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Whole Wheat Macaroni and Cheese Recipe
This recipe uses whole wheat macaroni and flour for a better-for-you alternative to processed boxed mac and cheese. Enjoy the classic comfort food without having to worry about the laundry list of ingredients in store bought mac. And, it’s totally freezer friendly!
How to Make Mac and Cheese With Roux
The thing is, you barely take as much time to cook this homemade whole wheat mac and cheese as the box stuff! Using butter and whole-wheat flour, you whisk together the flour once the butter has completely melted. Once it’s darkened but not burnt, lower the heat and add the milk!
It’s as easy as that, and you end up with a more flavorful and nutritious meal. The recipe below details these steps as well as all of the ingredients you need to make whole wheat macaroni and cheese!
Toppings for Homemade Macaroni and Cheese
Want to give this recipe a little more character of your own? There’s a plethora of ingredients you can add, here’s a few you might like to try:
- More grated cheese!
- Whole wheat breadcrumbs
- Sliced green onion
- Parmesan cheese
- Butter crackers
- A dash of paprika
How to Freeze Homemade Mac and Cheese
First, let the whole wheat macaroni and cheese cool completely. Next, seal it in a freezer container or airtight bag to prevent it from getting freezer burnt. It can stay fresh in the freezer for up to 3 months, after that give this recipe another go!
And of course, this recipe is also much better for you with only a few simple ingredients including whole-grain noodles. So go ahead and do the right thing by making the switch for your family…it’s better late than never! Be sure to also try these Mac and Cheese Bites!
Whole-Wheat Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 cups whole-wheat macaroni ((boiled according to package directions))
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons whole-wheat flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup cheese (grated (you can use any type of cheese…we usually use sharp white cheddar or a mix of different cheeses works well too))
- salt (to taste)
- pepper (to taste)
- parmesan cheese (grated (optional topping))
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat.
- Whisk in the flour and keep whisking for about 1 - 2 minutes until the roux (which is equal parts flour and butter or oil) starts to darken, but does not burn.
- Turn the heat down to low and quickly whisk in the milk. Turn the heat back up to medium and keep whisking until the mixture starts to thicken and all lumps of flour are dissolved.
- Stir in the grated cheese and once it melts mix in the cooked noodles. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve immediately and enjoy!
quianna says
I have made this recipe many times and every time it comes out grainy or chalky. II've tried longer roux cooking, warmer milk, cooler cream sauce before adding the cheese but to no avail its always grainy and it makes it not ao great. Does anyone else experience this and if so how do I correct it? Any tips would be great! Thanks!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi there, Quianna. Were you using full fat cheese and milk?
Krysta says
Made this for dinner tonight with monterey cheese, peas, and bacon. It came out so good! I'm sure it will be even better with sharp cheddar next time!
moab_chick says
This mac-n-cheese is awesome!!! Tonight was our first try. The whole family loved it! I added ground bison, broccoli and garlic powder. I used 1 lb of macaroni and it turned out the right consistency for us. We are now all plotting the variations we will make in the future, with peas, tuna, chili powder, and so on! I read through the previous comments - make sure you are following the steps exactly and use a good whisk when making your roux.
Kat says
I was looking for something super quick and easy for dinner. Made this tonight. It was perfect! Added steamed veggies on the side and it was awesome. Thank you!
Robin Gorton says
Have made this twice now. Of course the kids are having a hard time giving up the 'other' stuff, but they have taken to this much better than I expected. My husband and I really like it as well. As a family we are moving over to real foods/lower carbs (son recently diagnosed pre-diabetic) and are trying several of your recipes. Thanks for all that you do!
Gave it 4 stars as "kid's rating." Mom would give it 5.
Nicole S. says
Boiling noodles to make this RIGHT NOW!! I usually do a baked mac n cheese with alot more steps and it's getting annoying.. lol. This looks super simple.
Nicole S. says
Oh and my other one calls for temping in an egg, which is not easy and is very tiring. After doing all that I don't even want to eat it anymore.. lol. This one is going well :)
SeattleMom says
I'm making this to take to a family that has a 3 year old and 3 week old twins. I want to make it into a casserole, do I need to add more cheese sauce?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hello. It is pretty "sauce-y" as is. I guess it would depend on if you plan to add anything else to the recipe. You could always toast some cheese that you sprinkle on top toward the end of your baking time. ~Amy
Marie says
I didn't make it into a casserole, but I did make it and put it into the crockpot - I have a newborn + toddler and needed to make it in the afternoon during naps. I doubled the recipe and used 3 cups of pasta (12 oz) and it could've used more sauce. I ended up pouring more milk into it before serving. I think if you were to make it a casserole you'd want to increase the sauce, too. Not sure how much though. If you double the pasta but triple the sauce, it may be too saucey...?
Maggie Crawford says
My family loved this! I will be making for years to come.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Michelle. Absolutely! Defrost in fridge overnight for easier reheating. ~Amy
Michelle says
Can the mac & cheese be frozen?
Karen Trenk says
Does anyone have a favorite brand of whole grain pasta to try? I'm drying to try this but last time I used whole grain pasta my kids hated it, and I have to admit I did too :-) Thinking I just got a bad brand. Thanks for any suggestions!
SeattleMom says
We buy, on Amazon in bulk, "Hodgon Mill" Organic Whole Wheat Penne, "with milled flax seed." It's the ONLY pasta my kids will eat. They won't even touch white pasta, though I still crave it now and again... Penne works fine in this recipe. It also is our kids favorite with spaghetti sauce.
Liz says
This was delicious! I can never get my daughter to eat homemade mac & cheese. She is very picky about color. (IMO, mac and cheese should NOT be orange, but her Dad likes to make the blue box for her.) She shredded the cheese while I did the roux, we added extra cheddar. She said, "You know Mom, I actually LIKE this!" The rest of us gobbled up an entire pound of it. I meant to have leftovers to freeze for lunches. Did not happen-every last cheesy noodle was eaten. Thanks for sharing recipes that keep us healthy and happy!
Andrea says
Very Delicious! Whisk your flour into your cold milk and let it sit while you cook your noodles. Melt the butter, reduce to low and add your milk/flour, whisk until thickened, melt in cheese add noodles. Not grainy this way! I added half muenster (which is very creamy) and half cheddar, yum!
klick says
Delicious!!! This was also very easy to prepare. I followed the other comments and made sure the ingredients were all room temperature. It turned out nice and creamy and very delicious! THANKS!!!
Robin says
This mac & cheese is delicious! We doubled the recipe for six of us, used half mild cheddar and half monterey jack cheeses, and added frozen peas...my husband and four kids LOVED it! Since I always have to put a veggie on the side, we roasted butternut squash and had that, too. The combo of mac and cheese and squash sounds weird but it worked for us. :) Thank you for another awesome recipe!
Kate says
Made this tonight for the first time. I threw in frozen peas and both me and my 2 year old gobbled it up. It was delicious and not grainy at all. I used King Arthur WW flour and sharp Vermont white cheddar. Next time I'll use less milk than 1 cup, as there was a little too much liquid.
Sara says
This was very easy. It didn't have a very "cheesy" taste though, maybe because I used a medium cheddar. Next time I'll try a mix of cheeses.
Stephanie says
I cannot believe I just made Mac and cheese from scratch! It was delicious and my toddler gobbled it up! Though it was a tiny bit gritty I neglected to let my dairy ingredients get to room temperature.
Melanie says
This was delicious! I have a picky toddler and he gobbled this up. What are you recommendations for re-heating this for leftovers?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Malanie. It is easily reheated at a low heat on the stove top. ~Amy
jenny says
Made this for dinner tonight. It was well received by all. We will definitely have again. Next time I will use sharp cheddar instead of mild cheddar. We give this recipe 4 stars.
Angela says
This was really good! I used a mix of sharp cheddar and pepper jack. My 5 year old liked it and my 2 year old went back for seconds. Thank you for sharing!
Jen says
Made this for my 2 and 4 year old for lunch today. Added 1 cup of pumpkin puree from the freezer. Awesome!
Becky says
I just made this for my 10 year old and he told me it's better than the mac and cheese from a box. Then he added "and it's better for us, too."
Donya says
I just wanted to let you know....this was my first homemade mac and cheese EVER. My oldest daughter had a rough day of homeschooling. She wanted comfort food and said "I could really go for some homemade, cheesy, mac and cheese" So, I got online and started looking. When I googled mac and cheese, I didn't like all the "extra" ingredients I saw in most recipes. So, I looked at two of my favorite people that I follow on Facebook. One did not have a mac and cheese recipe and the other was you! I had everything I needed and so I started it, only about 30 minutes ago. I followed the recipe exactly and also paid attention to one of the comments about making sure the dairy items were room temperature. My oldest said "this is exactly what I wanted!". My youngest who doesn't always like mac and cheese said, "Mom, that is actually reallly good. Can I have that more often?" And my middle just kept eating! Thank you! This will definitely go in my recipe binder!
Stephanie says
I made this and it was fantastic! I even made it for our Easter dinner and everybody loved it, which is a HUGE success. I was wondering what kind of cheese you use? I stood at the different block cheeses forever trying to figure out which one wasn't highly processed and kinda just chose one that looked right. THanks for your help and all of your great recipes.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Stephanie. We look for an organic sharp white cheddar. ~Amy
Portia says
This recipe was amazing! I added an extra cup of Mexican blend cheese! Will definitely be recommending this recipe to friends and family. Thank you!
Carrie says
For those who find it "gritty" it is likely due to the ww flour. You could simply substitute spelt flour instead- it has a smoother texture.
Tricia says
Sounds good! One thing I'd recommend is to make sure all the dairy ingredients are room temperature, especially the milk. (You can also warm it a little in the microwave). Cold ingredients added to a warm roux makes a clumpy sauce.
DoRena says
Yum! This is going to be a regular at my house from now on! I used half milk/half broth and added a pinch of cayenne pepper for flavor. It was a hit, and my blue-box loving husband said "We never need the boxed stuff again!"
Cissy Reyna says
Easy and delicious. The kids loved it!!!
Kathleen says
I made this for lunch today and while it was very good, I agree with other reviewers who found it gritty/grainy. I may try to cook the sauce for a shorter amount of time in the future to see if that helps. It was so good with local milk and cheese and my 16 month old loved it once I convinced her to try it.
Melissa says
If it was grainy it may because you used a sharp cheddar. For some reason sharp makes a grainy cheese sauce. If you use a medium or a combination of sharp and something more creamy it may turn out better.
Ashley says
This is the recipe I use and it's great! You boil the noodles in the milk!!! No need for a roux! Make sure with any homemade macaroni and cheese you are using real block cheese, and not cheese from a bag!! Also measure and make sure you are using enough cheese!
http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/high-five-recipe-creamy-mac-and-cheese
It will take time to get use to not eating processed food.
Kristy Jenkins says
I was raised on whole foods from the age of 2 until I was about 6 or 7. My mother changed to whole foods in attempt to get my older brother's behavior under control through diet and not medication. He was diagnosed with ADD. After the initial withdrawal, it worked! He was a completely different kid! Now as a mother of 5, I am trying to change my families eating habits. We ate fairly healthy but I wanted to cut out processed foods altogether and eat clean. Trying to eat as much organic as possible for a family of 7 on one income. Your macaroni and cheese recipe, is the exact recipe my mom used to make! I crave this every time I am pregnant! :)
Meg says
I want to suggest parboiling the pasta. In my opinion, baked macaroni always comes out a little mushy. I learned a trick of boiling it for only 2-3 minutes before combining with cheese, et al, and baking. Just wanted to share my thoughts :) Cheers! Meg
Alissabeth says
This is basically how my dad has always made it...a roux and then adding the milk and cheese (of course it was never whole wheat, but I would make it that way for my family). The only thing we add is sautéing some onions in it! Didn't even notice when I was a kid and wouldn't want it without as an adult!
Missy says
I don't usually use whole wheat pasta, I am trying to make the switch and this was awesome! thanks!
Amy says
I couldn't believe how easy this was! I used almond milk and white whole wheat flour. It was not gritty at all. Next time I would like to try adding a little yogurt like others suggested. Thanks so much for posting this recipe. We will definitely make it again and again!
Kate says
This takes almost as little time as a box. I swear! I have made this at least 10 times for my 4 year old son and he gobbles it up. The next time you are shredding cheese for tacos or pizza just measure out another cup or 1/2 cup (to cut the recipe in half) and put it aside for this recipe. Grating the cheese only "hard" part. I can't recommend it enough! Thank you again, Lisa.
Loara says
Does anyone know how this recipe freezes? I used a 1/2 c almond milk, and 1/2 c greek yogurt. It was very creamy and had a tang from the yogurt and extra sharp cheddar. De-lish! And it passed the kid test! I'm freezing leftovers now in little lunch size portions for quick go-to meals.
Assistant to 100 Days (Jill) says
Hi Loara. I have frozen just the sauce and it does fine. Then I boil fresh pasta and use the sauce with it. Jill
nicole says
One thing I have made Mac and Cheese with before and it tastes wonderful is pureed winter squash and cheddar cheese. We have just recently found your blog and are slowly making changes to our diets while my daughter is still very young, I'm just hoping its not a huge fight when it comes to grandparents. my MILs fave phrase is, but she's at Grandma's house... runs me crazy! Thank you so much for all of your inspiration! I look forward to our diet changes!