This Creamy Air Fryer Mac and Cheese is made in your Air Fryer and you do not have to boil the noodles first. It’s a delicious side dish that can be made in your Air Fryer in about 20 minutes.

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Macaroni and cheese is something that happens quite often around our house. Whether it’s this creamy baked macaroni and cheese recipe or this white cheddar mac and cheese in the Instant Pot, we are a pasta-loving family and mac and cheese is a favorite.
I bet you’re wondering if you can make macaroni and cheese in your Air Fryer. The answer is a huge YES! Because I love my Air Fryer, I pondered on how I would make mac and cheese work in it. I knew a few things, I did not want to boil the noodles first and I wanted it to be a quick recipe. I’m glad to report that this recipe fits the bill.
How to Make Mac and Cheese in your Air Fryer
First, if using block cheese, which I highly recommend, shred it. I find that block cheese melts much better than the pre-shredded packaged kind.
Then combine uncooked elbow macaroni, water, heavy cream, mustard powder, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, and about 3/4ths of the shredded cheese in a 7-inch pan that will fit in your Air Fryer and is deep enough to hold your macaroni. I use the cake pan that comes in this Air Fryer Accessory set. Stir until combined.

Place in your Air Fryer and cook on 360 degrees Fahrenheit for 18-20 minutes, stirring and adding the remainder of the cheese halfway through cooking.
Once done, your mac and cheese will look hot, bubbly, and watery. Please don’t stress, because….

Once you stir, it’ll start to thicken up.

And once you let it cool a bit, it’ll thicken up even more and you’ll have yummy creamy mac and cheese goodness.

Notes:
- I use sharp cheddar for this recipe but you can certainly add any combination of cheeses you like. Here’s a list of great cheeses for mac and cheese from the pros.
- The cheese will thicken while it cools. It’s a good idea to let it rest before digging in.
- Various air fryers will cook at different speeds so you’ll want to make sure you check it halfway through. My Phillips took a total of 18 minutes to complete this dish while my Nina Foodi took 20 minutes.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!
What to serve this mac and cheese with?
You can also use this recipe to make these Air Fried Macaroni and Cheese Balls recipe
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Watch this video tutorial and see how I make this mac and cheese from start to finish.
Air Fryer Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup elbow macaroni
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 8 oz sharp cheddar cheese shredded and separated
- 1 tsp dry mustard
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
Instructions
- Combine elbow macaroni, water, heavy cream, ¾ of the cheese, dry mustard, kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder in a 7-inch pan that is deep enough to hold all the ingredients. Stir to combine.
- Place in Air Fryer basket and set Air Fryer on 360 degrees Fahrenheit. Set the timer for 18-20 minutes and start Air Fryer. Halfway through cooking, open the Air Fryer basket and add remaining cheese and stir. Close and continue cooking.
- Once the Air Fryer is done cooking, open Air Fryer and stir the mac and cheese. Remove the pan from the basket and allow it to cool for 5-10 minutes. The mac and cheese will thicken while it cools. Serve and Enjoy 🙂
Kirstin
Wednesday 27th of January 2021
Cooking this exactly as directed yielded al dente pasta - which my mom would have liked. I just upped it to 375 for five more minutes and for me it was perfect. This was super easy and delicious. I used a mixture of shredded sharp cheddar, white cheddar and colby jack. Before putting into the air fryer, i made sure the pasta (i used penne) was completely submerged in the liquid. I loved how this came out and definitely will be a quick lunch or dinner for my son and I in the future
DONeal
Saturday 5th of December 2020
Air Fryed for 20 min in Ninja ..... not even near done. The only way my family would eat this is to cook the mac for 5 min prior.
Tanya
Sunday 6th of December 2020
Hi DONeal, sorry to hear that. Different air fryers will take different amounts of time to cook the mac and cheese.
Michele
Thursday 26th of November 2020
9 minutes into cooking and my noodles were burning on the top. Im afraid this might not be edible :(
Tanya
Friday 27th of November 2020
Hi Michele, if the cheese/liquid is a little dark it's still ok. Give it a stir and continue cooking. The noodles should not be burning.
Wanda
Tuesday 25th of August 2020
Can I save some for leftovers, or do I have to eat it right away.thanks
Tanya
Thursday 27th of August 2020
You can save some for leftovers.
Maria Romero
Friday 14th of August 2020
Do you use uncooked macaroni for this recipe?
Tanya
Friday 14th of August 2020
Yes, I use uncooked macaroni.