An easy, homemade creamy, mac and cheese made on the stovetop, a simple mac and cheese recipe without flour, and no roux required!
To be honest, I didn’t even know that macaroni and cheese even was supposed to be made with a roux until a few years ago. Yeah, it makes sense looking back, but when I was growing up it was never made that way. There was a very simple process that my mom used: boil your pasta, strain your pasta, stir in milk, butter, and cheese (American cheese, only), and voila, you’re done! No flour whisking required.
As far as I’m aware, there never was a real “recipe”, just a brief eyeballing of ingredients as they went into the pot.
But, when I decided on a whim make Macaroni & Cheese the other day and was in a hurry trying to cook three other things at the same time and not burn any of them, I didn’t want to just eyeball things, I wanted it to come out tasting right and I just wanted to follow a really simple recipe.
Every single recipe that came up in Google used flour. I had no time for flour or for a roux.
So I did what my Mom did and I eyeballed things. It came out great.
And the next day I decided to make an actual easy stovetop mac and cheese recipe to share. One that didn’t require whisking flour into milk for a roux (don’t get me wrong, I appreciate a recipe with a nice simple roux, but not when I’m in a hurry for some quick and easy mac & cheese).
I tweaked this recipe many times (seriously, I still have several pounds of edible reject batches in my fridge — batches that didn’t quite make the cut) and finally settled on a nice, simple recipe that I think you’ll like.
I do use American cheese here. If you’d prefer, you can use just cheddar (I included notes in the recipe), but I love the creaminess that the American cheese offers. Plus it felt like an appropriate nod to the macaroni and cheese of my childhood.
I also added a few extra spices — a dash of ground mustard and a sprinkle of smoked paprika, but these are totally optional. Feel free to add any extras into the pasta that you see fit (bacon comes to mind).
And there you have it, the simplest, best macaroni and cheese recipe.
Enjoy!
Easy Macaroni & Cheese (no flour/no roux)
Ingredients
- 8 oz dried macaroni about 2 cups (227g)
- 1 cup milk (235ml)
- 2 Tablespoons butter (30g)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ - ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika optional
- ¼ teaspoon ground mustard optional
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (113g) Shred your own cheddar off the block, don't buy pre-shredded which is often tossed with a powder that will keep the cheese from melting properly and can leave you with mac & cheese that is both clumpy and runny.
- 4 slices American Cheese (if you don't have American cheese, you can substitute another cup (113g) of cheddar cheese, but the macaroni will be less creamy)
Instructions
- Bring 3 cups of well-salted water to a boil in a medium-saucepan over high heat.
- Once water comes to boil, add pasta, return to a boil, and cook 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Strain pasta, leaving the pasta in the strainer and returning the saucepan to burner over medium-low heat.
- Combine milk, butter, salt, pepper and paprika and mustard in the saucepan.
- Stir frequently until butter is melted and increase heat to medium.
- Once mixture comes to a simmer, return pasta to saucepan and stir well.
- Reduce heat to low.
- Add cheeses, allow to sit about 30 seconds until slightly melty and then stir until all noodles are coated. Don't turn up the heat too high or the cheese will not melt properly.
- Serve immediately. Sprinkle with additional smoked paprika, if desired. Stir in any desired add-ins (such as bacon) immediately before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
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T
I don’t have any milk on hand, I do have heavy whipping cream though. Can I use that? Would it be a 1 for 1 swap or would I use less of the heavy cream if I can use it?
Sam
Hi T! I would probably thin the cream with some water before using it.
jim
writing from the UK I have to wonder – what’s ‘american cheese’ and how does it differ from other cheese?
Sam
Hi Jim! It’s just a different type of cheese, typically a sliced cheese, not shredded.
Juan Maciel
Is that just the sandwich cheese
Sam
Yes, American cheese is typically used on deli meat sandwiches. 🙂
Colleen
This is the recipe I’ve been looking for. I’ve tried every other one under the sun using a roux and I just hate them all. Even though they didn’t come out grainy it was still paste feeling if you k ow what I mean. Like I knew it was flour. I personally love box macaroni for its creaminess and tangy cheese sauce. I could never achieve that with roux macaroni. So I made this last night hoping it was the one and no surprise it was! I use a lot of your recipes and they are absolutely fantastic! Thank you for this!! My girls loved it so much! Definitely a keeper.
Eileen
Love making Mac and cheese but could never get the flour/roux thing right. This is an easy delish mac and cheese dish, and is my go to recipe. I usually try to add chicken and some veggies to make it a full meal.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy it’s a hit for you, Eileen! 🧡
Chloe
Never made Mac and cheese before, but I decide to make it for me and my mum, and omg I am glad I did, the meal came out absolutely perfectly and I’m so happy I chose this recipe, I’m actually going to make right now it was that good!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We are so happy you’re such a fan of the recipe, Chloe! Enjoy 🥰
Sheilah
No flour recipes I’ve tried before always say to mix the cheddar into the cream sauce BEFORE adding noodles, and I sadly end up with a grainy mess. I decided to follow your recipe. As I coat the macaroni with hot cream, let it cool for a few minutes and slowly incorporate the cheddar at the end, I’m getting perfectly creamy homemade Mac and cheese every time. Thanks for a recipe that delivers!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you like our recipe, Sheilah! Thanks for giving it a try and letting us know how it went for you ☺️ Enjoy!
Renelyn
I’m interested in hearing about milk substitutes for this recipe. Would almond milk or coconut milk work?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Renelyn! We haven’t tried any ourselves, but others have used almond milk with success. Coconut milk may impart a coconut flavor, which might not pair too well with the cheese. Hope that helps!
June
Turned out great! I hate making roux because it never turns out amazing for me, and I find it just sucks up your whole milk carton. This is easy, creamy and tasty!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy it turned out for you, June!
Katy
I feel like I’ve tried almost every mac and cheese recipe under the sun and none of them blow me away & then leave me disappointed that I spent so much time and money grating good cheeses. I decided to try something simpler & your recipe really hit the spot! Sooooo good and super simple and fast! Even my picky toddler who only likes the boxed stuff loves this! This will definitely be a go to from now on. Have you ever put this in a dish & baked with some cheese on top for occasions when you want a little fancier presentation? Wondering if that would make it even better or spoil the whole thing. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Katy! If you wanted to bake some cheese on top I’m sure that would be fine. I would probably add it when it’s close to finishing baking and just let it cook for a couple of minutes to melt the cheese on top. 🙂
Deyana
My family loved it and it was so easy to make. They all said it tasted like the Mac and cheese from Noodles and Company. Definitely will make again.
Jennifer Morales
Hi, I came across this recipe online at the perfect time! I need to make mac & cheese tomorrow morning for a Friendsgiving dinner. I needed no roux due to a friend’s white flour allergy-and this seems SO much easier then the recipe I used to do! I have 2 questions. I need to use whole grain pasta, due to the friend’s white flour allergy. Do I need to adjust anything as far as the cooking time, recipe, etc. for that? Also, I have to make a half-pan amount. Guessing that’s about twice the amount of what this recipe serves? Should I just double the measurements of all of the ingredients? I want to be sure I don’t mess it up. Or is best to just cook 2 separate batches, following the recipe exactly? Thank you!
Sam
Hi Jennifer! The whole wheat pasta should work just fine as a straight substitution without any changes needed. The whole wheat pasta will just have a little different texture. As far as doubling it, you can just double everything without doing it in two separate batches. 🙂
Jeannie
Thank you so much! I have made this several times and it’s so easy and soooooooo good! I like to throw in some leftover ham or some tuna and make a meal of it.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Sounds delicious! We’re so happy you love this recipe, Jeannie ❤️
Mary Ann
Easy and taste great
SM
Hi, I have made this several times and it’s fantastic! I see all the nutritional info for one serving but what exactly is the severing size of 1 serving? Trying to plug this into my fitness pal. Thank!!
Sam
Hi! 1 serving is 1/4 of the entire recipe, which would be approximately a heaping cup. I hope that helps! 🙂