Creamy mac and cheese without flour or cheese product. Just REAL cheese to make this gooey, creamy comfort classic.
Mac and Cheese without Flour
I am a HUGE mac and cheese fan. Seriously. My motto is "if it doesn't have cheese in it, it's not worth eating." So a food where the main ingredient is cheese? Count me in!! I've experimented with making different mac and cheese recipes here at home and I've come across two main problems:
1. Starting the cheese sauce with a roux, or basic white sauce. The problem with this is that no matter how much cheese you put in the sauce, you can still get a mild flour flavor. The creamy cheesy texture is also slightly distorted to mildly gritty.
2. Using Velveeta or other cheese "products." Making the cheese sauce with these cheese products is, quite frankly, delicious. It's smooth and creamy with a great texture. But what exactly is this stuff that we have to label it "product" and can put it in the unrefrigerated section??? (I've heard from some Canadian friends that they have Velveeta that's actually made of CHEESE!! I'll admit I'm a little jealous that we got the short-stick on that one here in the States.)
AT LAST, I have made a recipe that gets rid of BOTH of these problems and still results in a delicious, creamy, cheesy mac and cheese without flour or any sort of cheese "product." What's even better is that this mac and cheese without flour is truly as easy as making macaroni and cheese with the "cheese product!" The easiness (and clean-up!) rival the boxed macaroni and cheese.
Mac and Cheese Without Flour Recipe
Simple Stovetop Mac and Cheese without Flour
Ingredients
- 8 oz package elbow macaroni
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 8 ounces cheddar cheese freshly shredded
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook noodles to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
- In a large pot over medium heat, melt butter with evaporated milk.
- When butter is melted and mixture is hot and steaming, turn the heat down to medium-low and add about a quarter of the cheese. Stir until melted and combined. Repeat until all cheese is added.
- Add noodles to the cheese sauce, stirring to coat.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
- Evaporated Milk: Evaporated milk makes the smoothest, creamiest sauce. You can use milk, cream, or half-and-half, and it will still taste good. But the cheese will not incorporate as well into a perfectly smooth sauce.
- Use freshly grated cheese to make sure it melts smoothly for a perfectly creamy sauce.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Freezer Directions: Allow to cool to room temperature. Transfer to freezer dish or bag. Freeze for up to 3-6 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Then heat on in a pot on the stove, adding a little more cheese if necessary.
Nutrition
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Jennie says
I followed your directions exactly and my cheese sauce came out curdled and very soupy. I used half&half, half a block mozzarella, half a block of munster and two table spoons of butter. What could I have done wrong?
Michelle says
It's hard to know without knowing *exactly* what you did. But if I had to guess, I'd say the half-and-half was either too hot or not hot enough when you added the cheese. It should be hot and steaming, but not boiling when you add the cheese, and it should mix in nicely.
You might consider using the evaporated milk as well because it's not as nit-picky about the temperature. Cream and half-and-half can curdle if they're introduced to too much heat.
Please let me know if you have any other specific questions. I'll be happy to answer 🙂
Marc wachter says
It may also have been the cheese selection. I made ours using 1 block of extra sharp yellow cheddar and 1 block of extra sharp white (mixed in some onion powder and garlic salt and crushed Club crackers) and it turned out great. I will probably try other cheeses as well but will try to keep a strong cheddar base. The mozzarella may have released too much moisture?
Michelle says
That's a good thought too. I've used mozzarella with this cheese sauce recipe for my Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas recipe, and it actually worked great. But I've never tried it with munster. I'll have to try it and see what happens.
natalie nichols says
hello so haw do you not over heat the half and half
Michelle says
Just heat over medium heat until it's hot enough to steam but hasn't started boiling. Just hot, but not boiling.
Michelle says
Jennie, did you use Munster or Muenster cheese? I'm going to test out Marc's theory about the type of cheese, and I want to make sure we're on the same page 🙂
SweetNeo85 says
You can't use mozzarella. That's a stringy cheese, not a smooth-melting cheese.
Jeremy says
Can you bake this recipe after it is prepared?
Michelle says
I've never tried it but I would guess that you can. The sauce will likely thicken/ evaporate a bit more. I would probably make a little more sauce than the recipe indicates to counteract that. But I think it would be okay to pop it in the oven for 10-15 minutes with extra cheese on top or a breadcrumb topping.
Alicia says
This was a hit in our house! I wanted to make Mac n cheese, but I hate how it gets gritty when I use flour. We used cheddar, and heavy cream and it turned out fabulous!
Olivia says
I JUST made this recipe to go with sausages tonight and it was great!
It is a great recipe, and this sauce is a perfect cheese base for any of your favorite flavours, or delicious just on its own!
Jason Brazinski says
Dad here with a Gluten free son, my kids absolutely loved this rendition. Super simple and as good as it gets. Great base for other recipes too.
Michelle says
Yay! I'm glad it was a win with the kiddos! (Mine love it too 🙂
Gary says
You do know that the macaroni contains a ton of flour? I'm going to try it with either rice pasta or corn pasta. Corn pasta is very yummy, thank you for the recipe. My cheese sauce is going over broccoli.
Michelle says
Yes, I'm aware. This is not a gluten issue for me. I'm okay with traditional pasta. Just a flourless cheese sauce 🙂
Laura says
Oh...my...goodness!!! My family loves that you shared this! I often make homemade "mac'n cheese", but was frustrated with the graininess and finally did a search to see if there were any solutions out there besides using a higher fat milk (not skim with a roux). I found your recipe this week and I added it to the meal plan. It...was...DELICIOUS!!! I used 4 oz. Fontina and 4 oz. Cabot Extra Sharp White Cheddar. Next time I would do 2 oz. of each and 4 oz. of Sharp Cheddar and add just a splash of milk because it does get a little thick and we loved the creamy, creamy texture. Thank you again so much for sharing!
Caroline says
Just found this recipe via a Google search for "mac and cheese without flour" (too lazy to go to the store right now). I used a blend of cheeses I had in my fridge and it turned out delicious! I'm just cooking for myself so I halved the recipe, figuring I would eat some now and save the rest for lunch tomorrow, but I don't think there will be any left over...
Paul says
The cream base is what I use for my Philly Cheese Steaks and Steak N Cheese sandwiches. So easy to prepare and a a superb creamy texture. My customers love the cheese. I use a little starch to thicken it though.
I have not made this yet but will experiments for that perfect mac n cheese!
Benjamin B. says
Although I didn't have any cheddar cheese, I substituted it for a Mexican cheese blend and a tiny bit of parmesan, and it still worked out nicely! Additionally, this recipe was a lifesaver, as I wanted to make breakfast for my parents, but I didn't have any flour, so thank you for this.
- Benjamin B.
14.
Gerasimos Makaras says
Does this sauce reheat well? I want to make it to put over steamed broccoli, but know that we won’t eat it all at once. We’ll have leftovers.
Michelle says
I'm not sure as I've never tried it. We're cheese fanatics here! No leftovers. My best guess would be that the sauce will separate when reheating, especially if you reheat it in the microwave. Please let us know how it goes if you try it!