This Crockpot Bacon Mac and Cheese is the best, easy, creamy, cheesy, comfort food! It requires minimal effort for a terrific side dish for meals or the ultimate comforting main course for weeknight dinners.
I have tried several slow cooker macaroni and cheese recipes over the years and there always seemed to be some sort of a problem with them ALL! First, the noodles always end up an over-cooked swollen and mushy mess. And second, turns gritty or separates. Both make them inedible!
I've tested all the methods -- using uncooked, partially cooked and almost cooked noodles along with all kinds of cheeses, soups, thickening agents like flour and cornstarch! But I simply couldn't find the right combination until I ran upon a method from the folks over at America's Test Kitchen!
Thanks to them I was inspired and now have a recipe that solves both of these problems.
If you love macaroni and cheese I've got you covered! Try my BBQ Mac and Cheese, Smoked Mac and Cheese with Lobster, Jalapeno Mac and Cheese, Skillet Mac and Cheese, Crockpot Chili Mac , Mac and Cheese Meatloaf or our Chicken Bacon Ranch Mac and Cheese.
Why You Will Love This Bacon Mac and Cheese Recipe
- Easy to Make: It's so easy! That's the beauty of cooking with the slow cooker. Load it up, plug it in, and let it cook while you go about your day.
- Versatile Recipe: The customizations for this recipe are limitless! You can easily add different mix-ins and flavorings to make this dish one you and your family loves.
- Hearty and Satisfying: From the creamy, cheesy sauce to the tender cooked macaroni, and smoky bacon, this dish is warming and comforting, filling everyone's bellies.
- Family Favorite: Classic macaroni and cheese always brings smiles but add in some bacon and it becomes a surefire hit!
Ingredients
All you need are a few simple ingredients to make the best crockpot mac and cheese with bacon!
- Elbow Macaroni: Macaroni and small shells are the classics but you can also use rotini, penne or corkscrew noodles if you prefer.
- Vegetable Oil: Mixed with the pasta and microwaved to get it ready for cooking in the slow cooker.
- Evaporated Milk: This canned milk gives the creamy texture to the sauce. It's crucial to creating a creamy sauce that doesn't break. You can't substitute it for another type of milk. They will not work in this recipe.
- Condensed Cheddar Cheese Soup: Further aids in creating the creamy texture while also adding some cheesy flavor.
- Mild Cheddar Cheese and Monterey Jack Cheese: My favorites to use but you can use any cheese that melts well. Buy block cheese and shred it yourself for the best results. Avoid extra sharp cheddar cheeses as they don't tend to melt as well.
- Dry Mustard: Enhances the savory and cheesy flavors.
- Onions: Adds more depth of flavor to the mac and cheese.
- Bacon: Crispy bacon adds smoky, salty flavors. You can also use other cooked meats such as ham, ground beef, ground pork, ground turkey, or sausage. It's also an excellent way to use up leftovers such as roast beef, chicken, rotisserie chicken or pulled pork. As long as it's cooked anything goes. Even cooked crab, scallops or lobster.
See the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and exact quantities of each ingredient.
Substitutions and Variations
- More Cheese: Add some cream cheese, Velveeta, or American cheese for more cheesy flavor. You can add these in towards the end of cooking to allow them to melt into the sauce. Cook just long enough to fully heat.
- Make it Mexican: Add cooked ground beef, pork or turkey flavored with taco seasoning -- just like you are going to make tacos. Swap the cheese to use a Mexican blend of cheeses.
- Add Different Sauces for Flavor: Add some buffalo wing sauce , salsa, or canned diced tomatoes with herbs or chilies.
- Add Vegetables: Add some chopped fresh broccoli, cauliflower, carrots or beans in the last 30 minutes or cooking to give them time to cook. Quick ingredients such as canned corn, peas or beans can be added in the last 10-15 minutes to give them time to heat up.
- Spicy: Add cayenne pepper, Cajun seasoning, chili powder, crushed red pepper flakes, jalapeno peppers, hot sauce, sriracha, hot pepper sauce, jalapeno powder, smoked jalapeno powder, or chipotle powder to add a bit of a spicy kick.
How to Make Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese with Bacon
Here's a look at the steps for making this bacon mac and cheese recipe.
Step 1: Line the slow cooker with aluminum foil liner and lightly coat it with vegetable oil spray.
Step 2: Add the macaroni to a bowl covered with oil. Microwave it at 50 percent power, stirring occasionally, until macaroni begin to look toasted and blistered. This will take 5 to 8 minutes.
Step 3: Transfer the hot macaroni to your prepared slow cooker and immediately stir in the boiling water.
Step 4: Add the evaporated milk, condensed soup, cheddar, Monterey Jack, mustard, salt, and black pepper.
Step 5: Add the bacon along with the cooked onions and peppers.
Step 6: Stir everything together until the ingredients are blended.
Step 7: Cover and cook until the macaroni is tender. This usually takes 1 to 2 hours on high.
Step 8: Stir in the remaining ¼ cup boiling water into the macaroni until combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste. You can add more boiling water if needed to adjust the consistency more.
⭐️ Hint: Make sure to toast your macaroni noodles to prevent noodles from swelling and becoming mushy. Also, the macaroni can be held on warm or low setting for up to 30 minutes.
If you love recipes like this, you may also enjoy our Skillet Bacon Mac and Cheese or our Jalapeno Mac and Cheese recipe!
Storage
- Refrigerator: This recipe is best served fresh, but will easily store in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can also freeze it for up to three months though the texture of the pasta may changed when thawed.
- Reheat: You can then reheat it on your stovetop, microwave on 50% power, or in your oven. You will need to add some boiling water possibly to reach your desired consistency. If frozen, allow the macaroni and cheese to defrost in your fridge overnight.
- Make Ahead: If you want to bring this bacon mac and cheese to a potluck, party or an event it is best if you totally prepare your slow cooker, add all of your ingredients and pack it up without turning it on. As soon as you arrive, give it a stir, and plug it in. It will cook in about 1-2 hours. I have found personally that this is the best way to do it and haven't had an issue yet.
Serving Suggestions
- Add Garnish: Sprinkle the top with thinly sliced green onions, chives or parsley along with a sprinkle of crispy bacon for serving.
- Side Dishes: Add a vegetable or salad. We love this collard greens recipe or Brussels sprouts.
- Main Dishes: Enjoy it as a side dish for Southern meals as well. It goes great with air fryer catfish and fried chicken and waffles.
Need more ideas for serving? We've got lots of ideas for you to check out in what to serve with mac and cheese.
Recipe Tips
- Stirring Together. Before cooking make sure your macaroni and cheese is stirred well.
- Use an Oval Slow Cooker. A larger-sized slow cooker works best when making this creamy mac and cheese with evaporated milk.
- Timing. Just use the time in the recipe as a guide. If you use a different type of pasta you may need to extend the cooking time. Also, some slow cookers run hot, so it's a good idea to check it at the 1 hour mark to prevent your pasta from becoming overcooked and mushy.
- For Crisp Bacon. The bacon cooked inside the mac and cheese isn't crisp but adds so much flavor. Add some on top for a crispy finish.
- Toasting the Macaroni. This technique prevents excessive swelling so don't skip it! Really.
Recipe FAQs
Unfortunately no you can't. However, you can make your own evaporated milk using regular milk. You can find a recipe online or gently simmer 6 ¾ cups of regular milk until it reduces to 3 cups. Simmer the milk slowly and don't try and rush the process or your milk can easily scald.
This creates the most delicious and stable cheese sauce, perfect for your slow cooker. This means the sauce won't separate or curdle becoming oily and inedible. Evaporated milk and condensed cheddar cheese soup have stabilizers already in them that work well to create a creamy sauce even with prolonged exposure to heat.
Layer and fold a few sheets of heavy duty tin foil. You may need to tear off sheets in both directions depending on the size of your slow cooker. Gently press your tinfoil into every edge of your empty slow cooker so the tinfoil is completely covering the inside. Make sure to fold the ends of the tinfoil over the top edge of the crockpot where the lid will sit. It doesn't have to be perfect. The food will add weight to help to press the tinfoil down as well.
Another option is to buy Reynolds Kitchens Premium Slow Cooker Liners each measuring 13 x 21 inches to fit 3 to 8-quart round or oval slow cookers if you'd rather not make a homemade version yourself.
Video
More Slow Cooker Dinner Recipes
Do you like cooking meals in your slow cooker? Here are some main dish recipes you may also like to try.
Ready to get cooking? Remember that you can print this recipe if you would like.
Slow Cooker Bacon Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- ½-1 pound bacon chopped
- 1 medium onions diced or sliced
- 1 large sweet pepper chopped or sliced
- 1 pound elbow macaroni
- 2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 cups boiling water plus extra as needed
- 2 cans (12 oz) evaporated milk
- 2 cans (11 oz) condensed cheddar cheese soup
- 2 cups cheddar cheese shredded
- 2 cups Monterey Jack cheese shredded
- 2 teaspoons dry mustard
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- 1-2 jalapenos seeded and minced optional
Instructions
- Fry your bacon until crisp, remove from pan and drain on paper towel. Once drained, crumble it and place on another paper towel until needed.
- Leave a few tablespoons of bacon grease and add your chopped onion. Stir until onions are tender. Add peppers for a minute or so and then remove from heat and set aside.
- Line your slow cooker with an aluminum foil collar and coat with cooking spray. If you need to take a moment to watch the video to see how to do this. Otherwise, you are basically just lining your slow cooker with tin foil until it comes up over the edge of your slow cooker. Your lid will sit inside the tin foil.
- Microwave macaroni and oil in bowl at 50 percent power, stirring every minute, until macaroni begin to look toasted and blistered, 5 to 8 minutes.
- Prepare your boiling water while you are microwaving the pasta.
- Transfer hot macaroni to prepared slow cooker and immediately stir in 2¾ cups boiling water.
- Stir in evaporated milk, condensed soup, cheddar, Monterey Jack, mustard, 1 teaspoon pepper, and ½ teaspoon salt.
- Add bacon, onions and peppers. Give everything a good stir trying not to puncture the tinfoil.
- Cover and cook until macaroni are tender, 1 to 2 hours on high. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
- Stirring Together. Before cooking make sure your macaroni and cheese is stirred well.
- Use an Oval Slow Cooker. A larger-sized slow cooker works best when making this creamy mac and cheese with evaporated milk.
- Timing. Just use the time in the recipe as a guide. If you use a different type of pasta you may need to extend the cooking time. Also, some slow cookers run hot, so it's a good idea to check it at the 1 hour mark to prevent your pasta from becoming overcooked and mushy.
- For Crisp Bacon. The bacon cooked inside the mac and cheese isn't crisp but adds so much flavor. Add some on top for a crispy finish.
- Toasting the Macaroni. This technique prevents excessive swelling so don't skip it! Really.
Nutrition
This post was originally published February 2020. It has been updated with new images and content.
Melanie says
This is my new go to mac and Cheese recipe even my husband and kids liked it, they went back for seconds and my 5 year old asked for it for 3 days in a row! It’s getting added into our weekly rotation for sure!
Karin and Ken says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!! You just made my day. Thank you for taking the time to let me know. All the best. Karin
Christiana says
This so delicious. I just love how cheesy it and the flavor is terrific. And the bacon. Well bacon makes everything better even though I bet your Mac and Cheese doesn’t even need bacon. Thank you for my new go to recipe ❤️❤️❤️
Karin and Ken says
You’re most welcome. I try my best! Thank you for letting me know. All the best. Karin
Britt says
This website truly has all of the info I needed about macaroni and cheese and didn’t know who to ask. Loved this recipe and will definitely make again. Kids loved it. Sounds strange but held up well and tasted great. Thx
Karin and Ken says
Happy to hear you all enjoyed it. This slow cooker macaroni and cheese is amazing. Glad it held up well! ? Hopefully you have some other recipes on this site that you enjoy just as much! All the best. Karin