Creamy Baked Mac and Cheese Recipe

An easy homemade baked mac and cheese that comes together fast by using whipping cream (instead of milk), plus there's no fake Velveeta in sight!

Wait...can you use whipping cream in mac and cheese?

Many mac and cheese recipes use milk combined with flour and sometimes add artificial Velveeta cheese to get its creaminess. The secret to our homemade macaroni and cheese recipe is to use heavy whipping cream.

Perhaps that seems indulgent, but aren't get-togethers with our loved ones the best time to go over the top? You don't have to go whole hog and eat half the pan, a small portion of comfort food is all we often need to feel satisfied.

Baked mac and cheese with cream will give you the best, easiest, and creamiest mac and cheese out there without Velveeta cheese or without making a flour roux! Plus it's even easier and quicker than the other methods.

 Macaroni and cheese is essential whether you're going to a potluck, BBQ, or holiday meal. This is always a favorite (especially with kids) and one of the first dishes to be devoured!

While most weeks we've been sticking to lean protein, veggies, and healthy starches, life is all about balance. When we're getting together with friends and family, serving the comforting classics is a must. Sometimes we make our low carb cauliflower version instead and it's nearly just as popular.

Macaroni and cheese with heavy cream instead of milk is the best!

• Using heavy cream (and not milk) increases the creaminess and cuts out the roux step of classic macaroni recipes (hello, time saving short cut!)
• It's easy to adapt and add protein to make it a main dish recipe
• It’s a family-friendly recipe that will please even the pickiest eaters
• It makes the creamiest cheesiest, most delicious recipe everyone will be talking about!

Ingredients list

• Elbow macaroni: You could use other types of smaller pasta shapes, elbow macaroni is the classic. Gluten free pasta will work too!
• Heavy cream: I like using heavy cream because it has a thick consistency but you can use half n half or whole milk if you want it a touch lighter.
• Shredded sharp cheddar cheese: Both yellow and white cheddar cheese can be used for this recipe. You can use Monterey jack or pepper jack cheese as substitutes for cheddar cheese. This gets mixed in and is used as a topping.
• Shredded gruyere or mozzarella: If you can, buy a block of cheese and grate it yourself. Most store-bought shredded cheese has a food agent in them that keeps them from clumping together. This will keep the cheese from giving you that oh-so-lovely cheese pull you're looking for!
• Smoked Paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder: These are not the only spices you can add to this recipe. Other spices that you can add are garlic salt, cayenne pepper, red pepper, mustard powder, dry mustard, and even hot sauce!
• Salt and black pepper: Add these both to taste.
• (Optional) Panko breadcrumbs: These can be added at the very end and quickly broiled to give you a bit of crunch.

** Please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the exact quantities **

Variations

• Add protein: Italian sausage, chicken sausage, and ground beef are hearty mix-ins, you could also add crab, lobster, pulled pork, or even corned beef.
• Crispy Breadcrumbs: If you like your mac and cheese very brown and crispy, turn off the oven and turn the broiler on. Broil the mac and cheese until it gets to your preferred level of brownness.

Kitchen tools

• Saucepan
• Casserole dish
• Box grater

How to make homemade macaroni and cheese

You're going to simply boil the pasta, make a quick cheesy sauce, and then top it all with more cheese before baking it in the oven. It's that siple.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Step 1: Pour water into a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Add in the dried elbow pasta and cook them for the minimum time in the package directions. If it says 6-8 minutes, cook it for 6 minutes. The al-dente noodles will finish cooking in the oven. Drain the water from the pasta and add them to a baking dish.

Step 2: For the creamy sauce, place a medium saucepan on the stove over medium heat and pour in about 4 cups of heavy cream. Add in 4 cups of cheese, the smoked paprika, and ½ a teaspoon of salt. Let the cheese melt and then bring the mixture to a boil. Keep stirring until the cheese sauce is smooth.

Step 3: Pour the creamy cheese sauce over the cooked pasta and mix it with a spoon until the noodles and sauce are evenly combined.

Step 4: Sprinkle about 2 cups of the extra cheese evenly on top of the pasta mixture and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and bubbly. Serve the dish hot and dig in!

Recipe notes

• The recipe can be doubled and cooked in a larger baking pan.
• We don't recommend using pre-shredded cheese, it's coated with potato starch and doesn't melt as well, nor will you get those lovely cheese pulls if you use bagged shreds.
• To get a crispy browned crust, you can pop the mac and cheese under the broiler for 1-2 minutes.
• Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. To reheat leftovers, you can microwave smaller portions for 1-2 minutes or reheat the pan in the oven at 350 F for 20 minutes.

Reader questions

More Pasta Recipes

• Instant Pot Fettuccini Chicken Alfredo
• Cauliflower "Mac" and Cheese
• Thai peanut noodles
• Thai curry rice noodles

Get Meal Prep Help!

Be sure to join our healthy recipes email list to get lots of meal prep ideas, plus free meal planning printables. We're here to make meal time simple!

If you loved our recipe, please leave us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review and leave us a comment too! Connect with us on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube!

📌 Be sure to pin the recipe to Pinterest so you can easily find it again! ⬆️