shredded cheese feels easy they are loaded with chemicals. Freshly grated block cheese will taste more flavorful. You can easily shred them yourself by hand or using your food processor with the grating blade.
- Make Sure You Spray Your Crock Pot. This dish is pretty cheesy and messy but spraying the slow cooker liner will make the clean up after much easier.
- Check the Pasta During Cooking. Not all slow cooker brands cook the same so be sure to check it at various points in time just in case your pasta cooks faster. You don’t want to overcook the pasta.
- Doubling the Recipe. It’s easy to make this dish in larger quantities but make sure you use a larger (6 quart) slow cooker. Try to avoid filling over two-thirds full. When making double batches you may need to extend the cooking time.
Recipe Help
No, I don’t recommend it as it has only been tested in the slow cooker and uses a different combination of ingredients. If you prefer a baked casserole I suggest trying my baked macaroni and cheese recipe.
Be sure to give it a stir every now and then. Since the slow cooker heats from the bottom, stirring it around will help the dish cook more evenly. Also, you might need to cook slightly longer if the pasta isn’t quite done. Also, if you try using a different type of pasta other than macaroni you might need to cook it longer for the pasta to cook all the way.
No problem! If it seems a bit too thick you can add in a bit more milk to the macaroni and cheese before you add the breadcrumbs and then heat for a few more minutes.
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I’ve never been quite brave enough to try mac and cheese in the slow cooker, but this looks amazing!
I was never brave but after this, I wondered what took me so long!
I couldn’t agree with you more, a slow cooker makes a world of difference. This was a wonderful post.
Thanks so much!
mac and cheese….the dish of the gods 🙂
It is seriously the best right?
Everything is better in a slow cooker…everything! 🙂
Agreed Annie!
love that this was the result of your oven not working! sometimes the best recipes are the ones that just come together unlike you planned them. . love this mac and cheese!!
Yep agreed. Changes in plans often work out even better girl!
Oh man, this really has me craving some mac & cheese right about now! Using the slow cooker was such a great idea, I can totally imagine that baked deliciousness you described!
Thanks so much Sonali! It really turned out amazing!
Macn-n-cheese? Slow cooking? I think I just hit a jackpot…and drooling over it. 🙂
Oh goodness it is pretty darn delicious indeed!
I need to use my slow cooker more this year!! Starting with the amazing recipe. Heading over now!
Thanks hon! And yes, I seriously need to use mine more too!
Jocelyn you are killing me with this mac and cheese! It looks phenomenal – I NEED a bite!!
Gosh it was killing me girl!
One can never go wrong with mac and cheese. Incredible! And yours look so creamy for a crock pot version. Must give it a try soon!
Pinned.
Have an awesome day Jocelyn!
Thanks so much Melanie! I was so surprised by how amazing the slow cooker made this!