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This homemade white cheddar mac and cheese recipe is pure comfort food heaven! It’s creamy, extra cheesy and loaded with the most delicious white cheddar cheese sauce. Enjoy it straight from the stovetop or take it up a notch with a crispy potato chip topping for an incredibly good baked version!
5 Reasons To Love This White Cheddar Mac & Cheese Recipe
- Rich and Creamy: No dry mac and cheese allowed here! This recipe is creamy, dreamy, super cheesy and loaded with white cheddar flavor. Perfect for those cheesy comfort food cravings!
- Homemade with Real Ingredients: Homemade comfort food is the best! This mac and cheese is made with real cheese, whole milk, butter, flour, and a few pantry staples to make that smooth, cheesy sauce that perfectly coats every noodle. Love homemade mac and cheese? You’ve got to try my gouda mac & cheese too!
- Stovetop and Baked Versions: You’ve got options! Mix the macaroni with the creamy white cheddar cheese sauce for a cozy stovetop version or take it to the next level with a crispy potato chip topping and bake it up. You decide!
- Cozy Main Dish or Delicious Side: When served as a main, I like to pair it with something fresh and light like a simple green salad or veggie side like steamed broccoli or garlic butter green beans. It’s also an amazing side dish for holiday gatherings – Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, you name it!
- Kids Love It: It’s pretty rare to hear any complaints when this one’s on the table!
Ingredient Notes
Here’s what you’ll need to make this mac and cheese with white cheddar:
Detailed ingredient list and directions located in the recipe card below.
- Macaroni: I like to use elbow macaroni for that classic mac & cheese aesthetic but you could also use any other small-shaped pasta such as small shells, spirals, etc.
- Sharp White Cheddar Cheese: Use a good quality sharp white cheddar cheese for the best flavor (also called old white cheddar in some countries).
- Mozzarella Cheese: I like to add in a bit of mozzarella cheese since it melts so well and adds a nice texture to the sauce.
- Butter: To make the roux for the cheese sauce. You can use either salted or unsalted.
- Flour: Used in the roux for the cheese sauce. I like to use unbleached all purpose flour.
- Whole Milk: Use whole milk for the perfect level of richness and creaminess.
- Seasonings: A mixture of garlic powder, ground mustard powder, freshly grated nutmeg, sea salt and cayenne pepper is used to season the sauce. And don’t worry – the ground mustard won’t make your mac and cheese taste like mustard! It just enhances the cheese flavor.
- Topping (for baked version): The baked version is topped with some extra shredded white cheddar and a crispy potato chip topping. The chip topping is simply crushed potato chips mixed with a bit of melted butter. I like to use sea salt kettle cooked potato chips for that extra crunch.
How To Make White Cheddar Mac and Cheese
Let’s walk through this creamy homemade white cheddar macaroni and cheese recipe together, step by step!
Step 1: Cook the macaroni
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then add 1 pound (454 g) of elbow macaroni. Cook until al dente, following the package instructions.
Step 2: Make the white cheddar cheese sauce
While the pasta cooks, melt ½ cup of butter in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add ½ cup of flour and the seasonings (1 teaspoon sea salt, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon ground mustard powder, ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper and a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg). Whisk together for 1 minute to form a thick paste (aka roux).
Slowly pour in 4 cups of whole milk while whisking until smooth. Let it cook over medium-high heat, stirring now and then, until the sauce starts to thicken (about 5 minutes). Turn off the heat and stir in the shredded cheese, a handful or two at a time (3 cups shredded sharp white cheddar and 1 cup shredded mozzarella), until melted and creamy. Give it a taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
Step 3: Combine pasta and sauce
Mix the cooked, drained macaroni with the white cheddar cheese sauce and give it a good stir until combined. For a super creamy stovetop white cheddar mac and cheese, stop here – you’re good to go! But if you’re craving the baked version with a crispy potato chip topping, let’s keep going!
Step 4: Add the topping and bake
Transfer the mac and cheese to a casserole dish and spread it out evenly. Sprinkle 1 cup of shredded white cheddar cheese over the top.
In a bowl, mix together 2 cups of crushed sea salt kettle potato chips with 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Scatter the chip topping evenly over the mac and cheese.
Pop it into a 375F (190C) oven and bake until the topping is golden brown and the sauce is bubbling around the edges (about 15-20 minutes).
Variations
- Toss in some veggies: Stir in veggies like peas, spinach, steamed or roasted broccoli, cauliflower, sautéed mushrooms or onions.
- Add meat or seafood: Add crispy bacon or prosciutto, cubed ham, shredded chicken, shrimp or even crab or lobster if you’re feeling fancy.
- Bring the heat: For a little kick, add some chopped hot peppers, hot sauce, chili flakes or just bump up the quantity of cayenne pepper.
- Make individual servings: Prep the baked version in individual oven-safe ramekins or mini au gratin baking dishes for cute, personal servings.
A Few Tips
Tips For The Perfect White Cheddar Mac & Cheese
- Grate your own cheese: For the smoothest, creamiest sauce, always grate your own cheese! Pre-shredded cheese has a coating to keep it from clumping together in the bag, but that coating can stop it from melting smoothly and make your sauce a bit grainy.
- Don’t overheat the sauce: Turn off the heat before you stir in the shredded cheese to prevent the sauce from separating or getting grainy.
- Don’t overcook the pasta: If you’re making the baked version, make sure the pasta is just al dente. It’ll cook a little more in the oven, so don’t let it get too soft!
- No-mess crushed chips: Crushing potato chips with your bare hands can make them greasy. Instead, pop them in a Ziploc or silicone bag and use your hands on the outside to crush them. Or, if you need to blow off some steam, punch the bag on the counter – it’s a great stress reliever!
- Don’t overbake it: Once the topping is golden and the sauce is bubbling at the edges, it’s done! If you bake it too long, you’ll risk drying out that creamy sauce.
Storage Tips
- To store: This mac and cheese is definitely best fresh but leftovers will keep in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days.
- To reheat: If there’s no topping, just warm it up on the stovetop over low heat with a splash of milk to make the sauce nice and creamy again. For the baked version with the topping, pop it in an oven-safe dish and reheat at 350F until heated through.
- To freeze: For freezing, store unbaked mac and cheese (without the topping) in a freezer-safe dish, covered tightly with a layer of plastic wrap followed by a layer of foil, for up to 3 months. Just keep in mind that the texture may change a little. When you’re ready to bake, let it thaw overnight in the fridge, then sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Add the topping and bake. For smaller portions, I love using 2-cup Souper Cubes trays – they pop out so easily! They even have a Freezer-To-Table Bundle with baking dishes that fit the frozen cubes perfectly.
FAQ
Absolutely! This recipe would also be delicious with an orange cheddar cheese.
You sure can! Just prepare it as directed but skip the baking. Cover the dish with foil or a lid and pop it in the fridge for up to 2 days. When you’re ready to bake, let it come to room temp first, then bake as usual. Just a heads-up, it won’t be quite as creamy as when it’s baked fresh, but still totally delicious!
When you first combine the sauce and macaroni, it might look like there’s way too much sauce but trust the process! No dry mac and cheese here – just creamy, cheesy goodness. The pasta will soak up some of the sauce as it sits for a minute or two in the pot (for the stovetop version), and the baked version will naturally absorb some as it bakes. In the end, you’ll have the perfect balance of sauce and pasta!
More Delicious Cheesy Pasta Recipes
Did you make this white cheddar mac and cheese? I would love to hear about it! Please leave me a comment below.
White Cheddar Mac and Cheese
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 30 min
- Total Time: 45 min
- Yield: 6 to 8 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish, Side Dish
- Method: Stovetop, Baked
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This homemade white cheddar mac and cheese recipe is pure comfort food heaven! It’s creamy, extra cheesy and loaded with the most delicious white cheddar cheese sauce. Enjoy it straight from the stovetop or take it up a notch with a crispy potato chip topping for an incredibly good baked version!
Ingredients
- 1 pound elbow macaroni (or any smaller shaped pasta like shells or spirals)
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup unbleached all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
- 4 cups whole milk
- 3 cups shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
For Topping (baked version):
- 1 cup shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
- 2 cups crushed potato chips (I like to use sea salt kettle cooked chips)
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
Instructions
- Cook the macaroni: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook until al dente (follow package directions).
- Make the white cheddar cheese sauce: While the pasta cooks, melt the butter in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the flour and seasonings (sea salt, garlic powder, ground mustard powder, cayenne pepper and pinch of freshly grated nutmeg). Whisk together for 1 minute to form a thick paste (aka roux). Slowly pour in the milk while whisking until smooth. Let it cook over medium-high heat, stirring now and then, until the sauce starts to thicken (about 5 minutes). Turn off the heat and stir in the shredded cheeses (a handful or two at a time) until melted. Give it a taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
- Combine pasta and sauce: Mix the cooked, drained macaroni with the cheese sauce and give it a good stir until combined. Stop here for the stovetop version. For the baked version with a crispy potato chip topping, continue with the next step.
- Add the topping and bake: Transfer the mac and cheese to a casserole dish and spread it out evenly. Sprinkle 1 cup of shredded white cheddar cheese over the top. In a bowl, mix together the crushed potato chips with the melted butter and scatter the chip topping evenly over the mac and cheese. Pop it into a 375F (190C) oven and bake until the topping is golden brown and the sauce is bubbling around the edges (about 15-20 minutes).
Notes
- Use good quality cheese and grate your own! Use a good quality sharp white cheddar cheese for the best flavor (also called old white cheddar in some countries). The bit of mozzarella cheese adds a nice texture to the sauce and melts so well. For the smoothest, creamiest sauce, always grate your own cheese! Pre-shredded cheese has a coating to keep it from clumping together in the bag, but that coating can stop it from melting smoothly and make your sauce a bit grainy.
- Don’t overheat the sauce: Turn off the heat before you stir in the shredded cheese to prevent the sauce from separating or getting grainy.
- Making Ahead: Prepare as directed but skip the baking. Cover the baking dish with foil or a lid and pop it in the fridge for up to 2 days. When you’re ready to bake, let it come to room temperature first, then bake as usual. Just a heads-up, it won’t be quite as creamy as baking it fresh!
- Storage & Reheating: This mac and cheese is definitely best fresh but leftovers will keep in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days. To reheat the stovetop version (no topping), just warm it up in a saucepan over low heat with a splash of milk to make the sauce nice and creamy again. For the baked version with the topping, pop it in an oven-safe dish and reheat at 350F until heated through.
- To Freeze: Store unbaked mac and cheese (without the topping) in a freezer-safe dish, covered tightly with a layer of plastic wrap followed by a layer of foil, for up to 3 months. Just keep in mind that the texture may change a little. When you’re ready to bake, let it thaw overnight in the fridge, then sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Add the topping and bake. For smaller portions, I love using 2-cup Souper Cubes trays – they pop out so easily! They even have a Freezer-To-Table Bundle with baking dishes that fit the frozen cubes perfectly.
- Love homemade mac and cheese? You’ve got to try my gouda mac & cheese too!
