The secret to the Creamiest Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese is evaporated milk – it's ultra creamy and velvety, and cooks on low in one pot!

How to make mac and cheese in a slow cooker

This will be one of the easiest recipes you ever make! Here's how:

Assemble all ingredients.
Spray the slow cooker in cooking spray.
Add everything (except for chives) to slow cooker and stir.
Cook on low for 2 hours, stirring once per hour.
Serve garnished with chives.
Enjoy!

Ingredients in this recipe

Here's what you need for this recipe:

Cooking spray
macaroni or mini shells (not cooked)
chicken broth
evaporated milk
butter
cheddar cheese
Swiss cheese
salt
mustard powder
Chives, for garnish (optional)

Ingredient substitutions

Macaroni or mini shells – Any high-quality pasta will work. Elbow macaroni, farfalle, or rotini (corkscrew) hold the most sauce. Whole wheat and gluten-free pasta don’t work well in the slow cooker as they will turn mushy.
Chicken broth – The noodles need to be in liquid to cook and chicken broth adds flavor and liquid. Vegetable broth would work well here to keep it vegetarian. If you don’t have broth, you can use whole milk.
Evaporated milk – You can substitute the evaporated milk with half & half or cream. Regular milk can make the sauce very runny and less creamy.
Butter – It’s best to use unsalted butter to keep the sauce from being too salty. If what you have is salted, just adjust the salt to taste.
Cheddar cheese/Swiss cheese – What is your favorite cheese? Use it! Gruyere, fontina, and Monterey Jack cheese taste good together and melt well. Just don’t use pre-grated cheese. It is coated to keep it from sticking together in the bag and will make the sauce gritty.
Mustard powder – This is the classic seasoning for mac and cheese but you can use ½ tablespoon prepared mustard instead. Yellow, Dijon and grainy mustards will all work. You can also just leave it out.
Chives – Since this is a garnish, you can skip it or use sliced green onions instead.

Why evaporated milk?

You can use regular milk, but using evaporated milk creates an extra creamy texture without the fat of real cream.

Plus, it's a shelf-stable ingredient, so it's easy to have on hand for recipes like this!

Can you put uncooked pasta in a slow cooker?

Absolutely! There is no need to cook the noodles first. The chicken broth adds enough liquid to the sauce to ensure that your noodles get cooked without being dry.

What is the best cheese for mac and cheese?

For any macaroni and cheese dish, it is important to use a mix of full fat cheeses that melt easier into the sauce and add flavor.

Sharp cheddar is the one cheese that gives the dish the yellow color we’re all familiar with and great flavor. Buy it in a block and shred it yourself.

Gruyere and Parmesan add nuttiness to the sauce, but also make it super creamy and gooey. Try mozzarella, cream cheese, smoked gouda, and even brie (minus the rind, of course) to mix it up.

What can I add to mac and cheese to make it better?

So much creamy goodness is never a bad thing. But sometimes, you just might need a little extra to put it over the top.
Here are some ideas for add-ins and toppings.

Sriracha
Salsa
Crispy bacon or bacon bits
Cooked ground beef
Sliced hot dogs
Sauteed mushrooms
Ham and peas
Cooked spinach
Diced tomato
Broccoli
Roasted garlic
Toasted bread crumbs

Storing and reheating

Keep any leftovers in an airtight container and store it in your refrigerator. Be sure to use them up or freeze them within 3-4 days.

Reheat in a saucepan with a little extra milk to keep it creamy and thin it up a little or bake it in a 350°F. oven for 15-20 minutes.

You can also drizzle some water or milk overtop and microwave for 2-3 minutes, stirring halfway through.

Freezing mac and cheese

The creamy sauce makes this a great dish to freeze because the pasta will stay super moist when you reheat it. Allow it to cool to room temperature before you put it in an airtight container or a plastic freezer bag.

To reheat, allow the frozen mac and cheese to thaw in the fridge overnight and then reheat in a saucepan or in the oven.

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