• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
The Hangry Economist logo
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
  • Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • 30 Minutes or Less
    • Healthy-ish
    • Appetizers
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Sides
  • Lifestyle
    • DC/MD/VA Local Finds
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • About Us
  • Lifestyle
  • Contact Us
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • About Us
    • Lifestyle
    • Contact Us
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Recipes

    One-Pot Copycat Kraft Mac and Cheese

    Published: Oct 22, 2022 · Modified: Dec 1, 2022 · 8 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This copycat Kraft mac and cheese is healthier and more delicious than the original. It's made in one pot and comes together in less than 20 minutes with no heavy cream, butter, or artificial ingredients. Add some protein on the side to make it a full meal, or enjoy it as a side dish. It's the perfect nostalgic comfort food.

    This post and recipe was updated on October 22, 2022 to incorporate user feedback.

    Macaroni and cheese in a serving bowl.

    I grew up in the American Midwest, so it goes without saying that I ate a lot of mac and cheese growing up, usually of the Kraft or Velveeta variety, and often served with a hot dog or with some canned tuna mixed in (don't knock it 'til you've tried it). Sometimes I still go back to the blue and orange boxes at the grocery store, nostalgic for something that only makes a mess of one pot and makes me feel like a kid again. This mac and cheese tastes just as good, but without all the artificial ingredients.

    You don't have to use cute animal pasta for this recipe--we tested it with normal pasta too--but it does make it a whole lot of fun, and reminded me of eating character mac and cheese out of a box. It kind of made me want to catch a Disney Channel Original Movie after dinner, too. I found some cute pasta on Amazon here.

    If you're looking for other easy weeknight pasta recipes, try our sloppy joe pasta or cajun chicken pasta.

    Jump to:
    • Key Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • One-Pot Kraft-Style Mac and Cheese Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    Key Ingredients

    • Macaroni- We used animal shaped macaroni, but normal macaroni (or any other shape) should work just fine too. We haven't tested gluten-free pasta, but if you do, leave a note in the comments to let us know how it worked out.
    • Milk- We used whole milk. You can use 2%, but I wouldn't try anything with less fat than that.
    • Chicken broth- We cook the pasta in a combination of chicken broth and milk, which adds a lot of flavor to this recipe and forms the basis for the cheese sauce.
    • Sharp cheddar cheese- Sharp cheddar is perfect for this copycat Kraft mac and cheese recipe because it has a flavor reminiscent of the orange powder that comes in those beloved blue boxes. Make sure you shred your own cheese--it melts so much better than pre-shredded and tastes better too!
    • Cream cheese
    • Seasonings- Salt, black pepper, mustard powder, and ground cayenne

    Instructions

    This recipe couldn't be any easier. It's made in one pot and comes together in about 20 minutes, including prep work (which just involves shredding the cheese!).

    Step 1: Add the chicken broth, part of the milk, and pasta to a pot over medium heat. Cook until the pasta is al dente, around 10-15 minutes depending on your pasta. Stir every couple of minutes to prevent the pasta from sticking or the liquid from boiling over.

    Step 2: As the pasta cooks, the liquid should reduce in volume and thicken. This will form the basis for your sauce. Once the pasta is fully cooked, turn the heat to low and stir in the shredded cheese, cream cheese, additional milk, and spices. Once the cheese has melted, remove the pot from the heat.

    The sauce should be about the same consistency as Kraft Mac and Cheese. If it's too thick, you can add more milk until it reaches your desired consistency. If it's too thin, allow it to sit for a few minutes--it thickens as it cools.

    This is an up-close picture of Kraft-style mac and cheese.
    One-Pot Kraft-Style Mac and Cheese Recipe

    One-Pot Kraft-Style Mac and Cheese Recipe

    Recipe by Mollie

    This copycat Kraft mac and cheese is healthier and more delicious than the original. It's made in one pot and comes together in less than 20 minutes with no heavy cream, butter, or artificial ingredients. Add some protein on the side to make it a full meal, or enjoy it as a side dish. It's the perfect nostalgic comfort food.

    Course: DinnerCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy
    4 from 57 votes
    Pin
    Print
    Servings

    6

    servings
    Prep time

    5

    minutes
    Cooking time

    15

    minutes
    Calories

    640

    kcal
    Total time

    20

    minutes
    Cook Mode

    Prevent your screen from going dark!

    Ingredients

    • 16 ounces 16 elbow macaroni

    • 2 cups 2 chicken broth

    • 3 cups 3 whole milk, divided

    • 12 ounces 12 sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (see note)

    • 3 ounces 3 cream cheese

    • ¾ teaspoons ¾ salt

    • 1 teaspoon 1 black pepper

    • ½ teaspoon ½ mustard powder

    • Dash Dash ground cayenne, to taste

    Directions

    • Add the chicken broth, 2 cups of the milk, and pasta to a pot over medium heat. Cook until pasta is al dente, around 10-15 minutes depending on your pasta. Stir every couple of minutes to prevent the pasta from sticking or the liquid from boiling over.
    • As the pasta cooks, the liquid should reduce in volume and thicken. This will form the basis for your sauce. Once the pasta is fully cooked, turn the heat to low and stir in the shredded cheese, cream cheese, remaining cup of milk, and spices.
    • Once the cheese has melted, remove the pot from the heat. The sauce consistency can vary based on your pasta shape and stove temperature. If it's too thick for your preference, you can add more milk until it reaches your desired consistency. If it's too thin, allow it to sit for a few minutes-it thickens as it cools.

    Notes

    • We recommend you shred your own cheese-it melts so much better than pre-shredded and tastes better too!

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag and follow @hangryeconomist on Instagram

    Like this recipe?

    Follow @hangryeconomist on Pinterest

    More Recipes

    • Air fryer baby carrots in a serving bowl topped with green garnish.
      Air Fryer Baby Carrots
    • Brown butter sage ravioli in a bowl with peas and parmesan cheese.
      Brown Butter Sage Ravioli
    • Two purple rain cocktails garnished with lime.
      Purple Rain Cocktail
    • Strawberries, basil, and halloumi on skewers on a serving plate.
      Strawberry and Halloumi Skewers

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Meg Rotz says

      October 22, 2022 at 9:56 pm

      This recipe is incredible! It tastes amazing and comes together really nicely. I’m excited to find a delicious easy recipe to add into my rotation!

      Reply
    2. Julie Rowe says

      November 14, 2022 at 5:11 pm

      This recipe needs a lot more liquid than indicated. Otherwise, very good!

      Reply
    3. Amy Pedroni says

      November 15, 2022 at 6:53 pm

      Delicious!

      Reply
    4. Ryan Pedroni says

      November 15, 2022 at 6:54 pm

      Yum

      Reply
    5. James says

      February 26, 2023 at 9:10 pm

      Works perfect with gluten free, our kid didn't even question it wasn't Kraft. Thank you great recipe.

      Reply
      • Roxanne says

        March 13, 2023 at 1:00 pm

        I had the exact same experience unfortunately!

        Reply
    6. Rhonda Cole says

      March 08, 2023 at 7:23 pm

      I feel like I missed something. I received some pasta noodles that are identical to the ones in the Kraft box so I thought I would look up a copycat recipe for them. This was in no way like the orangy cheesy boxed mac-n-cheese. I can see where it would be good for some, it was creamy and loaded with sauce, however I have to state again, nothing like the box. It is quite possible I missed something in the making of this but I followed the recipe word for word. The sauce had a slightly powdery texture and there was very little cheese taste. I don't want to rate this because so many people loved it so I don't want to be "that person." I would like to know if anyone else had the same experience as me.

      Reply
      • Mollie says

        March 10, 2023 at 1:55 pm

        Hi! Sorry you had that experience! We tried to make this similar to the boxed stuff without using any processed cheese--a "healthier" (or at least less fake) version, if you will. It's not an exact match, but we did try to mimic the texture and the easiness of the boxed stuff.

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Primary Sidebar

    hi, we're Michael and Mollie

    Welcome! We are Michael & Mollie, a hangry economics enthusiast and her husband. Our goal is to provide you with delicious, accessible, and healthy-ish recipes that are both time- and money-efficient.

    More about us →

    trending Recipes

    • A bowl of creamy red pepper and tomato pasta garnished with basil.
      Creamy Red Pepper and Tomato Pasta
    • Escabeche Vegetable Salad
    • A grilled cheese burger in a basket with chips and tomato slices.
      Grilled Cheese Burger
    • Coconut Water Mocktail

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Info

    • Privacy Policy
    • Accessibility Statement

    Contact

    • Email us

    Copyright © 2022 The Hangry Economist

    We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website. Learn more here.

    The Hangry Economist
    Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

    Strictly Necessary Cookies

    Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

    If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.