Creamy Skillet Macaroni and Cheese
This creamy skillet macaroni and cheese is the best mac and cheese ever! Made in 30 minutes with simple ingredients (no processed cheese!).
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I’m in disbelief of how creamy and cheesy this is-even as leftovers!! Because it is so yummy and fast, I can not justify buying Kraft anymore. Thank you!!! -Cheri
Why This Mac and Cheese is the Best
With hundreds of 5-star reviews, this creamy skillet macaroni and cheese is a tried-and-true keeper of a recipe. It is one of my family’s favorite (easy!) dinners ever.
- No processed cheese. This might be the biggest selling point of this mac and cheese. So many of you have been skeptical that you can get a mac and cheese recipe to turn out this creamy and this luxurious without Velveeta. Just read through the comments to see how many people have been won over by this recipe!
- Just one skillet. The pasta cooks right in the skillet with the other ingredients, which means minimal dishes and super easy cleanup.
- 25 minutes or less. This mac and cheese can be yours FAST, which makes it perfect for when the mac and cheese craving hits.
- No baking required. The macaroni and cheese is ultra-saucy and creamy without an extra trip through the oven to dry it out.
Seriously, this is likely to be the best macaroni and cheese you’ll ever have. And it is so quick and easy!
Key Ingredients Notes
The ingredients are very straightforward, however, there are a few important notes that will ensure this recipe turns out perfectly every time.
- Water: The elbow macaroni cooks in the skillet in both water and evaporated milk. Stir in additional hot water to adjust the consistency (a great way to revive leftovers!).
- Evaporated milk: The evaporated milk adds an extra dimension of creaminess to the pasta as it cooks. I highly recommend using evaporated milk in the can. Some readers have reported using 2% or whole milk in place of the evaporated milk with good results.
- Elbow macaroni: Use dry elbow macaroni as the pasta cooks in the skillet. The recipe calls for 12 ounces elbow macaroni which is about 3 cups.
- Cornstarch: A small amount of cornstarch is stirred in at the end of cooking. This helps thicken the cream sauce without making it gloopy and heavy.
- Dry mustard: Mustard helps cut through the richness of the mac and cheese.
- Hot sauce: The hot sauce doesn’t add heat or spiciness, so don’t leave it out. It gives a tasty depth of flavor that is really important for the cheesy mac.
- Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses: This might be the most important note of all! I cannot overstate how important it is to use block cheese and grate it yourself for this recipe. Freshly grated cheese will melt infinitely better and more creamy than using preshredded cheese (which is coated with a powdery substance to keep it from clumping but also prevents it from melting well).
- Butter: A small amount of butter is stirred into the macaroni at the end. This ensures a silky, luxurious finish to the mac and cheese.
Important Notes
- Serve Immediately. This skillet macaroni and cheese is best served right away, so keep that in mind when figuring out the timing of when to make it and serve it.
- How to Reheat or Adjust Consistency. While this is best served right away, leftovers can be reheated. Drizzle a bit of water over the macaroni and cheese before reheating or heat a few tablespoons of water to boil and stir into the reheated macaroni and cheese. I also add a little bit more cheese to freshen up the leftovers.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The creamiest and tastiest mac and cheese recipe out there. I will NEVER make any other type again. Thanks Mel! -Karen
I posted this recipe nearly 20 years ago with a picture of my young son digging into this mac. Now, my kids are old enough that they make it for themselves! If you’ve been looking for one of the easiest and best mac and cheese recipes out there, you’ve found it!
Creamy Skillet Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients
- 3 ½ cups water
- 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
- 12 ounces (about 3 cups) elbow macaroni
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon dry mustard
- ¼ teaspoon hot sauce
- 6 ounces cheddar cheese, freshly shredded (1 1/2 cups)
- 6 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, freshly shredded (1 1/2 cups)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- Ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a 12-inch skillet, add the water, 1 cup of the evaporated milk, elbow macaroni, and salt, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Stir often so the macaroni doesn't stick.
- Simmer until the macaroni is tender 9 to 10 minutes. There will still be liquid on the bottom of the skillet.
- In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk the remaining 1/2 cup evaporated milk, cornstarch, mustard and hot sauce together. Stir into the skillet.
- Simmer until slightly thickened, about 1 minute.
- Off the heat, stir in the cheeses, one handful at a time. Stir in the butter until melted (return the skillet to low heat, if needed). Season with salt and pepper to taste, if needed. Serve immediately.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted from The Best Skillet Recipes
Recipe originally posted March 2009; updated August 2026 with new photos, recipe notes, etc.
Success!! All 4 of my kids (3 picky) ate and called me the best cooker ever. Then my son asked if he could have the rest for dinner tomorrow. =)
Loved this! Not only did it taste awesome, but it was super easy to make. Thanks for sharing 🙂
We just had this with dinner tonight and it was AMAZING!!! I was craving creamy mac’n’cheese and this totally hit the spot! I was a bit skeptical about cooking the macaroni in the milk, but it worked so wonderfully and I definitely did not miss having to make a rue! I also messed up a bit at the beginning of the recipe and accidentally poured the whole can of evaporated milk in with the water. Luckily I caught it quickly and scooped out 1/2 cup of the mixture before it started cooking. (And it still worked out just great!). Thank you so much for this recipe, I’ll never make another kind again!
Wonderful! Even converted my 9 year old who thinks Kraft Mac and Cheese is the best. This was loved by all! I did need to add extra water to adjust the thickness but I used a 16 oz box of elbows vs a 12 oz and kept the remaining ingredients all the same. Will definitely make this one again. Thank you!
Really good! I ended up making this with pepperjack in place of the Monterey Jack because I had it on hand and then just didn’t add the hot sauce to the sauce and it was delish! Such an easy method for a creamy mac and cheese.
This looks great! I also always tend to be unsatisfied with the mac and cheese that I make. I am going to try this and I hope it comes out looking as yummy as yours! Crossing my fingers that everyone likes it here 🙂 Thanks for the recipe!!
Mac and cheese can DEFINITELY be done with other cheeses! My favorite is Parmesan Reggiano (HAS to be the really fine grated stuff or else Mel is right–doesn’t melt so well), a touch of feta for creaminess, and Bleu cheese as a kicker. Great with crab meat mixed in, which is big here on the Chesapeake. I kept the total amount of cheese the same at 12 ounces and upped the butter to 3 or 4 tbs (crab tends to soak that stuff up). Add the Parm Reg slowly and get ahead of the melting, or else it’ll jst end up clumpy. Depending on how this melts for you, you might also want to add a touch more milk (evap or regular, depending on how thick you like it) to keep the creamy quality.
Made this for dinner tonight and it was really good! This is definitely the easiest Mac and cheese recipes I’ve made and one of the best. I didn’t have any Monterey Jack, so I just used a mix of othe cheeses I needed to use up. This was just a great recipe! Easy and delicious!
Just made this last night and it was great! I used 1% milk because that’s all I had, and was worried it wouldn’t thicken well but it did! Next time I will use evaporated milk though, since I’m sure it adds a bit more flavour. It will still yummy and my 2 year old loved it! Thanks!
This was even better than I hoped it would be! I’m always skeptical of mac & cheese recipes, but this was actually creamy and delicious. So happy to have found it!
OK so oh my goodness i am eating this right now and it is my new recipe for mac and cheese!!!! Thanks for the share 🙂
What kind of hot sauce should I use?
Momof2 – I use the Tapatio brand.
Made this for a quick dinner tonight and it was SO good!!! I was totally going to blog about it but we got too hungry for me to take a picture. Delish!
Okay, so I’ve made this three times now (it’s just so tasty… will I ever make another mac and cheese again?), and with a little bit of trial and error, I personally prefer it with 9 ounces of cheddar and 3 ounces of Monterey Jack. I’m not a huge fan of the flavor of the jack, but I think too much cheddar is also a little over powering. AND having made it with regular milk this last time, I’d say evaporated is definitely preferable – the final result was a little runnier and not quite as smooth. But it did work.
Thanks for another fantastic recipe!
(I also added about 8 ounces of diced ham, and that seems like the right amount for us…)
This mac and cheese was amazing! It was exactly was this pregnant woman was craving for =) To be honest, this was my first time making it from scratch but this blows away any I’ve ever had in restaurants. I added 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper for an extra kick and omitted the butter. Thank you so much!!
How many does this serve? I am hoping 8?
Laura – this serves 4-6.
First let me say I LOVE YOUR BLOG, and I think it has saved my family meals! It’s my first go to for any recipe I want to try! I’ve made quite a few of your recipes, and every one was a hit! Especially loved the sweet and sour chicken and smothered pork chops!
Anyway, my question is, have you ever tried your mac and cheese recipes with whole wheat pasta? We try and avoid white pasta, but I’ve tried several other recipes (before finding your blog) and every time the whole wheat tastes kinda gooey and yucky! If you have tried it with success, can you also let me know the brand of WW pasta you use, as I’ve found some taste and work better than others. I personally love trader joes ww pasta, but it was a miss when I tried several mac and cheese recipes!
Thanks,
Fenella
Hi Fenella – I haven’t used whole wheat pasta for this recipe. Sorry! I actually haven’t had great luck with whole wheat pasta overall so I don’t have a tried-and-true brand to recommend. Good luck!
Because I don’t have an oven right now, this recipe really appealed to me- I missed my baked mac’n’cheese! I was a bit skeptical about using evap milk, and the hot sauce, but wow! Both worked out great and I LOVED this stuff! There was no heat with the hot sauce, but I liked the color it gave it. Thank you!
Thanks so much for letting me know!! I can’t wait to try!
I can’t wait to try it this weekend! How many servings does this recipe make?
Rachel – it serves about 4-6.
Made this tonight and my 2.5 year old had 3 servings. I’ve been stalking your blog and made several things that have been a huge hit. Lemon bread is to die for, skillet lasagna was a huge hit, and I’m even branching out into making my own pizza dough thanks to you!
This is the best. I love all of your recipes. Thanks for sharing them! We add broccoli and bacon to this one and it is such a hit with my family. So creamy and delicious!
I’m in disbelief of how creamy and cheesy this is-even as leftovers!! Because it is so yummy and fast, I can not justify buying Kraft anymore. Thank you!!!
Delicious! My 2 boys are lays asking me to pick up Mac n cheese from Noodles, but it is about a 25 minute drive, especially at dinner time. They loved this, said it was better than Noodles! I did sub fat free evaporated milk and did not add the butter and it was wonderful, very creamy! Thank you!
Really looks good,, can’t wait to try it,, Thank you for pinning it
gigi – I think you should be able to use a large stockpot or saucepan to increase the batch.
I have made this a few times and I love it. I want to make it for a party and was going to triple it. The single batch is perfect for my skillet. Any idea how to make so much other than one batch at a time?
Thanks so much for posting! Mac and Cheese is an absolute favorite at our house, and I love that this one only requires one pot. I’m sure it will become my go-to recipe!
I’ve always had problems with my sauce going grainy, too…or it’s too soupy. It’s frustrating because everyone loves mac n cheese but I can never get it right. I’m going to try this one out for sure!
Oh! Made this tonight and was so surprised at how smooth it was. I have always been turned off by homemade because of the texture. This is a keeper and going in our rotation. The 3-year-old would not stop eating it. I served it with parmesan roasted cauliflower and roasted delicata squash. Thanks, Mel!
I tried it last night and it was wonderful!!! I just cubed and sauteed the squash with some onions and garlic until soft then pureed them and added to the noodles instead of the cornstarch. Had to add a little milk to thin it out but worked great!!
Jocelyn – I’ve never tried that but it’s probably worth a try. Good luck if you attempt it!
Do you think if I added cooked and mashed butternut squash to this recipe that it would effect it adversly? I love this mac and cheese recipe but I am obsessed with butter nut mac and cheese lately and can’t find a recipe I like. So I figured why not??
I LOVED this recipe – I thought it would be hard to top baked macaroni & cheese but I really think I like this better! Thanks for sharing your superb recipes!
WOW! Like you I have NEVER gotten homemade mac and cheese to come out amazing… but this was just great! It would have been better with breadcrumbs but I didn’t have any so we put bacon in it and I put fried onions on top (sorry if that sounds gross to anyone I’m pregnant and it was yummy!)
Thank you so much for a homemade mac and cheese recipe that does not consist of onions. Every recipe I have ever found has called for them and to me it just doesnt seem right to have onions in there…yuck!! I have been obsessed with this website for about six months and every recipe we have tried we have loved and thats saying alot with the pickiest husband every 🙂 Thank you so much
Thank you, I ended up doing it before I got this message and it didn’t taste great. I also used wheat noodles, we didn’t love it. I will have to try it the right way next time! By the way, I have been using your recipes like crazy, thank you!
Des – I wouldn’t sub for the Monterey Jack unless it is another cheese that melts creamy and smooth like Monterey Jack. Cheddar tends to get a bit grainy upon melting but it really boils down to your taste preference.
Can you sub Monterey jack with colby or other cheeses?
So I didn’t really think this type of creamy, smooth mac & cheese was possible using non-processed cheese! What a hit at our house, with the whole family! My husband saw it and said- is this velveeta? I had to use all sharp cheddar, because that’s what we had, but it was awesome. Also, i used fat-free evaporated milk and an entire box-13.25 oz- of mini penne pasta. It all worked great, but I did use a bit of water in the last step, most likely because of the greater pasta amount. I didn’t want to save just under 2 oz of pasta. Anyway, delicious! Thank you so much for this and all the other recipes you have that are so wonderful! I have loved every one we’ve tried. Thanks for your hard work:)
Celia – I’ve never tried that substitution but you certainly could try it.
Can regular milk be used in place of the evap milk?
I tried this recipe today on a whim when my daughter requested Macaroni and Cheese for lunch, but didn’t want the Kraft stuff… I happened to have all the ingredients on hand, so I went for it. It was a hit! Creamy and delicious, as promised. Not even slightly grainy as I’ve come to expect with so many homemade Mac and Cheese recipes. This one really delivers and I hope the leftovers heat up well for tomorrow!
This was so yummy!!! Our family loves it and I love it because it is so easy to make. I wanted to tell you that instead of ham, I used turkey bacon and it added a great flavor to it. So yummy!!
I made this yesterday (just the original – no peas/ham) and then finished it off in the oven with some bread crumbs on top. DELISH!!!
BULLSEYE!!!!
I LOVE how creamy this is! The texture seriously is what sold it for me!
This has become my go-to mac n’ cheese recipe. I like that it is easy, delicious, and creates very few dirty dishes.
As always you come through for me again. I was looking for a replacement for canned cheese soup and though I would see if you had one. I have a new cookbook, but some of the recipes called for condensed soups (yuck). I should be able to take this mac and cheese recipe and adapt it for the Salmon Pasta recipe in the cookbook.
Just threw this together as a last minute dinner for my kids. Of course afterwards I had to wonder if it could be made lower fat, if perhaps less cheese could have been added. So I headed over to Cooks Country to see how they did it. When I saw the changes you had made, like cutting out 2 CUPS of cheese, I was really impressed. You tweaked it perfectly without losing any of the creaminess or flavor. I just love how you operate!
Jessica – glad you loved this one!