Name: Best Creamy Mac and Cheese
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 42 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 cup Goldfish crackers or other cheese crackers; 1/2 cup panko; 2 Tablespoons butter, , melted and cooled; 1/4 teaspoon cayenne or chipotle powder, , or to taste (optional if you don't like it spicy); 1 pound of your favorite short noodle shapes, , preferably rigate (with ridges) I used my favorite: cavatappi; 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter; 1 teaspoon kosher salt, (plus more to taste); several grindings of fresh black pepper, , to taste; 1 Tablespoon dry mustard powder; 2 teaspoons turmeric, (optional, but it gives it a lovely golden color, plus it's good for you); 1 1/2 teaspoons sweet paprika or sweet smoked paprika; 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder; 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder; 3 Tablespoons all purpose flour; 1 quart (4 cups) whole milk; 2 oz (1/4 block) cream cheese; 1/2 cup full fat sour cream; 8 oz extra sharp cheddar cheese, , grated; 8 oz Colby Jack cheese, , grated; 4 oz Parmesan cheese, , finely grated (not from the green can); freshly ground black pepper and paprika or ground chipotle for topping

Jump to Recipe

Be prepared to have your socks knocked off by this creamy mac and cheese recipe. Four cheeses including the creamiest cheese of all: cream cheese, plus sour cream and irresistible spicing make this macaroni and cheese recipe a family favorite!

For another twist on stovetop mac and cheese, try my grown-up goat cheese mac and cheese recipe.

And if you’re looking for a pasta sauce that is just as creamy but not quite as cheesy, you will love my creamy pasta sauce recipe.

For ease of browsing, check out all of my pasta recipes in one place. Enjoy!

Creamy mac and cheese made with shells on a white plate. — I make versions of this dish probably more often than I should. Here I used my old family favorite, medium shells, for the pasta.

Watch my creamy mac and cheese web story here.

I found this Mac and cheese recipe is probably the best I ever made. My 8 year old grandson loved it and surprisingly my son and daughter in law liked it as well My husband also likes it. As I do too. Although I have to control how much I eat….I guess u have figured it out this recipe is a family delight……
Reader Dottie

Not Diet Food. Comfort Food.

Friends, if you’ve come here today looking for salads or even low fat desserts, I suggest you keep on moving. Or try this summer salad with roasted apple vinaigrette.

Today, I’m here to share with you pure comfort food. All the fats, all the carbs, all the creamy macaroni and cheese goodness you could ever want.

I’m not advocating for eating this way every day or even every week, but as an occasional indulgence, you really can’t do better than this recipe.

Hyperbole? I think not.

What Makes This the Best?

2 cast iron ramekins of baked macaroni and cheese. — *Nothing beats a mornay sauce-based creamy macaroni and cheese. Nothing.*
*It makes a great side dish for Thanksgiving or Christmas as well as a comforting meal any time of year.*

When I want macaroni and cheese, I want to taste the cheese.

I want it to be deeply flavorful and gooey and creamy and perfect.

This recipe is an updated version of the macaroni and cheese recipe I made one Thanksgiving. The only difference is that I upped the cheese-to-noodle goo ratio so it wouldn’t dry out, and I left off the crushed Goldfish topping.

I’ll give you the ingredients for the topping though, in case you’re feeling Goldfishy.

Three types of “shredding cheese” plus cream cheese and sour cream all whisked into a luxurious white sauce equals one luscious, rich mornay sauce.

Mornay Sauce= bechamel (white sauce) + cheese

What Pasta Shape is Best?

A clear jar lying on its side with homemade curly pasta spilling out onto a gray surface. — *For my mac and cheese, I like to choose pasta shapes that are short and sturdy and really hold onto the sauce.Photo by Jonathan Pielmayer on Unsplash*

I much prefer short shapes with plenty of texture to hold onto the rich sauce. Some of my favorites (with links to purchase) are:

Cavatappi (my favorite and what I used here)
Medium shells
Radiatore
Penne
Orecchiette
Rotini
Fusilli
Cavatelli
Rigatoni

Many of these shapes have choices between regular smooth pasta and rigate, meaning it has ridges.

Always choose a ridged pasta or at least a pasta shape extruded through brass dies because they will hold onto sauce better.

What Kind of Cheese Is the Best?

You can use any cheese or combination of cheese that you like as long as they melt nicely. Yes, you can even use some Velveeta, because let’s face it:

No other cheese has a melting game quite as smooth and creamy as Velveeta.

But since we’re starting with a roux and then stirring in cheese, your sauce should stay nice and creamy with “regular grating cheese” as well.

Here are some contenders for excellent cheeses for macaroni and cheese:

For my taste, the predominant cheese should be

Sharp or extra sharp cheddar: No two ways about it, you pour cheese sauce all over pasta, and what you get is a very fatty dish. The sharpness will help cut through some of that fattiness to keep it from feeling too heavy.

After that, here are some other cheese choices that will work nicely and melt beautifully into your cheesy sauce:

Fontina
Parmesan
Soft goat cheese
Jack cheese, or pepper jack or even a chipotle jack if you want to go the spicy/smoky route
Gruyere
Gouda

How To Make the Creamiest Cheese Sauce

Close up of casserole dish with shells and smooth cheese sauce. — I mean, it doesn’t get much creamier. Y’all.

Aside from ensuring you have a nice creamy bechamel to start, the best way I have found to make my cheese sauce super creamy is to add cream cheese and sour cream to the mix.

Cream cheese doesn’t bring a ton of flavor, but it does bring a lovely, smooth decadence to your sauce.

And sour cream also adds a touch of tang that can balance out the rich sauce.

What Kind of Milk Should I Use to Make My Bechamel Sauce?

I tend to make my bechamel sauce (that will become mornay with the addition of cheese) with whole milk since I’m going to be adding so much cheese, but you can make yours with half and half or even cream if you really want to gild the lily (and serve your super rich mac & cheese in tiny, tiny servings).

You can even use 2% milk for your bechamel. Cooking it down some will help to thicken it up as will adding all the cheese.

I don’t recommend using skim milk, though. It is way too watery and doesn’t bring any additional creaminess to the recipe.

How To Reheat

Close up of macaroni shells with cheese sauce. — *When you reheat your pasta, just know that it will be softer than it was when you first cooked it. That’s just what pasta does. It will still be creamy and delicious.*

This recipe is basically stove top mac and cheese that I bake just for a few minutes to get the top a bit crunchy.

You can serve it straight from the pot, though.

Regardless, macaroni and cheese tends to get dry in the refrigerator and congeal into a solid mass of noodle and cheese.

This makes it hard to reheat and retain (or regain) the creaminess of the hot-off-the-stove or out of the oven recipes.

Reheating in the Microwave

To reheat it in the microwave, I put a portion in a microwave safe bowl, splash in a bit of half and half, and heat until hot.

Then I stir it to incorporate the half and half. This results in a nice, creamy reheated dish that doesn’t get grainy.

Reheating on the Stove

To reheat it on the stovetop, I put it in a pan with a splash of half and half and reheat on medium low heat, stirring frequently but gently so I don’t break up the pasta.

I don’t recommend reheating in the oven, because it will just dry out even more than it has in the fridge.

Questions

If you have questions about this post or recipe, don’t hesitate to get in touch. You can leave a comment on the post and I will get back to you within about 24 hours.

If your question is more urgent, please shoot me an email, and I will respond within 4 hours, unless I’m asleep.

Email Jenni

More Macaroni and Cheese Recipes

This recipe is really creamy and decadent, but here are a few other macaroni and cheese recipes you might enjoy.

Stove Top Macaroni and Cheese with Goat Cheese and Fontina is super rich and decadent. Not your average comfort food
Macaroni and Cheese with Shaved Truffle for when you are feeling very fancy. This indulgent recipe really hits the spot, especially in winter
Southern Mac and Cheese a shortcut recipe using store bought or homemade pimento cheese whisked into hot pasta. Easy and delicious!
Baked Mac and Cheese This recipe uses two different cheddar cheeses for a nuanced flavor. Really tasty, topped with panko

Printable Holiday Recipe Card

Don’t forget your holiday printable! Click on the photo to download the pdf!

Printable recipe card with the recipe for the best creamy mac and cheese written on it.

Reader Rave

I have made this twice now at the NC Coast for beach gatherings with neighbors and NOW this is my requested dish when we are there. This is the PERFECT mac & cheese recipe…Thank you and also for this treasured recipe!
Reader Tami

Let’s Get Cooking

Two ramekins of baked creamy mac and cheese on brown parchment paper. — *You make this macaroni and cheese on the stove top, but bake it for a few minutes to get the top a little bit crunchy. You can also serve it straight from the stove if you’d rather.*

If you make this recipe and/or have enjoyed or learned from reading this post, I’d appreciate it if you could share this!

I have Convenient share buttons that float to the left on desk top and on mobile which invite you to share on Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter or Yummly.

If you make the recipe, please consider rating it a rating and a review. You can do this via the recipe card in the post.

Reviews really help sell the recipe, and negative reviews help me tune into what people really want to have explained better, so any ratings and reviews are helpful!

Also feel free to tag me on Instagram at @onlinepastrychef with #pcorecipe so I can find your creation. Thank you!

Best Creamy Mac and Cheese

Yield: 8

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Total Time: 42 minutes

Ultra rich and creamy, I don't call this the best creamy mac and cheese recipe for nothing. You and your family are going to love it!

Ingredients

1 pound of your favorite short noodle shapes, , preferably rigate (with ridges) I used my favorite: cavatappi
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon kosher salt, (plus more to taste)
several grindings of fresh black pepper, , to taste
1 Tablespoon dry mustard powder
2 teaspoons turmeric, (optional, but it gives it a lovely golden color, plus it's good for you)
1 1/2 teaspoons sweet paprika or sweet smoked paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
3 Tablespoons all purpose flour
1 quart (4 cups) whole milk
2 oz (1/4 block) cream cheese
1/2 cup full fat sour cream
8 oz extra sharp cheddar cheese, , grated
8 oz Colby Jack cheese, , grated
4 oz Parmesan cheese, , finely grated (not from the green can)
freshly ground black pepper and paprika or ground chipotle for topping

For the optional Goldfish topping

1 cup Goldfish crackers or other cheese crackers
1/2 cup panko
2 Tablespoons butter, , melted and cooled
1/4 teaspoon cayenne or chipotle powder, , or to taste (optional if you don't like it spicy)

Instructions

Put a large pot of water on the stove to boil. Preheat the oven to 400F.
Meanwhile, in a heavy bottomed 4-5 quart sauce pan or Dutch oven,melt the butter. When it starts to sizzle, add the salt, pepper, mustard powder, optional turmeric, paprika, onion powder and garlic powder. Let sizzle about 45 seconds, stirring.
Dump in the flour and stir until all the butter is absorbed. Cook for 2 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly.
Add the milk and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes to thicken just slightly.
By this time, your water should have come to a boil. Salt your water and dump in the pasta. Cook for 5-6 minutes until just shy of al dente. The bite should be very firm.
While the pasta is cooking, take the cheese sauce off the heat and whisk in the cream cheese and sour cream until melted.
Whisk in the cheeses, a big handful at a time, until all melted and smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings.
When the pasta is done, drain and add to the pot of cheese sauce. Stir well to evenly coat and then dump into a buttered 9"x13" casserole or into individual serving vessels of some sort. If using individuals, place them all on a sheet pan or cookie sheet. Sprinkle on a bit of black pepper and paprika or ground chipotle, or add the Goldfish topping.
Bake the finished pasta for 12 minutes.
Let set up for about 10 minutes for individuals and 15-20 for one whole casserole before serving.

For the optional Goidfish topping

Crush crackers either in a food processor or in a plastic bag with a rolling pin. Either in a bowl or right in the bag, add the panko, butter and spice. Mix well (or squish the bag around well) to incorporate.

Notes

Nutrionals calculated for 8 servings, including the Goldfish topping.

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