This is THE recipe for Panera Mac and Cheese. I got it from their website a while back when they posted it for a short time! You MUST try this easy stovetop recipe.
It costs just $1.09 per serving to make this recipe at home. The recipe makes 6 servings for a total of about $6.55. That’s less than it costs to buy one bowl at Panera!
Why you will love Panera Bread Mac and CheeseWhen I was pregnant with my son, there were only two foods that I could stomach: bagels and Panera’s Mac & Cheese. I would have their mac & cheese weekly.
I’d get their half and half with an order of mac and cheese and an order of Panera Broccoli Cheese Soup. Okay, okay, if I’m going to be honest, maybe it was more than once a week.
For me, this is the pinnacle of mac & cheese dishes; it’s rich, smooth, creamy, and chock-full of calcium from all that yummy cheese and milk.
Not only is this recipe amazingly delicious, but it’s also quick and easy to make and on the table in 30 minutes or less. This mac and cheese recipe is thick and smooth and so easy to make on the stovetop.
Panera Copycat Mac and Cheese ingredients
Per Serving Cost: $1.09
Recipe Cost: $6.55
- 1 pound Lumaconi pasta (I found it at Target) – $1.38
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter – $0.40
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour – $0.05
- 2 ½ cups milk – $0.40
- 4 ounces white American cheese – $1.52
- 8 ounces extra-sharp white Vermont cheddar – $2.76
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt –$0.02
- ¼ teaspoon hot sauce – $0.01
NOTE: The recipe prices are calculated by using grocery store websites. The actual cost of the recipe will vary depending on what ingredients you already have.
Cook’s tools for Panera Mac n Cheese
- cheese grater
- pasta pot
- medium saucepan
- whisk
Panera Mac n Cheese variations
- You can use any type of pasta that you’d like. To make this recipe just like Panera’s, you need to use Lumaconi pasta. In its place, you can use medium shells, elbow macaroni, and Cavatappi.
- If you’re serving this as a main dish, it serves 4-6. If you’re making this as a side dish, it serves 8-10.
- I find that to get optimal results; you *must* use extra-sharp white cheddar and sliced white American cheese from the deli, not the fake stuff you find in the box.
- Add 1 cup of chopped and steamed broccoli florets for broccoli mac and cheese.
How to make Panera Mac and Cheese
- Gather all of the ingredients, and shred the cheese.
- Cook the pasta as per the package instructions.
- Melt butter.
- Add flour and milk, and cook until thickened.
- Whisk in cheese until melted.
- Stir in pasta.
- Serve immediately!
***Make sure you watch the recipe video in the recipe card below!
How to serve this Panera Mac and Cheese Recipe
Here are some tips for serving this mac and cheese:
- As a main course: This mac and cheese is hearty and filling enough to be served as a main course. You could serve it with a side salad or some roasted vegetables.
- As a side dish: This recipe would also make a great side dish for a holiday meal or barbecue. You could serve it with grilled chicken, fish, or pot roast.
- In a grilled cheese sandwich: This mac and cheese would be delicious in a grilled cheese sandwich. Spread some of the mac and cheese on two slices of bread and grill until the bread is golden brown and the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- In a baked potato: Top a baked potato with some of the mac and cheese and then bake for a few minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
How to store Panera Bread Mac and Cheese
SERVE: This is best served immediately after it’s made. With that said, you can keep it out for about an hour before it will need to be refrigerated.
STORE: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
FREEZE: Because of all of the dairy products in this recipe, I do not recommend freezing it. The cheese sauce will be grainy once it’s defrosted.
REHEAT: Place the Panera Mac and Cheese in a saucepan set over medium-low heat. Add 3-4 tablespoons of milk and heat and stir the mixture until heated through about 3-6 minutes.
Copycat Panera Mac and Cheese FAQs
As with all mac and cheese recipes, it’s best to use cheese that is NOT pre-shredded because of the extra additives that prevents the cheese from clumping.
For this recipe it’s best to use extra-sharp white cheddar and white American cheese from the deli.
I think so, it’s strictly used to enhance the flavor of the dish. It’s such a tiny amount that it will not make the dish spicy.
More Copycat recipes:
- Honeybaked Ham
- Copycat Pizzeria Pizza Sauce
- Bang Bang Shrimp
- Copycat Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana
- Movie Theater Popcorn
- Hawaiian Food Truck Garlic Shrimp
- BBQ Chicken Pizza
- Fried Apples
- Chick-Fil-A Frosted Lemonade
- Chicken Chow Mein
- Spinach Salad
- Healthier General Tso’s Chicken
- Sweet Corn Tamale Cakes
Panera Copycat Mac and Cheese
Equipment
- Cheese grater
- pasta pot
- medium saucepan
- whisk
Ingredients
- 1 pound Lumaconi pasta or medium shells
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ cups milk anything but skim milk
- 4 ounces (about 6 slices) sliced white American cheese from the deli counter, cut into thin strips
- 8 ozs extra-sharp white cheddar shredded
- ¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard optional
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon hot sauce optional
Instructions
- Prepare pasta according to package directions.
- In large saucepan over low heat, melt butter. Whisk in flour and cook 1 minute, whisking constantly.
- Gradually whisk in milk; cook over medium heat, whisking until mixture thickens and bubbles. Remove from heat.
- Add cheeses, mustard, salt, and hot sauce, stirring until cheese melts and sauce is smooth.
- Stir in pasta and cook over medium heat for 1 minute (or until thoroughly heated). Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- Some people find the Dijon mustard in the recipe to be a bit overwhelming, so feel free to cut back on it or omit it altogether.
Nutrition
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This post first appeared on FFF in 2014. I recently updated the recipe photos and video.
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Hello I was just wondering what do you use for hot sauce?
I used Tabasco sauce.
We LOVE this recipe…but do you think it would work in the crock pot? What adjustments could we make!?!
Susan, I am SO glad you love the recipe! I have never made it (or any other pasta-type recipe) in the slow cooker so I’m not sure. My only guess would be to use milk to cook the pasta in instead of water. Let me know if you try it in the slow cooker, I’d love to know how it turns out! Good luck!
Not sure if you ever figured out how to make this in the crockpot, but i know someone that can give the answer to this, especially where she worked for them for many years and also know all the ins and outs of Mac N’ Cheese in the crock pot. I’ll get bsck to you. Blessings, K.J.
Ok, thanks! 🙂
How many calories are in this??
Courtney, I’m not sure but I know it’s not low-cal by any means.
This tates IDENTICALto the Panera Bread mac & cheese. Identical!
Yay! SO glad you liked the recipe. 🙂
Delicious…VERY close to Panera’s.
all I have to say is thanks for sharing the recipe one of my vendors brought in lunch from Panera accompanied with the mac and cheese and it is so delicious. I don’t remember what the vendor was presenting but i do remember the mac and cheese
You’re SO welcome!
The recipe turned out very oily for us. Any ideas why and did this happen for others? There was oil coated at the bottom of the pan. We threw it out 🙁
Hi Shawna, I’m so sorry this recipe didn’t turn out from you. I’ve made this recipe numerous times and haven’t had the oily problem. Granted I wasn’t there with you when you made the recipe, but it sounds like the cheese might be the problem. Sometimes lower quality cheeses are made with more oil than milk. Use the best-quality white cheddar you can afford and try getting the white American cheese from your deli counter.
Hope this helps!
It sounds like you may have over-cooked the flour and the butter. Whisking these together is called a roux. Google images of white rouxs versus blond and brown rouxs. The different roux have different thickening power, with white and blond being much better than brown. Brown rouxs come from heating the flour in the butter for a longer period of time, and the flour loses its ability to thicken sauces, making your sauce oily.
I also know this comment is really late, but I just found this recipe. Can’t wait to try it!
Thanks for the extra info, some readers will find it helpful. 🙂 I hope you enjoyed the recipe!
I ended up ‘mixing’ up my cheese. I know I put in 8 oz and 6 slices of cheese but I wasn’t keeping track of placement so due to user error- mine did NOT taste identical to panera’s BUT it was still pretty tasty! One thing I was curious about was the Dijon mustard- it was quite over-powering & I’m not a mustard fan. When the recipe is made right do other people find the mustard at a 1/2 T is too much? I know I can alter it next time but I’m wondering if it had to do with the cheese mix-up or not?
Is it crucial to use extra sharp white Vermont cheddar? I used extra sharp white cheddar, since I couldn’t find the Vermont one, and the mac&cheese had a strange after taste.
Hi Amanda. From reading your comment I would say yes it is crucial to use Vermont extra sharp white cheddar. I’ve never used anything else and I’ve never had a strange after taste. Hope this helps!
What do I do with the slices of cheese? I know to shred the one kind, but what about the other?
Hi Meg, in step 4 of the recipe directions you add both the shredded and sliced cheese.
Do you use stick butter or tub butter? salted or unsalted?
I used unsalted stick butter.
Hello can you please tell me the exact type of dijon mustard you use. We have tried it twice now, and the mustard is overpowering the dish both times. The second time we only /14 tbsp. Please help! We love the Panera Bread Mac & Cheese. Thank you for taking the time to write this recipe out!
I use the Market Pantry brand from Target. But I’d say your next go around exclude the mustard all together and see how you like it.
What’s the difference between kosher salt and regular Morton salt? Could I just use the Morton salt?
Kristina,
Here’s a great article that explains the difference between kosher salt and table salt(like Morton’s). http://www.finecooking.com/item/17444/kosher-vs-table-salt
And yes, go ahead and use the table salt/Morton’s.
The recipe calls for 1/2 teaspoon, not tablespoon.. huge difference.. so if the mustard is overpowering, that might be the problem. Good luck! Hope this helps someone.
I think you may be misreading the recipe. Looks like it calls for 1/2 TEASPOON of Dijon, not 1/2 TABLESPOON (=1.5 teaspoons)
Is it crucial to have mustard and hot sauce in your recipe?
Sofia,
I’d say the mustard isn’t crucial but the hot sauce is.
I have never heard of using hot sauce in a mac and cheese recipe before, what is it that makes such a difference? It doesn’t make it spicy does it? I can’t wait to try this recipe out! 🙂
It adds a slight flavor boost, and it doesn’t make the mac and cheese spicy at all. You can leave it out if you don’t have hot sauce.
As I was eating the Mac & cheese at Paneras I thought there was a sweet taste like maybe cream cheese or half & half was used. So good I made your recipe today & it was very good too but lacked that tinge of sweetness. Any ideas?
Maybe use half cream and half milk? I haven’t tried this so I’m not sure.
Can you use skim milk in this recipe?
You could give it a try but I don’t think the sauce will come together like it should.
You wouldn’t by any chance know what brand of white Vermont cheddar cheese Panera uses Would you??
This sounds delicious and easy to make, thank you for sharing.
I love Panera’s Mac & Cheese and so does my granddaughters. This is one recipe I will definitely keep handy and the ingredients readily available!
Sounds yummy. We will be fixing this soon.
It is pretty good but there is way too much Dijon mustard. But that is just my opinion, different people like different tastes, but i don’t think it tasted too much like Panera’s because of the mustard.
The recipe above is the recipe I got directly off of the Panera site. Feel free to leave out the mustard if you’d like.
My husband liked it a lot, I think because it was different than the usual Mac & Cheese we eat. I thought it was just ok, a bit gritty, nowhere near as creamy as Panera, and did not have the same “I can’t get enough of this!” flavor. I know it’s from their website, I’ve seen this recipe posted many places, but I think Panera was hiding something when they shared this 😉 Thanks for sharing and the tips, I’m sure I’ll be making it again for my husband for sure. I might use less sharp cheddar next time though because it was a bit too sharp for me.
Thanks for your input. 🙂
Gritty can come from two places. One is using pre shredded cheese. DON”T The pre shredded cheese sometimes uses an additive to prevent sticking. It will cause gritty sauce. The other is trying to melt the cheese to fast or to hot or two high a heat. Using a double boiler can prevent that problem. Good luck.
Thanks for the tips, Richard. I agree, pre shredded cheese can make the sauce gritty as can melting the cheese too fast.
This didn’t taste at all like Paneras mac-n-cheese 🙁 My girls wouldn’t even eat it! I don’t know what I did wrong… I did use yellow american cheese and not white. I used Vermont White Sharp Cheddar (Cracker Barrel brand). I just did one small squirt of the mustard, because I am not a fan of Dijon mustard. I also did just a few shakes of hot sauce, as 1/4 t. seemed like a lot, esp. for my girls. It has a funny aftertaste to it also.
I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you. I’ve made this recipe at least 7 times now and it’s always turned out. I’m not sure what happened with yours. 🙁