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    Home » Savory

    Baked Mac and Cheese

    April 19, 2019 Updated March 16, 2021 BySam 316 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure policy.
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    Baked Mac & Cheese

    A classic and easy Baked Mac and Cheese Recipe!  This recipe is dangerously easy to make and is topped off with a buttery, crisp toasted panko topping!  If you have a cast iron or oven-safe pan handy, you can even bake it in the same pan that you use to make the sauce!

    Baked Mac and Cheese in a white bowl

    Baked Mac and Cheese

    Today I’m sharing one of my favorite comfort foods — baked mac and cheese!

    I hope you don’t mind all the savory recipes I’ve been sharing recently. With Easter right around the corner I’ve been refreshing some of my favorite side dishes like my broccoli salad, deviled eggs, and now this baked mac and cheese. Don’t worry, after today my calendar is full of sugar 😉

    Until then, let’s talk more about this classic comfort food. Homemade Mac & Cheese is a simple staple that everyone should have a go-to recipe for. This one is mine. It’s cheesy, creamy, and uncomplicated. Everything a good mac & cheese should be.

    A spoonful of panko-topped mac and cheese in the pan

    What Do I Need to Make Baked Mac & Cheese?

    Mac and cheese is simple to make and doesn’t require any fancy ingredients. Here’s what you need:

    • Macaroni Noodles — though let’s be real you can use 8 oz of pretty much any shape of pasta!
    • CHEESE — All caps for obvious reasons. Your cheese selection can make or break your baked mac and cheese. Shredding your own is preferred, more on that a bit further down the post.
    • Whole Milk
    • Butter
    • Flour — for making your roux. Don’t worry, it’s so easy! I hate to even mention that this baked mac and cheese starts with a roux because so many people are intimidated (I even have an easy mac and cheese that requires no flour and no roux because of this). All we’re doing is whisking together melted butter and flour, honestly.
    • Spices — salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion power, and ground mustard. A little goes a long way for flavor.

    Ingredients for making Baked Mac and Cheese

    How to Make Baked Mac and Cheese

    Alright, that roux I mentioned? It’s simple, just look at steps 1-5 below. Start by melting your butter and then add flour. Use a whisk to stir in the flour until the mixture is smooth and no lumps remain.

    When you add your milk the mixture may separate a bit. This is fine, everything will come back together once the milk warms up a bit. Add your spices and bring everything to a bubble and cook (stirring continuously so nothing burns) until the mixture is thickened.

    It’s very important that your mixture thickens before you continue. The mixture should be creamy and should coat the back of a spoon (see step 5 below). If it’s not thickened, your baked mac and cheese will be too liquidy and runny. We want creamy decadence, not a runny mess.

    Finally add your cheese and stir until melted (steps 6-7 below). Then in go your prepared macaroni noodles. Finally top everything off with some toasted panko and bake!

    How to make Baked Mac & Cheese

    Speaking of That Toasted Panko Topping…

    My baked macaroni and cheese is incredibly cheesy and creamy, but what really sets it over the top is the buttery panko topping.  I love the crisp, crunchy texture of panko (and 100% prefer it to using breadcrumbs).  Panko gives the smooth and creamy mac and cheese that extra something that makes it irresistible.

    Before adding it to the top of your (not yet) baked mac and cheese, you’ll add it to a small pan along with some butter and olive oil and then stir it frequently until it becomes lightly golden/toasted.

    It’s such an easy extra step and it adds everything to this baked mac and cheese!

    Toasting panko in small saucepan for baked mac and cheese

    What cheese should I use for my baked mac and cheese:

    I use a mix of sharp cheddar and white cheddar as well as mozzarella for this recipe, but you can substitute your favorite cheese for the cheddar (I recommend leaving the mozzarella alone, it helps make things creamy and amazing, but you do you).  Colby, Monterey Jack, and Gruyere are all great options!

    Another word of caution, most cheeses that you buy pre-shredded are tossed with cellulose powder before they are packaged. This keeps the shreds from clinging to each other so that you don’t have a big glob of sticky cheese. Unfortunately, this cellulose powder can keep things from melting properly when you go to use that cheese in this recipe. If you opt to use pre-shredded, you run the risk of things not melting properly and your mac and cheese not turning out.

    Honestly, more than once I’ve made this using pre-shredded cheese with great results, it’s just risky and results can’t be guaranteed. I’m currently having a moment with Tillamook brand cheese, which is the best pre-shredded cheese I’ve ever tasted and is not tossed with cellulose. It’s pricier but worth it (and no, they’re not paying me to say this!). Even Zach loves it and he’s usually the first to try and talk me back over to generic.

    Do you cover baked mac and cheese in the oven?  

    For this recipe there is no need to!

    White bowl filled with homemade mac and cheese

    I made a brief video (see it on my YouTube channel or below the recipe) so you can see exactly how I made this baked mac and cheese.  Enjoy!

    Other Recipes You Might Like:

    • Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese
    • Stuffed Shells
    • Best Chili Recipe
    • Baked Ziti
    • Macaroni Salad
    Baked macaroni and cheese in bowl

    Baked Mac and Cheese

    A simple recipe for old-fashioned homemade baked mac and cheese!  
    Be sure to check out the how-to VIDEO at the bottom of the recipe!
    4.99 from 133 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dinner, Side Dish
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Servings: 8 servings
    Calories: 474kcal
    Author: Sam Merritt

    Ingredients

    • 12 oz (340 g) dry macaroni noodles (see note)
    • 4 Tablespoons (55 g) butter
    • ¼ cup (31 g) all-purpose flour
    • 3 cups (710 ml) whole milk
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon ground pepper
    • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
    • ½ teaspoon onion powder
    • ½ teaspoon ground mustard
    • 2 cups (226 g) shredded sharp cheddar cheese¹
    • 1 ½ cup (170 g) shredded mozzarella cheese

    Panko Topping

    • 2 Tablespoons butter
    • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 cup (60 g) seasoned panko crumbs
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350F (175C)
    • Begin cooking your pasta according to package instructions. Do not over-cook, in fact, for best results cook one minute less than indicated time.  Once finished, drain, drizzle with a tiny bit of olive oil and toss to coat so the noodles don't stick together while sitting.
      12 oz (340 g) dry macaroni noodles
    • Meanwhile, melt butter in a 10" cast iron pan² over medium heat. Once it has melted, add flour and whisk until smooth and no lumps remain..
      4 Tablespoons (55 g) butter, ¼ cup (31 g) all-purpose flour
    • Add milk and spices (salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and ground mustard), stir well and bring to a boil. You may notice that the milk and butter will separate -- continue to heat, stirring frequently, until the milk is heated and they combine
      3 cups (710 ml) whole milk, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground pepper, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon ground mustard
    • Once mixture comes to a boil, reduce heat, bring to a simmer, and stir frequently until mixture is thickened.
    • Reduce heat to low and add cheddar and mozzarella cheese.  Stir until cheeses are melted and mixture is smooth.
      2 cups (226 g) shredded sharp cheddar cheese¹, 1 ½ cup (170 g) shredded mozzarella cheese
    • Add cooked, drained pasta noodles and stir until well coated by the sauce.
    • Set aside while you prepare your Panko topping.

    Panko Topping

    • Combine butter and olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Heat, stirring occasionally, until melted.
      2 Tablespoons butter, 1 Tablespoon olive oil
    • Add panko and stir well until the butter and oil has been mostly absorbed. Continue to stir until panko is lightly toasted and turns a light-medium brown color
      1 cup (60 g) seasoned panko crumbs
    • Sprinkle toasted panko evenly over mac and cheese.
    • Transfer to oven and bake uncovered on 350F (175C) for 15 minutes.
    • Garnish with parsley, if desired, and serve.

    Notes

    Macaroni

    I originally wrote this recipe with 8 oz of macaroni. A few readers have complained their macaroni was too saucy so I have retested and increased the amount of macaroni to 12 oz. Feel free to adjust according to your preference! 

    ¹Cheese

    You may substitute another type of shredded cheese for all or part of this -- Colby, Monterey Jack, and Gruyere, would all work well.  I personally use half sharp cheddar and half white cheddar for mine! I also recommend buying your own block of cheese and grating it yourself to ensure that the cheese melts properly, please see my post for more information on pre-shredded vs block cheese.

    ²Pan

    If you don't have a 10" cast iron pot, then prepare your macaroni and cheese according to these instructions and then transfer to a lightly buttered 9x9 square pan or 1.5qt baking dish before topping with panko and baking.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 474kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 78mg | Sodium: 624mg | Potassium: 255mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 836IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 438mg | Iron: 1mg

    Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.

    Tried this recipe? Show me on Instagram!Mention @SugarSpun_Sam or tag #sugarspunrun!

    This Baked Mac & Cheese Recipe was originally published 01/12/2018. Post has been updated to include additional tips and improve user experience 04/19/2019.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Megan

      January 04, 2024 at 10:01 pm

      5 stars
      Thank you thank you !! This recipe was amazing!! Our family of five loved it. Next time I will double it so we can have left overs. I just used sharp cheddar cheese and it was perfect!

      Reply
    2. Olivia

      December 30, 2023 at 9:45 pm

      5 stars
      Is my go to Mac and cheese recipe!

      Reply
    3. Kim

      December 23, 2023 at 9:00 pm

      5 stars
      This was a hit for our Christmas dinner. Mild cheese flavor and everyone said the crumb topping set it off perfect.

      Reply
    4. Linda Deiser

      November 22, 2023 at 7:15 pm

      5 stars
      Yummy!

      Reply
    5. O.C.

      November 21, 2023 at 1:17 pm

      Hello, would this recipe taste good with smoked cheeses? Like smoked cheddar?

      Reply
      • Sam

        November 21, 2023 at 2:59 pm

        Absolutely! Enjoy!

        Reply
      • Serene Swanson

        December 30, 2023 at 11:43 am

        5 stars
        Doubled the recipe and this mac an cheese is Delicious! I struggled with figuring out the noodles in oz’s but ended up using two 16oz box’s for the doubled recipe and there was plenty of cheese to go round!😋

        Reply
    6. Kiana

      October 31, 2023 at 7:13 pm

      5 stars
      Definitely a family go to, so much better than any boxed Mac and cheese & so delicious!! Thank you for the recipe!! I’ll be back 😂

      Reply
      • Sam

        November 01, 2023 at 12:27 pm

        I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it, Kiana! 🙂

        Reply
        • Molly Anderson

          November 23, 2023 at 3:35 pm

          Can u use bread flour when making the rou..? That’s all I have…

        • Sam

          November 25, 2023 at 10:06 pm

          Hi Molly! I haven’t tried it with bread flour to say for sure how it would turn out. 🙁

      • grammie b

        November 19, 2023 at 12:08 am

        just curious could i use evaporared milk or heavy cream for a richer taste?

        Reply
        • Sam

          November 19, 2023 at 8:40 pm

          I don’t see any reason why that wouldn’t work. 🙂

    7. Christine

      September 14, 2023 at 7:05 pm

      5 stars
      Can this recipe be made in a crock pot?

      Reply
      • Sam

        September 15, 2023 at 10:52 am

        Hi Christine! There are a lot of steps that I’m not sure how this would work in a crock pot. It could be prepared then placed in a crock pot for warmth.

        Reply
    8. Terri White

      April 06, 2023 at 4:26 pm

      5 stars
      I made this ahead for our family’s Easter lunch tomorrow. It looks and smells fantastic! I always follow Sam’s recipes to the letter. I mean, she’s done all that work for me, so I take advantage of her cooking prowess.

      Reply
      • Emily @ Sugar Spun Run

        April 06, 2023 at 5:09 pm

        We hope the mac and cheese is a huge hit at your lunch, Terri! Enjoy 🥰

        Reply
    9. Michelle

      January 09, 2023 at 7:55 pm

      5 stars
      My family loves this recipe. It’s my go to!

      Reply
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    The author (Sam) in blue shirt holding donut Hi, I'm Sam! I'm dedicated to bringing you sweet, simple, and from-scratch dessert recipes. My life may or may not be controlled by my sweet tooth. Send help (or chocolate). Read more about me.

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