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'm disappointed in this recipe. Turned out more like a mushy soup
Can this recipe be doubled successfully? Was wanting to do it for a luncheon tomorrow and I have never made it so I am nervous
love fort lauderdale
I must have done something wrong. This turne out like pasta in kindergarten paste.
Italy!!!! Love pasta, and would love to go there and learn to do it right!!
Plus it's so beautiful there….
Merry Christmas!!! ☺️
So I'm sorry to say that after 2 1/2 hours my mac and cheese was a huge pile of mush that resembled mash potatoes with a grainy texture. The flavor was amazing. I wish I would've checked it at the 1 1/2 hour mark like the directions stated but I wasn't home to do do:0( Next time I'm definitely gonna stop cooking at that time.
The taste was spot-on but it just didn't thicken enough. the cheese seemed to melt enough, but I think there might be too much milk in the recipe. I've seen a similar recipe floating around with only 2 1/2 cups of milk, but I've heard that's not enough milk. Anyway, bottom line is I think there might be too much milk for the mixture to sufficiently thicken before the macaroni are done. The taste was great though and I'm going to work with this recipe as a base!
I would travel to all the places my parents went to. My mom passed away October 2011. They have traveled so many places. Ireland, Paris, Colorado, Nova Scotia and New Mexico. I can't remember them all. I want to see what they saw through their eyes. My dad still tells me the stories. Love it and do miss her.
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So I tried this recipe today and I really wanted to love it but I didn't. I loathe the taste of evaporated milk (I can taste it no matter what you do with it) but I was hoping this would be different; no dice. My family did seem to like the taste, texture not so much. Mine came out kind of grainy I guess is the best way to put it, like the cheese never fully melted even though it looked like it. It was also so "goopy" as my daughter put it. She and I didn't care much for the texture but then I'm also weird about that as well! I think most people would like this just fine but between my texture issues and the after taste of evaporated milk *sigh* It wasn't for me. I think I was reminded why I've never liked homemade mac and cheese though!
If i could travel anywhere it would be to Germany. I would love to go because that is part of my family heritage and I have a great friend to visit.
awesome recipe. Will have to try that one weekend
My dream trip is Fiji island. I googled many places to visit there The huts over the water the calm. With 3 teens in the house and a full time job, sometime I just have fun locking myself in the office googling these places and imagining being there with the hubby (the kids too, it's too pretty not to bring them to enjoy but they would be in a different cabin) just relaxing looking at the ocean beneath me.
Kat: I wouldn't suggest cooking this recipe on High heat. Cook on low and check for doneness starting at the 1.5-hour mark.
Susan: Based on readers' recommendations, I increased the amount of milk to 4 cups and have since made it a few times that way. It is GREAT! Just be sure to start checking for doneness at 1.5 hours and you should be fine!
Megan
I saw this same recipe posted on Facebook, same picture and ingredients! But the one on Facebook only said 2 1/2 c. milk. I'm confused. Would 4 cups be too much liquid, along with the evaporated milk?
I would travel back in time February 2012 and do things different so I don't lose the love of my life and have to spend the rest of my life missing her
Italy and Spain. The food, the architecture, the people and the landscape are just mesmerizing. Its been a dream of mine to go there forever!
Is it ok to cook this on high? I have only ever seen the picture usi n g less milk and no accompanying instructions. I stirred it a few times and it was a little clumpy the last time. I sincerely hope it is not ruined :-/
My dad in l.a. we haven't seen each other in years. $ is tight on both ends 🙂
Made exactly as instructed and ours was way too "watery" I would not use the full 4 cups of milk. Also even though I broke the cream cheese up it was still globby. Was going to make this for a family party and am glad I did a trial run because it needs some work first.
FB brought me here to correct an unbalanced recipe. This one seems to be the correct version. I believe this will be a maker this weekend here for us tough Minnesotans. I did like reading your 'blog post' bout your adventure, sounds like fun times! It is always great to be home. Love to see new places but home is definitely where the heart is at ease! To answer your question as many have, My favorite place to be in the world would have to be in Northern MN sitting at the kitchen table with my Grandma talking and trading recipes. She passed when I was very young, so didnt get much of a chance to know her but my mom always tells me I cook/bake or Im just like her in the kitchen. Pinch of this.. a dash of that .. and maybe a few shakes of something else. I do follow recipes but at some point, I tend to make them 'mine'. =) Thanks again for the easy cheezy.. Looking forward to some new ones. Toodles
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FB brought me here to correct an unbalanced recipe. This one seems to be the correct version. I believe this will be a maker this weekend here for us tough Minnesotans. I did like reading your 'blog post' bout your adventure, sounds like fun times! It is always great to be home. Love to see new places but home is definitely where the heart is at ease! To answer your question as many have, My favorite place to be in the world would have to be in Northern MN sitting at the kitchen table with my Grandma talking and trading recipes. She passed when I was very young, so didnt get much of a chance to know her but my mom always tells me I cook/bake or Im just like her in the kitchen. Pinch of this.. a dash of that .. and maybe a few shakes of something else. I do follow recipes but at some point, I tend to make them 'mine'. =) Thanks again for the easy cheezy.. Looking forward to some new ones. Toodles
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