You’ve struck gold with this homemade Velveeta mac and cheese recipe. Our recipe is made in just 30 minutes with a simple roux and Velveeta cheese sauce plus your favorite noodle.
Trust us that once you try this Velveeta Mac and Cheese recipe, there’s no turning back. As self-proclaimed mac and cheese connoisseurs, we can vouch that this recipe nails that extra-creamy, nostalgic comfort food vibe.
With a homemade Velveeta cheese sauce so smooth it practically whispers your name, this mac is about to become your new comfort food MVP.
What You Need for Homemade Mac and Cheese with Velveeta
- Noodles: this recipe calls for 12 – 16-oz. noodles. We recommend elbows or shells.
- Butter: butter is used as the fat for the roux.
- Flour: all-purpose flour is what’s used to create the roux. You can swap this for white whole wheat if you wish.
- Milk: milk is used to create the Velveeta cheese sauce. We used 2% milk.
- Velveeta cheese: this recipe calls for 12 oz. Velveeta cheese. Velveeta comes in block form and we instruct you to slice it up into squares so that it melts better.
- Spices: to give this Velveeta mac and cheese recipe some oomph, we used salt, pepper, and granulated garlic.
- Hot sauce: we love adding a little vinegar-based hot sauce to mac and cheese for a kick.
What is Velveeta cheese?
Velveeta cheese is an American cheese product made from milk, whey, and whey concentrate. It’s most commonly used as a sauce for mac and cheese.
Where to find it at the grocery store: unlike most cheeses, a box of unopened Velveeta cheese does not need to be refrigerated. You can find it at most grocery stores in the dairy section, not refrigerated. We have noticed that Target sells it refrigerated in the cheese section.
Variations and Substitutions
Add a protein: add in shredded chicken, diced hot dogs, or whatever protein you wish.
Make it g/f: swap the all-purpose flour for an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend (we recommend Bob’s Red Mill) 1:1 and use gluten-free noodles.
Add a veggie: we love broccoli mac and cheese, so you could add broccoli, cauliflower, onion, or sweet potato.
Velveeta Mac and Cheese FAQ
How do you melt Velveeta cheese for mac and cheese?
The best way to turn Velveeta cheese into a mac and cheese sauce is to create a roux and then melt the Velveeta cheese in the roux.
Is Velveeta mac and cheese real cheese?
Velveeta cheese is a processed cheese product and is made primarily from milk, whey, and whey protein concentrate. HERE is more information about Velveeta cheese.
Does Velveeta mac and cheese need milk?
If you are making a homemade Velveeta cheese sauce then yes, it will likely need milk. If you’re using boxed Velveeta mac and cheese then you do not need milk.
Velveeta mac and cheese sauce too thick?
If your sauce is a bit too thick, just add more milk and whisk until everything is combined.
Storage
Store leftover Velveeta mac and cheese in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.
Reheat in the microwave for 60-90 seconds on high.
Can you freeze mac and cheese with Velveeta?
If you want our honest opinion, we don’t recommend freezing mac and cheese as it’s just so much better made fresh.
Serving Suggestions
Velveeta Mac and Cheese is not only a fabulous holiday side dish, but makes for a simple, crowd-pleasing weeknight meal.
We love serving this recipe as a main meal and as a side next to stuffed chicken breast, parmesan crusted pork chops, or English pea salad.
Simple Velveeta Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 12-16 oz. shells or macaroni noodles depending on how cheesy you like it
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups 2% milk
- 12 oz. Velveeta cheese chopped into small cubes
- 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
- ½ tablespoon hot sauce
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Then, cook your pasta noodles according to the back of the box. Strain and set aside for later.
- 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 or paste.
- 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 it from heat and add the Velveeta. Whisk until the Velveeta cheese has melted.
- Add granulated garlic, hot sauce, and salt and pepper to the cheese sauce. Mix well.
- Add the cooked noodles into the pot with the Velveeta cheese sauce and then toss to combine everything together.
- Serve immediately
Tips & Notes
- Use anywhere from 12 – 16-oz. noodles for this recipe.
- To make it gluten-free, swap the flour 1:1 with an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend and use gluten-free noodles.
- Nutrition information is with 12-oz. noodles for 6 people.
By far the best roux recipe I have ever found! It came together beautifully, was lump-free, and very rich. I didn’t have any milk so I used half and half. Delish.
Yay!! So happy you loved this 😀