This homemade mac and cheese is ultra-creamy, super cheesy, and made on the stovetop in just one pot. It’s the easiest recipe EVER, taking less than 15 minutes to make! It’s a classic your whole family will love.
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“This recipe in now in rotation at our house. It’s as easy as a boxed mac and cheese but much more delicious. It comes out perfect every time even if I don’t quite have enough cheese!” -Katrina, FoodieCrush reader
An Old-Fashioned Mac and Cheese Recipe Made in 1 Pot on the Stove
No matter how old you are, you’re never too old for mac and cheese. It’s the ultimate comfort food. Like every kid, it was a favorite lunch and dinner growing up, especially if it had sliced hot dogs in it.
Now as an adult, it’s one of the most nostalgic dishes, right up there with my Mom’s spaghetti, sloppy Joes, and tuna noodle casserole, conjuring happy memories from my childhood.
And while I love making a batch of baked mac and cheese for special occasions when feeding a crowd (like Thanksgiving or Christmas), this stovetop mac and cheese recipe made with evaporated milk is my go-to for a quick dinner.
Enjoy!
Heidi’s Tips: Use Evaporated Milk to Make Your Mac and Cheese
Most macaroni and cheese recipes are typically made with fresh milk, but I actually prefer using evaporated milk. Evaporated milk is real cow’s milk that’s been cooked down so some of the water content evaporates, creating a shelf-stable, always-at-the-ready ingredient. It’s concentrated and has a slightly heavier taste than fresh milk.
In macaroni and cheese, evaporated milk keeps the cheese from breaking and becoming either chalky or greasy because there’s less moisture to contend with.
Need to substitute the evaporated milk? To make your own evaporated milk, simmer 2 ¼ cups of regular milk down to 1 cup. Or replace it with ¾ cup whole milk and ¼ cup half-and-half or cream.
Grab These 8 Simple Ingredients
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Small macaroni noodles — Such as elbows, spirals, rotini, or shells.
- Butter — For flavor and richness.
- Evaporated milk — For creaminess that helps blend better with the cheese than regular milk.
- Water — For cooking the noodles.
- Kosher salt — Always, for flavor (feel free to add pepper as well, if you like).
- Ground mustard/mustard powder — For a little tang and pep. To help the dried mustard mix cohesively and without lumps, whisk the ground mustard into 1 tablespoon of water until smooth, then stir into the sauce and noodles while cooking.
- Garlic powder — For savory oomph (optional)
- American cheese — American cheese is what gives this mac and cheese the extra creamy factor. I get it from the Smith’s Grocery deli counter where six slices work just right.
- Mild cheddar cheese — Choose a block of mild or medium cheddar cheese for flavor and be sure to shred it yourself (it will melt much better than pre-shredded cheese).
Heidi’s Tip: American cheese is a 100-year-old way of cheesemaking that preserves the protein of milk longer than in traditional cheeses. It’s made from milk, rennet, and salt, just like every other cheese, and shouldn’t be confused with the single slices of processed cheese sold in packages.
How to Make Ultra Creamy Stovetop Mac and Cheese
- Add the water, evaporated milk, butter, and elbow macaroni to a large pot. Boiling these ingredients all at once adds starch from the noodles to the sauce, thickening as it cooks. Plus, it makes things easier with no need to drain, and your pasta will still be al dente.
Heidi’s Tip: Keep a keen eye on the pot as it comes to a boil so it doesn’t boil over. Adding the evaporated milk to the water and noodles raises the internal heat and adds more bubbles so the mixture will overflow in an instant if you turn away for too long.
- Add ground mustard and kosher salt to the noodles while cooking. Ground mustard is a natural enhancer to a melty cheese sauce where it lingers in the background just barely being noticed and kosher salt flavors the noodles as they cook. Avoid using prepared mustard as it imparts a vinegar bite.
- Cook the noodles until al denté with about ⅓ cup of creamy sauce left in the bottom of the pan. Cooking the noodles directly in the water and evaporated milk creates a lightly thickened sauce thanks to the gluten and starch of the noodles.
- Avoid cooking the noodles and sauce dry! The style of noodles will depend on the cooking time. Sturdier, high-quality Italian noodles will take longer to cook where American macaroni takes less.
Ingredients Swaps and Additions
There’s not much you can do to make evaporated milk mac and cheese better than this, unless you add a few simple ingredients to make a meal, like:
- Veggies like spinach, peas, corn, sun-dried tomatoes, cooked broccoli, or roasted cauliflower
- Meats like chopped bacon, ham, or sliced hot dogs
- Caramelized onions or snipped chives
- A drizzle of pesto
- A garlicky toasted breadcrumb or Panko topping
- Cayenne pepper or hot sauce if you want some heat
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
Stovetop Mac and Cheese Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 ounces elbow, spiral, or shell macaroni noodles (about 2 ¾ cups)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 cups water
- 12 ounces Kroger evaporated milk
- 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard , dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder , optional
- 4 ounces American cheese , about 6 slices
- 4 ounces grated mild cheddar cheese , rounded ½ cup
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, add the noodles, butter, water, evaporated milk, and salt. In a small bowl, mash the dry mustard with a fork until smooth and add to the noodles. If using, add the garlic powder at this time. Stir the mixture, bring it to a boil, and quickly turn down the heat to a simmer before it boils over. Cook the noodles to the package directions for 5-8 minutes, or until tender. There should be ¼ to ⅓ cup liquid left in the pan when the noodles are done cooking. If not, add 1-2 tablespoons more evaporated milk to the noodle mixture. Remove from the heat.
- Add the cheese in batches to the noodles and use a wooden spoon to stir and combine until creamy. Taste for seasoning and serve hot.
Nutrition
What to Serve with Mac and Cheese
Storage, Freezing, and Reheating
To store: Leftovers will last up to 4 days if refrigerated in an airtight container.
To reheat: Microwave for 45 seconds on high power or 1 minute on medium power. To reheat on the stovetop, add 1-2 tablespoons of milk to the pan with the mac and cheese on medium heat.
To freeze: I don’t recommend freezing this mac and cheese, as it just doesn’t hold up as well after it’s been in the freezer. If you’re looking for a good mac and cheese to freeze and bake, use this recipe instead.
More Mac and Cheese Recipe Ideas
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Katrina
This recipe in now in rotation at our house. It’s as easy as a boxed mac and cheese but much more delicious. It comes out perfect every time even if I don’t quite have enough cheese!
Hayley
We’re go glad to hear this is a hit in your house, Katrina! It’s our favorite too. :)
Jil
I followed the recipe as written, with the exception of the pasta..I used cavatappi pasta and havarti sliced cheese vs American cheese. . I had a lot of liquid left after the pasta was done, so I added another 2/3 cup of cheese and a cornstarch slurry. Tastes delish!
Hayley
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Jill!
Paige
This is the best Macaroni and cheese! It’s totally addicting! This will be my go to recipe from now on.
Thank you for sharing.
Paige, I’m so glad you agree that this mac and cheese rocks! Thanks for the comment and 5-star rating. Cheese on!
Curtis
This recipe is too easy for such good tasting Mac and Cheese. Will be our go to for Mac and Cheese from now on. Thanks for the recipe.
Hayley
Thanks Curtis, we’re so glad you enjoyed it!
Maria
Hi Heidi happy Friday
Elizabeth
I wanted to start by saying, I NEVER take the time to rate recipes. Never. I’ve been on a search for a long time for perfect homemade mac and cheese and never found it until this recipe. This recipe is EVERYTHING. I could eat it every day. The only thing I do different is that after I’m done boiling the pasta, I drain it all off into a bowl because a LOT does not absorb for me. I just put in 1/3 cup and then a few tablespoons as I’m stirring the cheese to keep it smooth. Make this dish, you won’t be disappointed!! Thank you so so so much!
So glad you liked it Elizabeth!
Christina
My kids looove Mac and cheese but I hate buying it from the box… Not only was the an easy mac n cheese recipe but just kids absolutely loved it!!! It was so delish- my kids are very picky w seasonings so I only seasoned w salt which was good enough for them. Absolutely win! Thank you!!
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
Yay! I am glad you all enjoyed it!
Jana
We made this mac and cheese for dinner last night and it was wonderful! Most of the other homemade mac and cheese recipes I’ve tried either come out too dry or too clumpy. This one was perfect! Very creamy and flavorful.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much Jena. I agree that it is PERFECT!