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Up your basic mac and cheese with these ridiculously cheesy and creamy Cheddar Gruyère Mac and Cheese. Super simple to prepare, can be enjoyed baked or stove top. This is a perfect dish to make a meal or add as a side for a holiday or special gathering!
Mac and cheese is the ultimate love language of comfort food and this simple cheddar gruyère mac and cheese is so flavorful and the perfect companion to any meal–a special holiday or a weeknight dinner.
Skip the Kraft mac tonight, and opt for something that makes everyone say WOW to the perfect creamy cheese sauce tossed with your favorite pasta!
If you love mac and cheese as much as we do, try this protein packed version as well as Instant Pot Mac and Cheese!
Why you will love this Cheddar Gruyère Macaroni and Cheese:
- You can make it stove top or baked. If you love the creamy, delicious, straight from the stove version, have it that way. If you want a gooey, crispy breadcrumb topped mac and cheese, have that way instead! Either is great!
- Cheesy and oh so creamy. Gruyere cheese is a really great melting cheese. It is often found in fondues. Adding it to this recipe not only gives it flavor, it adds a great creamy texture.
- Easy to vary. Lots of pasta shapes work well, and you can make the pasta gluten free if needed. While I use a combo of gruyere and cheddar in this recipe, you can vary the cheeses to make it your favorite–lots of variety in the types of cheese you can use.
- Great to meal prep. Mac and cheese is a great option for warmed up meals in the middle of the week. Make this once and eat off of it several days later! When reheating, add a bit of milk and stir it in if it seems a bit dry.
What is gruyère cheese?
Gruyère cheese is a type of smooth Swiss cheese named after the town it was originally made in. It is a great melting cheese and has a slightly nutty flavor. It adds a level of creaminess to recipes that call for any form of melted cheese and that is why it is the perfect cheese for this Gruyère mac and cheese recipe!
Ingredients and Swaps:
- pasta: use a short pasta such as elbow macaroni, shells, rotini, cavatappi, or your favorite. The one thing to think about when making a good macaroni and cheese is how much cheese will the pasta hold–that is where the money is! Pasta like shells will hold extra cheese inside so you are going to get more cheese per bite with something like that!
- butter: unsalted butter, but if you have salted, decrease the amount of salt used in the sauce.
- flour: this is a necessary ingredient for making the roux that will thicken the gruyère cheddar cheese sauce. You should be able to use a 1:1 gluten free all purpose flour if necessary.
- cream: You can use heavy cream or even half and half here if you don’t want the sauce to be too heavy. I find that cream can be a bit much when you want this dish for a meal.
- milk: whole is preferred for the best macaroni and cheese. Another milk would work but if you can, skip the skim milk as it tends to be much too thin.
- cheese: A combo of gruyère and sharp cheddar. For best results, freshly shred your own cheese. Pre-shredded cheese does not melt as well as it is coated with cellulose. With the gruyere, a little does go a long way. Even though there is less of it than the cheddar, it will still have great flavor in this dish.
- seasoning: I use a combination of garlic, paprika and ground dry mustard. Keeping them slight so they don’t overpower the flavor of the cheeses.
- breadcrumbs: the breadcrumbs are optional and only if you opt to bake the gruyère mac and cheese before serving. They add a touch of crunch to the dish. Topping the mac and cheese with more cheese is another option if skipping the breadcrumbs! Panko bread crumbs are a great option for a lot of crunchiness if you love that part. I have also heard crushed ritz crackers are delicious over top as well.
- olive oil: lots of breadcrumb topping use melted butter and you certainly can, but I like the ease of using the olive oil as well as the hint of flavor.
Step-byStep Instructions:
Cook pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Drain and return to the pot, tossing with two tablespoons of butter. This will keep the pasta from absorbing more liquid and getting too mushy or overcooked.
Make the cheese sauce:
- Melt butter over medium heat in a sauce pan to make the roux.
- Add the flour into the pot.
- Whisk constantly for about one minute until the mixture is combined. Make sure not to burn. If your oven runs hot, you can do this over medium-low heat.
- Very slowly stir in about 2 cups of the milk, whisking while adding to keep it nice and smooth. Stir in the remaining milk and cream, garlic, mustard, paprika, salt and pepper. Heat for several minutes, whisking regularly to allow it thicken.
- When the sauce is nice and thick, remove from heat and stir in the cheese until melted.
- Adjust season to taste before adding to the pasta if necessary.
Once the cheese sauce is ready, pour it over the pasta and stir to combine and fully coat all of the pasta. If you want to serve it just like this, stir the past over medium low heat to warm everything up and you are all set. If you want to bake your gruyère mac and cheese, keep reading!
For a baked version of this mac and cheese, set the oven to 350°F and add the cheesy pasta to a greased casserole dish or baking pan.
Cover with last cup of cheese if desired and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Again, as mentioned above the breadcrumbs are optional. If you want them to soften slightly more while baking, you can toss them with a few tablespoons of melted butter before adding them on top of the mac and cheese.
Give the mixture a stir to redistribute the cheese sauce after putting into the baking dish. Pour any remaining cheese over top. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until the breadcrumbs are golden brown and the cheese begins to bubble slightly.
You can broil for about 2-3 minutes at the end if you like extra brown and crispy topping.
Recipe Tips:
- Don’t overcook the pasta. Overcooking the pasta will likely result in mushy noodles, especially if you end up baking this macaroni and cheese. You want al dente pasta for best results, especially if you plan on baking it.
- Stir the sauce consistently to avoid burning. You don’t want to overcook the roux or any part of the sauce. Burned milk will come through in the flavor.
- Don’t skimp on fats. When it comes to a really good mac and cheese, its all about the real stuff. For all the flavor, use things like whole milk, full fat cheese, and cream, etc.
- Shred your cheeses! I know this is an extra step, but skip the pre-shredded as it doesn’t melt nearly as well. Bonus–cheese blocks are cheaper than pre-shredded cheese so you save some cash!
What can I sub for Gruyère cheese?
Gruyere is a touch on the pricy side and can be a bit more challenging to find in comparison to cheddar and other popular cheeses. A few cheeses that could substitute well in this recipe are: Dubliner cheese, Fontina, Emmental (also known as Swiss cheese), Jarlsberg or Raclette cheese.
If you are still having a hard time finding any of these, use a combination of your favorite melting cheeses to make this easy gruyere mac n cheese recipe!
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Gruyère Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 lb short pasta, macaroni, cavatappi, shells, etc.
- 5 T butter, divided
- 1/4 c flour
- 3 c whole milk
- 1 c heavy cream
- ½ tsp garlic powder, or 1-2 cloves minced
- 1/4 tsp ground mustard
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 4 c cheddar cheese, freshly shredded
- 2 c gruyere cheese, freshly shredded
- 1⅓ c breadcrumbs
- 1½ T olive oil, or melted butter
Instructions
- Prepare the Pasta: Prepare the pasta al dente according to package adding sea salt to boiling water before adding pasta. Drain and toss with 1 tablespoon butter and transfer to a bowl to cool slightly.
- Prepare the Cheese Sauce: Combine all the shredded cheese and toss. Set aside 1½ cups for later. In a saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk consistently to combine, to create a roux. Whisk until a light golden brown.
- Slowly pour in two cups of the milk, whisking constantly to make sure no clumping occurs. Once mixture is smooth, add in remaining milk and cream and stir until the mixture begins to thicken and very slightly bubble. It should thicken to about the thickness of a creamy soup.
- Remove the pot from heat and stir in 2 cups of the cheddar gruyere mixture and stir to melt. Add in remaining 2 ½ cups and melt. Stir in the paprika, garlic, mustard, salt and pepper and stir to combine. You can serve like this or continue to next step for baking.
- Bake the Mac and Cheese: Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13 inch pan or casserole dish. Pour the mac and cheese in and toss to make sure cheese is evenly distributed. Pour any remaining cheese sauce over top. Sprinkle with remaining 1 ½ cups of shredded cheese. Whisk the breadcrumbs and olive oil together and sprinkle over top of the cheese. (You can double this if you love the crunchy topping)
- Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until the cheese on top is melted and browning and the breadcrumbs are golden. Cool for about 10 minutes before serving. Store leftovers in an air tight container in the refrigerator for about 4 days.
Notes
- Don’t overcook the pasta. Overcooking the pasta will likely result in mushy noodles, especially if you end up baking this macaroni and cheese.
- Stir the sauce consistently to avoid burning. You don’t want to overcook the roux or any part of the sauce. Burned milk will come through in the flavor.
- Don’t skimp on fats. When it comes to a really good mac and cheese, its all about the real stuff. For all the flavor, use things like whole milk, full fat cheese, and cream, etc.
- Shred your cheeses! I know this is an extra step, but skip the pre-shredded as it doesn’t melt nearly as well. Bonus–cheese blocks are cheaper than pre-shredded cheese so you save some cash!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Sorry to hear this! I make this recipe fairly often and haven’t had this issue. I will make it again soon to see if there is anything that needs to be tweaked.
This is absolutely my favorite Mac & Cheese recipe.
Can I prepare this in advance before baking? Expecting guests and I would like to get it prepped well in advance with the exception of adding the remaining cup of cheese & breadcrumbs. I will keep in the fridge/ take out for sometime before baking and adding the last two items.
What do you think okay? Or not.
Lauren
I looooove this one too!! So, you can certainly do that. What I suggest is if you pull the Mac out before baking and it seems a bit dry to add a touch of cream or milk before baking. Should be good to go then!!
This is an absolutely excellent recipe. I mixed in 1/2 cup chopped bacon and 1 caramelized onion to take this to the next level – highly recommended.
Ohhhhh, I WILL be doing that next time!
Really good?! I’m curious what the amount is per serving size!?
Hi! A serving is roughly 3/4 cup. So glad you loved this–just had it last night!
This was very rich and delicious! Can you tell me the weight of the 5 cups of shredded cheese? I’m not sure if I used too much cheese. Thanks!
Hi! Glad you loved it! So to make the 5 cups it would require about 1 lb. 4 oz, so approx. 20 oz. Of cheese. Hope that helps!
This is hands down amazing. That said, this makes enough sauce for 4 pounds of pasta. Maybe 6 really. I am going to try and freeze the sauce we didn’t use. That might keep. Delicious!!
Well clearly you can figure out what kind of person I am–extra cheesy!!! Let me know how it goes! I for sure don’t find it to be that much cheese sauce, nor family and friends, but so glad you kept some for leftover!
Hi! I am planning to make this for Thanksgiving and bring it over to my family’s house. Would this be best served if prepare everything and place it in the baking dish at home and then bake it at their place or have it baked already and then reheat it at their house? If the latter, how much time should I reheat it in the oven and what temperature? Thank you!
Hi! I would just wait to bake it until you get to your destination. Less likely to dry out for sure. You can even toss in some extra cream or milk to make sure it stays nice and creamy. Hope you love it!
Happy 20221 I made this for our New Years Day dinner to accompany baked ham and collard greens. I don’t like mac and cheese but I loved this! Typically mac and cheese is too sharp for my liking but this blend was mild and it came out smooth as silk inside. I premade the night before keeping my elbow macaroni extra al dente so they wouldn’t be a soggy mess. It wasn’t I baked then broiled to get perfect crispy edges and some browning on top. I didn’t have bread crumbs but had left over bacon from my collard greens that I dotted over the top and my only addition was I added freshly grated nutmeg to the béchamel.
Carolina–so glad this was a perfect compliment to your New Year’s Day Dinner. I am now very much in need of making this asap because I need to add bacon to mine as well. So I have you to thank for that genius idea! Happy 2022!