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.
I made the original recipe this afternoon. I cooked on LOW for 2 hours, stirring twice then on HIGH for 1 hour stirring twice. The consistency was perfect.
Since there was no additional seasoning added and others commented on this dish being bland, I added kosher salt (to taste), 1/4 t. garlic powder, 1/4 t hot Hungarian paprika and 1 T dijon mustard. I didn’t add enough paprika to make it hot/spicy; it just added nice flavor.
Absolutely delicious and kid approved! I’ll definitely make this again.
Thanks for the comment, Kristy! Glad you enjoyed it!
Megan
Bland really bland.
Then add spices? All food is pretty bland with not spices, ?
I am going to make this for my kids. How is the clean up? Last time I made mac and cheese it was such a goey mess I swore I would never make it again, lol!
Honestly Kristi, the clean-up isn’t bad! Just don’t let it sit and cook for hours after serving.
Megan
Can I make this with gluten free noodles?
I just made this today with gluten free noodles and we all loved it!!
So great to know, Angela! Glad it turned out great!
Megan
How many cups are a serving? I am making for a big group of people & want to make sure I make enough for everyone. Thanks!
Hi Jessalyn! I’d consider a full cup to be one serving. If you are serving other food with it, one batch should be enough. If you’re planning on serving it as a main course, you may want to try two batches. I hope this helps and I hope it turns out great!
Megan
Just wondering if anyone has made this and froze it to warm up in crock pot the next day??
Hi Sabrina! No need to freeze if it’s warmed up the following day. Just put it in the fridge and it’ll be great! Enjoy!
Megan
I’d go to Heaven to see my mama, daddy a couple of best friends and many dear friends and family again. Best trip I could ever go on. I’ve made similar in pans, not in the crockpot, will try!
Ive made this several times now, never the same each time… 1st time was regular, 2nd time I added Lobster, Shrimp and Crab for a Seafood Mac N Cheese version, 3rd time was with Bacon and used Smoked Gouda cheese DELICIOUS! Thanks for the recipe!!
I tried the new version because I’m not a fan of cream cheese..it was delicious! Made it for a Christmas potluck and got rave reviews. Making for another party this weekend!
Could you give me the updated recipe as I am confused which is the new one and which is the old one Because it reads both are the original. Could you give the one that was the one everyone likes thanks you
Hi Stacey! The updated recipe is typed out in the grey box at the bottom of the post. The original is depicted in the photo below it. I hope this helps!
Megan
I am confused sorry, could you tell me the latest updated recipe. Thank ypu
The recipe at the bottom of the post is recent, Stacey! Hope this helps!
Megan
Do I add evaporated milk to the new version? It just says milk to wanted to check. Thanks
Just regular milk in the updated version, Michelle. No evaporated milk needed!
Megan
Trying this recipe out. But I added a can of nacho cheese instead of velveeta because I didn’t have any.
has anyone done this without boiling the pasta first? I just saw that little instruction but everything is in the crock already
Hi Tina! It’ll work fine without boiling the pasta first. Keep a close eye on the pasta so it doesn’t get too dry and you should be just fine. Enjoy!
Megan
I don’t have evaporated milk and everything is closed can I just add more regular milk
I’m probably too late, Samantha, but YES…regular milk will work just fine! Merry Christmas!
Megan
I added bacon to it 30 minutes before being done! ?? It was delicious! I mean, really, how can you go wrong with bacon and cheese ?? Lol
YES, Debi! Bacon and cheese! And no, you cannot go wrong. 🙂 So glad you loved it!
Megan
Hi I followed the directions exactly It still has an hour to go but it seems very dry not creamy. Should I add more milk?
Sorry I’m late with this, Dana! I hope it turned out ok. Adding some milk should have helped!
Megan
Omg i just put all the ingredients together really quick and mixed them up…then i saw to cook noodles first! Hope it will work out anyways!. Why would I not read the whole thing first! lol
It should still turn out great, Laura! Just keep a close eye on it so the noodles don’t overcook. I hope it turns out great!
Megan
Really yummy!
I used 2lbs of macaroni, 1.5 cans of evaporated milk, 2 cups of heavy cream, 2 cups of whole milk, 6 cups of cheese (I used extra sharp and pepperjack), and 2 packages of cream cheese. I precooked the macaroni for about 3 minutes and then stirred it all together on low in a crock pot. It was ready after about an hour! I added a pinch of salt for taste, but it was not necessary.
This filled the crock pot perfectly!
I need to feed 25 people. How many servings did that make and what size of crock pot did you use with the larger recipe? Thanks!!
Hi Stacy! If this is acting as a side dish, you might be fine with making just one batch. If it’s more of a main dish, I’d suggest making two batches. For a single batch I use a 6.5-quart slow cooker. I hope that helps out! Enjoy!
Megan
Thank you!
How many quarts is the crockpot you made it in?
Hi Madison! I use a 6.5-quart crockpot and it fills about 2/3 of the way full. I hope this helps!
Megan