My Four Cheese Slow Cooker Macaroni and Cheese is so cheesy and creamy when it has finished cooking! And it’s a winner because it frees up your oven for other things you need to cook.
Slow Cooker Macaroni and Cheese
What if it’s too hot to heat up your kitchen during the summer??? Or what if it’s during the holidays and your oven is already tied up with that turkey or ham??? Use the slow cooker and make the best macaroni and cheese in all the land! 🙂
Why Using a Slow Cooker
I was a little nervous to make macaroni and cheese in the slow cooker… Why was I afraid??? Because I have read reviews for some slow cooker recipes and it wasn’t pretty! All the recipes ended up with an overcooked soggy mess! I said I would either get it or have an epic “nail it” that you usually see on the social media networks….
Well it looks like I did it and I am so damn excited! What’s the key??? To not overcook the noodles before you put them in the slow cooker, and to not over cook the mac’n’cheese either. I cooked this dish for about two and half hours and the noodles were still well put together!
Why Using Freshly Grated Cheese
I also used freshly grated cheeses because “something ain’t clean in the water” with those shredded cheeses! Casseroles just don’t seem to bind together like they should with shredded cheeses (because the pre-shredded cheeses has some type of coating on it, that keeps it from sticking together).
So do a little work and make this thing go with some freshly grated cheeses okay! XOXOXOXO The recipe is below and thanks for all the love and support! Please share! XOXO!
Tips to Make Slow Cooker Macaroni and Cheese
- If you are looking for that creamy runny texture serve immediately or at least remove it from the slow cooker heat source so that the pasta can retain as much moisture as possible….
- Do not overcook the noodles before adding them to the slow cooker – to prevent “mushy” noodles when cooking.
- Freezer Tips: You don’t want to cook this large portion? Take half of it and put it in the small foil bread baking pans. Cover the tops with foil and freeze. Check out my Freezer Macaroni and Cheese recipe for further steps.
P.S. Pair this with my Buttermilk Fried Chicken. My recipe for buttermilk fried chicken has how-to-steps to help you make the perfect buttermilk fried chicken.
Also here is a meal planning recipe with tips for Freezer Friendly Macaroni and Cheese and another slow cooker recipe from The Country Cook.
Enjoying This Slow Cooker Macaroni and Cheese? You will love these, too:
- Make Ahead Freezer Macaroni and Cheese
- New Orleans BBQ Shrimp – Recipe
- Tandoori Inspired Roasted Chicken Legs
- Super Moist Chocolate Cake
- Moist Red Velvet Cake and Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting
Made This Recipe?
♥♥♥ Please rate this recipe and leave a comment below to let me know if you enjoyed it. And follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for more delicious inspiration! ♥♥♥
Four Cheese Slow Cooker Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients
- One pound of elbow noodles
- 5 tablespoons salted melted butter
- 2 and 1/2 cups shredded muenster cheese
- 2 cups shredded gruyere cheese
- 1 cup shredded monteray jack cheese
- 4 and 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1 and 1/4 cups milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
Instructions
- Bring water to a boil in a large pot.
- Once the water is boiling add the pasta to the pot.
- Cook the pasta for about 3 minutes.
- While the pasta cooks, add the butter to the slow cooker and let it melt using the low setting. Or you can melt the butter on the stove top and then add it to the slow cooker. Once the butter is melted, brush the melted butter all over the slow cooker pot.
- Drain and rinse pasta with cold water to prevent the pasta from overcooking.
- Mix together the eggs, sour cream, heavy cream, milk, buttermilk, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, mustard, and sour cream in a large bowl. Then, add the cheeses (except one cup of the sharp cheddar) to the mixture, and mix well
- Add the cooked pasta to the mixture and stir all the ingredients together.
- Place the macaroni mixture in the buttered slow cooker (there will be a small pool of butter in the bottom of the slow cooker and that's ok. It actually makes for a great crust.)
- Lightly season the top of the macaroni mixture with black pepper.
- Cover the slow cooker with it's designated lid and let it cook for 2 hours on low heat.
- At the 2 hour mark, add your last cup of shredded cheese to the top of the casserole and let it cook for another 30 minutes.
- If you can, let it sit for at least 10 to 15 minutes before serving so that it will settle.
Notes
- This is a casserole type macaroni and cheese dish.... That means it binds together and is the ingredients are not loose like a boxed macaroni and cheese. If you are looking for that creamy runny texture serve immediately or at least remove it from the slow cooker heat source so that the pasta can retain as much moisture as possible....
- Also the key to success with this dish is to not overcook the noodles before adding them to the slow cooker. This prevents "mushy" noodles when cooking the noodles for only a few minutes before adding them to the slow cooker.
- Freezer Tips: You don't want to cook this large portion? Take half of it and put it in the small foil bread baking pans. Cover the tops with foil and freeze. When ready to bake. Remove from freezer and cook the for about one hour and 30 minutes (or until the macaroni and cheese is heated through) in a 350 degree heated oven. Make sure to put a baking pan under the pans of macaroni and cheese to prevent leaking of oils in the oven while the macaroni and cheese bakes.
Nutrition
Please note that I am not a nutritionist, and the nutritional information is an estimate only. It varies based on the products and brands used.
Thanks for stopping by! Welcome to the Savory Spicerack! In my kitchen, there is no such thing as a bland meal. Each of my creations are just the way food should be – packed with flavor and created with love. 
I’ve never thought of making macaroni and cheese in a slow cooker – such a great idea!
I haven’t tried macaroni and cheese in the slow cooker. This looks good and I have to try it. Nice post.
Yes this was my first time cooking it myself, and I was a little nervous about the outcome. But it turned out great! Thanks so much for stopping by!!!!
Looks amazing Sharee! We are literally drooling over the keyboard! And it’s still 11am here, on a wonderful Sunday morning. Still, this is torture:):) Absolute Food Porn!
Pinned!
Have a wonderful day 🙂
Thanks so much!
I’m still trying to perfect slow cooker mac n cheese….I have a few hits and lots of misses! I like your recipe and will give it a try.
I like that you use freshly grated cheese. The reason pre-grated cheese doesn’t always work in recipes is because of the flour that is added to keep the shreds from sticking together while packaged. I wondered for years why I couldn’t completely get rid of the flouriness in a cheese sauce – switched from pre-grated to grating my own and voila! Perfectly creamy sauce.
Thanks for sharing
Ange xxxx
Yes the flour on the cheese makes it the worse yea! I found using undercooked pasta works the best! Thanks for stopping by xoxo!