How to Make Mac and Cheese in the Microwave
Posted: 02/28/2014
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Homemade Easy Mac! Learning how to make Mac and Cheese in the microwave makes it easy to make your favorite treat at home. And you’ll know what’s in it.
OXO sent my free products to try for this post. I was not compensated to use them, or for my opinions.
It’s a little embarrassing how much Easy Mac I ate when I was in college. And when I say a little embarrassing, I mean a LOT embarrassing.”
I had (still have!) this big gigantic blue mug and that was my Easy Mac mug. Mac and cheese was a frequent late-night study snack in the dorm and we all know late night snacks (especially ones made out of pasta and cheese powder) aren’t good for your waistline. Hellllllo, freshman 15!
To commemorate my college days, I knew I had to make a DIY version of one of my favorite snacks in college.
All you need is pasta, water, a microwave safe bowl, milk, and sharp cheddar for this microwave macaroni and cheese recipe. You can’t take a shortcut and buy pre-grated cheese for this recipe. You’ll end up with one big blob of cheese that doesn’t coat the pasta at all.
Take it from me. I know.
Yes — it doesn’t look exactly like the blue box version. This is a good thing, my friends. High quality sharp white cheddar makes this a very tasty replacement to my blue box love (which I still love, mind you).
This is also a really easy quick lunch. With two toddlers, easy quick lunches are a very good thing. Pop it in the microwave while you slice some veggies and cut up some fruit and you have a well balanced meal for your cute little one. Or yourself.
I used this awesome Grate and Slice Set from OXO to prep this recipe. This slicer/grater makes grating cheese so easy. Plus it grates right into a container for easy measuring. No more messy grating.
I also used OXO’s pepper mill when I was seasoning this DIY Easy Mac. I’m completely smitten with these salt and pepper mills. First of all, they sit upright (turn them over to grind the salt and pepper) so you’re not left with little piles of salt and pepper everywhere you set these down. Secondly, they easily adjust to customize size of grind you want. See the little dots? You just adjust it to what you want. No more guessing games. Plus they look great sitting on my table.
So if you’re wondering what to eat for lunch today, wonder no more. Make this microwave macaroni and cheese recipe and you’ll have a happy belly.
Mac and cheese mania:
May I tempt you with more macaroni and cheese recipes? Here you go:
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
serving
Make your own Easy Mac! Learning how to make microwave mac and cheese is an easy way to make your favorite treat at home.
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup uncooked elbow macaroni
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup whole milk
- ¼ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (do NOT use pre-shredded)
- 1 slice American cheese (wrapped “singles”)
- ½ teaspoon all-purpose flour
Instructions
- In a 4 cup microwave safe measuring cup, or comparably sized bowl, combine macaroni and water.
- Microwave on high for 2 minutes; stir.
- Microwave for 2 more minutes, stir again.
- Microwave for 2 more minutes or until the water is absorbed and the pasta is cooked.
- Meanwhile, toss shredded cheese with flour. Tear sliced cheese into a few pieces.
- Stir milk into cooked macaroni and microwave for 1 minute.
- Stir in cheese; cover bowl and let set 1 minute. Stir again and serve immediately.
Notes
- Don't be tempted to use a smaller measuring cup or bowl. The mixture will boil over and make a mess in your microwave.
- Recipe card updated 11/30/2022.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 407kcal, Carbohydrates: 40g, Protein: 19g, Fat: 19g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 57mg, Sodium: 568mg, Potassium: 246mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 580IU, Calcium: 508mg, Iron: 1mg
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
Disclaimer: OXO sent my free products to try for this post. I was not compensated to use them, or for my opinions.
michael says
can you double this ?
because i like to eat
Rachel Gurk says
I don’t see why not! Just make sure you have a nice big bowl.
erika says
Is there a way to make a larger size version of this so that it makes more than a single serving? How would you triple this recipe maybe? I’m looking for about one box of Velveeta serving size.
Thanks!
Rachel Gurk says
Since this is a copycat of the easy mac, it is a single serving. I’m not sure how it would turn out tripled since I have not tested it. Worth a try though!
Audrey says
Tried this for lunch today…it didn’t turn out at all :( I grated my own cheese and still ended up with a “cheese ball.” I thought maybe as I continued to heat it in the 1 minute intervals that it would melt more and combine better but I just ended up with overcooked noodles and a rubber-like ball of cheese :/
Jordan says
Made this for my son for a fast dinner last night! He liked it.
We happened to only have gluten-free macaroni in the pantry, and it absorbed the water before it was done cooking, so I added another 1/4 c of water. It also stuck badly, so I’d only heat for a minute or less between stirrings.
We used pregrated cheese without any problems, but it wasn’t the mini-grated kind, and I made sure to stir it in well as I added it. Had to heat it a several times to get it thick enough.
Paula – bell’alimento says
Homemade mac and cheese in the microwave … woohoo! My kids will love this!
Stephie @ Eat Your Heart Out says
My stomach just growled while reading this. Like, really. *how embarrassing*
Nicole ~ Cooking for Keeps says
I’m a mac and cheese lush, and sometimes I want just a little individual serving, this is PERFECT! So creamy!
Joanne says
Well I love that this is NOT weirdo orange colored! And that it is crazy easy cheesy delicious. Made with real cheese to boot. This gives easy mac a run for its money!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
This is crazy easy! Us moms need recipes like this! Sharing!
Liz @ Virtually Homemade says
How can this be so easy?! Mac and cheese is the number one college food – wish I had this recipe then!
Laurie {Simply Scratch} says
Hello brilliant recipe! I must make you. :)
Sheila says
I agree you can not use the preshredded cheese it doesn’t work! I need me that grater and the salt and pepper grinder thingys!! What a fun week! I still need to get around to all the blogs, thanks for putting this together. xox, Sheila
denise says
sounds good
Kim | Just For Clicks says
There is NOTHING better than good mac ‘n cheese! I love the simplicity of this recipe & am thinking it would be a great one for my (middle school aged) kiddos to make. It’s been a great series! Happy Friday Friend!!
Taylor @ Food Faith Fitness says
Home made mac n’ cheese in the micro? Love this!
You may have just changed my lunch identiy forever.