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 if it is all that I have, 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. You can experiment with different cheeses in the recipe below. Another favorite (but a splurge) is Gruyere. I’ve also made this with half cheddar and half Monterey Jack and loved it.
- 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. You don’t need much, but it really makes a difference.
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. Then (and I know some will gasp here) rinse it with cool water. This removes some starch and stops it from cooking while you finish 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. We season with salt and pepper, and when we want a bit more flavor, add a little nutmeg and mustard powder.
Once you have your sauce, you can stir in the cooked pasta, leave it for a few minutes, and 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. Also, we use more butter, flour, and milk. Since posting that video, we received feedback that there was too much sauce, and after testing it ourselves, we agreed, so we’ve adjusted the recipe below. The method is the same, so you can still use the video as a guide!
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
1 pound (450g) dried pasta like elbow macaroni, shells or penne
4 cups (945ml) milk, whole milk is best
4 tablespoons (56g) butter
3 tablespoons (24g) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more for cooking pasta
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg, optional
1/8 teaspoon mustard powder, like Coleman’s, optional
2 ounces (56g) cream cheese, softened, optional
1 pound (450g) cheese, shredded, try sharp white cheddar, or a mix of cheddar, Gruyere, Monterey Jack, American, or other melty cheese
Directions
1Cook Pasta: Bring a pot of salted water to a boil (I use 1 tablespoon of salt in the water). Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions, but cook for 1 minute less than the package suggests. Save 1 cup of starchy pasta water, drain the pasta, and then rinse with cool water so it stops cooking. Set aside.
2Warm Milk: Warm 4 cups of milk in a small saucepan, turn off the heat, cover with a lid, and set aside.
3Make the creamy cheese sauce: Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a large, high-sided pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
4Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of 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.
5While 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. Continue to cook, constantly whisking until the sauce begins to simmer and thickens (the sauce only thickens after it has reached a simmer). Simmer for about 1 minute.
6Season the sauce with 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1/8 teaspoon finely grated nutmeg (optional), and 1/8 teaspoon mustard powder (optional).
7Turn the heat to low, then stir 2 ounces of cream cheese. When the cream cheese is mostly melted into the sauce, stir in the shredded cheese a handful at a time until it melts into the sauce. Taste, and then season with more salt and black pepper (I usually add 1/4 teaspoon or more of salt). If the flavor does not pop, add a bit more salt.
8To finish: Stir in the drained and rinsed pasta. It may look like there is too much sauce, don’t worry. The pasta absorbs the extra moisture as it sits. Take the pot off the heat, then cover with a lid. Leave for 5 minutes, stir once more, and then serve. If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of the reserved pasta water to thin it out slightly (I love to do this when it’s been sitting for a bit).
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing: Keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To freeze, transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for 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).
- Save your pasta water! I always save 1 cup of the starchy pasta water before draining my pasta. As macaroni and cheese sits, it thickens, so I love stirring in some pf the pasta water to loosen it (I’ve added the whole cup before, but use what you need to get your desired consistency).
- 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. 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 with veggies.
- To bake 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.
- Recipe update: On April 8, 2025, we adjusted the thickness and amount of sauce this recipe makes as many of our readers shared they felt it was too much. (We now call for 4 cups instead of 5 cups of milk and reduced the amount of butter and flour required for the roux). This is still a thick, creamy sauce!
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
I made this today. It’s a winner! Creamy and delicious. I think the cream cheese makes the difference. This will be my go to Mac and cheese recipe. Thank you!
I’ve been looking for the perfect Mac and Cheese and I’ve found it. I made this last night and it was so good. I recommend this recipe to anyone looking for a very creamy and homemade mac and cheese sauce. This will definitely be my go to from now on. Thank you!
I have been cooking for my family for a long time and a lot recently around the Holidays. I came across this recipe and made 2 lbs of it for Christmas Dinner. It was a game changer and needless to say, there wasn’t much left. Definitely easy to follow for even a beginner. I went so far as to subscribe now to get more awesome recipes for future dinner ideas. Much Thanks, Mike B
The recipe turned out absolutely amazing! We decided to add some smoked paprika to ours for a little bit of a Smokey taste and it was fantastic! A huge hit on Christmas.
This was hands down my favorite homemade recipe for Mac & cheese. The cream cheese takes this to the next level, it was so creamy. I used sharp white cheddar, saving this recipe and tossing all the others!
Wonderful recipe! I used half cheddar, half fontina cheese, 1 1/2 lbs of macaroni, and added 1/2 teaspoon of dry mustard. Everyone raved about it!
glad i found a recipe with minimal ingredients that can be thrown together quickly. i had some cheddar i needed to use up (bought it for a visitor, i don’t normally enjoy it) and didn’t want to have to actually buy ingredients just to avoid throwing something away. Easy to follow recipe and a satisfying result!
My husband expressed to me to make a really creamy mac n cheese. I’m going to try this tonight!!! I’ll let you know how he likes it!!!
I havent tried this yet but I am dying to try it based off of the reviews. I was sitting on my reclyner scrolling thru dinner ideas for my family and saw this! will definitely let you know how we like it!! I am giving it 5 stars because it looks amazing.
I made this for the first time last Thanksgiving and it was a hit. I am making it again for Thanksgiving tomorrow. I followed the directions as is, but since we will be eating it tomorrow, I put it in a buttered casserole dish (topped with about a half a cup of shredded Gouda) to bake tomorrow afternoon. Right before baking it, I will take a small mason jar of about 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, a good amount of garlic paste, a little garlic powder, onion salt, and a dab of Dijon mustard and shake that up before pouring it over the top of the macaroni and cheese. This helps to keep it creamy since the noodles do absorb some of the sauce. Delicious!
Absolutely fabulous! Huge hit at our Thanksgiving dinner. I used a pound and a half of pasta and it was still very creamy. My mom, who usually does not like mac & cheese (I know, weird, right?) actually enjoyed this recipe. My aunt said it was best mac & cheese she’d ever had…and took the leftovers home with her!