My easy stovetop mac and cheese recipe is the creamiest, most delicious I’ve made. Thanks to a simple homemade cheese sauce (with a secret ingredient!), this macaroni and cheese is on your table in under 30 minutes.
If you love super creamy mac and cheese, this recipe is for you! I make a simple macaroni and cheese sauce, but add some cream cheese to make it even more creamy and delicious. (Have I said creamy enough yet?!)
We love macaroni and cheese around here! When I’m not making this stovetop version, I love making our incredibly delicious baked mac and cheese. For a fall-inspired version, try my pumpkin mac and cheese.
Key Ingredients
- Pasta: I use pasta with nooks and crannies since they do a great job of holding onto our creamy sauce. Elbow macaroni and shells are great options.
- Butter and flour: The combination of butter and flour thickens our creamy cheese sauce. You’ll cook them together on the stove and then add the milk. The mixture thickens, and you can add your cheese. Easy!
- Milk: I use whole or reduced-fat milk in this mac and cheese recipe. I gently warm my milk before adding to the butter and flour for the cheese sauce.
- Cheese: I love white cheddar cheese for macaroni and cheese. It’s flavorful and melts beautifully. I also prefer to grate the cheese myself. It melts so much better than the bags of pre-shredded cheese.
- Cream cheese: Here’s my secret ingredient for the best creamy mac and cheese. A little cream cheese adds a lovely silky texture to the sauce.
How to Make Easy Mac and Cheese
We wanted this recipe to be extra easy, so there’s no baking involved. See our baked macaroni and cheese for a baked version of this recipe. I still cook my pasta separately from the sauce, so start by bringing a pot of salted water to a boil, then cook your pasta. I drain my pasta a minute or two before it’s ready since it continues to soften and cook in the cheese sauce.
For the cheesy sauce, you’ll make a roux with butter and flour. Then, pour in warm milk and watch as it thickens into a silky sauce. Stir in cream cheese (remember it is the cream cheese that makes this so creamy), and add your shredded cheese. Finally, season with salt and pepper, and stir in your cooked pasta. After a few minutes of sitting in the sauce, it’s ready!
What to Serve with Mac and Cheese
This is my weeknight mac and cheese recipe. I love that you can make it on the stove in under 30 minutes. Because of this, I usually serve it with simple sides like a salad, roasted broccolini or broccoli, or these garlic roasted green beans.
It’s also excellent for potlucks and get-togethers. You can make it on the stovetop and place it into a slow cooker on the warm function. Serve it next to pulled pork, oven-baked ribs, meatloaf, Italian meatballs, and roast turkey.
Easy Creamy Mac and Cheese
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
This is our quick and easy homemade macaroni and cheese recipe. It’s extra saucy and very creamy. 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.
*In the video, we add the cream cheese after the cheddar, but since sharing and testing again, we now prefer to the cream cheese before the cheddar.
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
1 pound (450g) dried pasta like elbow macaroni, shells or penne
5 tablespoons (70g) unsalted butter
1/2 cup (65g) 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, softened, 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 (it will be thick). Continue to whisk until it smells toasted and looks light brown, 1 to 2 minutes.
4While whisking, pour in a third of the warm milk. Whisk until smooth (it will thicken), then whisk in another third until smooth, and finally whisk in the rest.
5Continue to cook, constantly whisking until the sauce begins to simmer and thickens. The sauce only thickens after it has reached a simmer.
6Turn the heat to low then stir in the cream cheese. When the cream cheese is mostly melted into the sauce, stir in the cheddar a handful at a time, until it melts into the sauce. Season with salt and black pepper. If the flavor does not pop, add a bit more salt.
7Stir 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.
8Take the pot off the heat, then cover with a lid. Leave for 5 minutes, stir once more, and then serve.
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).
- Less sauce: Some of our readers prefer this recipe with less sauce. Make the recipe as stated, and then remove 1 to 2 cups of the cheese sauce before mixing in your pasta. Then, you can adjust with more sauce as you need it. You can store the leftover sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 to 3 days. Reheat gently over low heat and serve over veggies.
- To baked the 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.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
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I tested this recipe with half the ingredients and used an extra sharp white cheddar cheese. I added 1/4 pound of macaroni for a total of 3/4 pound for half the cheese sauce recipe. It was fabulous. Even with the additional macaroni, it was still very creamy. This recipe will go into my keeper file! Looking forward to trying this with a smoked gouda.
Can you cook this in Crockpot? If so, what do you recommend for cooking instructions? Thanks!
Hi Lauren, unfortunately I do not have slow cooker instructions for this recipe.
If I use evaporated milk instead of whole milk or I do 50/50, will it matter?
Hi there, we have never used evaporated milk in this recipe so unfortunately, we are unable to say how it will turn out.
Quick and easy. Delicious to top it off. Definitely do cream cheese. Big family hit.
Can I add the orange cheddar?
Yep!
Been looking for this recipe all my life!
Fast, easy and turns out creamy! Family ate the bowl clean (that has never happened) !!! Yummy!
Would it be okay if I add the orange cheddar? I don’t want to mess up the recipe.
Hi Evelyn, Orange cheddar it totally fine!