The best, creamiest sharp cheddar mac and cheese recipe.
It’s no secret where my son gets his love of cheese. I am a serious cheese lover!
This Creamy Sharp Cheddar Mac & Cheese is one of the (many) reasons why.
Growing up, we ate mac and cheese a lot, like many families do.
While I won’t deny my love for boxed mac & cheese (Helloo Annie’s I love you!), there just no comparison to the flavor of making it from scratch.
I’m a bit of a cheese snob, so I love finding rich flavorful cheeses that really bring a big flavor!
In this recipe, I bought a block of New York Sharp Cheddar and grated it fresh. I bought mine from fresh market.
Freshly grated cheese > packaged grated cheese any day!
I know I say this a lot, but please take that extra few minutes to grate your cheese fresh. You won’t regret it!
Crosby was not very happy when I was trying to make dinner, so I was bribing him with pieces of sharp cheddar cheese as I was trying to cook.
He LOVED it. He is definitely my child!
If I can make this dinner at 6 p.m. (the witching hour of babies) when my husband isn’t home, you know it’s an easy one!
This recipe can be ready in just 20 minutes.
I love adding in a bag of frozen peas for added veggies too at the end but that’s totally optional.
Crosby gobbled this up for dinner and really loved that sharp cheddar.
Adult and kid friendly, this recipe is perfect for a quick dinner!
I also make this each year for Thanksgiving dinner and it’s a hit!
Pin this Sharp Cheddar Mac and Cheese Recipe:
Sharp Cheddar Mac and Cheese
The best, creamiest sharp cheddar mac and cheese recipe
Ingredients
- 2.5 cups dry elbow macaroni noodles
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1/3 cup 2% milk
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- freshly ground pepper, to taste
Directions
- Cook macaroni noodles according to package instructions, drain, and set aside
- In the same pot you cooked the noodles in, melt butter (make sure heat is on low)
- Add flour and whisk quickly to combine with flour, making sure not to burn (remove from heat if necessary)
- Add heavy cream and milk and whisk mixture on medium heat until it starts to thicken
- Once mixture starts to thicken, add cheese and salt and stir until cheese melts
- Add noodles in and stir well, remove from heat
- Serve with optional freshly ground black pepper, to taste
MAKING THIS RECIPE? I want to see! Tag your pictures on instagram @buildyourbite and hashtag #buildyourbite.
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a star rating below!
James V says
Flour! And cream That’s the truck to smoorh cheddar sauce! Thanks
J says
really good!
Kristen says
The taste and texture of this recipe were great. I found that I needed quite a bit more salt than was called for but that was no problem of course. Delicious!!
Joy Shull says
Yes, depending on whether you salt your pasta water it could definitely need more salt. So glad you enjoyed the recipe!