Air Fryer Mac and Cheese
, Updated Nov 09, 2025
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Air Fryer Mac and Cheese – did you know you can make creamy and delicious mac and cheese in your Air Fryer? It’s so easy and you don’t have to pre-boil the macaroni first.
Super tasty as a side to my Air Fryer Ham Steaks
Mac and cheese is my comfort food sweet spot. Creamy, rich and oh-so-delicious and a firm favorite with the whole family.
Since I am currently so in love with my air frying, I was curious whether you can make mac and cheese in the Air Fryer. The answer? YES YOU CAN! (I sound like Bob the Builder :D)
I experimented with various twists on my usual macaroni recipe and I have finally landed on an easy Air Fryer mac and cheese recipe that’s EASY and doesn’t require you to boil the pasta first.
Why you will ❤️ this recipe
- All done in the Air Fryer – no stovetop cooking 🙂
- Creamy, rich and delicious!
- Everyday, affordable, ingredients.
Here’s What You’ll Need
I used my Cosori Air Fryer to test this recipe, making the mac and cheese in a deep 8 inch cake tin. You can use any container that fits into your air fryer model.
- Elbow macaroni
- Evaporated milk and water
- Block cheese such as mature cheddar or Red Leicester
- Salt, pepper, paprika, mustard powder, nutmeg
- Sour cream or creme fraiche
- A little butter, for greasing the pan
How to Make Air Fryer Mac and Cheese
- Preheat your Air Fryer for 5 minutes at 350°F (180°C). Grate the cheese – it’s important to use freshly grated block cheese in this recipe as it melts better.
- Brush your pan with a little melted butter or mist with cooking spray. Add the evaporated milk, water and seasonings and stir to combine.
- Stir in the most of the grated cheese and elbow macaroni.
- Place the pan in the Air Fryer and cook for a total of 25-28 minutes, stirring at intervals. I usually stir every seven minutes or so. Add the rest of the cheese and sour cream at the 14 minute mark.
- Check the pasta is cooked through, with a little bite to it. The mac and cheese will still look a little watery at the end of cooking. Cover the pan with a plate and leave to rest for another 7 minutes to allow for the mac and cheese to thicken and become creamy.
- While the macaroni is resting you can cook some chorizo crumbs (in a liner) in the Air Fryer at 400°F (200°C) for 5-7 minutes or until the chorizo becomes crispy. Drain any oil that is released.
- Stir the mac and cheese once more and have a taste so you can adjust the seasoning if needed. Top with the chorizo crumbs and dig in!
Lucy’s Pro Tip
Air Fryer PSA
Air Fryers are all a little bit different so you might need to adjust the cooking time slightly, if you use a different model to mine or even a different pan than the one I tested the recipe on. If the pasta is not cooked to your liking after 25 minutes then add 2-3 minutes to the cooking time until you are happy.
Recipe Tips
• Packaged shredded cheese is coated to prevent it from clumping and can create an odd grainy texture to your mac and cheese.
• The mac and cheese needs to rest before serving as it will become creamier when it cools. Covering the pan keeps the heat in and will continue to soften the pasta so I usually take it out when the macaroni is still al dente.
• Leftovers will keep for up to three days in the fridge. Add a splash of milk when reheating in a saucepan or the microwave.
Serving Suggestions
Air Fryer macaroni and cheese is great on its own, perhaps with a green salad, but will also make a great side dish for: Air Fryer Chicken Goujons, Air Fryer Roast Beef, Air Fryer Turkey, Popcorn Chicken.
HAVE YOU MADE MY AIR FRYER MAC AND CHEESE RECIPE? Please leave a rating, post a photo on my Facebook page, share it on Instagram, or save it to Pinterest with the tag #supergoldenbakes and make my day!
Air Fryer Mac and Cheese
Video
Ingredients
For the mac and cheese
- cooking spray or melted butter , for the pan
- 2 cups (250g) elbow macaroni uncooked
- 14 oz (410g) full-fat evaporated milk canned
- 1 ⅓ cups (320ml) water
- 2 tsp mustard powder
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp grated nutmeg
- ½ tsp pepper
- 8 oz (225g) block strong cheddar or Red Leicester cheese
- 2 tbsp full-fat sour cream or creme fraiche
Toppings (optional)
- 3 ½ oz (100g) chorizo sausage , mild or spicy
- fresh breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Preheat the Air Fryer to 350°F (180°C). Grate the cheese and set aside.
- Brush your pan with a little melted butter or mist with cooking spray. Add the evaporated milk, water and seasonings and stir to combine. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese and the macaroni.
- Place the pan in the Air Fryer and cook for a total of 25-28 minutes, stirring at intervals. I usually stir every seven minutes. Add the rest of the cheese and sour cream at the 14 minute mark.
- Check the pasta is cooked through, with a little bite to it (al dente). The mac and cheese will still look a little watery at the end of cooking. Cover the pan with a plate and leave to rest for another 5-7 minutes to allow for the mac and cheese to thicken and become creamy.
- While the macaroni is resting you can make the topping. Remove the casing from the chorizo and roughly chop. Blitz the chorizo in a mini chopper or finely dice with a knife.
- Place the crumbs in a liner and cook in the Air Fryer at 400°F (200°C) for 5-7 minutes or until the chorizo becomes crispy. Drain any oil that is released.
- Stir the mac and cheese once more and have a taste so you can adjust the seasoning if needed. Top with the chorizo crumbs and dig in!
Notes
- Packaged shredded cheese is coated to prevent it from clumping and can create an odd grainy texture to your mac and cheese.
- Air Fryers are all a little bit different so you might need to adjust the cooking time slightly, if you use a different model to mine or even a different pan than the one I tested the recipe on.
- If the pasta is not cooked to your liking after 25 minutes then continue to cook, adding 2-3 minutes to the cooking time until you are happy.
- The mac and cheese needs to rest before serving as it will become creamier when it cools. Covering the pan keeps the heat in and will continue to soften the pasta so I usually take it out when the macaroni is still al dente.
- Leftovers will keep for up to three days in the fridge. Add a splash of milk when reheating in a saucepan or the microwave.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is always approximate, and will depend on quality of ingredients and serving sizes.
This recipe was tasty! We used plant cream in place of the evaporated milk to reduce some of the dairy, some GF panko crumbs (no chorizo), and had sausage links with it along with some oven roasted broccoli. Yum! Our air fryer is toaster oven style so we used two foil bread pans side by side and that worked great FYI. Thank you Lucy!
Glad you enjoyed it Heather!