Slow Cooker Ultra Creamy Mac and Cheese is the creamiest with lots of gooey cheese. This is a seriously rich mac and cheese.
What I Love About This Recipe
No need to precook the pasta. It cooks right in the crockpot. Mac and cheese doesn’t take long at all to cook in a slow cooker. This recipe cooks on LOW for 70 minutes to 2 hours.
A combination of cream cheese, butter, heavy cream, and evaporated milk makes this an ultra creamy mac and cheese. Plus there’s two types of cheese for lots of cheese flavor.
The cheese gets mixed in at the end so there is no risk of the cheese curdling.
The evaporated milk is the key ingredient. It really makes for a rich and creamy mac and cheese. Plus I love that it is shelf stable. FYI- I find it tastes just as good in coffee as half-and-half.
Slow Cooker Ultra Creamy Mac and Cheese Recipe Tips
- Cooking times can vary greatly for slow cookers so use the cooking time as an estimate. Plus the type of pasta you use can affect the cooking time as well.
- I love the size and texture of large elbow pasta. You could use cavatappi or penne instead.
- This recipe can be doubled if your slow cooker is big enough. The cooking time may be a little longer, but not much.
- Do not use pre-shredded cheese for this recipe. It contains an anti-clumping agent that can make the mac and cheese gritty. Instead, buy a block of cheese and shred it yourself.
- Don’t confuse evaporated milk with condensed milk. They are not the same thing.
- This recipe has a little spice from some cayenne pepper and pepper jack cheese. If you don’t want any spice, omit the cayenne and use Monterey Jack cheese.
Try These Other Amazing Mac and Cheese Recipes
- Jalapeno Popper Mac and Cheese
- Bourbon and Bacon Mac and Cheese
- Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese
- Slow Cooker Bacon Mac and Cheese
- Nacho Mac and Cheese
Slow Cooker Ultra Creamy Mac and Cheese
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound large elbow pasta
- 4 tablespoons butter,, cut into slivers
- 4 ounces cream cheese,, cut into pieces
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 1/2 cups freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup freshly shredded pepper jack cheese
Instructions
- Lightly grease a 6-quart slow cooker and add the uncooked pasta to it.
- Scatter both the butter and cream cheese over the pasta.
- Sprinkle the salt, pepper, cayenne, and paprika over the top and pour in the evaporated milk, whole milk and heavy cream. Stir to combine and try to make sure all the pasta is submerged.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 1 to 2 hours (check after 1 hour), opening the slow cooker to stir halfway through.
- Once the pasta is al dente (still a little chewy but mostly cooked), add the cheese and stir it in. Cover and cook for 10 more minutes.
- Stir and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
It was delicious. A bit on the thicker side so I had to add a bunch more milk. I may have added to much cheese. But definitely a keeper so much flavor.