The ultimate, creamy baked mac and cheese, for when only the best will do. This dish is comfort food perfection! Customize with your own selection of cheeses and toppings.
I don’t think I’ve ever eaten a bad Macaroni and Cheese. Let’s face it, a plate of pasta and cheese sauce going to be pretty good no matter the recipe you start with.
That said, when mac and cheese is made with great cheese and combined with a generous amount of perfectly creamy sauce, it can be a true thing of beauty and absolute comfort food perfection!
- What makes this mac and cheese “ultimate”?
- Choose Your Cheeses
- Pick your Topping
- Step-by-Step Photos
- Cook’s Tips
- Recipe Video
- Making Ahead, Storage and Freezing
- Some Reviews of the great reviews of this mac and cheese …
- Get the Recipe: Ultimate Creamy Baked Macaroni and Cheese
- Save or share this recipe
What makes this mac and cheese “ultimate”?
First, have you ever made a mac and cheese that was lovely and creamy before it went into the oven, but after it was baked, you were disappointed to find that all that creaminess disappeared? That’s why you will love this version! It starts with lots of creamy cheese sauce, so even after baking, it’s still wonderfully creamy.
Secondly, this mac and cheese uses great cheddar cheeses – two varieties, at least, for great depth of flavour. I’ve made some suggestions for some types of cheese to use and will share my favourite combination, as well. You can certainly use your favourites and experiment with different cheese, to make your own signature mac and cheese.
And finally, customize your creation with your favourite topping. I’m a fan of the Chili Cheese topping (shown here). It’s cheddar cheese, tossed with Chipotle Chili Powder, for a bit of smokey heat. I’ve provided some other great topping options here, as well.
Choose Your Cheeses
Here’s what I use and recommend …
- Main Cheese – Start with a Mature Aged Cheddar. These will often have the word “Mature” right on the label. They are always white cheddars and you’ll usually find some good choices in the gourmet cheese section of your grocery store or a nice cheese monger. This type of cheese is crumbly in texture and nutty and creamy in flavour. My favourite is called Coastal, a British mature cheddar. It is delicious and easily and widely available, too!
- Second Cheese – Add a second, Sharp Cheddar to the mix. It’s a great complement to the mature cheddar and provides great depth of flavour. Again, look for the word “Sharp” on the label. Sharp cheese is usually orange. When it comes to sharp, my go-to is actually a cold-packed cheese that is widely and easily available here in Canada called Imperial Cheese (it’s sold in small red containers and is usually found in with the block cheese). If this isn’t available to you, just look in the cheese sections for a cheddar labelled “Sharp”.
- Optional Third Cheese – If you feel so inclined, you can add a third cheddar to the mix for the bit of cheese that goes on the top. A standard medium or old cheddar would work nicely here, if you like. You can also just use more of the sharp cheese for the topping.
This combination will make a wonderfully flavourful, grown-up mac and cheese, but may not always be perfectly kid-friendly. You can certainly use more mainstream cheddar cheese options here, as well, if you like. The process is the same, just change up the cheese.
Pick your Topping
You can top your mac and cheese as you like it! Here are some great options to add before baking …
- Add just a sprinkling of grated cheese on top.
- Toss the grated cheese with a bit of Chipotle Chili Powder for a bit of smokey heat. Adjust the amount of chili powder to taste. If you’re not sure, start with a pinch and go from there.
- Toss the grated cheese with dried bread crumbs, Panko or crushed soda crackers, mixed with a little melted butter, for a crunchy topping.
Step-by-Step Photos
Gather your ingredients and weigh out the pasta and cheese and crumble or grate the cheese. I’m using Coastal Mature white cheddar for my main cheese and adding Imperial sharp cold-packed cheese as my second cheese. For my topping, I’m using another mature cheddar called Cathedral. You can use any cheddars you like, but the better the cheese, the better the mac and cheese :)
Start a large pot of water boiling and salt well. Start the cheese sauce by melting the butter, then adding the flour. Stir into a paste and cook about 2 minutes. Add a bit of the milk and mix in, adding the rest of the milk slowly. Cook, stirring, until mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of the spoon well, about 7-8 minutes.
Add the garlic powder, chili powder and salt to the sauce and stir in. REMOVE THE POT FROM THE HEAT. Add the cheese and stir in well. Allow to stand two minutes, then stir sauce until sauce is mostly smooth (small chunks are fine). Drain the pasta and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking.
Add the drained pasta to the cheese sauce and stir well to combine. Spoon into baking dish (or dishes). Bake in preheated oven about 20 minutes, or until golden and bubbly. Enjoy!
Cook’s Tips
- Always start with a block of cheese and grate or crumble it yourself. Pre-shredded cheese if often coated with an anti-clumping agent, which can affect the quality of your finished sauce.
- To ensure your macaroni doesn’t get too soft, be sure to cook it 2 minutes less than you normally would, usually about 8 minutes. Rinsing well with cold water after draining will stop the cooking process and will also ensure your pasta doesn’t get too soft.
- When crumbling your cheese, don’t leave the crumbles too large, as they need to melt with only the residual heat from the sauce. The recommended process of turning off the heat, then adding the cheese to melt, helps to ensure the cheese doesn’t become grainy and is the secret to a smooth, creamy sauce for your macaroni and cheese!
- Add a bit more salt if you need to. Taste your cheese sauce before adding the pasta and add a bit more salt if you think it needs it. Proper salting makes all the flavours here really shine.
Recipe Video
Making Ahead, Storage and Freezing
Making Ahead: You can assemble this mac and cheese ahead, by stirring together the cooked pasta with the cheese sauce, spooning into baking dish (or dishes), then cover and refrigerate (do not add topping now). When ready to enjoy, simply add the topping and bake as directed, allowing a few extra minutes if it’s cold from the fridge.
Storing: Refrigerate leftovers. They will keep well in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat covered loosely with plastic wrap in the microwave or covered with foil in a 350F. oven until warmed through.
Freezing: For best results, freeze after assembling and before cooking. Alternately, you can freeze it after baking. Thaw in the fridge, then baked (if un-baked before freezing) or thaw and re-heat if already baked.
Some Reviews of the great reviews of this mac and cheese …
“Best Mac n Cheese recipe ever ! And my husband is a chef :-) !!!”
– Nad
“I love this recipe. My go to. My family loves creamy mac and cheese”
– Hilary
“I have been making this recipe for over a year and get asked to make it frequently. It is the best recipe I have tried and works every time”
– Carolyn
Get the Recipe: Ultimate Creamy Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients
- 8 oz (226 g) dried elbow macaroni, *see Note 1
Cheese Sauce:
- 1/4 cup (57 g) butter, salted or unsalted. If using salted, reduce the added salt below slightly
- 1/3 cup (40 g) all-purpose flour
- 3 cups (725 ml) whole milk, recommend whole milk here you can (3-3.5% butterfat) or you could use 2% in a pinch
- 7 oz (200 g) Mature aged white cheddar, crumbled *see Note 2
- 3 oz (85 g) Sharp orange cheddar, or cold-packed cheddar, grated or crumbled, about 1 cup crumbled *see Note 2
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt, little less if using table salt
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder, (standard chili powder you would use for a pot of chili)
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
Cheese and Chili Topping Option:
- 1/2 oz (15 g) sharp, aged or old cheddar cheese, grated, about 1/2 cup
- Pinch - 1/8 teaspoon chipotle chili powder, optional, for smokiness and heat. Adjust amount to taste, substitute paprika if you like, or just omit and just use the cheese
Crispy Cheese Topping Option:
- 1/2 cup (113 ml) Panko, dried bread crumbs or crushed soda crackers
- 3 Tablespoons (42 g) salted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup (113 ml) sharp, aged or old cheddar cheese, grated
Instructions
- Bring about 8 -10 cups of water to boil in a large pot on the stove-top, over high heat. Once boiling, add a generous sprinkling of salt to the pot and add the pasta. Cook pasta for 2 minutes less than recommended on the package, or to just al dente. Drain well and rinse with cold water to stop the pasta from cooking further. *While water is boiling and pasta is cooking, you can start your cheese sauce.
- For the cheese sauce: In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and continue to whisk and cook for about 2 minutes.
- Very slowly add the milk, a little at a time, whisking constantly. Once all the milk has been added, cook, stirring frequently until the sauce thickens, about 8-10 minutes. (Don't rush this step! The mixture will not get super thick, but you will notice it thicken to the point where it will nicely coat the back of a spoon after 8-10 minutes of cooking and stirring.)
- Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the crumbled/grated cheese, salt, chili powder and garlic powder. Stir until the cheese is melted and all the ingredients are incorporated, about 3 minutes. (If the cheese isn't melted completely after about 3 minutes, you can put the pan back on low heat and stir until it is melted). Set aside for a minute while you wait for the pasta to cook.
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C) (not fan assisted) with rack in the centre of the oven. Oil or butter an 8-inch square baking dish, an 8-inch cast-iron skillet or individual baking dishes.
- Once the pasta is cook, drain, rinse with cold water and drain well again. Add it to the cheese sauce and mix gently, but thoroughly. (It might look like too much sauce/too little pasta, but trust me, it will all be good in the end). Spoon or ladle the mixture into a prepared baking dish or individual dishes. Sprinkle the top of each with either the Cheese/Chili topping ingredients or mix together the panko/breadcrumbs with the melted butter and scatter over-top.
- Bake in the preheated 350F (175C) (not fan assisted) oven uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the sauce has bubbled up around the edges and the top has a nice golden crust. Let sit for a few minutes before serving.
Notes
- If you don't have a scale to weigh out the macaroni, it is about 2 cups worth. Note that this measure will only work for macaroni and probably not a larger pasta shape. Weighing is recommended. It is important not to use too much pasta, or you will upset the pasta to sauce ratio.
- Look for cheese labelled "Mature", which is always white cheddar and sold in smaller blocks in the gourmet food section. Add to that a nice "Sharp" cheddar cheese. Again, it will usually say Sharp right on the label. It might be white or orange in colour.
Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
Perfect! Adding gouda made it even more fabulous and smokey.
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks :)
We just made this and added 4 lobster tails to the mix, fantastic!!!!
You can never go wrong with lobster tails :) Sounds great! So glad you enjoyed it.
I love this recipe. My go to. My family loves creamy mac and cheese so what I do is use 1 litre of whole milk and 10 ounces of dry macaroni and 280 grams of white and yellow old cheese. Perfect for us. Without our personal preferences this is amazing. Thank you for this recipe.
Glad you are enjoying it! Thanks so much :)
Yum! Made many times for the family – just leave go light on the chili powder for my daughter. Also made it gluten free with gluten free flour mix from the store.
So glad to hear, Jennifer :) Thanks so much!
Hello, I was reading your little story before the recipe, you mentioned using all 4 cups of cheese in the sauce, but your actual recipe only calls for 2 cups. Wondering if I should be adding more cheese or not… HMMM?
Hi Marin and no, you don’t need more cheese. The 4 cups was referring to the amount of total, finished sauce. The original recipe suggested using only 2 cups of the sauce per the 8 oz of pasta, but 4 cups of sauce is definitely better :)
just a question.. how much water do i put in it?
Hi Katelyn, the only water in this recipe is the water for cooking the pasta. For this amount of pasta (8oz/1/2 lb) you should boil about 12 cups of water. Salt generously (so it tastes like the ocean :) and cook your pasta a minute or two less than the package recommends (as it will cook a bit further in the oven). Hope that helps.
We love your mac and cheese. To spice it up a little, we served it with panko crusted buffalo shrimp. DELICIOUS! A little Frank’s RedHot buffalo shrimp is very yummy with the creamy mac and cheese.
Excellent Mac and Cheese. My adult daughter raves about how tasty this recipe is.
So glad to hear, Nettie! Thanks so much :)
This was soooo good! I used a truffle-infused cheese and made amazing Truffle Mac & Cheese. Thanks for the recipe! It’s delicious and my husband also loves it.
So glad to hear, Fernie! Sounds delicious. Thanks!
The best Mac and Cheese ever. Sometimes I change up the old white cheese for smoked cheese and sometimes add some smoked ham that is leftover from the dinner the night before.
So glad you are enjoying it, Hilary and yes, it’s great for changing up the flavours with different cheese or add-ins. Thanks so much ::)
I have been making this recipe for over a year and get asked to make it frequently. It is the best recipe I have tried and works every time.
So glad to hear, Carolyn! Thanks so much :)
realllly good!!! (Very cheesy and has just the right flavours!)
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks :)
This is heaven wow. I am a Mac and Cheese fan, had it at so many restaurants. This is SO GOOD.
So glad you enjoyed it, Meagan :) Thanks so much!
Hi Jennifer. I’ve tried a lot of Mac n cheese recipes over the years and found yours recently. I must say it definitely has the wow factor when it comes to comfort food. My wife and I really enjoyed the recipe. I too can’t help but to add a little dry mustard to any of my mac n cheese attempts as others have mentioned in the comments. Thanks for the time and effort in putting this together. Pics are awesome!
Thanks so much, Dale and so glad you enjoyed it! And a little mustard is never out of place in a mac and cheese :)
I have been using this recipe for the last year and it has become the “can you bring your Mac and cheese” dish for every party! Served this at a my son’s scout dinner among other Mac and cheese dishes and was pleasantly surprised when it was the first one to be emptied!!! Thanks for this!
So glad you are enjoying it, Fred :) Thanks so much!
Guuuurrrrllll….we just about died and went to heaven after eating this amazing Mac and cheese…kudos to you. Had to add the butter/bread crumb mix on top cause I gotta have that crunch, but everything else was done to a T. Danke darlin’!
Lol! So glad to hear :) And I’m a fan of the crunch, as well, and add it once in a while, too!
Soooooo yummy. I made this for a family of 3 (teenage kid) and I’m sorry to say that we oinked it down and had some seconds and I could have increased the recipe to make a bit more. This recipe is pretty good for 2 people with a big appetite or 3 people with normal appetite for delicious mac n’ cheese.
Glad you all enjoyed it, Zoe! Thanks :)
I added chicken and broccoli to this recipe and it’s the best Mac and cheese I ever had, thank you.
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much :)
Hi Jennifer, Can I make the Creamy Macaroni and Cheese recipe ahead and freeze it? Love your recipes, we’re almost neighbour’s, I live in Barrie.
Hi Cindy! I have never actually frozen this, but I see no reason why it wouldn’t freeze well. I think I would freeze it before baking. Then to cook, pop from frozen into the oven and bake until warm and bubbly. (not sure how long that would take, so just keep an eye on it). Enjoy and thanks!
Hi Cindy,
I froze some in individual portions before baking and it was fine when reheated.
Thanks for letting us all know, Benita! I have never tried to freeze this and was never sure how it would turn out. Really good to know :) Thanks!
I made the sauce recipe exactly as written with old white cheddar (PC brand) and MacLaren’s cold packed cheddar and it was delicious, rich and creamy. The only change I made – for the sake of heart and cholesterol health- was to use an entire box 16 oz./1 lb. of dry macaroni. Even with double the amount of macaroni, there was plenty of sauce to coat all the noodles. This has been a huge hit at family gatherings.
So glad you are enjoying it! Certainly understand you desire to stretch it further :) Thanks!
I also use the PC old white cheddar (aged 2 years) and love it.
Tried this mac and cheese and it’s prob the best we’ve ever had! Thank you! ?
So glad to hear, Natalie :) Thanks so much!
Made this today, but the only pasta I had was Rummo Casarecce No.88. I normally use this pasta when we have a rich sauce, so just followed the weight recommendations and hoped this would do the trick.
When I saw the sauce to pasta ratio, I was glad that you had made mention in your recipe that it would look off balance……it did and I was fearing a fail. WOW, Epic win! This is pure comfort and absolutely delicious. I used only chipotle chili powder and it had a really nice subtle heat, and you are right it balances that rich cheese flavour perfectly.
Your site is #1 in my bookmarks, beautiful site visually but most importantly the results are consistently outstanding. Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed it, Kristine! It is my go-to comfort food :) Thanks so much!
What size are the mini cast iron pans in your picture? I purchased the 5″ and they are tiny!!
These are the 5-inch pictured here. I also have 6.5 inch ones, which are a little roomier, if you find the 5-inch too small (they do work nice for side-dish portions or individual desserts though).
Thank you!!! This is truly THE BEST mac n cheese recipe EVER!!
Thanks Laura! So glad you enjoyed it :)
So I had some leftover ham and used your suggestion to not add salt to the pasta while it was boiling in that case. Used the cheeses you suggested and the chipotle powder and chili powder. I also added 1/2 tsp of mustard powder and substituted 1 cup of heavy cream as your readers commented. This was the BEST homemade Mac and cheese ever! My husband said it was delicious ( high praise in my house). He took the leftovers to work. Fantastic recipe! Will use it again a you have it written to go with fried chicken.
Glad you enjoyed it, Tara! Thanks :)
Wow! Wow! Wow! We tripled it and used whipping cream for the last cup of milk. Added ground beef to it too!! It was fantastic!
Glad to hear Kaitlyn! Thanks :)
Planing to make this for comfort food dinner this eve…can I make it early in the day? Oven cook & then reheat? Thx
You can, Bonnie. It’s a little less creamy after reheating, but still delicious :)