Homemade One Pot Mac and Cheese

Creamy, Homemade One Pot Mac and Cheese is as easy as a handful of ingredients and ten minutes on the stove for the most DELICIOUS macaroni and cheese!

One Pot Mac and Cheese with text overlay


 

Okay, folks...today's recipe is one that just might revolutionize your life! Every kid loves plain, simple, stovetop macaroni and cheese from a box, right? And every adult enjoys creamy, cheesy, made-from-scratch mac & cheese, loaded with various cheeses and baked in the oven to decadent perfection. But what if I told you that you could have the best of both worlds???

Homemade One Pot Mac & Cheese is just that...a recipe quickly made on the stove using a single pot, just like the good ol' boxed stuff. Let's face it...the boxed variety of mac & cheese doesn't exactly seem "natural," with its neon orange packet of powdered cheese. Granted, you can splurge on the kind with the packet of gelatinous cheese "sauce," but that seems a little iffy as well.

One Pot Mac and Cheese in bowl

So what are you to do if your kids want macaroni and cheese...and you'd prefer to make it with actual, real cheese...but you don't particularly want to go to the effort of preparing a roux-based cheese sauce, dirtying multiple dishes, and waiting for it to finish baking in the oven? Well, THAT, my friends, is when you make this recipe.

The Secret to Success!

Homemade One Pot Mac and Cheese is seriously simple to throw together yet it turns out soooo creamy, cheesy, and delicious...just like homemade mac & cheese should! And the secret?

Cooking the pasta in milk. You read that right...milk!

As the little macaroni noodles cook, the milk naturally renders down into a creamy sauce, and all you have to do at the end is stir in shredded cheese.

That's it! So it's basically the same steps as the ubiquitous box, except using milk in place of water and real cheddar in place of orange powder. And the results are so much tastier.

Ingredients including pasta, cheese, and milk

Troubleshooting

This recipe is pretty straightforward to make, but you do need to closely follow the directions because the ingredients can be a bit persnickety if you don't. I experimented with this recipe multiple times to get it just right, and I have to say...it ultimately turned out pretty darn perfect. 😉

So what did I do wrong before I got it right? Well initially, I started off cooking my pasta in all whole milk, which actually made the mac & cheese too creamy, if you can believe that's even possible. The sauce actually tasted like milk, even after adding the cheese.

I decided to rectify this problem by cooking my pasta in a combo of milk and water. And what do you know? It worked perfectly! Creamy pasta that complemented -- rather than overshadowed -- the flavor of the cheese.

Homemade Macaroni and Cheese in a pot

A Note About the Milk

As I just mentioned, I always have whole milk on hand, so that's what I used to develop this recipe. However, if you buy skim milk or 1% milk, you probably won't need to thin out your milk with water before boiling the pasta...just use all milk and it shouldn't turn out overly creamy. For 2% milk, I'd still use some water, but not quite as much as is recommended when using whole milk. No matter what combo of milk/water you end up using, just be sure that total amount of liquid stays consistent with the recipe.

The next facet of this recipe that initially gave me problems was the type of pasta that I used. I first attempted making this macaroni & cheese with corkscrew pasta (fusilli). But because you have to stir the pot pretty continuously while the pasta cooks, this fragile variety ended up breaking down a bit. Also, the edges turned out a bit too soft while the center was a bit too firm.

Next, I went with the obvious pasta choice for mac & cheese...elbow macaroni! And sure enough, it worked beautifully, maintaining its shape and cooking quickly and evenly. I used small macaroni noodles (to give you a point of reference, the cooking directions on the box indicated cooking it for 5 to 7 minutes...also, 8 ounces of this size of elbow macaroni measured out to about 1 ¾ cups in a dry measuring cup), so I would recommend you do the same, just to be sure this recipe works consistently for everyone. 🙂

A few final notes (I'm apparently feeling all America's Test Kitchen today) and I'll let you get on with your mac & cheese making.

One Pot Mac and Cheese in a bowl

Tips & Tricks

  • Please use freshly grated, extra-sharp cheddar. Pre-shredded cheese has an additive to prevent it from clumping in the package, and I'm afraid it may hinder your cheese from melting smoothly. And while extra-sharp cheese can be rather strong to eat straight-up, it's mellows out when melted into sauces. By comparison, mild cheddar would be almost bland in a recipe like this. Of course, that being said, this is your one-pot wonder, not mine, so feel free to use your favorite type of cheese or combo of cheeses.
  • As far as other flavorings, in addition to the basic ingredients of pasta, milk, cheese, salt, and pepper, you may also add garlic powder and/or dry mustard powder for a little extra zip.
  • And finally finally, remember that your macaroni & cheese will continue to thicken as it cools. For this reason, I prefer for the consistency to be on the slightly runny side (as opposed to overly thick) when the pasta is done cooking. The pasta will continue to absorb the sauce as you pull it off the stove and serve it.
Homemade Mac and Cheese in a bowl aerial view

Wow, I feel like that's a lot of explanation for such an easy recipe! But I really want this one to turn out well for y'all, because it's super easy when executed correctly and it's such a great way to churn out a quick pot of homemade macaroni & cheese. I have to admit that I've still been buying boxed mac & cheese (albeit organic) for my kids, because they like it and the homemade stuff has always been too much effort for a quick weeknight side dish. But now? I can make this homemade, stovetop, One Pot Mac and Cheese in the same amount of time it takes to make a box, with real milk and cheese! Mind. Blown. Hope this recipe blows your mind, too... 😉

More Kid-Friendly Fare

Homemade One-Pot Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese in a white bowl with a spoon

Homemade One-Pot Macaroni & Cheese

Creamy, from-scratch, Homemade Macaroni & Cheese is as easy as one pot, a handful of ingredients, and ten minutes on the stove!
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 6 regular servings (or 4 generous servings)
Calories: 253kcal
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Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups whole milk
  • 1 to 1 ¾ cups water
  • 8 ounces small elbow macaroni
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 4 ounces extra-sharp cheddar, grated (about 1 cup, packed)
  • Optional: ½ teaspoon garlic powder and/or ½ teaspoon dry mustard powder

Instructions

  • In a medium pot set over medium heat, combine milk, 1 cup water, macaroni, salt, and pepper. Bring to a low simmer, stirring frequently to prevent the macaroni from clumping and the milk from boiling over. Once the mixture simmers, reduce heat to low (it should continue simmering) and stir continuously until pasta is done to your liking, about 8 to 10 minutes. The macaroni will absorb the liquid while cooking, so stir in additional water as needed, ¼ cup at a time.
  • Once pasta is done and the sauce is creamy, remove the pot from the heat and gradually stir in the grated cheddar, â…“ cup at a time, until smooth and melted. Taste and add more salt and/or pepper, if necessary. You may also stir in garlic powder and/or dry mustard at this point for extra flavor, if desired. Serve immediately.

Video

Notes

  • If using low-fat or skim milk instead of whole milk, you will probably want to adjust the proportions of this recipe to use more milk and less water (see post for a more detailed explanation).
  • Using small elbow macaroni is recommended for this recipe. Another shape or size of pasta may require you to adjust the cooking time, which may also affect how much liquid you need to use by the time the pasta is cooked.
  • Extra-sharp cheddar will give this mac & cheese more flavor than mild cheddar, but feel free to use your favorite cheese(s). Freshly grated cheese is recommended for smooth melting.
  • To prevent your cheese from clumping up, be sure to add it after the pot has been removed from the heat. Also, do not dump in all of the cheese at once...stir it in gradually, making sure each batch is fully melted before adding more.

Nutrition

Calories: 253kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 339mg | Potassium: 183mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 290IU | Calcium: 213mg | Iron: 0.6mg
Made this recipe? I'd love to see on IG!Mention @FiveHeartHome or tag #FiveHeartHome!

Adapted from LifeHacker

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Recipe Rating




57 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Yum! I added cream cheese, parmesan, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and just plain yellow ,mustard and it turned out perfect. Added the shredded cheese last after all my additions to make sure the sauce would thicken

    1. Those sound like some delicious additions, Sam...thanks for sharing! Glad you enjoyed this recipe. 🙂

  2. 5 stars
    LOVE the one pot Mac & cheese!! I added a little panko and more cheese on top and broiled for a few minutes. May I have your permission to use it at a pampered Chef one-pot Meals party? I’d like to experiment with it using some chicken broth as some of the liquid, and adding some sautéed onion.

  3. 5 stars
    Hello, Samantha! I typed into the search engine "one pot macaroni and cheese" and your website came up first. I used a fancy version of the elbows (like twisted elbows). What I had on hand was coconut milk and cream cheese and sharp cheddar. I added some mustard, a pinch of mace, fried bacon bits, and just a quick dash of hickory smoke powder. You are right about letting it sit and absorb the liquid and thicken up the sauce. I also added a touch of diced canned sliced carrots - more for color.. IThe finished product looked real presentable in the La Chamba black clay pot.

    Thank you for getting me going, and I hope you don't mind my messing around with your recipe.

  4. 5 stars
    Loved it! It was so easy and probably much better (health-wise) than velveeta. Very tasty, I might add a bit more cheese next time.

  5. Have you tried adding meat to the pasta? I want to do a kielbasa Mac and cheese. Gonna try it now, hopefully it works. Will post my results!!! This Mac and cheese looks amazing by its self though.

    1. I've never tried adding meat or sausage to this mac & cheese, Amber, but that's a great idea! Let me know how it turned out! 🙂

  6. 5 stars
    This recipe was so good! I made it with small shells and added a little more milk and water as needed, and it turned out fantastic. My picky toddler took one forkful and proclaimed it "de-YISH-us!" We will be making it again.

    1. Oh, I love hearing that, Lynn! It always makes me smile when one of my recipes is deemed "picky-toddler approved." 🙂 So happy y'all enjoyed it, and thanks for taking the time to let me know!

  7. Well I apparently did something very wrong, because what I ended up with was plain macaroni with watered down milk and 2 giant blobs of cheese.. At least I got a good laugh at myself 😀

    1. Oh no, Karita...I'm so sorry to hear that! But I'm glad you maintained a sense of humor about it... 😉 I hope you'll give this recipe another try sometime. Just be sure not to add extra liquid unless necessary -- you want the macaroni to be tender but the liquid fully absorbed. And when you stir in the cheese, do so very slowly and gradually. Hope that helps and hope you're having a great week!

  8. 5 stars
    Just made this for my daughter and we both loved it! I may have eaten more of it than she did. Have you ever tried doubling the recipe? Does it turn out just as good?

    1. Yay, Amber...glad this mac & cheese was a hit for both you and your daughter! I haven't yet tried doubling this recipe, because my family prefers fresh to leftovers, and we can generally polish off the whole pot but not more. But I think it could be doubled...it might just take some trial and error to determine if slightly more or less liquid would be needed. Sorry I can't give you a more definitive answer, but good luck if you decide to try it!

  9. 5 stars
    So easy. So quick. So delicious!!!! Thank you for the recipe! Can't wait to try the other recipes you have here!!

  10. 5 stars
    Just made this tonight, it was really nice and creamy. I didn't have sharp cheddar, only marble, so I made it with that and added some parmesan on the top. Thank you for the quick recipe!!!

  11. This is so much like what I grew up on! Mac n cheese was dinner, not a side...I never knew about the blue box until college nor the oven kind until I meet my inlaws. I just cook the pasta, make a light roux with milk and flour, throw in sandwich slices (incredibly healthy LOL) until they melt and add milk if it's sticky. Salt & Pepper to taste

  12. Hi Samantha,

    Thanks for the recipe! I was hoping for your advice regarding creaminess. Instead of creamy, my mac & cheese was more sticky when I was scraping the spoon while mixing the cheese in. Could this be due to not having enough water? And if I add a liquid, should it be water or milk?

    Thanks again!

    1. Hi Patrick! Great question. If your macaroni seems to dry out while cooking, you can add a bit of extra water at that time. But if it's dry at the end when mixing in the cheese, I'd probably add a teensy bit of milk to loosen it up. Hope that helps and that this recipe comes out perfect for you if you decide to try it again! 🙂

  13. It came out more soupy than creamy and I couldn't figure out why. Guess my pasta just uses much less liquid! Fortunately I had some ricotta cheese and after adding a bit of that it helped thicken it up.

    1. Sorry to hear that, Jessi! Did you start with the milk and just 1 cup of water? I never add any additional water until I'm sure it's going to be necessary, but it's definitely possible that different pasta would have different requirements for how much liquid to use! At any rate, I'm glad that you were able to salvage your mac and cheese with some ricotta. 🙂 Thanks for the comment and happy Friday!

  14. 5 stars
    I made this the other night. It was great! I didn't have sharp cheddar so I used a medium cheddar plus the dry mustard and it came out great. Looking forward to trying it with other cheeses as well.

    1. Yay, Sarah...I'm so happy to hear that y'all enjoyed this! I haven't experimented too much with different types of cheeses yet since my kids are primarily fans of cheddar, but I think this (or any) mac & cheese would be really yummy with some Gruyere! 🙂 I did include Monterrey Jack with cheddar once and it melted nicely, but I thought it was a little bland. Pepper Jack might be good, though! Anyway, have fun playing with the recipe and thanks for the comment. 🙂 Hope y'all have been doing well...