This is not only the best mac and cheese recipe on the internet, but the cheesiest! Our Classic Mac and Cheese is made with a roux-based sauce and 3 whole cups of shredded cheddar cheese.
This is our most popular Mac and Cheese recipe on Cheese Knees! It’s been rated 5 stars countless times and we hope you love it! Our secret ingredient is a little splash of vinegar-based hot sauce. Just trust us.
While some people think classic mac and cheese is made in the oven, ours is made on the stovetop.
What is in mac and cheese?
- Macaroni noodles – any pasta works, but we love elbows.
- Butter – use the real stuff.
- All-purpose flour – this is used for the roux.
- 2% milk – we don’t suggest milk less than 2% fat.
- Shredded sharp cheddar cheese – always always always grate your cheese fresh, if possible!
- Hot sauce (we used Franks) – our secret ingredient to really bring out all of the flavors.
Featured Comment
“We made this recipe for Thanksgiving and I already can’t wait to eat the leftovers! Congrats on the new website as well – I’ve followed FFF for years and am also a huge fan of cheese so I can’t wait to try more of these recipes. Thanks and Happy Holidays!” – Jessica
Variations + Substitutions
Since this is the BEST mac and cheese recipe on the internet, it obviously uses a classic cheese – sharp cheddar cheese.
If you want to sub a different shredded cheese, we recommend using 2 cups of cheddar and subbing the last cup for something else. Some great options are gruyere, mozzarella, Swiss, gouda, or Colby jack.
We love Franks Hot Sauce, but feel free to use whatever your fave is, whether that’s Sriracha, Cholula or another go-to you have on hand in your fridge.
pro tip
If you like things a little spicier, go ahead and up this to 3 tablespoons. If you’re more of a mild lover, start with 1/2 tablespoon, and taste test from there.
Creamy
Mac and Cheese Sauce
No matter if you’re making stovetop mac and cheese or baked mac and cheese, this is the best mac and cheese sauce on the internet!
How to Store Mac and Cheese
Before you store the mac and cheese, allow it to cool down to room temperature, but don’t leave it out for more than two hours to prevent bacterial growth.
Once cooled, transfer the mac and cheese into an airtight container or multiple containers for meal prep.
Place the airtight container(s) in the refrigerator. Properly stored, cooked macaroni and cheese will last for 3 to 5 days in the refrigerator.
How to Reheat Mac and Cheese
The key to reheating mac and cheese is to add a little moisture (milk works great!) since the noodles continue to absorb moisture even after it’s originally cooked, and to reheat low and slow to avoid the cheese breaking down and changing texture.
Stovetop Directions
Add mac and cheese into a medium pot. Then, add in a splash of milk.
Reheat over low/medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring every so often. Continue to add more milk, as meeded.
Oven Directions
If you have time to reheat your mac and cheese in the oven, that is a great method! Simply add a little milk (start with a tablespoon, and go up from there depending on how much mac you’re reheating!), and stir thoroughly before covering an oven-safe dish and placing in the oven at 350°F.
You’ll need 10-20 minutes of reheating time, depending on how much mac you’re reheating.
Serving Suggestions
You can serve this mac and cheese as a main dish or a side dish. Below are some of the dishes we would serve alongside this creamy meal.
Best Mac and Cheese Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb. macaroni noodles
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups 2 % milk
- 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic or garlic powder
- 1-2 tablespoons buffalo hot sauce we used Franks
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the uncooked macaroni noodles and salt to the water and stir.
- Let pasta cook until al dente. Strain noodles and set aside.
- Next, prepare a roux by heating a large pot or dutch oven over medium/high heat. Add butter. When the butter is melted add flour and whisk until the butter and flour form a crumble.
- Slowly add milk to the pot, whisking constantly. Continue to whisk the roux over medium/high heat for about 4-6 minutes or until the roux thickens.
- When the roux is thick, remove from heat and add the cheddar cheese. Whisk until the cheese has melted.
- Add granulated garlic, hot sauce, and salt and pepper to the cheese sauce. Mix well.
- Finally, add the cooked macaroni noodles to the cheese sauce and mix until the noodles are covered in cheese sauce.
- Enjoy immediately.
The most cheesy and delicious mac and cheese I’ve ever had! Will be making this again for sure!
Yum! Loved this recipe. It turned out perfectly, but I did end up using lactose-free cheese and almond milk (sorry if that’s blasphemous here). I will say that the roux took a bit longer to thicken, but I’m assuming that might have been because of the almond milk. Definitely keeping this as my go-to mac and cheese recipe.
So glad your dairy-free changes worked!!
The best Mac and cheese! And easy to make too!
YAY! Glad you loved this!
Super good!!!! Easy to make as well. I like your instant pot mac and cheese recipe too!!!
Oh yes! We need a new IP Mac and cheese for TCK!
Classic family Thanksgiving may be cancelled this year, BUT I’m very excited to try this recipe out for our small household meal. Thanks for filling the cheese needs!
Wonderful, easy recipe! Looks gourmet without any extra work.
We made this recipe for Thanksgiving and I already can’t wait to eat the leftovers! Congrats on the new website as well – I’ve followed FFF for years and am also a huge fan of cheese so I can’t wait to try more of these recipes. Thanks and Happy Holidays!
Thank you thank you! Glad you guys loved this mac!
So delicious!
Insanely delicious! Leftovers reheated well in the oven too! Will be making again
This mac and cheese was much better than any boxed mac and cheese you can get (let’s be real it’s hard to beat the OGs. Kraft and velveeta shells ftw!) It’s delicious and creamy! The roux was easy too, don’t be intimidated just be attentive. I added a little mustard powder as well to cut the richness… Highly recommend!!
So glad you loved this mac!!
This was incredible! I think this is the first time I’ve made Mac n cheese from scratch and it was a hit at our small family thanksgiving dinner! My parents and sister both took leftovers, and I have had it for lunch and dinner today! I was worried about consistency with reheating but it was perfect just in the microwave. I also may have accidentally added too much cheese- never actually a problem- but I did half white cheddar too and almost 2 tbsp of hot sauce. Definitely making again 🤤
#teamhotsauce
This mac is restaurant quality. It is so creamy and delicious. My husband and I are about as bland and midwestern as it gets with our food so we left out the hot sauce and it turned out amazing. I usually burn a roux, however, with FFF directions, I have successfully mastered that part with their recipes! Thanks FFF – I’ll be making this one over and over again!
LOL. SO glad you guys loved this!
Another great recipe! It was easy to make and lasted us through the week. It reheated nicely too!
We made this last night and it turned out PERFECT. We used fresh sharp cheddar and added some frozen peas in too. Usually, leftover mac is dry but this reheated perfectly for lunch today! Will be making again!
LOVE the pea add!
Made this for dinner tonight and my family inhaled it! Only variation was using gluten free quinoa pasta….this was cheesy and swish!
YAY! So good to hear!
Made this in the Instant Pot, but with chicken broth noodles (4 cups chicken broth to 16oz noodles, use saute to heat broth to boiling before stirring in noodles and sealing, Manual for 5 minutes). Otherwise followed the recipe to a T with 2tbsp Frank’s Red Hot. This is the first from-scratch mac ‘n’ cheese my kids have all actually eaten!