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Home » Slow Cooker Recipes » Easy Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese

Easy Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese

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Easy Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese is just the best comfort food. This is my U.K version, made without evaporated milk and without cream cheese but still super quick and easy to prepare. I'm talking cheesy, rib sticking and luxurious baby. Perfect for an easy midweek meal. Get in my slow cooker.

slow cooker mac and cheese in a white serving bowl with a spoon holding some up out of the bowl. A grey pinstriped napkin wraps around the bowl

This macaroni cheese recipe is easy throw it all in peesy. No stirring over the hob just let the magic happen all on it's ownsome in the pot. Exactly how I like to roll. Who knew?

I don't add any fancy extras, no mustard, no garlic just lots of cheese. I'm a classic kinda girl. You're welcome.

Jump to:
  • Ingredients
  • Method
  • Variations
  • Top Tips
  • More Easy Sides
  • Easy Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese (UK Version)

Why you'll love this recipe

  • one of the best comfort foods ever
  • cupboard ingredients
  • crowd pleasing
  • versatile - throw in veg or anything else that suits.
  • can be used as a side or main

*There is a full printable recipe card at the bottom of this post*

slow cooker mac and cheese in a white serving bowl with a spoon holding some up out of the bowl

Ingredients

slow cooker Mac and cheese ingredients labelled in bowls and a jug

250 grams (8.8 oz) macaroni or elbow pasta - you need a robust5 pasta here and macaroni is best

250 grams (8.8 oz) extra mature cheddar cheese - if you want it less cheesy then use medium cheddar

30 grams plain flour - self raising will work fine too.

50 grams (1.76 oz) butter - salted or unsalted but not spread

1 litre milk - semi skimmed or full fat milk

half a tsp salt

Method

Switch your slow cooker to high. Put the 50 grams (1.76 oz) butter into the pot and let it melt.

butter flour roux in a black slow cooker bowl

Add in the 30 grams (1 oz) flour and mix into a roux. I use a whisk but just because I'm going to use it for the next step.

Carefully pour in the 1 litre of milk and use a whisk to thoroughly mix in the milk. The roux should be completely dispersed through the milk.

milk and roux in a black slow cooker pot with a whisk in the centre, a salt pot and grated cheese to the side

Tip in the 250 grams (8.8 oz) of pasta and stir through the mixture.

Put the lid on and cook for an hour on High.

Stir the mixture well quickly but carefully so you don't get splashed and the lid is off as little time as possible.

Cook for a further 45 minutes or hour. It is cooked when the pasta is soft.

Add in the 250 grams (8.8 oz) of mature grated cheddar and stir throughout well.

grated cheese on top of milk in a black slow cooker pot on a wooden surface

Put the lid on for a further five minutes so that the cheese has a chance to melt.

Serve straight away.

slow cooker macaroni cheese in a black slow cooker pot with a spatula resting on the side, salt pot in the foreground and a wooden chopping board showing to the side

How long the pasta takes to cook in your slow cooker depends on how efficient your slow cooker is and how cold your milk was going in. So carefully try a piece of pasta to test when it's ready.

It may also need a splash or two extra of milk. Sometimes it will, sometimes it won't.

slow cooker mac and cheese in a white serving bowl with a spoon holding some up out of the bowl

Variations

Add 200 grams (7oz) browned crispy lardons and the juices from the pan for a cheesy bacon vibe.

Add butternut squash chunks or sweet potato in at the beginning of the cooking and stir it all through so that it melts throughout the pasta along with the cheese

Use different cheeses to change the cheesy vibe. Blue cheese, mozzarella, gruyere, parmesan would all work well.

Add 1 tbsp dijon mustard for a little something extra.

Swap in 300 mls of double cream instead of milk to make it super luxurious.

Top Tips

This is best eaten as soon as cooked as it can thicken up like all macaroni cheese. Add a splash of milk to loosen.

Leftovers should be cooled as soon as possible and kept covered in the fridge. They can be frozen too for up to 3 months.

All leftovers should be reheated until piping hot and eaten within 2 days.

More Easy Sides

  • Slow cooker mac & cheese
  • Slow cooker mashed potatoes
  • Roast potatoes
  • Mashed potatoes
  • Dauphinoise potatoes
  • Slow cooker dauphinoise potatoes
  • Braised red cabbage
  • Slow cooker red cabbage
  • Cauliflower cheese
  • Ratatouille
  • Easy Roast Carrots
Mac and cheese in a white serving bowl with a metal spoon lifting some up on. A grey pin striped napkin sits half around the dish

Easy Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese (UK Version)

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Easy Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese is comfort food at it's best. Velvety cheese sauce coating macaroni pasta in the easiest way possible. A versatile side that is a real crowd pleaser.
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 2 hours hrs
Total Time 2 hours hrs 10 minutes mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 6
Calories 506 kcal

Equipment

  • slow cooker
  • whisk
  • grater
  • Measuring Jug
  • Spatula

Ingredients
 

  • 250 grams macaroni pasta or elbow
  • 250 grams mature cheddar cheese grated
  • 30 grams plain flour
  • 50 grams butter
  • 1 litre milk
  • ½ tsp salt

Instructions
 

  • Switch your slow cooker to high. Put the 50 grams (1.76 oz) butter into the pot and let it melt.
  • Add in the 30 grams (1 oz) flour and mix into a roux. I use a whisk but just because I'm going to use it for the next step.
  • Carefully pour in the 1 litre of milk and use a whisk to thoroughly mix in the milk. The roux should be completely dispersed through the milk.
  • Tip in the 250 grams (8.8 oz) of pasta and stir through the mixture. Put the lid on and cook for an hour on High.
  • Take the lid off and stir it all through. Put the lid back on. Cook for a further 45 minutes or hour. It is cooked when the pasta is soft.
  • Add in the 250 grams (8.8 oz) of mature grated cheddar and stir throughout well.
  • Put the lid on for a further five minutes so that the cheese has a chance to melt.
  • Serve straight away.

Notes

This is best eaten as soon as cooked as it can thicken up like all macaroni cheese. Add a splash of milk to loosen if you are reheating.
Leftovers should be cooled as soon as possible and kept covered in the fridge. They can be frozen too for up to 3 months.
All leftovers should be reheated until piping hot and eaten within 2 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 506kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 80mg | Sodium: 588mg | Potassium: 390mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 904IU | Calcium: 518mg | Iron: 1mg

All nutritional information is approximate and intended only as a guide.

Keyword cheese, comfort food, macaroni cheese, vegetarian
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5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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Hi, I'm Jenny Walters. A mother of two and passionate filler of bellies with stress free, simple and delicious recipes that gladden the soul. I am at heart a home cook.

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