Crock Pot Mac and Cheese {Farmhouse Style}

Name: Crock Pot Mac and Cheese
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 150 min
Total time: 160 min
Ingredients: 8 ounces macaroni (cooked); 2 tablespoons vegetable oil; 12 ounces evaporated milk; 1 1/2 cups milk; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon pepper (optional); 1 tablespoon dried onion flakes (use up to 2 T. for maximum flavor); 1 1/2 cups Velveeta cheese (12 ounces); 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese; 4 tablespoons butter (melted)

March 16, 2022 by Jennifer @ Plowing Through Life 75 Comments

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Creamy macaroni and cheese is super easy to make in a crock pot. Cooked pasta, Velveeta and cheddar cheese along with evaporated milk make a rich and delicious side dish for any occasion!

Our Farmhouse Style Crock Pot Mac and Cheese is a family favorite and is also know as liquid gold for good reason!

Easy, creamy mac and cheese with evaporated milk on white plate made in slow cooker

We serve this mac & cheese with several easy dinners including Oven Baked Pork Chops, Turkey & Bacon Sliders and Farmhouse Ham Loaf.

Crock Pot Mac & Cheese with Velveeta

This is the easiest mac and cheese that I’ve made for our family and everyone loves it! I love making this crock pot mac and cheese with Velveeta recipe because it is fuss-free! Simple ingredients that we always have on hand mix up quickly and easily.

Like our Broccoli with Garlic & Parmesan and Rice Pilaf we have a few favorite side dishes that we make regularly. This mac and cheese is certainly on the list now!

Just cook the pasta and pour all of the ingredients in the crock pot. Stir a couple of times as you cook on low for about 2 hours.

Crock pot full of easy macaroni and cheese with Velveeta on a serving spoon

Macaroni and cheese is a canvas that is to easy to customize to so many preferences. We are fans of a plain version, but there are so many ways to amp up this recipe, whether it’s adding more pepper, smoked paprika, minced onion, or bacon bits. We’ve got another great No-Boil Mac & Cheese with Ham recipe too!

Great for Holidays, Parties and Hosting Guests

My sister-in-law shared this recipe and I’ll admit that it was my first time making macaroni and cheese in the crock pot. There are so many benefits! The crock pot version holds so well and stays warm at a party, potluck or family gathering when you don’t know exactly what time the food will be served. This recipe is similar to our classic Creamy Crock Pot Chicken Pasta.

After an hour the cheese is all melted and there is a lot of liquid. Over the next 30 minutes to an hour the pasta absorbs extra liquid and a perfect, creamy consistency remains. Turn to keep warm when the pasta hits the texture you prefer. Just remove the lid and enjoy at your convenience!

This allows you plenty of time to clean up and get ready for the party or travel to an event.

Super easy white plate of crockpot Velveeta mac and cheese with a fork on a red napkin next to crock pot

The same sister-in-law that gave us this recipe has shared some of our all-time favorite like Marinated & Grilled Meat and Farmhouse Loaded Potatoes.

Can Mac & Cheese Be Made in a Slow Cooker?

Cooking macaroni and melting the cheeses in a slow cooker is the easiest hands off way to make Mac and cheese for a party or crowd.

I love being able to do the prep ahead of time and just stir the pasta, cheeses and milk together a couple times and almost like magic an easy warm side dish is ready for the potluck, barbecue, cookout or family dinner!

Can This Recipe Be Doubled?

Yes, a double batch of mac and cheese can be made in at least a 6 quart crock pot. Using a 7 or 8 quart will give you more room to stir.

I cook on high for 2 1/2 to 3 hours and stir about every 30 minutes. Then turn to keep warm once cheese has melted and continue to stir often until all of the dish is served.

There is a lot of liquid that will seem soupy. After the Velveeta fully melts and the pasta has time to absorb more of the cheese it will all firm up. Turn the heat up one setting to help firm up more quickly, but continue to stir frequently.

Serving spoon full of creamy mac and cheese over slow cooker

What Can Be Added to Slow Cooker Mac N Cheese?

This mac n cheese would taste great with bacon bits sprinkled on top or small cubes of ham stirred in about 30 minutes before serving.

A reader shared that seasoned salt really ups this recipe.

Cooking dried minced onion into the macaroni adds a more robust flavor, but can easily be omitted for more mild palates of kids and picky eaters.

Serve with freshly ground pepper and smoked paprika just like we do with our Farmhouse Baked Mac and Cheese for an extra flair of flavor at the dinner table!

The recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, but you can easily use more types of cheese that equal 1 1/2 cups to make a triple mac and cheese!

What’s Needed to Make Crock Pot Mac & Cheese?

Cooked pasta – we like elbow pasta, but shells, cavatappi and orecchiette also work well
Velveeta cheese – makes the pasta super creamy, American cheese can be substituted
Shredded cheddar cheese – mild or sharp work fine, choose your favorite flavor
Milk – helps keep the pasta moist
Evaporated milk – makes a richer sauce. Fat equals flavor and there isn’t very much fat or protein in milk. Milk is mostly water. So evaporated milk evaporates a lot of the water off and leaves the flavorful fat, protein and other nutrients.
Vegetable oil – keeps noodles from sticking together
Butter – diversity in rich flavor profiles
Salt – flavor
Pepper – optional, sometimes my kids act weird about pepper, other times they don’t even notice it
Dried minced onion – optional, most adults love the flavor, but sometimes it throws kids

This crock pot mac and cheese recipe is made rich evaporated milk, so it can be without eggs and no flavor is sacrificed.

How to Make Mac & Cheese in the Crock Pot

Cook pasta and toss with oil
Pour pasta into lined or greased crock pot
Measure milk and stir in salt, pepper and minced onion
Pour regular milk and evaporated milk into the crock pot
Sprinkle cheddar cheese over the top
Slice or cube Velveeta cheese and spread over the top
Cover and cook on low for 2 – 3 hours, stir 2 – 3 times and again just before serving
Can turn to keep warm for up to an hour while serving

Step By Step Instructions

Cook macaroni 1 – 2 minutes less than the time recommend on the box. Drain well in a large colander.

Add cooked macaroni to a large slow cooker with a liner. Pour vegetable oil into the crock and stir with a large spoon to ensure all of the noodles get a light coating.

Vegetable oil on macaroni in a lined crock pot

Add regular milk and evaporated milk to the pasta.

Evaporated milk poured over pasta in lined slow cooker

Sprinkle salt, pepper and minced onion over the top.

Full flavor lovers will enjoy 2 tablespoons of minced onion and pepper, my picky eaters prefer a small amount of those ingredients.

Minced onion, salt, pepper and evaporated milk in crock pot macaroni

Cut Velveeta process American cheese into cubes that will melt a little more quickly than a large chunk. Spread over the top of macaroni noodles.

Chunks of Velveeta cheese on crock pot macaroni and cheese

Add melted butter. Then sprinkle cheddar cheese over the top.

Shredded cheddar cheese and cubes of velveeta processed cheese on macaroni

Use a large, long handled serving spoon to stir all of the cheese, seasonings and spices well together.

Making crock pot mac and cheese with a variety of processed and cheddar cheese

Place lid on the crock and cook on low for 2 to 3 hours. Stir a couple times to help the mixture cook evenly.

Once all of the cheese is melted and mac and cheese reaches desired consistency serve warm and enjoy!

Can This Recipe Be Made Ahead of Time?

I have cooked the pasta the day before and after draining poured into a crock pot liner in a large bowl. Then add pats of butter and vegetable oil and stir well.

Fasten with a twist tie and refrigerate until you’re ready to make the full recipe in the slow cooker.

Cooked shells with butter and oil in a slow cooker liner tied shut in a large bowl to refrigerate

Other Easy Meal Ideas for Picky Eaters

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Printable Crock Pot Mac & Cheese Recipe