Mac and cheese is the ultimate comfort food. While thereโs something about the Blue Box that will always be tasty in its own way, we are all about the real-deal good stuff. Itโs made with real cheese, and it doesnโt take much more effort than the box!
One of our family favorites is to serve this with baked chicken nuggets.
Why Our Recipe
- Takes just a few more minutes than the boxed stuffโand tastes a hundred times better.
- Made with real cheese for a super creamy, flavorful sauce.
- Stick with sharp cheddar or mix it up with your favorite melty cheeses.
This recipe is perfect for busy weeknights, picky eaters, or anyone who just wants a bowl of classic mac and cheese made right. Sharp cheddar gives you that classic flavor, but you can also play around with other cheeses depending on whatโs in your fridge. Itโs fast, easy, and way more delicious than anything that comes from a box.
Ingredient Notes
- Elbow Macaroni: Classic and reliable, but you can swap in shells, cavatappi, penne, or any other similar small pasta shape.
- Salted Butter: If using unsalted butter, just add an extra pinch of salt to the sauce.
- All-Purpose Flour: This helps thicken the cheese sauce. Be sure to whisk it well with the butter to avoid any lumps.
- Onion Powder: Adds flavor without actual onions. Donโt skip it. It makes a difference.
- Ground Mustard: This enhances the cheese flavor. You can use 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard instead.
- Salt: Start with 1 teaspoon and adjust to taste after adding the cheese.
- White Pepper: Keeps the sauce looking smooth without black flecks, but you can use black pepper if it is what you have.
- Milk: Whole milk gives the creamiest result, but 2% or 1% still works great.
- Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese: Freshly shredded melts best. See our cheese swap note for more ideas.
Using Pre-Shredded Cheese
We get it, sometimes grabbing a bag of pre-shredded cheese is just easier. And yes, it will work in this recipe! Just know that pre-shredded cheeses are coated with anti-clumping agents like potato starch, cellulose, or natamycin. These additives can mess a bit with how smoothly the cheese melts, so your sauce might not turn out quite as silky.
For the creamiest, dreamiest mac and cheese, freshly shredded cheese is the way to go. But if pre-shredded is what youโve got, go ahead and use it. Your mac and cheese will still be delicious.
Other Cheese Options
Sharp cheddar is a classic for a reason, but you donโt have to stop there. This recipe works with all sorts of cheese, so feel free to get creative with your cheese choices. Just stick with ones that melt well. No one wants a weird, clumpy sauce.
Gouda, gruyรจre, fontina, provolone, and mozzarella are all great options. Even brie or goat cheese can work if you want to be fancy. Want to stick with cheddar but change it up? Try a sharp white cheddar for something just a little different. Mix and match to find your favorite combo!
When I want to get really fancy, one of my favorite combinations is cheddar, goat cheese, brie, and smoked provolone, which I use in my gourmet mac and cheese.
Chefโs Secret: Hot Sauce
Hereโs a trick straight from pro chefs. Add a dash of hot sauce to your cheese sauce. It doesnโt make it spicy, we promise! Weโve served it this way to literally hundreds of kids and weโve never had a complaint about it being spicy. It just bumps up the cheese flavor and makes everything taste a little better.
For this recipe, you can add about 4 dashes of Tabasco or 2 tablespoons of Frankโs Red Hot when you pour in the milk. Itโs a small step that makes a big difference, especially if youโre using milder cheeses. Give it a try and you might never skip it again. My kids can always tell if I do!
Storage & Reheating Instructions
Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Make sure itโs fully cooled before sealing it up.
Reheat in a saucepan on the stove over low heat until heated through. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk to a serving to bring back some creaminess.
Reheat in the microwave in 30-second increments, stirring in between to help it heat evenly. You can add 1 tablespoon of milk to a serving to help bring back some of the creaminess.
More mac and cheese goodnessโฆ
Watch the video below where Rachel will walk you through every step of this recipe. Sometimes it helps to have a visual, and weโve always got you covered with our cooking show. You can find the complete collection of recipes on YouTube, our Facebook Page, or right here on our website with their corresponding recipes.
I have never made mac and cheese on the stove topโฆ.and now I always will!!! This recipe was so creamy and SO easy to make! I wasnโt sure about the spices but WOWโฆthey made the dish fantastic! The tip about pre-shredded cheese was super helpful and something I never thought about. The block cheese I grated melted quickly and evenly. There is a reason why you are my go to for all my recipes ๐
โ Paula Fehlinger
Can you use whole milk? Does it change the consistency if you use whole milk?
Yes you can use whole milk. It adds more fat to the recipe which is always delicious.
I doubled the recipe. It was very good except 3 teaspoons of onion powder was way too much. The onion powder taste drown out all the other flavors. I ended up making a topping out of panko, parmesan cheese and butter and putting that on top. I put it in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. The topping helped with the onion taste and it tasted more like mac and cheese. Everyone really liked it.
Simple recipe, great results
This is the best homemade Mac and cheese Iโve ever made. And the easiest, no fuss. Best texture, perfectly velvety, hit the spot for my Blue Box loving husband. Iโm not a huge fan of Mac and cheese and even so, Iโm sold on this. Retained just a little, about an 1/8th cup pasta water to help coat it even more. TBH probably didnโt need it, the sauce was just right. Only thing changed was the pasta, used shell as thatโs what I had on hand. Thank you for this lovely staple of a recipe, spices are on point which is so important. I also appreciated the conversion thing about, it worked out very well! Thank you!
just made this tonightโฆso delish! Iโll definitely be making this again. I donโt usually leave reviews but this was so easy and yummy I had to this time!!!
Do I have to use salted butter for this recipe or can I use unsalted?
You can certainly use unsalted butter and then salt to preferential taste.
This was an unexpected treat!!! Needed a quick recipe, literally stumbled on this on, kept my fingers crossed that it wouldnโt be awfulโฆand boom!!! Total success. And my Mac n cheese food critic children agreed!!
This is so simple and delicious! My husband loves it. I use Zenb pasta. The Zenb is only 12 oz but that means extra cheese sauce. Yummy! This cheese sauce would be great as a dipping sauce for French fries or over vegetablesโฆ or pretty much anything! Itโs so good.
I havenโt tried this recipe yet. Itโs very similar to what Iโve been doing for years however.
Make sure you cook out the raw flour taste when making the roux. The roux should be dark blonde to be sure the flour is cooked through, Iโd go another minute or two personally. This will add more color to the finished dish too. You can add some dry white wine or broth (1/4 cup) to add some depth once you begin the roux too
As for the cheeses, try sharp white cheddar and gruyere 50-50. It wonโt be the color youโll expect, but the flavors will come together nicely.
My sauce was very watery. I am not a good cook and did something wrong for sure. Can anyone help me please as I want to try it again. Thanks!
You may have not cooked the flour long enough. It does not need to brown but cook and stir it with the butter and spices for about 2-3 minutes. Then add your milk about 1/2 cup at a time and stir with a whisk to get rid of any lumps, keep adding milk and stirring with whisk. Let cook about 5-6 minutes stirring occasionally until the sauce thickens. Then cut off the heat to add the cheese. I used evaporated canned milk and added about 1/2 cup or less of sour cream to add a tangy taste. Add a small amount of milk at a time if it gets too thick after adding macaroni. Good luck, cooking is all about trial and error.
I like the idea of just 1 variety of cheese! I donโt like cheddar cheese in anything! I find it greasy and no cheesy pull like u get with white cheese! I like ooey gooy white cheese! Mutz, Swiss, Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack!