This one-pot Homemade Mac and Cheese Recipe only takes 15 minutes to make. It’s full of flavor, extra creamy, and made with two types of cheese! My family devours this easy recipe whenever I make it.
Creamy Homemade Mac And Cheese
This incredible Mac and Cheese recipe only takes 15 minutes to make and uses just one pot. It’s just a little more work than a boxed mix, but the flavor is 100x better. It’s made with real ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen.
I use a mixture of sharp cheddar cheese and white cheddar cheese, but this recipe is easily adapted to use whatever meltable cheese is in your fridge. You can also add in your favorite mix-ins, for an elevated dinner!
It’s a dream come true for any of you fellow mac and cheese lovers out there — just wait till you try this recipe! I bet you won’t have any leftovers. ;-)
Why Make Mac And Cheese From Scratch?
If you are waffling on making your own homemade mac and cheese versus a box, let me share why I think homemade is better:
- It takes about the same amount of time! Just 15 minutes for this mac and cheese recipe.
- This recipe uses all real cheese, unlike store bought mixes.
- FLAVOR. This Mac and Cheese is loaded with flavor. Just wait till you try that first bite!
What You’ll Need
Here’s a quick overview of what you’ll need to make homemade mac and cheese. Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card for specific amounts.
- Elbow noodles – You can use other kinds of pasta too, like cavatappi or ziti.
- Cheese – I use a blend of sharp cheddar cheese and white cheddar cheese.
- Cream Cheese and Sour Cream: Because we are using real cheese, I like to use a little cream cheese and sour cream help to smooth out the melted cheese. You know, smooth like Velveeta, but actual real cheese.
- Butter
- Garlic – I know the raw garlic is a little unusual, however I promise it doesn’t taste like raw garlic. It does add a lot to the overall flavor!
- Ground mustard – An optional addition, but most of the mac and cheese you have eaten has a little ground mustard. Just like the garlic, the final recipe doesn’t taste mustard-y, this just helps to round out the flavor of the cheese.
- Salt and Pepper
What is the Best Cheese for Mac and Cheese?
I recommend using two types of cheddar cheeses to give it the best flavor: sharp cheddar cheese and white cheddar cheese. I like the Cabot block cheeses because they have such great flavor and make an epic homemade mac and cheese! Other yummy cheeses you can use include:
- Mild Cheddar or Sharp Cheddar
- White Cheddar
- Monterrey Jack or Pepper Jack
- Mozzarella
- Gouda or Smoked Gouda
- Provolone
- Gruyère
- Fontina
Shred Your Own Cheese
I recommend using blocks of cheese that you shred yourself. I know, I know, but it makes a big difference. Pre-shredded cheese has starch on it to keep it from clumping and is dryer than actual blocks of whole cheese.
If you do end up using pre-shredded cheese in this recipe, you may need to add a little splash of whole milk. The added starch from pre-shredded cheese will thicken the recipe, so you may need something else to loosen it again. You will know at the end if you want to add a little milk to yours or not!
How To Make Mac and Cheese In 3 Easy Steps
- Boil pasta and drain! Return cooked pasta to the pot and place back on the stove over low heat.
- Add everything else. Immediately stir in all remaining ingredients and continue stirring until completely melted.
- Devour. Immediately dive in and try not to say MMM out loud!
Tips for the Best Mac and Cheese
- Use block cheese and shred it. Pre-shredded cheese is coated and won’t melt the same as a block of cheese that you shredded yourself. Plus, if you let your food processor do all the work it’s not really that much extra effort.
- Use salted water. This adds extra flavor to the noodles.
Variation Ideas
If we’re feeling crazy, sometimes we elevate our mac and cheese to a decadent dinner with some fun additions. Below are some of my favorite mix-ins or toppings:
- Crispy cooked bacon bits
- Green onions
- Caramelized onions
- Garlic Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
- Ham
- Cooked chicken
I also love creating an epic southern dinner by topping this homemade mac and cheese recipe with my slow cooker pulled pork!
How to Store and Reheat Extras
- Fridge: Store extra mac and cheese in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge.
- To Reheat: Scoop the desired amount into a microwave-safe bowl and zap it until the pasta is warmed through. For extra creaminess, I recommend adding a tablespoon or so of milk and stirring that into your mac and cheese before heating.
This recipe for Homemade Mac and Cheese is as delicious as it is easy. There is so much flavor and cheese-y goodness in each bite! Plus, no one would guess that you made it in just 15 minutes with one single pot!
When you try this recipe, make sure and come back and leave a review or comment on how this recipe turned out for you!
Homemade Mac and Cheese Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups elbow noodles, about 12 oz
- 8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 4 oz white cheddar cheese, shredded
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 2 tablespoons butter, chopped
- 1 oz cream cheese, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoon dry ground mustard, optional
- salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot over high heat, bring salted water to a boil. Add elbow noodles; cook according to package.
- Drain noodles, lower heat to medium-low, and return cooked noodles to pot.
- Immediately stir in both shredded cheeses, sour cream, butter, cream cheese, garlic, ground mustard (optional) salt and freshly ground pepper.
- Continue stirring until completely melted and serve immediately!
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Notes
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I loved the Mac and cheese it was so good.
Best mac and cheese!!!
Do you think this would freeze well?
Sadly no, the noodles tend to soak up too much of the cheese and you wind up with mushy Mac and cheese once you thaw and reheat it. :-( So glad you liked it though!
Thanks that’s what I thought.. darn
l love this mac & cheese
OMG thank you for is this recipe! It was the beat stovetop homemade Mac n cheese I ever made. I have an extremely picky eater and if it doesn’t taste just right he won’t eat it. This came out perfect. I did tweak it a bit, used garlic salt instead of regular salt and fresh garlic (didn’t have fresh garlic on hand) and added a bit of onion powder. This is a must keep recipe for me! Thanks for sharing!
So glad you enjoyed it!!
This incredible Homemade Mac and Cheese Recipe looks really delicious! I have to put this on my menu!
I bet your added ingredients add so much flavor! I love that you used different cheeses to mix it up.
Made this tonight and it was a real hit!
Making for dinner! Using extra sharp Irish Cheddar and a smoked gouda adding in some diced kielbasa and broccoli :)
I like to add cream cheese to my mac and cheese but never thought to use sour cream to achieve that rich creaminess. I’ll have to give this a try next time I am craving that comforting cheesiness of homemade mac n’ cheese.
I want the Tom Fords – and this is coming from someone who rarely wants expensive things (and even MORE rarely purchases them)! So tempting. But I feel guilty enough buying a pair that costs more than $50. Or $20 sometimes. *sigh*
Swoon! Mac and cheese is my BFF
This is a great recipe! I did not add the garlic (I’m a loser!) and it tasted great! It’s very rich, so you can’t eat a whole lot in one sitting.
yes. yes. yes. I want this now (even though I just ate lunch!) ;)
If you plan on wearing the sunglasses for a very long time, I think spending $300 is fine. I’ve had my maui jims for over 10 years. Sometimes when you spend a lot of money on something, you take better care of it. When I don’t buy nice sunglasses, I end up purchasing 1 or 2 pair each year – and that adds up to.
I love making homemade stove-top, but I still can’t resist the box every now and then. :) And, cute shades, girl! TOMS knock-offs? I’m all for it!
Yum! This will definitely be the next mac & cheese recipe for me to try – I’ve tried several different kinds and while they’re good, they’re not the perfect texture/taste I’ve been trying to achieve – this looks like a keeper! :)
I bet the sour cream makes this scrumptious! Gotta make it!
I love Cabot cheese, too! I call it “”Ca-beau” to make it sound fancier.
I’m totaling making this tonight with my burgers, but I think I’ll add some jalapenos to it. MMmmm thanks for this recipe I loves me some mac and cheese!
The photo’s made my mouth water. Your introduction, cracked me up!
I am always searching for a good non-roux based mac and cheese. Not GF or anything, just not a fan of the subtle texture the flour lends to the saucy business. Thanks for this!
Dot on true! Love the rich purple fabric and home made mac and cheese is SO better than the blue box.
I’ve never used sour cream or cream cheese in mac ‘n cheese but it sounds like a delicious idea! This looks so mouthwatering, Jessica! Could be made light with whole wheat noodles, light sour cream and fat free cream cheese!
I have a knockoff pair too! And I love them! Love stovetop mac and cheese – the best!
If you’re going to be demanding about anything, then mac and cheese is totally the place to do it. I just feel like if I’m ingesting a ton of cheese calories it had better be showstopping. And taste like unicorns. This SO is.
It looks FANTASTIC! I love the “290 times better”….you crack me up! (and I suspect this recipe is 290 times better than the blue box)
Something is wrong with me — i’ve been living in the States for 6 years now and never tasted mac and cheese before. Gotta alter this ASAP. Thanks for this simple yum recipe :)
I love your mac and cheese comparison to the $300 Tom Ford sunglasses.
Jessica-I grew up eating homemade velveeta
Mac n cheese. Use velveeta as your cheese
Cube and layer with cooked pasta and
pepper. Add milk until you can see it at the
top. Bake 350 for at least an hour, stirring
occasionally and add more milk if needed.
Not demanding, you just know what you want :)
Love this recipe!!
Can you make ahead?
It’s really best made fresh!
No matter how many mac n’ cheese recipes I find, I can’t resist trying new ones. This looks awesome, and I love how truly quick and easy it is!
Swooning over “seriously sharp” cheddar! Must try that soon!
LOL, you are hilarious, but I think your reasoning is spot-on. This looks amazing but I should disclose that I will pretty much inhale any type of mac and cheese that I happen upon. My husband is one of those garlic hating losers…ugh!
I loooove Cabot cheese too. I’m such a huge white cheddar fan!
The extra $5 also means its not full of processsed crap :)
I’d sell my right arm for some mac & cheese right now.
This has delicious and comfort written all over it.
This past Christmas my sister got two pairs of Tom Ford sunglasses from her husband in addition to other gifts. I was like what?!?!? I am more of the knockoff girl.
Haha I died when I read your “if a loser” comment! I looove stovetop Mac ‘n’ Cheese, so I neeeeed to try this!
my favorite sentence of this post: “If you are a loser and do not like garlic, just leave it out!” ha, love it! =D
Oooooh, girl. This looks AMAZING! So worth the extra $4 to go homemade! :)
Cabot cheese is the absolute best!! I’ve been loving the Seriously Sharp for years now and have turned all my family and friends onto it! I might just have to make this tonight!
Thank god I am not the only one with completely unreasonable expectations of designer wares!
Dying.
Dying because I UNDERSTAND the sunglasses thing. I’m about to do the SAME with some Ray Bans. Don’t tell anyone.
Also dying because I want 35 little bowls of that awesomeness.
Mmmm…nothin’ like comfort food! :D
Delicious! I haven’t made this is such a long time and I love your recipe!
Looks so tempting.
The pics are beautiful
Look at how melty and glorious that is!
Ohhhhh, I need this!
Mac & Cheese (Velveeta variety) is my husband’s all-time favorite food. ever. I’ve made countless homemade versions for him to try, and while he likes them all, he keeps going back to his boxed kind. My goal in life is to make a mac & cheese—from scratch—that he’ll love. Whenever I see a new recipe for it I make it for him…maybe this one will do the trick? Crossing my fingers!
In 2007 B.C. (before child) and before that, I bought designer shades. Now, I buy Target. lol
And I buy camera lenses. Who am I now?!
I love the rich purple velour styling on this post…beautiful!
definitely not a loser…more garlic please and thank you!
I bet this is seriously creamy with sour cream and cream cheese! Yum!