Looking to make homemade mac and cheese with Velveeta? You’ve come to the right place! In this post, we’ll teach you how to make a super simple Velveeta mac and cheese recipe with noodles and a simple Velveeta cheese sauce.
The Best Velveeta Mac and Cheese Recipe
Velveeta lovers unite because we’re coming atcha’ with a basic keep-in-your-back-pocket-at-all-times Velveeta mac and cheese recipe!
We ate boxed Velveeta all the time growing up so this recipe brings back all of the memories.
Since Velveeta comes in block form, we’ll teach you how to make a Velveeta cheese sauce that’s extra creamy and perfect for mac and cheese. It requires a roux, but don’t worry, it’s super simple!
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.
Try it!
Velveeta Cheese Sauce
Our Ultimate Velveeta Cheese Sauce is oh so creamy and flavorful and made with easy ingredients. Pair with your favorite pasta, and enjoy!
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.
Latest Velveeta Cheese Recipes
How to Make Velveeta Mac and Cheese
Mac and cheese with Velveeta comes out super creamy. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full recipe.
- Make Noodles: bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook your noodles according to its packaging. Drain noodles and set aside.
- Make Roux: melt butter in a large pot and then whisk in the flour until a paste is created.
- Add Milk: slowly whisk in the milk and continue whisking over medium/high heat for 4-6 minutes until it’s creamy and thick.
- Add Velveeta: add the Velveeta cheese chunks and whisk until melted.
- Add Flavors: add spices and hot sauce and mix to combine.
- Toss Noodles: finally, add in the cooked noodles and mix everything together until cheesy and delicious.
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.
Q&A
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.
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.
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.
Variations
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.
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.
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.
