Use real ingredients to make simple creamy slow cooker mac and cheese dinner. No pre-cooking required, just dump and set!
Jump to RecipeOk, so who didn’t grow up on macaroni and cheese? Everyone I know had this staple at their house. We often made it if my sister or I had friends over. We all ate it and it was quick and easy. Of course, that was the prepackaged boxed mac and cheese. Now, my favorite is delicious homemade slow cooker mac and cheese.
There was always the debate of which was better between Velveeta and Kraft. Personally, I only like the Velveeta because I never wanted the taste of the Kraft cheese or the elbow noodles they had. I prefer the shell-shaped noodles.
Velveeta cheese began to taste fake to me as I got older and started cooking more often. Don’t worry, I will still chow down on some Velveeta cheese when it’s in something like my Chili Nacho Dip. But overall, I prefer the real stuff.
When we wanted to make mac and cheese for dinner, I decided we needed to try something a little different. We’ve been trying to cook with real foods and more nutritious foods than that fake cheese product. I scoured through a few recipes I found online and took the best ideas from each to make my own.
One common factor in so many of the recipes is to use the slow cooker. Which of course I love because it makes dinner that much easier! For most of the recipes, the noodles didn’t even have to be cooked ahead of time. Just dump everything in the slow cooker, turn it on, and you have dinner in a couple of hours!
Since most mac and cheese is made with elbow noodles, I did that to start with. Next time I may try to buy the mini shell noodles since I usually prefer those as I mentioned. But the elbow noodles still worked pretty well in this recipe.
Step by Step
This recipe couldn’t be more straightforward. I use noodles (whichever shape you prefer), milk, half and half (to make it a little creamy), cream cheese (to get the right texture), cheddar cheese, salt and pepper, paprika, mustard (sounds strange but adds some tang), and butter.
Dump all of the ingredients into the slow cooker.
Stir up the ingredients, then set the slow cooker to low for about 90 minutes. Check if the noodles are soft and the cheese completely melted. Mine took just over two hours.
Once everything is warmed through, and noodles are cooked, stir gently and serve warm.
Recipe
Originally Published On: April 3, 2019
Last Updated On: November 26, 2019
Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 8 oz macaroni noodles (uncooked)
- 2 cups milk
- 4 oz half and half
- 2 oz cream cheese
- 2 cups cheddar cheese (shredded)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp pepper
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp yellow mustard
- 4 tbsp butter
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a slow cooker and stir
- Cook on low for 90 minutes and check doneness of noodles
- If noodles aren't done, continue cooking for another 30 minutes on high
- Stir gently and serve warm garnished with paprika
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
My husband whipped out the slow cooker last night and said, WE ARE USING THIS MORE — so he made some chicken which was decent (although nothing like my delicious salmon, LOL)…. That being said, um, THANK YOU FOR THIS RECIPE! Never even thought Mac & Cheese could work in the slow cooker!!! I am going to show him this and he would totally JUMP IN the slow cooker with the mac & cheese, LOL!
I love using the slow cooker! The mac and cheese works so well and it’s great especially if you are hosting people since it’s easy and makes so much.
this post made me hungry already! and I had lunch 2 hours ago haha
I should definitely try American mac and cheese pasta
Oh you should definitely give it a try! It’s delicious 🙂
Who doesn’t love a good mac and cheese. All the rich creamy cheese coating macaroni oh many I could eat a big bowl right now.
My boys are some of those strange kids who don’t really eat mac and cheese! But I love the cheesy goodness so it’s more for me!
This is a good looking creamy mac and cheese. I have never used evaporated milk and with the cream cheese in it that seals the deal of deliciousness. It would be convenient to just use a slower cooker and be done. I can’t wait to try it.
It’s different from other recipes I’ve made, but they work so well together to make delicious creamy mac and cheese. I love using the slow cooker so it’s nice and easy.
This. Looks. So. Good. It really is that easy? I always panic at the crock because it seems so easy that I feel like i missed something.
It is really that easy! I promise, that’s the best part of using the slow cooker!
I have never had Velveeta mac and cheese and now when I go out next I kinda want to grad some to compare. Whenever I make homemade though I tend to use shell noodles instead of macaroni. I love that you have paprika and yellow mustard in your recipe. Those are my two favorites to add when making it at home.
I grew up on Velveeta, and it was all I ate. But now I prefer my homemade stuff. If you’re getting boxed, though, that’s the best 🙂
This looks fantastic and my kids would freak out over this!! I can’t wait to try this out since its so easy to make in the crock pot!!
It’s a great recipe for kids, especially if they have friends over since it makes a lot!
Yummy…this looks like great mac and cheese. My daughter would love this. Mac and cheese is her favorite.
My boys, for whatever reason, won’t eat mac and cheese. But I certainly love it so devour this one!
Macaroni and cheese is a classic recipe. I love using my crockpot to make meals … this is sure to be a winner!!
It’s the best of both worlds! Mac and cheese is delicious and you get to use the slow cooker to make it easy.
My kids love Mac & Cheese! This looks perfect for a busy weeknight family meal!
Slow cooker meals are perfect for those crazy nights after school!
I love mac n cheese, but never thought about cooking it in the slow cooker. This looks so delicious!
The slow cooker is such an easy way to make a large batch of mac and cheese.
I love Mac & cheese and I can’t wait to try slow cooker recipe. This looks delicious and easy to cook. 🙂
Making mac and cheese in the slow cooker is such an easy way to do it!
Yummy – I love Mac and cheese! I’ve never tried making it in a slow cooker before though… will have to give it a try next time I make it!
The slow cooker makes it so easy, especially to make a large batch like this.
The photo of mac and cheese made me drool!!! I would love to make it, never done it with a slow cooker.
It’s such a delicious recipe for mac and cheese! The slow cooker makes it so easy.
Holy cow! I had no clue one could make mac’n’cheese in a slow cooker – this is one of the girls’ faves, so will def have to try this sometime! 🙂
Oh my gosh, the slow cooker makes it so easy! I’m sure your girls will love this one, too!!
We had some before but this method is new to us and we are going to try it. This post makes me remember how tasty it is when we used to eat it.
I had mac and cheese a lot growing up. But making it in the slow cooker is such a quick and easy way with much better ingredients.
I never had slow cooked mac and cheese before! I will have to try to make this to see how it will taste!
This is my new favorite way to make mac and cheese. It’s so easy and delicious!
I love Mac and cheese and so do my kids. We eat it A LOT. Lol. I’ve never tried it in a slow cooker. It looks so yummy!
If you eat it often, you should try this recipe. It’s so easy and makes a lot at once!