I have been working on my Creamy Mac & Cheese for years and finally nailed down the perfect recipe! So many people love this recipe because you don’t need to make a roux, and you do not need an egg. This recipe is a guaranteed show-stopper at any event because it is creamy and cheesy but also drop-dead gorgeous- I mean, look at her. 😉
P.S. If you love this recipe, please leave a review at the bottom of this page.
Why everyone loves this Recipe
It’s easy- A huge part of the reason I developed this recipe is that many home cooks struggle with making a roux. It does take practice, and if you don’t cook out the flour long enough or if your liquid ratio is off, your cheese sauce will come out too thick. The roux step made my original recipe very intimating, and I always strive for easy recipes that anyone can make, regardless of experience.
It’s creamy– The inside of this Mac and Cheese is so deliciously creamy and moist! When trying different Mac and cheese recipes, I found that even the ones that nailed the creaminess had a dryer sauce.
It’s cheesy- The cheeses I chose are appropriate because they have a balance of flavors and melt nicely. A cheese pull is mandatory, especially if you bring this to Thanksgiving dinner or a family potluck!
Tips for making the perfect Cheese Sauce
Buy Good Cheese
Buy the good stuff (if you can). If you’re trying to budget, I would suggest shopping at Aldi as they have amazing cheese options for affordable prices. Personally Tillamook is my cheese of preference. The cheese is perfectly salted and melts wonderfully.
Grate your own cheese- Store bought shredded cheeses contains cultures and preservatives that prevent the cheese from melting properly and change the taste of the cheeses. Not only are cheese blocks usually a lot cheaper than pre-shredded cheese, you’ll get better flavor and texture if you grate your own. This is a non-negotiable step.
Take your time- Although this is an easy recipe, it’s not a recipe I would suggest rushing through. Follow the steps slowly to ensure the best possible outcome. I mean, the ingredients aren’t cheap- do it right!
Let’s Make it Together. Follow @themoodyfoody on TikTok
Ingredients You’ll Need
- 1 box and a half of Elbow Pasta Noodles
- Heavy Cream
- Cheese
- Spices
- Butter
Substitutions and Recipe Variations
Make it without Heavy Cream- Don’t have heavy cream? No problem! Use evaporated milk instead!
Make it with another noodle- Don’t have elbows? Use cavatappi!
Make it with pre-shredded cheese- While I highly recommend using freshly grated cheese, it’s perfectly fine to use pre-shredded cheese, freshly grated just melts better!
Make it Keto- If your keto, this is the perfect recipe for you. Substitute the macaroni noodles for, boiled cauliflower!
How to make Baked Macaroni and Cheese
- Grate your cheeses. Divide into 3 parts
- Boil your noodles.
- Make your cheese sauce
- Mix your noodles with your cheese sauce. Save some cheese sauce for layering.
- Add half your noodle sauce to a 13×9 Baking Dish, layer some cheese sauce and shredded cheese on top of half the noodles and then add the rest of the noodles on top. Repeat this process, your final dish should have a fully covered shredded cheese top.
- Bake your four cheese Mac & Cheese at 350 degrees until cheese is fully melted. This should be about 20-25 minutes. Broil on high until you have a bubbly golden brown top.
FAQ
My Cheese sauce is watery! What should I do?
Add more or your reserved cheese or continue to allow your cheese to melt while stirring. Your sauce will also thicken up over time
Can I make this recipe ahead of time?
Yes! You can make this recipe up to two days before and save the baking part before serving!
Can I make this recipe in the crockpot?
Yes! Use the recipe the same way and add all of your ingredients to the slow cooker on low heat until the top layer of cheese is melted.
If you love this recipe, check out my other dinner recipes on my blog!
Please leave a star rating for this recipe if you enjoyed it 🙂
Creamy Mac & Cheese
Equipment
- 1 Cheese Grater
Ingredients
- 1.5 box/lb macaroni noodles 1 box and a half! 24oz of noodles in total!I also love to use cavatappi noodles for this recipe!
- 16 oz sharp cheddar freshly grated
- 16 oz Colby jack cheese
- 8 oz Gouda
- 8 oz mozarella cheese
- 6 cups heavy cream
- 4 tbsps salted butter
- 4 oz cream cheese optional
- 2 tsps salt
- 2 tsp chicken bouillon
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp ground mustard
- 1 tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp adobo
Instructions
- Grate your cheeses using the large shredder and set them aside. If you come across any small chunks that are too petite to grate, be sure to save them!
- Cook your macaroni noodles following the instructions on the package. Enhance the water with chicken bouillon for added flavor.
- In a spacious sauce pot, melt butter on low heat, and gradually pour in the heavy cream. Whisk the mixture smoothly.
- Start incorporating approximately 50% of your shredded cheeses until well blended. Introduce cream cheese last, allowing the cheese to melt and simmer on low heat. Season with spices and taste to perfection.
- Combine your elbow noodles with the cream sauce, tossing in the small extra chunks of cheese. Aim for a creamy, wet mixture that produces a satisfying sound when mixed.
- Transfer the mixture into a 13×9 baking dish, starting with half of your noodles. Layer with a light coating of cheese sauce and your shredded cheese mix. Add the remaining noodles and finish by topping with a generous layer of shredded cheese. If more cheese is needed for the top, opt for cheddar or Colby jack.
- Bake at 350 degrees until the cheese is melted.
- Broil for 2 minutes at the end for a nice golden brown top
I love ❤️ all your recipes ? ? ♥️
1.5 boxes of macaroni. What size is this box???
Its 1 box and a half 🙂
What kind of guada do I use?, Thank you
any kind will work 🙂
1 1b is the standard size. Assuming 1.5 lbs.
Yes, thank you Brian. This is for 1.5 box
Is this 1.5 of 1lb boxes? Or 2lb?
1.5 of 1 box <3
I made this today and it was amazing! It’ll be the only Mac and cheese recipe I’ll be using from now on. (and I’ve tried a lot)
Made this today as a trial run for the holidays and it was amazing. My whole family loved it. My son who is a very picky about his baked Mac and cheese had three servings. Thank you so much for sharing.
So glad <3
Tried it for thanksgiving and it was a hit at both parties I attended! This will be my new Mac n cheese recipe from now on! Super simple too!
This was soo good. 10/10. My new go-to Mac recipe.
Is the mozzarella needed fresh or low moisture? This looks great-thank you!
either <3
This recipe looks amazing! Definitely gonna try it out this Thanksgiving. However, how many minuets do I bake in the oven for?
All ovens are different about 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted. then broil at the end!
Can’t wait to try & make this for Thxgiving. Looks so yummy!
I know this may be a silly question, but I’m going to ask anyways. So I’m making this for thanksgiving but I’m making a 4lb box of macaroni. Do you recommend I double the recipe?
Yes! That would be perfect!
Can’t wait to try this recipe! Usually when doing baked Mac and cheese, I see a lot of recipes say, cook the noodles Al dente or maybe even a minute less than box timing for Al dente bc it’s going to continue cooking in the oven, and you don’t want your noodles to be too mushy..would you say you cook your noodles Al dente or to the full instruction time? Bc of your short bake time of 10 mins and 2 mins broil, do you find that makes your noodles really really soft? Thank you! Looks delish.
Al dente is perfect!
Hi Toni! So my store is completely out of heavy cream. Would half and half work? I know it’ll be less decadent, but would it be an ok substitute? If so, would I still use 6 cups? Thank you!
Hi Em, I would bring it down to 4 cups and increase the cheese by 4oz!
Love your content will be getting around to trying them all thank you
I know you said you don’t use eggs, but I thought that was done to hold the noodles together
I dont use eggs. Every recipe is different!
Thanks, this is great! Could I prepare most of it the night before and then bake it for 10 minutes right before serving?
absolutely! you may need to bake 15 minutes and broil for about 2-3 though!
I am going to use this for the holiday tomorrow, seems straight forward! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for using this recipe! <3
Making this today for thanksgiving!! I made sure to do a trial run beforehand it came out so good!!
nice!!! that’s what i’m talking about!
hi, do you know approximately how much cheese would be put in the cheese mixture/sauce? It’s my first time trying Mac and cheese and it says 75% but do you happen to know how much in ounces or cups? Thank you! This looks really good.
Hi arie,
it doesn’t have to be exact. use most of your cheese for the sauce and leave about 6 ounces for layering! Goodluck!
Thank you so much! Everyone loved it! I’m officially the Mac and cheese auntie lol
Can I put this together the night before then bake the next day or will the noodles get mushy? Should I cook the noodles for a less amount of time?
The noodles won’t get mushy. You can cook them aldente and bake the next day.
Thanks so much for the free recipe!! Going to try it tomorrow, I’ve been going over it all day?! Also love the quick responses. Happy holidays to you and your family and may success and blessings continue to follow you.
Hi Kim, goodluck! You got this and i’m here if anything 🙂
I’ don’t have heavy cream.. Is evaporated milk ok? Stores we’re out
yes! that should work!
Ok thanks so much. 6 cups??
Hi. I need a bit of help, at what temperature should I cook the cheese sauce?
medium low!
Is the salt for the water when cooking the noodles? Or is the to be added when mixing the other spices?
add it to the noodles!
Excited to try this recipe! I bought panko bread crumbs to add a bit of crunch. The recipe sounds great on its own, but if you were adding panko, at what point would you add that to the top so it doesn’t burn but also gets melty? Thanks! So excited to try this!
hi, i would put them on before baking 🙂
My question is in regards to the chicken bouillon. I only have the cubes (not sure if they come another way). Should I use one or two? Thank you! I’m excited to try this version of Mac-N-Cheese. My husband is super picky about his Mac-N-Cheese but I’m gonna knock his socks off with this one I just know!
1 chicken bouillon! crush it up!
Happy Thanksgiving! I’m so excited to try this recipe out! When you make your version of a “roux”, do you let the heavy cream boil as you wait for all that cheese to melt? What should my flame be at? I’ve had issues with my milk curdling while the Shredded cheese won’t melt when making a traditional Mac n cheese recipe. I really hope this recipe is the fix to all my problems!
Hi mary, I don’t make a roux in this recipe, so I don’t understand your question. But, heat your heavy cream and toss in your cheeses!
We made this today. It looks amazing. Waiting to bake for our dinner this evening. Absolutely love your recipe. I tasted at every step and really incredible flavor!
Absolutely loved this recipe, my boys loved it as well!! It will be my new go to
Thank you for this delicious recipe. Question though
Can this be made ahead
Best macaroni I’ve ever made! Nice and creamy (mine always came out dry, please don’t judge me ?) Thank you for making our Thanksgiving dinner amazing!
ofc I won’t judge happy you loved my recipe ❤️?
Trying this tonight. Followed step by step… tried the pasta before adding it to the pan to bake and oh my goodness!! Can’t wait foe the final product.
Made this today for Thanksgiving and my family absolutely loved it. I’m not the greatest at cooking but this recipe was so easy and fun as we all cooked together!
I follow you on TikTok and I made this for Thanksgiving today and I think it may just be my new favorite recipe for Mac and cheese ?❤️ thank you.
OMG! My sister always made the Mac and Cheese and I had the Dressing. Then covid happened and every holiday since I’ve tried to find a Mac and Cheese recipe to call my own! AND FINALLY THIS IS IT! The search is over! Thank you for sharing it on IG! My family LOVES it!
I’m filipino and my husband is black. I have dreaded thanksgiving because my kraft never added up to his dads mac n cheese. This year we stayed home and I needed to cook something so I did you recipe and IM IN! ITS DELICIOUS! Thank you!
This is the best recipe! Thank you Toni! First time making it without flour or egg and I am finally happy with it. Kudos and thanks for sharing and making my holiday meal great! So good 🙂
I made this recipe today and it was a HIT!!! So good!!
I just made this for Thanksgiving and everyone loved it. I’m now in charge of Mac and cheese every year. 10/10 recommend
Best mac & cheese I’ve ever had! The whole family loved it. I’m already planning Christmas Dinner and a lot of your recipes will be on the menu. Thanks a bunch for sharing these. ?
OMG! I made your version and my teenage sons dang near CRIED it was so good!!! I was looking for a new recipe ‘cuz I never seem to nail it, but this year? Babyyyy!!! Thank you so very much for the richness, creamiest and simplicity of it all!!! Happy Holiday Season!!!
I was nervous to try out new recipes for Thanksgiving but I made Toni’s Mac n cheese and the Cajun butter turkey and both turned out soooo good! Thank you!!!!
Hi, is the chicken bouillon added in with the spices?
crush it up! 🙂
Finally got to try making the famous Mac & Cheese & gurrrrlll let me tell you it was BOMB! I was a bit nervous because I don’t cook as much but watching your page made me want to get out of my shell & try it ! ? thank you for making the recipe soooo easy to follow ! Can’t wait to try more ???
Omg I cooked the creamy Mac & cheese for thanksgiving and It was delicious and extra cheesy .
Tried this receipe for Thanksgiving and it was a hit. Not gonna lie, I was nervous when I saw how many cups of heavy cream were required, but I followed the instructions and everything turned out great. I’ll be using the receipe again for Christmas dinner!
HEAVEN IN THE KITCHEN
Is it ok to use smoked gouda? And it is ok to use extra cheese? My family loves things super cheesy!
yes 🙂
Hello Toni
How can you freeze this to bake later?
yes!
Made this the other day. It was absolutely delicious!
Hands down my families new favorite Mac n cheese recipe. Is there anything I can use to substitute the chicken bullion? One of my daughters is vegetarian and couldn’t eat it.
This dish was a huge hit for a holiday meal. My new go-to party dish. Everyone was raving, and there were no leftovers. Thanks so much!
Loved this recipe! Perfect balance of cheeses. It was easy, creamy, and delicious. My daughter has an egg allergy so it was just what we needed.
I have tried at least 5 different mac n cheese recipes and this one beats all the rest by far!
I just made this for a delayed Friendsgiving. My friends could NOT stop talking about how amazing this mac n cheese is. It was a hit, and I’ve been voted to bring this every year!
Made this for my jobs potluck and it was the first thing gone! 10/10
Another girl made mac and it wasn’t hitting lmaooo she tried to claim mine.
The best macaroni and cheese I have ever had in my life my husband had no words 😂 literally speechless. So easy and delicious. Unbelievable creamy and soooo much flavor.
I made this for a game day with my friends and they absolutely loved it! The seasonings gave the sauce a nice flavor and layering the cheese between the layers of the noodles and sauce ensured a nice even cheesy and creamy consistency! New favorite recipe!
I made this last year for Thanksgiving AND Christmas because everyone loved it so much! Question, what can I use instead of the chicken bouillon? I have 2 people who have to eat GF and my scanner said that my chicken bouillon contains gluten.
So easy to follow, love this !
Came out super yummy! 😋😋
just finished making this and everyone loved it 🙌 came back for seconds
If I make this tonight before we eat it tomorrow and don’t bake it like you said, the cheese sauce won’t dry out or the dish won’t be dry when baking tomorrow.
No, add some of the sauce on too before adding a layer of shredded cheese to keep it creamy
Made this recipe for my family tonight. They all gave it 10/10!!! Thank you so much for posting it on tiktok, we loved it. It was my first time making Mac and cheese from scratch and I will be making it again!
Hello I hope I get a response! I’m trying to make this for thanksgiving I just had one question. Which adobo did you use? There’s a lot of options does it matter?
I use goya but any adobo is fine
I always make a roux for my Mac and cheese. Over the years I’ve tried so many recipes and this one is the best and easiest I’ve found to do because I don’t have to make a roux. Everyone loved it!
I made this recipe yesterday. My family ate some last night.. They all loved it!, I have 4 children that like their Mac and cheese different ways, so this was a treat for us all. I’m making the Cajun turkey right now. Thank you! I’m glad I found your website.
Third time making this. Sooo good!
She saved my thanksgiving for real 😂 nah but on a real note used her recipe easy and simple to use ! And really cheesy 10/10 !! Would recommend
She saved my thanksgiving for real 😂 nah but on a real note used her recipe easy and simple to use ! And really cheesy 10/10 !! Would recommend to anyone !
The mac and cheese is so easy to make, just season it to your liking.
By far the very best M&C I have ever tasted. Toni could launch an entire restaurant on this recipe alone.
For the benefit of others: my sauce was much runnier than the video, and I ended up with too much shredded cheese for the layers even though I split it 50/50. In hindsight I needed to put more than half into the sauce to get the consistency of the video. I was worried I had messed up but it was still FLAWLESS. I don’t even know how it could possibly get better and I accidentally left out about 6oz of cheese!
I am now desperate for someone to invite me to a potluck so I csn peacock in with this dish in my hands.
This recipe is a revelation and I truly hope it makes you famous. 💜
Mi tío vino de méxico y quería sorprender con un platillo americano. Le encanto! Sin saber, es fanático de gouda cheese y fue lo que hizo todo Perfecto
This mac and cheese recipe was my first big bake and was planned to be a side, but the final is so good that my family is already talking about how sick they’re gonna get stuffing themselves full of mac and cheese. They’ve had no comment on the other food we made.
Thank you for a good eatin’, I’m gonna go grab a plate before it’s all gone. :]
I mean just nothing short from amazing for my first time cooking Mac and cheese this recipe was easy and everyone loved will definitely be keeping this recipe
Best Mac N Cheese Out! So much flavor and so cheesy. It’s easy to make and the tips are a GAME CHANGER!
I will forever say this…Toni, Toni, Toni….THIS IS THE BEST #MacNCheese recipe I’ve made to date!!
Easy to follow instructions and replicate…..My family RAAAVED about your mac and cheese tonight and it is now #MyForeverGoToRecipe🫶🏽🫶🏽🫶🏽 It was definitely a labor of love, but MOST ABSOLUTELY WORTH IT!!!! Thank you, thank you, & Thank you.
THIS IS THE BEST #MacNCheese recipe I’ve made to date!!
Easy to follow instructions and replicate…..My family RAAAVED about your mac and cheese tonight and it is now #MyForeverGoToRecipe🫶🏽🫶🏽🫶🏽 It was definitely a labor of love, but MOST ABSOLUTELY WORTH IT!!!! Thank you, thank you, & Thank you.
#NoRoux #NoEgg #DeliciousVibesOnly😎😎
This was such a great addition to our Thanksgiving dinner. A new tradition for sure! Stay blessed.
Absolutely delicious!! Combination of the cheeses and cheese sauce to start made this come together beautifully. Definitely recommend the broil at the end for that crisp topping.
Thank you! I tried the Mac & Cheese it was a hit! Thank you!
A great staple for the holidays! The grating of the cheeses really makes a difference 🤤
Made it for Thanksgiving and it was a hit! Doubled the cheddar (and used medium cheddar) and used 2lbs of macaroni and there was sooo much sauce… Absolutely dreamy and delicious. Will definitely be making again (especially to put under some bbq pulled pork).
My tween saw this on tiktok and made it today. Soo good! Any hints on how to best reheat appreciated.
Every year, for the last 15 years, I am the one in charge of the Mac and cheese for Thanksgiving. I make a different recipe every year and the family and I critique it. This one crushed it. Family said the save the recipe! No more making new recipes going forward, this one wins!
My son and I made this yesterday for Thanksgiving and Omggggg it was amazing! No eggs, no roux! Even my picky eater ate it! This is the only Mac and cheese recipe I’ll use from now on! I also made the Bourbon Glazed Honey Ham. I went all innnnn! Chef’s Kiss 💋 😋
Thanks for sharing 💜
My son and I made this yesterday for Thanksgiving and Omggggg it was amazing! No eggs, no roux! Even my picky eater ate it! This is the only Mac and cheese recipe I’ll use from now on! I also made the Bourbon Glazed Honey Ham. I went all innnnn! Chef’s Kiss 💋 😋
I made for thanksgiving and everyone was obsessed. I’m at a high altitude and wanted Mac and cheese that wasn’t dried out and this was it!!!!
This recipe is very easy to follow! I use the instructions on the website and the TikTok video because I’m a visual girl! My family loved the Mac & Cheese! It came out smooth and creamy. The taste was incredible. And I love the use of chicken bullion and adobo because it blends in the flavors so well.
This recipe is everything!! It’s so cheesy and creamy, definitely a staple from now on! Found this through TikTok and I’m so glad!
The absolute *best* mac and cheese recipe I’ve ever tried! Made this for Thanksgiving dinner with friends, and it was a huge hit – I’m counting down the days until I can make this again for Christmas!
Thank you again for sharing this recipe with us 💛
Omg I made this for thanksgiving and it was the best I have ever made – thank you so much for sharing the guests was impressed!!
Made this for thanksgiving and everybody loved it! Thanks for the recipe
I doubled everything and just like all of your other Thanksgiving recipes, this was not a disappointment! My babies have gotten up every morning since Thanksgiving asking for macaroni and cheese for breakfast. I added Gruyere cheese also!
Mac and cheese was great. Easy to follow.
My 14 year old granddaughter made this recipe on Thanksgiving. Despite her mom and I interfering saying it needed a roux etc., she stuck to the recipe and, Oh, my! It is the best Mac and cheese I have ever eaten! Really this is the very best Mac and cheese recipe. Thank you!
My family loves this recipe and it was a huge hit for Christmas! Thank you! Question: I can never use all the cheese sauce because it overflows the pan. Am I doing something wrong lol? It’s so good !