Baked Mac and Cheese
To make baked mac and cheese, cook macaroni until just shy of done, make a roux of butter and flour, whisk in milk to a smooth sauce, then melt in plenty of grated cheese off the heat. Fold in the pasta, top with more cheese or buttered crumbs, and bake at 190 °C until bubbling and golden. Grate your own cheese and add it off the heat — pre-shredded cheese and boiling sauce both make it grainy instead of smooth.
Homemade baked mac and cheese is comfort food at its peak — tender pasta bound in a creamy, sharp cheese sauce and baked under a crisp golden crust. It’s a world away from the box, it’s not hard to make from scratch, and it feeds a crowd of any age on the coldest night of the year.
Grate your own cheese
The single biggest upgrade: grate cheese from a block, not a bag. Pre-shredded cheese is coated in starch to stop it clumping, and that same coating keeps it from melting smoothly — it’s the usual culprit behind a grainy sauce. A sharp aged cheddar for flavour plus a smooth melter like Gruyère or Jack gives you both taste and stretch.
Keep the sauce smooth
Make a proper roux (butter + flour, cooked a minute), whisk in warm milk to a silky sauce, then — this is the key — melt the cheese in off the heat. Boiling the sauce once the cheese is in makes it seize and turn grainy. Gentle heat, cheese added at the end, and you get a glossy, creamy sauce every time.
Undercook the pasta
Boil the macaroni just shy of tender — it keeps cooking in the oven and drinks up sauce, so fully-cooked pasta ends up mushy.
Make it yours
- Crunchy top: buttered panko, or extra cheese for an all-cheese crust.
- Grown-up: a little mustard powder, cayenne, or smoked paprika.
- Loaded: fold in crisp bacon, caramelized onion, or roasted broccoli.
- Make ahead: assemble and refrigerate, then bake from cold with extra time.
Bake until it’s bubbling at the edges and deep golden on top, then let it settle a few minutes so the sauce clings. It’s the casserole everyone reaches back for seconds of.
At a glance
Baked Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
Tap an ingredient to check it off
Instructions
- Boil the macaroni until just shy of tender (it finishes in the oven). Drain.
- Melt the butter, whisk in the flour, and cook 1–2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the warm milk to a smooth sauce.
- Simmer gently until thickened. Off the heat, stir in the mustard, nutmeg, seasoning, and most of the cheese until melted and smooth.
- Fold in the pasta. Spread in a buttered dish; top with the remaining cheese and buttered panko.
- Bake at 190 °C for 25–30 minutes until bubbling and golden. Rest a few minutes before serving.
Frequently asked questions
What cheese makes the best mac and cheese?
A sharp aged cheddar is the backbone for flavour, but a blend melts best: cheddar for taste, plus something smooth-melting like Gruyère, Monterey Jack, or a little mozzarella for stretch. A spoonful of grated Parmesan adds savoury depth. Grate it yourself from a block — pre-shredded cheese is coated in anti-caking starch that keeps it from melting smoothly and can turn the sauce grainy.
How do I keep the cheese sauce from going grainy?
Two things: add the cheese off the heat, and don't boil the sauce once it's in. High heat makes the cheese proteins seize and squeeze out oil, giving you a grainy, split sauce. Make your milk sauce smooth and hot, then take it off the burner and stir the grated cheese in a handful at a time until melted. Grating from a block instead of using pre-shredded also helps a lot.
Can I assemble mac and cheese ahead of time?
Yes. Assemble it in the dish, cool, cover, and refrigerate for up to a day before baking — add a few extra minutes in the oven since it's going in cold. You can also freeze it unbaked. Make the sauce a touch looser than you'd like if you're making it ahead, because the pasta keeps drinking up sauce as it sits.