White Cheddar Mac and Cheese Recipe

White cheddar mac and cheese topped with breadcrumbs.

5 from 1 vote

White Cheddar Mac and Cheese Recipe

There's nothing more comforting than this creamy homemade White Cheddar Mac and Cheese. Loaded with white cheddar cheese and with only a handful of other ingredients, this stovetop mac and cheese can be made in under 30 minutes.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: Servings

Calories: 701kcal

Author: Aimee Mars

Ingredients

1 Lb Elbow Macaroni
1/2 cup Butter
2 tablespoons Flour
1 tablespoon Garlic Powder
2 teaspoons White Ground Pepper
2 teaspoons Dry Mustard
1/2 teaspoon Salt
2 cups Heavy Cream
3 cups White Cheddar Cheese shredded

Instructions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain the water from the pasta but reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water.
Add the drained pasta and the reserved pasta water to a large mixing bowl and toss the pasta with the water to coat. This helps thicken the cheese sauce as well as keep the pasta and the sauce fused together.
In a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and let it cook for 1 minute to burn off the raw flour flavor and create the roux.
Add the garlic powder, pepper, dry mustard, and salt and whisk it into the roux.
Slowly pour in the heavy cream while whisking it continuously until the mixture is smooth. Bring it to a soft boil and let it simmer for about 4 minutes to thicken.
Add 1/2 of the shredded white cheddar cheese and stir it in until it is fully incorporated. Repeat this step with the remaining 1/2 of the cheese.
Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the pasta tossing to coat the pasta evenly.

Notes

Grate your cheese. To get a perfectly smooth cheese sauce I recommend grating your own cheese. Not only is the flavor better it's not coated in starches like shredded cheese is.
Use heavy cream. For an extra creamy sauce I recommend using heavy cream, but you can also use whole milk. Other versions such as skim or dairy-free options will not work as well.
Don't add the cheese all at once. To avoid clumps in your cheese sauce add half of the shredded cheese first and let it melt completely before adding the remaining half of the cheese.
To thicken the sauce allow it to cook for an additional 5 minutes before removing it from the heat and adding the pasta.
To reheat the white cheddar mac and cheese add 1/2 cup of milk to the pot and heat it on low until the pasta is warmed throughout.

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