18 Secrets to the Richest, Creamiest Mac and Cheese
Ever wondered why your mac and cheese failed to perform? Too soft, too thick, too eggy…and you’re tired of trying recipe after endless recipe in search of the right one. Good news for you: I’m a master of the successful mac and cheese and today you’ll learn my 18 proven secrets to the richest, creamiest mac and cheese you’ll ever put in your mouth.Â
Macaroni and cheese isn’t a hard dish to make, but there are so many versions, cheeses and variations, how in the WORLD do you know which one is right? To get you started, check out my most popular versions:
The creamy classic:Â
A little kick:
Spicy baked macaroni and cheese
Stovetop:
Three cheese stovetop macaroni and cheese
Something hearty and different:Â
Baked mac and cheese with tomatoes
Now that you have the basics to choose from, here are the 18 secrets for the richest, creamiest mac and cheese that I put in to play each and every time I make it for anyone. They never fail me, and I know they’ll work for you, too:
- Cook your butter and flour together for about one minute to remove any raw flour flavor before adding the milk or cream to your recipe.
- Undercook your pasta—cook one minute less than the package directions to avoid a mushy mac and cheese.
- Swap rich cream for all or half of the milk in the recipe.
- Cook your pasta in salted water.
- Season every layer of your sauce: the roux, after the milk is added and after the cheese is melted in. Just a little sprinkle of salt is plenty–it will add up. You can even take the total amount of salt recommended in the recipe and just add a bit to each step. That works just fine.
- Choose noodle shapes that will hold on to the sauce—this includes shells, corkscrews, rotini or anything with ridges.
- Add the cheese to the milk and flour mix with the heat off so the mixture doesn’t separate.
-  Don’t add all your noodles at once; see how much sauce you have and add more noodles as needed OR Make more sauce than you think you’ll need for a super creamy final product.
- Avoid over baking. Bake only for the time recommended, or when the center is bubbling and you see some golden edges. Cooking it too long will give you a mushy final product.
- Consider a dash of dry mustard powder.Â
- Add a pinch of cayenne pepper for some heat .
- Spice it up with jalapenos, a little salsa and pepper jack cheese.
- Swap out your cheeses. Cheddar is best but add a melter like fontina, Monterey jack or some parmesan.
- Bake your mac and cheese in a more shallow, wider dish if you want more of that crunchy top.
And speaking of toppings, you might try:
15. Breadcrumbs with garlic and parmesan
16. Crispy panko style crumbs with herbs
17.Add a little melted a butter into your bread crumbs before topping your mac
Now pick your cheeses:
(this is #18 for all of you keeping track)
For the best results, choose at least one flavor cheese and one melting cheese.Â
 Flavor cheeses                             Melting Cheeses
Sharp cheddar                                 Fontina
Asiago                                         Gruyere
Pepper Jack                                    Mascarpone
Provolone                                      Mozzarella
Bleu cheese                                     Meunster
Gorgonzola                                     Velveeta
Anything smoked                                Monterey Jack
Romano                                        Swiss
Colby Jack                                      American
So there it is: every tip and trick I keep under my belt to make one of the most loved family favorites. How will you make your mac and cheese unique? Drop a comment here and and let me know what changes you’ve made and how your family likes theirs.
Hi! I’m making this for a party…do you think sharp cheddar and mascarpone would taste good? And what would the ratio be for flag and melting cheeses, a cup each?
Hey Elle…you know, I don’t think I’d use mascarpone here. People put cream cheese in mac and cheese all the time but girl, I dunno. :/ Mascarpone is bland to say the least and it can make it a challenge to get your seasoning right. Plus for me, it can almost make your dish too rich. You can try it if you just really want to but I’d do it when you aren’t making it for a big group of people–just to test it. Let me know if you do it,okay?
Hello Rachel, Thank you for all of the information. I am new to making Mac& cheese like this. Sounds great and I want to learn more cooking from you. LOL can this be made ahead of time and then frozen in the aluminum pans to be finish later when needed? I like to make up large bathes of food. Vacumm seal then to eat later when I don’t have time to cook from start. This summer I am planning to cook outside a lot on my pellet grill so the house does not get hot with to oven on. Thanks for any and all of your help now and in the future. I will be coming back to your website more often!
John you are welcome here in my kitchen anytime! I actually don’t recommend freezing mac and cheese ahead because I feel like the pasta gets mushy. It’s one of those things you can make ahead and put in the fridge for up to two days before you bake it. (You will need to add a 1/2 cup of milk to it before baking because it gets pretty thick as it sits.) But as far as vacuum sealing and freezing, you might want to avoid that here. I wish I could say yes, but I want everything you make to turn out fabulously. 🙂 Please do come back as often as you can. I appreciate you and thank you for your question. –Rachel
I use onion powder,dry mustard, and a bit of nutmeg! If I have people who like a little bite , I use a little cyanne pepper. Topping it with crumbled ritz crackers mixed with a little melted butter is also good.
How much shredded cheese can one expect from a block?
Hi Debra, a block of cheese is usually 8 ounces. Once it’s shredded, it will get you close to 2 cups. Let me know if you have any other questions.
When do you add the panko to the dish?
To make it creamier should I use cream instead of milk? You think cheddar and smoked gouda would still be a creamy Mac and cheese with some cream cheese for the stove top recipe? I want mine as creamy as possible! 🙂
Well Jeffrie, I can certainly tell you’re on a mission for creaminess. Yes, you can use cream but just swapping to cream won’t make it creamier (as in less dry) but it will make it richer. Totally different issue. I think if you want it to be truly creamy, you should make 1 1/2 times the sauce and the same amount of pasta then you’ll have a saucier final product. And I think cheddar and smoked gouda will compete for flavor–I’d use cheddar and regular gouda so that the smoked flavor and the sharpness of the cheese don’t create a Frankenstein. 😉 Let me know if that doesn’t make sense. You’ll get it just right I know.–Rachel
Question-can you make this ahead and store in the fridge before dinnertime? Say for instance a teenager needs to place in the oven because Mom won’t be there for dinner?
Hi LeAnn–yes you certainly can. It bakes up just great but may take a little longer since it’s cold. Maybe 45-50 minutes for a full recipe to get hot all of the way through. Thanks for asking! –Rachel
Thanks! I’ve trued quite a few of your Mac and Cheese Recipes, but all of them have ended up mushy and flavorless! Hopeful, next time by following these tips I can avoid that, although I’m still not completely sure what was causing that!
Thanks so much!
Mushy and flavorless? Wow Pegasus. My only guess there is 1) the pasta was cooked too long. Literally read the back of the box and set a timer for two minutes less than whatever the box recommends for “al dente”. 2) maybe your taste buds want more salt (or maybe some of the dry mustard powder mentioned in this post) 3) and maybe you might like another type of cheese. I like a sharp cheddar. If you are using a mild that may be falling a little flat for you. If you are used to eating boxed mac and cheese it can take time to adjust to eating something that’s not filled with preservatives and flavor enhancers too. One thing I’ve learned is that sometimes we have to keep trying–even when recipe doesn’t turn out right the first time, there’s a way. I hope you have much better success this time! –Rachel
Thanks for reminding me that the cheese needs to be shredded at home. I’ve heard before that the pre-shredded stuff doesn’t melt as well as block cheese. Keep giving us solutions, there are plenty of sites with recipes, but solutions are so appreciated.
I’ll do my best Kris! I hope you make a fantastic mac and cheese with these tips!
Thanks, Rachel, I’ve never seen so much good information on the “simple” mac & cheese. My sauce invariable curdles and it’s because it’s too hot when I add the cheese! The list of cheeses and their purpose is so helpful. Thank you, thank you!
Hey Kris! I’m so glad you found this useful. I’m really trying to develop solutions for you and not just “more recipes”. One tip I may have forgotten to add to the post–I recommend using only block cheese and shredding it yourself and not the bagged stuff. It takes a little longer to shred, but the bagged cheeses are coated in cellulose which can change the texture of your macaroni and cheese later. Thank you for reading and being with me! –Rachel