Easy Homemade Mac and Cheese Recipe

This Easy Homemade Mac and Cheese Recipe is made with 6 ingredients in 15 minutes on the stovetop (no baking required)! Time to ditch the boxed mac and cheese for this irresistibly creamy, smooth & cheesy homemade recipe! 

Prep time: PT5M

Cook time: PT10M

Total time: PT15M

Rating

4.99 stars (1476 reviews)

Keywords

best homemade mac and cheese, easy mac and cheese, easy mac and cheese recipe, homemade mac and cheese, homemade mac and cheese recipe, mac and cheese recipe, stovetop mac and cheese

Ingredients

8 ounces elbow macaroni (uncooked)
2 Tablespoons salted butter
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon garlic powder ((optional but recommended))
1 cup whole milk
¼ cup sour cream (or Greek yogurt)
8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese ((2 cups))

Cuisine

American

Steps

Cook elbow macaroni according to package instructions. Be sure to add ¼ tsp salt to the water used to boil the noodles. Drain, and set aside.
Make the cheese sauce:
- Mix flour, sea salt, and garlic powder together in a small bowl. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter.
- Add flour mixture and whisk to combine.
- Cook for 1 minute until mixture is slightly brown.
- Add 1 cup milk and whisk until the mixture is smooth.
- Add sour cream (or Greek yogurt) and whisk until smooth.
- Cook on medium-high heat until the mixture is thickened (about 3-5 minutes). Do not let it boil.
- Once mixture is thick (sticks to the back of the spatula), reduce heat to low and add cheese. Whisk until cheese is melted and mixture is smooth. Taste and add more salt/seasoning if desired.
Assemble & Serve
- Add cooked pasta to the pot of cheese sauce and stir until the sauce is evenly distributed.
- Let the mac and cheese cool for 3-5 minutes or until the cheese sauce has thickened a little bit and sticks to the noodles.  Serve warm!

Nutitrion

Serving Size: 0.5 cup
Calories: 271.1 kcal
Carbohydrates: 25.3 g
Protein: 12.3 g
Fat: 13.8 g
Saturated Fat: 8.5 g
Cholesterol: 41.7 mg
Sodium: 351 mg
Sugar: 2.6 g
Unsaturated Fat: 3.9 g

Reviews

Kelly on 2026-03-29 (5 stars):
Hands down the best msc and cheese I have had. My kids loved it. The sauce was very thick... but that might be on me because I used cream instead of milk. Over all it was delicious
Paul Musch on 2026-03-29 (5 stars):
Girl if I could give you 10 Stars I would. I just tried some sliced Jalapenos in mine it was awesome. Next round I'm going to put hamburger and broccoli in it make it a full meal. The only small caveat that I saw was it's a little thick at the end but that's easily fixed. I hope this helps thank you very much.
Laura H on 2026-03-28 (5 stars):
Love this! It's quick, easy and a hit with both adults and kids (who usually ask for the boxed stuff). My grandkids love when I put it into individual ramekins, top it with more cheese and put it under the broiler to brown it.
Cynthia Hart on 2026-03-22 (5 stars):
This is a delicious recipe but I continue to have trouble with it being grainy. I have made this three times, twice I used a block of Tillamook Sharp Cheddar and once I used a block of Natural Grocers Organic Sharp Cheddar. I am assuming the cheese I am using is causing it to be grainy. Does anyone have an organic cheese they are using that makes it creamy?
Maggie on 2026-03-18 (5 stars):
This is a wonderful basic recipe! I had to make a couple of changes due to what I had on hand. I used up some left-over cream instead of the milk, and added a couple of tablespoons of cream cheese I needed to use up. Then it got a little too thick, so I loosened it up with a little pasta water. My grandson scraped the bottom of the pot!
Victoria on 2026-03-17 (5 stars):
I usually buy Stouffer‘s mac & cheese ultimate however, when I try this recipe, it blew my mind! I just wanted to know when reheating should I add a little bit more of milk or butter? Thank you for the recipe. It’s awesome!
Leslie C on 2026-03-17 (5 stars):
Made recipe as is, my kids loved it. I doubled the recipe and a few boys visiting our house gobbled it all up. This was really easy to pull together. Saving to use again..... and again.... Thanks for the great recipe.
Kelly on 2026-03-12 (5 stars):
I didn't have sour cream or Greek yogurt so I substituted for cream cheese which is probably what made the sauce so thick/rich/heavy, so that's on me. But I did add in some Earl Campbell smoked sausage for protein and, my goodness, what a delicious combo! I used gluten-free macaroni noodles, and by golly, if that wasn't the best gluten-free mac and cheese I've ever had! Thanks for the recipe!