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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The full recipe with ingredients/instructions is available on the recipe card at the bottom of the post. Important tips/tricks are also included in the blog post.
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 ¾ths 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 Philips took a total of 18 minutes to complete this dish while my Ninja 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
Equipment
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 🙂
Amy R says
This recipe was amazing!! So easy. So creamy. Delicious!! So dangerous!!
Tanya says
Thanks so much Amy R! So happy you liked the mac and cheese.
Mary Lange says
For people using this recipe check your cook times on the side of your pasta box..I used dececco pasta and it has a cook time of 5 minutes
Amy C says
Wanted to love. Added 1/4c more cream since it really set up. Cooked for the 20 and noodles still undercooked. Would probably leave 1/2c pasta out next time.
Dolly says
Hubby loves this Mac cheese and so easy cooking all together in air fryer! Thank you
Tanya says
Thanks Dolly! So happy you and your Hubby like the recipe 🙂
Brooner says
Absolutely amazing Mac n Cheese. So easy to prepare and the kids love it too
Tanya says
Thanks so much, Brooner! So happy you like the recipe 🙂
sarah hutchison says
How are you getting your pasta to cook? mine didn't cook? it was a bit softer but dit definitely not edible
Erica says
Worst recipe I’ve tried. DONT ever put liquids in your air fryer. You will wreck it like I almost did.
Tanya says
Hi Erica, Thank you for your feedback. Many others and I have made this recipe multiple times with no issues. I've also included step-by-step photos and a video making this recipe as written. To ensure the best results, I recommend using a dish that fits inside your air fryer basket to contain the mac and cheese while cooking. This helps prevent any potential spills and protects the appliance.
Sandra Laska says
I'm a mac-n-cheese lover but most don't meet the test. This was amazing. Didn't have heavy cream so used evaporated milk mixed with sour cream. Thank you!
Tanya says
Thank you Sandra! Love that you found a sub that worked as well.
Andy says
Absolutely delicious menu. I added Oragano to it. I used the Ninja double air fryer for 27 minutes. Perfect, thank you, my guests loved it,
Tanya says
Thanks Andy! So happy you liked the recipe 🙂
Jenn says
Epic fail. I added more time but my macaroni was still hard and the cheese sank to the bottom.
Tanya says
Hey Jenn, sorry to hear this didn't work out for you. Yours should come out exactly as mine did in the photos and video. Could you give me some more info on the kind of air fryer you used as well as the ingredients you used? Thanks.
Delilah says
This is a great recipe to make stovetop. Honestly, the air fryer version is way more trouble than it is worth. I realize air fryers have come a long way and are much larger than my Ninja and this recipe may work just fine with them but I know my air fryer. I tried cooking the pasta first and after 35 min finished it and the rest of the recipe on the stove. Keep the recipe but beware of cooking it in your air fryer.
Connie says
My pan is 8 1/2” can I use that
Tanya says
Hi Connie. As long as it can fit in your air fryer, that should be fine. It'll be a little shallow, so it'll likely cook a little quicker so I would check in it a few minutes earlier.
Kimmy says
It worked for me! I looked through some comments which was REALLY helpful. I did make sure the noodles were completely covered (just barely) by water after adding the ingredients so it did take some extra water. I also cooked at 375 for 30 mins. It was great! I used my round oven safe CorningWare bowl and put on the lowest shelf in my air fryer. Midway through I added the remaining cheese and was worried that it might be too watery (b/c it looked watery), but once the cheese was added and cooked to 30 mins. it was perfect after I stirred it. It was yummy! Thank you!
Tanya says
Thank you for the feedback, Kimmy! So happy you enjoyed the recipe.
Raelynn says
If I don’t have an oven safe container to put in my air fryer, could I just line it with aluminum foil?
Tanya says
Hi Raelynn, Technically you can however, foil won't be as sturdy and it will likely make a mess as the mac and cheese may spill over. If you do you use foil, you may need to adjust the cooking time as the mac and cheese will likely cook faster.
Elaine Armantrading says
I am new to air frying and I tried this macaroni cheese recipe today . Halfway through I found the pasta to be still a little hard so I decided to saute it for 4/5 minutes keeping an eye and storing it. Then I continued to air fry for 8 mins and it came out perfectly.
Try adding a grated onion to the receipt - much tastier.
Good Luck
Elaine from London UK
Tanya says
Thanks for the feedback Elaine. Glad the recipe worked out for you 🙂
Kathlean says
@Elaine Armantrading, I found the same thing half way through, but just kept on going and mine was perfect, defo do again, really easy
Thanks Tanya