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.
Video
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.
Hi, I like the look of your original recipe. I want to make it a little healthier (no butter, skim milk, evaporated skim milk and 2% cheddar cheese). Normally, I add some canned pumpkin in my stove top recipe (for color and it adds some vegies – normally no one can taste it). If I want to use your original version, should I start with uncooked pasta? Have you ever tried adding pumpkin?
I need enough for 12 hungry people , any help
Hi Robert! This recipe makes a lot, but if you are worried about not having enough make 1.5 times what the recipe calls for. I hope this helps! Enjoy!!
Megan
Does crock pot size matter? I wanna make this recipe for 7 people but my crock pot is about 2 quarts.
Hi Jenna! A 2-quart crockpot probably isn’t quite large enough. I make the recipe for approximately 10 servings in a 6.5-quart crockpot and it fills about two-thirds of the way. I hope this helps!
Megan
I made the second version for Thanksgiving and it was a hit! I only cooked the noodles for 3 minutes and then put in the crockpot. This recipe received rave reviews and a lot of please make it again requests. Thank you!!!
I’m so glad it was a hit, Jennifer! I typically boil the pasta for around three minutes, too, and it always turns out perfect. Thanks for taking the time to comment!
Megan
I also tried the original recipe for thanksgiving because I’m not a fan of velveta. I followed the Recipe other than that I put all the ingredients in the crock pot about an hour and a half before I actually started cooking and used organic noodles. I did not pre cook the noodles and they actually ended up kind of over cooked. The real problem though was just the flavor. It was super bland, and weird tasting even after adding salt and pepper. It also seemed like there weren’t enough noodles compared to how much cheese there was but maybe that’s because the of the organic noodles I used.
Hi! I tried the original recipe for Thanksgiving the other day. I put it on low, and when I hit the two hour mark it was still SO SOUPY, so I turned it up to high and it was fine 🙂 I am a mac and cheese connoisseur lol and I was excited to try this. It unfortunately was super bland. The most bland Mac and cheese I’ve ever had. It was definitely creamy and looked delish, but NO flavor. Everyone said they liked it but not sure if they were just being nice haha. I’m going to try the newer version and see if I like that one better.
With the new recipe do I also boil the noodles before putting it in . I don’t want them to be soggy . Thank you
I made the original recipe from the picture. It unfortunately turned out horrible 🙁 No Mac n cheese for thanksgiving now.
Ugh! I didn’t see the velveeta part! Can I still make this minus velveeta??
Me too!!! I only bought the ingredients listed in the picture ?
Ruby, I am from the south east.. Mac and cheese has to part of and meal at family get together and usually the most fav!
If I double the noodles do I need to double all other ingredients? That seems like it would be a lot of milk. I’ve never cooked pasta in the slow cooker, so I’m not sure how quickly it absorbs the milk.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Yes, Jodi, double it all and make sure your crockpot can accommodate all of the ingredients! ENJOY!
Megan
After I get my Thanksgiving dinner ready to serve, I am going to put the mac and cheese on for company coming for left overs. Think it will fit in well.
I am from the Pacific Northwest and mac and cheese is not a usual part of Thanksgiving dinner. Is it in your part of the country?
OK so where does the evaporated milk come in??
Hi Carrie! Use the evaporated milk if you try my "original" recipe. The main recipe in the post has been revised and doesn’t use the evaporated milk. I hope this makes sense!
Megan
Hi there! Is this 16oz of uncooked macaroni? I know there’s a difference in cooked and uncooked when measuring. Thank you!
Hi Wendy! Yes, a 16-oz. package of uncooked pasta. Hope that helps!
Megan
Ok first of all…. I love the old version. I can’t drag myself to try the new one…. I love it too much ! So with that said…. this will be year 3 for us for Thanksgiving and Xmas
So good to hear from a fan of the old version! Enjoy!!
Megan
I make this every year and my family loves it.. It’s quick easy, good and cheesy
So glad to hear it, Beverly! We love it, too!
Megan
In the pic it showed like everyone else states, I did not see the Velveeta and Evap milk so i bought some and then went into site and seen the 2 diff recipes i wasMore confused. And then read the reviews and people had different preferences for both recipes which conflicted me more. I liked the idea of adding cream cheese so i just combined the recipes. And must add that its nice, thick, creamy and tasteful. Like it!
Hello Beverly
Was wondering which recipe did you use? The original or the newer version?
Thank you
Why would the older recipe be dry when it it calls for more milk than the new recipe?
How could the older recipe turn out dry, when it calls for MORE milk plus 12 oz evaporated milk? The cream cheese sounds better than Velveeta in my opinion
Hi Jessica! Since the original recipe does not require pre-cooking the noodles, it sucks up more liquid. I hope that makes sense! By the way, I suggest pre-cooking pasta even for just a few minutes first for both recipes to ensure it doesn’t come out dry.
Megan
Hello, Do you know what the cooking time is on this if it is doubled in a larger crock pot? Would it stay about the same? Thanks
hi, how many hours?? thank you.