Learn how to make mac and cheese without milk. It's creamy, delicious, easy, and ready in about 15 minutes. Comfort food at its best!
Do you crave macaroni, but you don't have any milk left? Don't worry about it! This Mac and Cheese without Milk recipe is just as tasty, and you can have the same creamy consistency without any milk at all.
There's not a month gone by without me cooking some kind of macaroni and cheese recipe. We all love it; it's quick and always delicious. From a traditional Mac to baked versions and then to emergency versions like this Simple Mac and Cheese without Flour, or today’s No Milk Mac and Cheese. Next, try White Cheddar Mac and Cheese or Creamy Ricotta Mac and Cheese.
Ingredients: 5
Working time: 2 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
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Why do we all love this recipe?
- Made from scratch: No box is involved, yet you will not need more time to cook this recipe than to use a box.
- There is no weird stuff inside: The recipe is made with real food, no cheese powder, no added chemicals, or things you can't even pronounce.
- Budget recipe: The ingredient list is short, and they are all cheap and common ingredients.
Recipe ingredients
Pasta: 1 lb elbow macaroni is perfect. But any other kind of short pasta will do just fine.
Dairy products: I use a mixture of sharp Cheddar (for the taste), mozzarella (for the stretch), and cream cheese (for the creaminess). However, I often cook this dish with leftovers I happen to have in the refrigerator. You could also throw in some Gouda, Swiss, American cheese, Provolone, Gruyere, Fontina, Parmesan cheese, or whatever you like or happen to have.
See the recipe card for complete information on ingredients and quantities.
Additions
- How about some crumbled bacon?
- You can also add some chopped green onions, chopped cherry tomatoes, or grated garlic. In this case, heat a little olive oil or butter in the pan before adding the cheese, and saute the vegetables for about 1 minute (garlic) or 2 minutes (green onions, tomatoes) before adding the rest of the ingredients.
How to make macaroni and cheese without milk?
- Step #1: Cook the pasta. Save about 1 cup of cooking water. Drain well.
- Step #2: Grate the cheese.
- Step #3: Heat a large saucepan shortly. Add the sauce ingredients (ignore the pasta in image 3; I added it too soon without realizing it, but it's better to melt the cheese first) and melt on low heat for about two minutes, stirring almost constantly until you have a smooth, creamy sauce.
- Step #4: Add noodles, about ¼ - ½ cup of the reserved pasta water, and stir to combine. Adjust the taste.
Tips & Notes
Best tip: Don't use pre-shredded cheese; the anti-caking agents will prevent it from melting properly, and the sauce will be grainy.
Use boiling water from a kettle to speed things up when cooking the macaroni.
Don't overheat the sauce; it should not come to a boil at all. If that happens, the ingredients might separate. Instead, keep stirring and remove the pan from the heat if it gets too hot. Continue stirring off the heat until the mixture is creamy.
Looking for mac and cheese sidekicks? Check out our post: What to Pair with Mac and Cheese.
Recipe FAQs
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius) while the noodles are cooking. Cook the pasta for about 2 minutes less than indicated on the package; it will continue cooking in the oven. Make the sauce and combine the ingredients as instructed.
Pour the contents of the pan into a lightly buttered baking dish. Sprinkle with a handful of bread crumbs. Bake the casserole dish for about 15-20 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Let rest for 5 minutes, then serve.
Try Old-Fashioned Baked Mac and Cheese, too.
You could, but it's not really worth it, as this creamy mac only takes 15 minutes to cook, and it tastes best when served immediately.
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Use the leftovers to make this Mac and Cheese Burger Recipe.
Freeze in airtight containers for up to 3 months and thaw in the fridge.
Reheat in the microwave or stovetop before serving. I prefer the microwave in this case because reheating on the stove might cause the sauce to stick to the bottom of the pan. If you reheat on the stovetop, do it in a nonstick pan; add a splash of milk (if you happen to have some now), a little bit of chicken broth, or water, and stir almost constantly until reheated.
How to serve?
Our favorite way: immediately, in deep bowls, in front of the telly… it is the kind of meal born to be eaten while watching TV.
Main dish: You can make a green salad on the side if something healthy must be. As a main, it will be enough to serve four people. Six would be ideal, but that's never happening in our house.
Side dish: It should be enough for eight. Now that Thanksgiving is approaching, consider serving homemade mac and cheese without milk with roast turkey, roast chicken or pork, sausages, and so on.
More mac n cheese recipes
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📖 Recipe
Mac and Cheese without Milk
Equipment
- Large pot
- Large saucepan
Ingredients
- 1 lb elbow macaroni Note 1, 2
- 8 oz Cheddar cheese about 2 cups (Note 3)
- 4 oz mozzarella about 1 cup
- 8 oz package cream cheese
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- fine sea salt to taste
- ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook pasta: Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and add salt generously. Cook macaroni according to the packet's instructions. Reserve about 1 cup of pasta water. Drain well.1 lb elbow macaroni/ 450 g
- Melt cheese: Shortly before the pasta is cooked, heat a large saucepan. Add grated cheese, cream cheese, mustard, some salt, and pepper. Melt cheese on low heat, constantly stirring, for about 2 minutes. Don't overheat the mixture.8 oz Cheddar cheese/ 220 g + 4 oz mozzarella/ 115 g + 8 oz package cream cheese/ 220 g + 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard + fine sea salt + ground black pepper
- Combine: Add drained pasta and about ¼ - ½ of the reserved pasta water (as needed for a creamy consistency) and stir to combine. Adjust the taste with more salt and pepper if necessary. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Pasta choice: Any other short pasta shape will be fine.
- Don't forget to reserve some pasta water before draining the noodles.
- Cheese: You can use other cheese sorts as well - for example, Gouda, Fontina, Swiss, Provolone, and so on.
ricardo says
steps are out of order on the images. in the written steps you say heat all ingredients minus pasta. but in the images you show all ingredients including the pasta
Adina says
Hi Ricardo. It works either way.
Bec says
I love this with bacon - such a decadent comforting dish when feeling like indulging! 😋
Adina says
Hi Bec, I am glad to hear you liked it!
Tamia Butler says
AMAZING 💗💗💗, I just made it for dinner tonight and this Mac and cheese is very delicious 😋
Adina says
Thank you for the feedback, Tamia. I am so happy to hear it!
Sabrina says
Wow, this is ridiculously simple and delicios at the same time!! Thank you!!!
Jaylin Spears says
This was a very good recipe. I will be making it again 🙂
Melissa Robinson says
Such a great recipe for busy parents out there. I absolutely love this recipe ❤️ making delicious Mac and cheese without milk. Thank you !!
Adrianna H says
First time making it and it came out delicious and creamy. Definitely recommend this simple recipe instead of boxed mac and cheese
Scarlet Ware says
This recipe was sooooo easy! My husband raved about it and ate almost the whole thing.
Bruce says
I fount your recipe on Pinterest! I'm glad I did, it's delicious! Great recipe to have on hand. I folowed the directions as written
Adina says
Glad to hear it, Bruce, thank you for the feedback.
Whitlock says
This is a very easy recipe for a busy school night. My kids loved it and asked for the leftovers in their lunch box.
Adina says
My kids do that too!
Laurier says
Love recipes that use real food. This was yummy - thank you!
Adina says
Thank you for the comment, I am happy you liked the recipe.
RueP. says
This is a great macaroni and cheese, it's cheesy and buttery! Thanks for sharing!
Keyla says
My kids loved it and have learned to make this mac and cheese for their own holiday gathering. Yum!