No-Boil Homemade Macaroni and Cheese
No Boil Homemade Macaroni and Cheese! The easiest, creamiest homemade macaroni and cheese ever. No boiling the noodles first and it is made all in one pan!
AN EASY HOMEMADE MAC AND CHEESE
Is there anything more comforting than mac and cheese? I have been making this recipe for years now and it is one of our favorites. You get perfectly cooked noodles and gooey, melted cheese and it all cooks in one baking dish!
TIPS FOR MAKING MACARONI AND CHEESE:
A whole 16 ounce block of Velveeta is being pictured here. You’re only going to use half of that block (8 ounce) Also, I have had readers tell me that they have used half milk and half chicken broth for the liquid and it turns out great! Did you know you can make your own Homemade Velveeta!
YOU DO NOT BOIL THE NOODLES BEFOREHAND
The key to this recipe for No Boil Homemade Macaroni and Cheese? You aren’t going to boil the macaroni beforehand. Did you copy that? Do not boil the macaroni beforehand. This is going to not only save you time, but you aren’t gonna have to also wash up a pot, strainer and bowls too!
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- milk (2 % or higher)
- salt
- mustard powder
- salted butter
- elbow macaroni
- Velveeta
- shredded cheddar cheese
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE NO-BOIL MACARONI AND CHEESE:
Preheat oven to 350f degrees. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. In the bottom of your baking dish (or in a separate bowl), mix together milk with salt, dry mustard powder. Pour in uncooked macaroni (spread it out evenly).
Then add slices of Velveeta and one cup shredded cheese into baking dish making sure to distribute it evenly. Top evenly with slices of butter (pushing them a bit under the milk).
Cover with aluminium foil. Bake for about 50-60 minutes (until macaroni is cooked and most of the liquid has been absorbed). Oven times vary so check it around the 40 minute mark. Take it out of the oven, remove foil, and top with another cup (or so) of shredded cheddar cheese.
Put it back in the oven (uncovered) for another 10-15 minutes (until cheese is melted.)
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
- Crock Pot Mac and Cheese
- White Cheddar Mac and Cheese
- Instant Pot Sausage Mac and Cheese
- Instant Pot Macaroni and Cheese
- Taco Mac and Cheese
- Easy Cheesy Macaroni Skillet
- Butter Swim Biscuits
- KFC Mac and Cheese
- Crock Pot Ham Mac and Cheese
- Thanksgiving Recipe Roundup
Originally published: January 2012
Updated photos and republished: October 2019
No-Boil Macaroni and Cheese (+Video)
Ingredients
- 4 cups milk (2% or higher)
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
- 2 cups macaroni, uncooked
- 8 ounces Velveeta cheese, sliced into 1/2-inch thickness (1/2 block)
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (divided use)
- 4 Tablespoons salted butter, sliced into 1/2-inch thickness
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- In the bottom of your baking dish, mix together 4 cups milk with 1 teaspoon table salt and 1 teaspoon dry mustard powder.
- Pour in 2 cups macaroni, uncooked and spread it out evenly.
- Then add 8 ounces Velveeta cheese, sliced into 1/2-inch thickness and HALF of the 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese into baking dish making sure to distribute it evenly.
- Top with 4 Tablespoons salted butter, sliced into 1/2-inch thickness (pushing them down a bit under the milk.)
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 50-60 minutes (until macaroni is cooked and most of the liquid has been absorbed). Oven times vary so check it around the 40 minute mark.
- Take it out of the oven, remove foil, and top with the remaining shredded cheddar cheese (Note: you can add more cheese if you prefer.)
- Put it back in the oven (uncovered) for another 10-15 minutes (until cheese is melted.)
Video
Notes
- I have not tried this with milk alternatives so I can’t tell you how that would turn out. I do not recommend low fat or skim milk as it is too watery and may not turn out properly.
- Use as little or as much cheese as your enjoy.
- Other pasta shapes can be used as long as they are about the same size as elbow noodles.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
I made this tonight , it baked about 1 1/2 to get nice and thick, but all my cheese curdled , so it taste good but looks horrible . Help ! What did I do wrong ?
Picky chef fiance loved this. Thnk you!
I will start by saying I've never been a huge Mac & cheese fan. My brother loved the 'Blue box ' & we ate it way too much as a child. One of my friends made this as a side dish at our weekly Sunday dinner & I took a tiny 'polite' serving. OMG!!! Where have you been all my life??!! Sooo good. I have probably made this 8 times since my first bite…gone in a flash each time. We do crush a tube of Ritz crackers & sprinkle it over the last layer of cheese, Yum. Sorry, gotta go dish myself up a serving….fresh out of the oven!
made this today with Velveeta Queso Blanco cheese(WHOLE 16 once pack)
A 4cup pack of Great Value Fiesta cheese (shredded) and a 4 cup pack of Great Value shredded sharp cheddar. the kicker was the pond of fried bacon ends and pieces. this dish went VERY well with fried cat fish, hush puppies, coleslaw, and cheese grits. WINNER WINNER MAC AND CHEESE DINNER!!! passed out copies of recipe at family fish fry.
Can this be made with 1% milk? Looks yummy…thanks! 🙂
Has anyone tried this in the crock pot? I've heard of no boil lasagna before so curious how this recipe might do.
Made this mac and cheese tonight and it tasted DELISH!! I don't know if I did anything wrong because it looked a little curdled, not as much after I took it out and sat a few minutes. Any suggestions on what I could have done wrong??
Thanks so much….
Brandie- I will never make Mac and Cheese the same again! I love this easy, easy recipe. It saved me so much time and pots and pans. I have my own version that I have used for years, that I make every holiday that eveyones loves. I will be springing this on them for the next Holiday. I know they will love it!
Mommy of triplet boys!
I made the baked mac and cheese along with the pulled pork sandwiches. Both were a total success for our Easter dinner. The mac and cheese was very easy to make and tasted like it toom hours. It tasted better than any restaurant dish I have ever tasted. My husband and family loved it and a week after I made it, they requested it again. Its honestly the best I have ever tasted and its not because I made I made it. You will not be dissappointed I promise!
Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know how it turned out for you! So happy it was a winner!
Making this for my daughters bday party this weekend. I know it will be a hit 🙂
Country Cook, I just LOVE that you show pix of your ingredients!!! This sounds divine ….it's on the menu for tonight! Blessings to you!
Thanks so much! I'm so glad it helps!
Ursa, LOL, I guess it does look a little like scrambled eggs in that top picture, huh? Glad you still clicked on it to check it out! Hope you love it if you try it! Anonymous – this one is cheesy to the max. If you love cheese, add it all in but it is totally customizable to the level of cheese your family loves! 😀 ~Brandie
This recipe is GREAT!!!! I discovered this blog/recipe a couple weeks ago while searching for the perfect mac & cheese recipe. I've made it twice and have a batch in the oven right now…family members have been suggesting their own special blend of cheeses. Tonight's batch is featuring Gouda and New York Extra Sharp White Cheddar. LOVE not boiling the noodles first. Can't wait to try your other recipes. Thank you so much for sharing (my family thanks you, too!)
When I first saw the picture on pinterest I thought of really good looking scrambled eggs. I followed the link and realised how wrong I was. But don't get me wrong. I am not disappointed that it turned out to be Macaroni and Cheese. Not at all! I am glad that I found this recipe so thank you very much!
I LOVE this Mac and chesse.. I usually find most recipes for mac and chesse are not chessie enough but with this one I actually had to cut it back a little to keep it all in the dish…. Awsome Thanks so much!!
Yay!! I am so happy you had success with this recipe! Thank you so very much for taking the time to let me know!! 🙂 ~Brandie
I'm making this again tonight. I just love it! But my granddaughters, used to the stuff in the box, are a bit skeptical, and have yet to try it. But I don't care, there's more for me! I use the Kraft Triple Cheddar shredded cheese with Philly cream cheese in it in the casserole, and top with shredded Extra Sharp Cheddar, for that cheddar taste I love. I go a little light on the salt, because of my hypertension, and because I'm no longer used to the taste of salty food, and it is still great! There's plenty of salt in the cheese. I will never use another mac and cheese recipe!
Turned out GREAT !!!!! The only thing I would change is not adding the salt. Theres enough in the Cheese. Family gave it great reviews. Thank You 🙂
Making this tonight. Couldnt find the blended 2 cups of cheese with Cheddar/Mozz/ Monterey Jack. So picked up a 2 cup bag of Marble Jack (Colby & Monterey) & also my 2 cups of Cheddar. Im gonna mix both togeather & add 2 to the pan & the other 2 on top.The pictures look great & the reviews are what is making me try this. Never put the dried Mustard in my original recipe so im excited to see how it goes. I will let you know. Wish me luck 🙂
Making this for first time…..can't wait to eat it! Are u supposed to stir it after the baking time…before u put on the last 2 cups of cheese? Thank u!
Discovered The Country Cook website by accident and I am so happy that I did! Made the Baked Mac & Cheese as a side for our annual Superbowl party and it was a HUGE hit. It was such a simple dish and yet turned out to be so yummy. Looking forward to making it again in the future and trying many other recipes on here!
I just love this recipe and so does my son. It is much easier than other recipes and tastes better! For a little kick, I add some sliced jalapenos just before putting it into the oven. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
Making this tonight to celebrate our first 1" snowfall of the season. I've made it before and just loved it! Serving tonight with your (crockpot) Cube Steak and Gravy. I might still have to brave the cold and the snow to go to work tonight, but I'll be full of comfort food!
This mac and cheese looks really good. I am currently living in Uganda at the moment and I am away from obtaining mac and cheese. Luckily there are supermarkets here that sell cheese here. My next cooking adventure is making this mac and cheese. Yet I am thinking of substituting the Velveeta with cream cheese. I had this recipe back in the states that had cream cheese in the mac and cheese. It was really good. Do you think cream cheese can be okay in this recipe? I'm not hoping for it to substitute the taste of Velveeta, but just to add something different.
Anonymous – you don't really have to use Velveeta. It just adds a creaminess to this dish and makes it super cheesy. Just use a mild and creamy cheese to substitute. Or you can just leave it out altogether. You will still get a delicious macaroni and cheese. 🙂
Shaina, this one can be a bit tricky to make ahead of time. You could maybe try to cook it for about an hour and then try to finish cooking it before serving it. But it will cool in between that time and will need some extra time to come back up to temperature. Just make sure you keep it covered with foil. 🙂
hi, i'm wondering if it would be possible to make this ahead of time, like for a pot-luck where we won't be eating immediately. do you think i could cook for the first 60 min or whatever, and then refrigerate it, and then do the last 15 minutes right before eating?
mac and cheese. you say to use velveeta (a must). however, even though i know what it is in the states, i am living in the uk and they don't have that here. would you know of a possible substitute? thank you.
Thank you so much for this recipe:) made it yesterday for lunch and the fam gobbled it up! Definitely the best Mac and cheese I've ever made.and so easy to put together since the noodles go in right from the box.i also love that I can get 2 batches out of one box of elbows and one thing of velveeta.i used Cajun seasoning in lieu of reg salt and a tsp of yellow mustard since I didn't have any dry it turned out deeeeelicious! Absolutely my go to Mac and cheese from now on. Thanks again!:)
I am just so tickled that y'all are having success with this recipe – yay!
So to answer questions – I would not cook this particular recipe in a crock pot unless you have an older crock pot model (older than 12 years). The newer crock pots (because of FDA regulations) just get far too hot for this particular recipe since there is milk in it.
As for tripling the recipe – I"m so sorry I missed your comment. I'm sure you've already made this by now. I hope it turned out good for you!! 🙂
Could this be done in a crock pot on low all day while at work????
I am the world's pickiest eater. For my wedding, I told the caterer that his options were limited to "Chicken, cheese, and ranch..GO!" That being said, macaroni & cheese is my favorite food and I am insanely critical of EVERY recipe.
Since I was little, my mom and I have been on a mission to find the perfect homemade macaroni and cheese recipe. We have tried TONS and have always just, begrudgingly, returned to the little blue box after each failed attempt. But then, I found THIS little gem on Pinterest. I will never buy that little blue box again…nor will I ever cook a different macaroni & cheese recipe. This is absolutely PERFECT! The 23-year-long search for the perfect macaroni & cheese recipe has ended!!! (AND, added bonus, I got to show up some much more experienced &…cocky…cooks for a church covered-dish dinner a couple of months ago…this macaroni was the only dish scraped clean!!!) Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for sharing!! Paula Deen's got nothin' on you, sister! 😉
((hugs)) Ashley! Thank you so very much for that!!
I want to do this for our xmas dinner for 29 people. Probably triple the recipe…Do you think it will be ok to cook this in a foil pan and will the cooking time be the same ?
Made this tonight…added bacon eliminated salt. Delish!
I've liked boxed mac and cheese all my life and haven't been able to find a "real" recipe that suits me. Howsomever,this sounds like it might be THE ONE. I shall go forth to cook and then return to report my findings. Actually, I'll have to go forth to the store first. 😀
Thanks!
I have made this several times and it is a hit( i havent used the dry mustard though )!! However, my boyfriend suggested maybe adding rotel to this fine dish.. what do you think? I am making this tonight for his birthday and am scared to try the rotel, will it mess up the consistency? any advice would be greatly appreciated
Yum! We even added buttered panko bread crumbs to the top. I LOVE that you don't have to boil the noodles first or make a roux.
this looks good mmmmmmm…
This recipe is the best!!!!! Thx love it!
I just made this for my family…BRAVO!!! Delicious!!! Thanks for the recipe!!
Sounds wonderful! How many servings is this for? I want to make for Thanksgiving but don't know how many it will feed.
Can this be frozen? I was thinking make as stated but only put 1/2 in an 8×8 dish and freeze the rest for later? Then thaw and top with cheese after cooking? Or can you easily cut recipe in half?
Thanks in advance.
The best! Throwing away my other Mac and cheese recipe.
Made this for dinner one night and it was a big hit. I do have a question….could you make this in a crockpot?
Made this for dinner tonight. The whole family loved it, even the 2 picky teenagers……Can't wait to try some of your other recipes.
I made this for my boyfriend and he said it was by far the best Mac and Cheese he's ever had. (I agree!) He said he didnt want to swallow it because it made him sad it was disapearing off his plate! This will be my go to recipe from now on. Thanks so much for sharing.
Never had I made Mac and cheese and have been searching several times for the one I thought would be delicious. Your receipe caught my eye. I followed your receipe to a tee. My Mac and cheese was absolutely perfect. The family loved it. My search is over. This receipe is a keeper. And I will be making this very often! Thank you for sharing.
Thank you so much! I generally do my cooking without a recipe, but ever since I found this site I feel compelled to try so many of yours! I love to cook, but I haven't been this excited about cooking in years!!!! My family says thanks so much they are thrilled 🙂
Anonymous – it is two measured cups not a 16oz. box.
Help! Does 2 cups uncooked macaroni mean a 16 ounce box or just what fits in a two cup measure cup? I am so excited to try this and do not want to mess it up! Thank you for all of the wonderful ideas they are awesome!
Made this a couple of days ago. Even the leftovers didn't last long! I added a splash of Worcestershire Sauce (my mom always put that in her mac'n'cheese) and I really liked that addition. Next time I may try some exra sharp cheddar, because we really like that cheesy taste. Thanks so much for such an easy and tasty recipe!
I just made this in two different versions: regular and gluten free! It is delicious and my granddaughter loves the gluten free version. I left out the salt, since I don't salt anything. Thanks for the delicious and simple recipe.