Recipes

Slow Cooker Macaroni and Cheese

Slow cooker macaroni and cheese is the best thing you can bring to a party or potluck!

Slow cooker macaroni and cheese is the best thing you can bring to a party or potluck!

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Macaroni and cheese is right up there in my top five favorite foods. I love the creaminess of a great cheesy sauce, the intense cheese flavors it showcases, and the way it warms you up from the inside.

Usually, I am one hundred percent team skillet macaroni and cheese. I want it gooey and oozing, full of melty cheesy goodness. The baked version isn’t my favorite – I think it usually loses some of that creamy goodness that makes it so completely irresistible. So until the past year, I never even tried to make macaroni and cheese in the slow cooker.

Slow cooker macaroni and cheese is the best thing you can bring to a party or potluck!

Last Thanksgiving I hosted after being out of town the week before, so I knew I needed my dishes to be simple – things I could pull together without a lot of oversight. Plus, mac and cheese + kids = big win.

So real talk: I worked on it without any huge expectations. It turned out to be the most popular side on the table! It was the only thing that had zero leftovers, and not just because of the kiddos.

Slow cooker macaroni and cheese is the best thing you can bring to a party or potluck!
Slow cooker macaroni and cheese is the best thing you can bring to a party or potluck!
Slow cooker macaroni and cheese is the best thing you can bring to a party or potluck!

Also, I love this stuff. Me, who usually looks down her nose a bit at baked macaroni and cheese. It’s got the goodness you want in macaroni and cheese, but you don’t have to watch it the way you would for a skillet version. Perfect for potlucks and holiday meals!

I made this recently for a four-year-old birthday party. I asked what I could bring, the dad (not the four-year-old) asked for the mac and cheese.


It’s using the Velveeta that lets the macaroni and cheese keep its gooey texture. I know, it’s fake cheese. But it works here. Just trust me.

Slow cooker macaroni and cheese is the best thing you can bring to a party or potluck!

Tools you’ll need: slow cooker, stock pot.

Slow Cooker Macaroni and Cheese

Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 40 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: slow cooker, vegetarian

Ingredients

  • 1 lb elbow macaroni uncooked
  • 6 Tbsp unsalted butter
  • 8 oz Velveeta cheese cubed
  • 12 oz can evaporated milk
  • 1 1/4 cup 2% milk
  • 1 1/4 cups cream
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1 lb sharp cheddar cheese shredded

Instructions

  • Cook the macaroni to al dente according to the box instructions. Meanwhile, spray the slow cooker with cooking spray. 
  • Drop the drained macaroni into the slow cooker and add the butter, stirring until melted. 
  • Add the Velveeta, milks, cream, salt & pepper and all but 1/4 cup of the cheddar cheese. 
  • Cook on low for 2.5-3 hours. When you’re ready to serve, sprinkle with the remainder of the cheddar and give one more stir. 

Writing this made me want some for dinner! Hmm, I wonder if I’ve got enough cheese in the house right now…

Slow cooker macaroni and cheese is the best thing you can bring to a party or potluck!

Want more great party food? Try spinach dip, nutella brownies, or buffalo chicken casserole. And sign up for our email list for more recipes and meal plans!

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