This crock pot mac and cheese with Velveeta recipe is cheesy and delicious, with such a creamy texture. This comfort food comes together quickly and easily, requiring only 6 ingredients and minimal prep time. It is a great recipe for a holiday meal or for a busy week night. It’ll get devoured by adults and kids alike!
Original post: 2014 | Updated: October 2023 and August 2024
Why This Recipe Works
There are about a million reasons why I adore this crock pot macaroni and cheese recipe made with Velveeta, but I’ll limit my list to just a few:
- You know those meals that can be made for nearly every holiday meal, no matter what time of the year it is? This slow cooker macaroni and cheese is it! I make it for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, Fourth of July and so many other occasions in between.
- Dump only 6 ingredients into your slow cooker while saving oven and stove-top space for other recipes.
- It’s such an easy recipe that the whole family will love!
- This slow cooker mac and cheese recipe gets rave reviews without fail, no matter the season or time of year.
- Crockpot Velveeta mac requires very little attention while it cooks.
- It produces the creamiest macaroni and cheese every single time.
- Picky eaters adore this pasta dish!
- This classic recipe is a great family dinner any night of the week as well as the perfect party food for a large crowd.
- Any time your oven is being used (busy holidays) or when you don’t have an oven to use (potlucks) is a great opportunity to make this delicious crockpot recipe.
Recipe Ingredients for Crockpot Macaroni and Cheese
Elbow macaroni – If you opt to use uncooked elbow noodles, please be sure to watch it carefully while it cooks. Nobody likes mushy noodles! When removing the lid to stir the noodles, do this quickly in order to trap as much heat inside as possible.
Milk – Any variety of milk can be used, including whole milk, 2%, 1%, oat milk or almond milk. Replace a portion of the milk with heavy cream for an even creamier end result.
Evaporated milk can be used in place of regular milk when twice the amount is added.
Velveeta – Velveeta is the start of the show in this perfect mac n cheese recipe. Learn more about its shelf life and how long Velveeta lasts after being opened!
Butter – I love the salty flavor that salted butter adds to the already delicious recipe, but unsalted butter is a great option, too.
Shredded sharp cheddar cheese – Shredded sharp cheddar is my favorite variety to add to the mix, but feel free to replace with an equal amount of any of the following:
American cheese, pepper jack, mozzarella, colby jack, cream cheese (this will produce a sweeter homemade macaroni and cheese), provolone, monterey jack or any type of creamy cheese.
Use pre-shredded cheese for ease or shred a block yourself.
Parmesan cheese – Grated parmesan cheese sprinkled over the top adds fantastic flavor and texture! Consider using shredded parmesan instead if you have it on hand.
How To Make Crock Pot Mac and Cheese with Velveeta
Step 1
Add the following ingredients to your 7 quart crock pot to make this Velveeta crockpot mac and cheese:
- Elbow macaroni noodles that have been pre-cooked in a large pot 3 minutes shy of al dente (approximately 5 minutes total)
- Milk
- Velveeta cheese
- Butter
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Parmesan cheese
Step 2
Set the crock pot to low heat and set the cook time to 3 hours. Allow all of those yummy ingredients to cook and melt together!
Give the mixture a stir a couple times throughout with a wooden spoon, and start checking for doneness starting at the 2-hour mark for best results.
Depending on the crockpot, the dish will be done somewhere between 2-3 hours.
My crock pot produces perfect results after 2.5 hours of cooking time and with two good stirs in the middle.
Recipe Notes
- Give the crockpot a good coating of nonstick cooking spray or consider using a slow cooker liner to make cleanup easy peasy.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- This makes a large batch of mac and cheese! It will easily feed 8 hungry people as a main dish or 12 people as a side dish or party food. It is a great dish for pot lucks!
- Consider adding 1/2 cup sour cream to add even more creaminess to the dish.
- Add cooked ham or bacon bits to add flavor and protein when serving as a main dish. This is a great way to use up leftover ham!
- Sprinkle the mixture with salt and freshly ground black pepper just before serving!
- 1 teaspoon of garlic powder or onion powder would be great additions to the cheese sauce.
- If you add uncooked dry pasta to the slow cooker without pre-cooking, give the mixture a good stir every 30 minutes or so and keep a close eye out for doneness.
- If the mixture is dry at any point during the cooking process, toss in a splash of milk and stir.
- Pre-shredded cheddar cheese makes the recipe extra easy! For added freshness, consider shredding your own.
Substitute For Milk in Mac and Cheese
Whether you are looking for a different flavor in your next creamy macaroni dish or you just don’t have milk on hand, learn replacements for milk in macaroni and cheese!
What To Serve With Mac and Cheese
Mac cheese is the perfect comfort food! But what goes with it?! This roundup provides 16 delicious ideas about what to serve alongside mac and cheese to create a complete, satisfying meal!
What To Do With Mac and Cheese Leftovers
Delivering you a massive list of 41 ideas for leftover cheesy mac! Whether you have an abundance of leftovers or just want new things to do with this classic comfort food, we’ve got your back.
How Long Does Mac and Cheese Last
If you have leftovers and you are wondering whether to toss or eat, read this article for information about how long mac and cheese lasts.
How To Reheat Mac and Cheese
Macaroni and cheese leftovers are inevitable since most recipes make huge batches. Learn how to reheat mac n cheese, while retaining moisture and flavor!
Mac and Cheese Recipes for Thanksgiving – 13 Delicious Ideas!
Mac and cheese is a Thanksgiving staple! Read on for some scrumptious mac and cheese recipes for Thanksgiving that you can make this year! You’ll find a ton of options to choose from in this roundup.
Best Macaroni and Cheese Recipes
- Baked mac and cheese bites are a super fun finger food idea to serve to kids and adults.
- Instant Pot mac and cheese is a dream come true! Done in 20 minutes, this side or main dish cooks to absolute perfection every single time!
- Baked mac and cheese is a great holiday side or weekday main dish. Everyone will devour it!
- Add pumpkin to your next batch of mac n cheese so it’s even more delicious and more creamy. This pumpkin mac and cheese recipe is 100% kid-friendly and done in 30 minutes.
- This chili mac recipe is the perfect marriage of two of the most comforting comfort foods of all time. Delicious way to use up leftover chili!
What People Are Saying About This Recipe
“Made this tonight for new years! This is definitely gonna be my go to mac and cheese recipe from now on! Soooooo good!!” ~Leah
“Hi, I made this Mac and cheese. My family loved it !! I cooked my noodles let them cool. Then I followed the old recipe with 4 cups of milk and cream cheese. I used American cheese instead of Velveeta. Next time I want to try pepper jack cheese. I put every thing in my crockpot and mixed it. I covered it and cooked for 30 minutes on high. Then turned down to low for 1 1/2 hours stirring in between. All times vary according to your crockpot. “ ~Connie
“I made the original recipe, doubled the recipe and put in one big crock pot. It was filled to the brim but it did fit. Everyone who ate it LOVED it. Now I get asked to make it for every upcoming occasion. Thanks for sharing this simple, quick and tasty recipe. “ ~Sally
“I made this for a potluck at work and everyone absolutely LOVED it. I never even got to have any because they ate it all. At the second potluck we had, everyone begged me to make it again. I’m not the biggest fan of velveeta so I did switch that out for mozzarella but it’s still a fantastic recipe and it is my go-to Mac n cheese recipe now. “ ~Katie
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Crock Pot Mac and Cheese With Velveeta Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 16 oz elbow macaroni
- 3 cups milk
- 8 oz velveeta cut into chunks
- 1/4 cup salted butter cut into chunks
- 3 cups cheddar cheese shredded
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese grated
Instructions
- Cook pasta in boiling water 3 minutes short of being al dente.16 oz elbow macaroni
- Place the cooked macaroni, milk, Velveeta, butter and cheddar cheese into a crockpot. Stir and top with Parmesan cheese.3 cups milk, 8 oz velveeta, 1/4 cup salted butter, 3 cups cheddar cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- Set heat to Low and cook for 2 to 3 hours. Stir occasionally and check for doneness starting at the 2-hour mark.
Notes
- Give the crockpot a good coating of nonstick cooking spray or consider using a slow cooker liner to make cleanup easy peasy.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- This makes a large batch of mac and cheese! It will easily feed 8 hungry people as a main dish or 12 people as a side dish or party food. It is a great dish for pot lucks!
- Consider adding 1/2 cup sour cream to add even more creaminess to the dish.
- Add cooked ham or bacon bits to add flavor and protein when serving as a main dish. This is a great way to use up leftover ham!
- Sprinkle the mixture with salt and freshly ground black pepper just before serving!
- 1 teaspoon of garlic powder or onion powder would be great additions to the cheese sauce.
- If you add uncooked dry pasta to the slow cooker without pre-cooking, give the mixture a good stir every 30 minutes or so and keep a close eye out for doneness.
- If the mixture is dry at any point during the cooking process, toss in a splash of milk and stir.
- Pre-shredded cheddar cheese makes the recipe extra easy! For added freshness, consider shredding your own.
If I wanted to put this in the oven, what temperature and how much time to cook do you suggest?
Hey Donya! I have a similar recipe here: Baked Mac and Cheese. You’d bake it for 25 minutes. So glad you asked!
My kids love this recipe!!!
it was fine, flavor was good. I made the original recipe, cooked my noodles first, leaving 3 minutes still for cooking in crock pot as recipe stated. Mine was done by an hour and a half. a little too saucy for my liking. I won’t make it again.
Sorry girl but the way you decided to about this was confusing as heck and I’m a seasoned cook. It is very confusing to see a picture on Pinterest only to come to your page and not see the description, instruction or picture of the one that is on Pinterest. I have read and re-read this post about a dozen times and nowhere is the picture that you have on Pinterest and nowhere is the description of THAT recipe with the cream cheese and NO velvetta! The only reason why I chose your recipe off of Pinterest is because you didn’t put that nasty stuff in your recipe but clearly you do. I most likely will not be returning to your site as it’s veen super frustrating and annoying to navigate
The original recipe was different and those images cannot be taken down from Pinterest – we can’t control that. We had a photo at the bottom of the post highlighted with the change in ingredients but some still found that confusing. It was a popular post! Sorry for the confusion.
Hi Megan
I made this Mac and Cheese today. It was a real hit with my wife and a neighbor lady too. Thank you for sharing your recipe. I liked it too. I love cooking things that others truly enjoy.
Don Hunter
New Port Richey Florida
Thank you Don! It’s great to share your culinary talent with others. I’m sure it was appreciated!
I thought the recipe was great and I don’t consider Velvetta to be nasty. But, April Larson … did you read your comment before you posted it? I had to read it several times to determine what you were trying to say! Good grief! Talk about confusing and annoying!
I can’t find the other recipe. looked every inch of the website, no luck.
Both on the same page – one crockpot photo shows one set of ingredients. The variation is at the bottom in another crockpot photo with the 2nd set of ingredients. Both delicious, you can’t go wrong.
I have used both recipes. (Both are great) I make the one pictured every holiday, and it is always a hit!
So glad to hear they are both enjoyed. People have preferences but they really are both good, solid recipes. Thank you for sharing, Angela!
I have been making the new version for a couple of years now. It is a holiday staple that every loves!! So easy and delicious!!
So glad it’s being enjoyed! Thank you for sharing!
Made this for a Harvest Carnival @ church, for the kiddos…..IT WAS GONE IN MINUTES! So many parents raved about it. So easy on a busy day/night
That’s so cool! Thanks for sharing that.
I made the updated version and it was fantastic! Reminds me of the kind you get from the frozen section of the store, which I love. It fed 5 adults as a main dish with a side salad, and there was nothing left! If I were expecting to feed 8 as a main dish, I would add a significant amount of meat after it was done cooking.
So glad you enjoyed it, Janelle! Thank you for sharing the details. too.
can I make a 1/2 recipe?
Hi Ida! Yes absolutely you can make 1/2 the recipe. You would just make sure to cut all of the ingredients in half and adjust cooking time accordingly.
Can you maybe put some chicken in this?
Leftover shredded chicken would be great. I’ve done kielbasa too. There’s endless ways to dress up mac and cheese!
Pay no attention to these arrogant ignorant people. They just can’t read! One is the original folks and the other one is the newer crock pot version!! Thanks girl for the update!!
not happy bc i bought the things to make it like the picture to only find out the recipe is totally different.
Not at all, Stephanie. Two recipes included in the post, also descriptions of both in the post. Both are good!
This is so stupid you show a picture of one thing and write about changes. You should of just showed the changed then not made it confusing by posting a picture of a while different recipe. We don’t wanna read all that anyways just give us what we need
I understand your point of view but my audience is wide and we have a lot of new cooks, established seasoned cooks and everything in between so I enjoy sharing to each of them.
Thank you for professional reply ti the negative feedback. I have used both your recipes and love them! Thank you for sharing them with us.
is it velveeta or shredded cheddar? pic shows cheddar…..recipe is different.
Please read the post. There’s 2 versions of this mac and cheese recipe. The original I share at the bottom and the new and updated one I shared starts at the top and is included in the recipe card.
The recipe calls for Velveeta, but not cream cheese. I’m confused
Super easy and delicious!
So glad you thought so, Jen!
Can I freeze it?
I find that it can be frozen but when you warm it up, it’s preferred to do it on the stovetop with some milk added to it. The cheese can clump otherwise.
I made this recipe. I used Velveeta for mine. I had friends over for dinner and we all loved this slow cooker Mac & Cheese. Very happy with the way it turned out & tasted
Thank you for sharing, Renee! Nice to have a dish everyone can enjoy.