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); 2 tablespoons dried onion flakes (optional); 1 1/2 cups Velveeta cheese (12 ounces); 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese; 4 tablespoons butter (melted)

May 29, 2020 by Jennifer @ Plowing Through Life 47 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!

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.

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!

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!

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

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!

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.

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!

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

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

Serving spoon full of creamy mac and cheese over slow cooker

Other Easy Meal Ideas for Picky Eaters

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Printable Crock Pot Mac & Cheese Recipe