How do I keep my mac and cheese creamy?

You want equal amounts of butter and flour by weight . This is key. Throw in too much flour, and sure the sauce might get thick, but it also might taste floury and be lumpy. Even if you get the roux right, use too much or reduce your sauce down too far, and the macaroni and cheese will turn out dry.

What is a good creamy cheese?

Provolone . This Italian cheese has a creamy, well-rounded flavor. Slices are ideal for melting.

How to make mac and cheese creamy again?

The #1 secret to creamy reheated mac and cheese " Stir in about 2 Tbs. of milk per 1 cup of mac and cheese and reheat," he says. The milk loosens up the pasta and helps create the creamy sauce as it's reheating. Heavy cream works well in this case too and adds an extra touch of richness to the mac and cheese.

What helps thicken mac and cheese?

Unsalted Butter + All-Purpose Flour : The combination of these creates a roux, which thickens the cheese sauce. Milk: The base of the cheese sauce! I recommend using whole milk for a richer, thicker sauce, but 2% will also work. Cheese: We use a combination of American and cheddar cheeses for a classic, creamy flavor.

What cheese melts the creamiest?

Cheeses with more moisture and lower melting points make for mouthwatering, creamy cheese sauces. Cheddar is one of the most popular choices, but Swiss and Gruyère are also terrific options.

What is the most creamy cheese?

Brie has a chokehold on the creamy cheese market, and rightfully so. It's perfectly spreadable, a little funky, and uniquely its own thing.

What is an example of a creamy cheese?

Cream cheese - a mild and spreadable soft cheese, cream cheese has a rich and slightly sweet flavor. Feta – this tart and tasty fresh cheese adds a bright splash of Mediterranean flavor to any dish. Fresh mozzarella – this bright, fresh cheese is more delicate and creamy than the mozzarella used in pizza.

Why isn't my mac and cheese sauce creamy?

This is due to the pasta absorbing more liquid over time, and the sauce itself becoming more “solid” as it cools . So, to ensure a creamy mac and cheese, make the sauce just a little looser than you think it needs to be. (Add more milk, a tablespoon at a time to adjust the consistency).

Why does homemade mac and cheese curdle?

Like other emulsions such as mayonnaise or even chocolate ganache, cheese sauce is made of liquids that normally do not like each other, that are mixed together. I'll spare you any more science-y talk, but the main culprits in curdled or split mac and cheese are too much heat and what kind of cheese you use .

What makes mac and cheese taste so good?

Great mac n' cheese needs one or more cheeses that melt well, and one or more cheeses that bring the flavor . The best melters include monterey jack, fontina, baby swiss, asiago, provolone, mozzarella, and alpine-style. Cheeses for flavor: cheddar, havarti, smoked gouda, gorgonzola, feta and any other of your favorites.

What kind of milk is best for mac and cheese?

Mac and cheese needs whole milk to achieve perfection According to Chef's Notes, the basis for the cheese part of mac and cheese is something called béchamel sauce.

The Only Cheese Combination I Ever Use for the Creamiest Mac and Cheese (2024)

Lauren Miyashiro

Lauren MiyashiroRecipe Director

Lauren Miyashiro is the Recipe Director at Kitchn. A former New Yorker, she lives with her husband, two daughters, and dog in the Bay Area, where she is currently on the hunt for good pizza and bagels. She can turn almost anything into a crunchwrap and almost always has a batch of on-demand frozen cookie dough in the freezer.

published Nov 21, 2023

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What Is the Best Cheese for Mac and Cheese?

Sharp cheddar is the overwhelming popular choice, but for extra-creamy results, we think medium cheddar is even better. Other delicious options include Gruyère, smoked Gouda, and Monterey Jack.

How to Choose the Best Cheese for Mac and Cheese

Pick a cheese that melts well. Cheddar, Gruyère, Monterey Jack, mozzarella, Fontina, and Gouda cheese are good options.
Grate your own cheese. The preservatives in the pre-grated stuff can make it tougher to melt. Plus, it never tastes as good.
Play around with the cheese combos. Homemade mac and cheese is not an exact science. As long as you’re working with cheese that you know will melt well, you can play around with the combinations and proportions.

Sharp Cheddar + Medium Cheddar

You’ll find a lot of recipes that call for sharp cheddar cheese to make the homemade cheese sauce, and we totally get it. It’s generally easy-to-find and affordable, melts beautifully, and tastes delicious. But after a lot of testing, one of our most trusted recipe developers, Patty Catalano, declared that medium cheddar is the best option for ultra-creamy mac and cheese. It has more moisture and therefore melts more easily than sharp cheddar and yields a noticeably creamier sauce.

Sharp Cheddar + Gruyère

When we want to channel our inner Ina, we go for Gruyère. It melts similarly to cheddar, but has a lovely nuttiness that tastes kinda fancy.

Medium Cheddar + Monterey Jack

If you have picky eaters, this is the mildest, very creamy, and most kid-friendly combination. Try a ratio of 1:1 in our go-to stovetop mac and cheese recipe.

Sharp Cheddar + Smoked Gouda

We recently tested six celebrity baked mac and cheese recipes and discovered our favorite included not one but two types of smoked cheeses (smoked cheddar and smoked provolone.) Smoked Gouda is generally easy to find and balances the sharpness of cheddar perfectly.

Parmesan (or Pecorino Romano) + Any Flavor Combo

We’d never make mac and cheese with just Parmesan, but just a quarter cup adds a lot of sharp depth of flavor.

If You Don’t Want to Make a Roux, Use Any Combo + Cream Cheese

For a quicker, easier, one-pot mac and cheese, use pasta water as the base of the sauce and cubed cream cheese as the binder. Then use any combo of melting cheese from above that you’d like.

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