This Panera Mac and Cheese copycat recipe tastes like the original! It’s made with extra sharp white cheddar cheese for flavor and American cheese for creaminess.
Table of Contents
Panera Mac and Cheese Recipe
Hi Folks,
If you’re a fan of Panera’s famous Mac and Cheese, you’re in for a treat! This is THE recipe for Panera Mac and Cheese. I got it from their website when they posted it briefly! It’s an easy stovetop recipe and a must-try in my book.
This is the pinnacle of mac and cheese dishes. It’s rich, smooth, and ultra-creamy. It’s surprisingly quick and easy to make on the stovetop with just a few simple ingredients. I love serving it with my copycat Panera Broccoli Cheese Soup for a complete meal.
Panera Copycat Mac and Cheese ingredients
Per Serving Cost: $2.24
Recipe Cost: $13.44
- 1 pound Lumaconi pasta (I find it at World Market and Target): $3.99
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter: $0.48
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour: $0.10
- 2 ½ cups milk: $1.86
- 4 ounces white American cheese: $2.25
- 8 ounces extra-sharp white Vermont cheddar: $4.49
- ¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard (optional): $0.10
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt: $0.05
- ¼ teaspoon hot sauce: $0.12
NOTE: The recipe prices are calculated using grocery store websites. The actual cost of the recipe will depend on the ingredients you already have. Ingredient prices were updated in October 2024.
How To Make Panera Mac and Cheese
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions until al dente. Drain and set aside.
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Once melted, whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute, whisking constantly to prevent burning.
- Slowly pour in the milk, whisking as you go. Increase the heat to medium and continue whisking until the sauce thickens and bubbles, about 4-5 minutes. Remove the pan from heat.
- Add the sliced American cheese, shredded white cheddar, Dijon mustard (if using), salt, and hot sauce (if using). Stir until the cheese melts.
- Add the cooked pasta to the cheese sauce. Stir to coat the pasta evenly, then return the saucepan to medium heat. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly, until the mac and cheese is warmed through.
- Serve immediately.
***Make sure you watch the recipe video in the recipe card below!
Panera Bread Mac & Cheese Recipe Variations
- Whole milk works best, but 2% milk also gives good results. Avoid skim milk, as it won’t make the sauce as creamy.
- You can use any type of pasta. 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.
- Add 1 cup of chopped and steamed broccoli florets for broccoli mac and cheese.
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.
Storage Tips
SERVE: This is best served immediately after it’s made. However, you can keep it out for about 30 minutes before it needs to be refrigerated.
STORE: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
FREEZE: Because this recipe contains dairy products, I do not recommend freezing it. Once it’s defrosted, the cheese sauce will be grainy.
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.
Recipe FAQs
As with all mac and cheese recipes, it’s best to use cheese that isn’t pre-shredded because the extra additives prevent the cheese from clumping.
For this recipe, it’s best to use a block of extra-sharp white cheddar cheese 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.
Yes, you can make it up to 1 day in advance. Just store the cheese sauce and pasta separately. Then, reheat both and combine when you’re ready to serve.
More Copycat Recipes:
- Honey Baked Ham Recipe
- Italian Pizza Sauce Recipe
- Movie Theater Popcorn
- Hawaiian Food Truck Garlic Shrimp
- CPK BBQ Chicken Pizza Recipe
- Fried Apples
- Chick-Fil-A Frosted Lemonade
- Sweet Corn Tamale Cakes
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Panera Bread Mac and Cheese
Video
Equipment
- Cheese grater
- knife
- cutting board
- pasta pot
- medium saucepan
- whisk
- measuring cups and spoons
- colander
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.
Notes
- Some people find the Dijon mustard in the recipe a bit overwhelming, so feel free to reduce it or omit it altogether.
- If you’re serving this as a main dish, it will serve 4-6 people. If you’re making it as a side dish, it will serve 8-10 people.
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Nutrition
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what kind of milk should i use?
Any cow’s milk except for skim milk (so whole, 1%, and 2% will do).
Lover of Panera mac, and mother of a child with Celiac here. For a match that is gluten free, I subbed 12oz GF Rotini and 1/8 Cup potato flour. 1/4 Cup made it too thick. Delicious!!
Thanks for sharing! My kids love Panera’s Mac n Cheese…..and to be honest, hubby and I always hope they leave some for us too. I just made this recipe today, used a bit less than 1/4 cup flour due to other’s comments and did not use mustard. It came out better than I expected and pretty darn close to the real thing. I may have to play around with the cheeses a bit (my deli had vermont cheddar, just not extra sharp) so I think that would make a difference. Overall I am happy with the results and recipe is definitely a keeper.
Glad you liked it! 🙂
I tried this recipe and it turned out nearly perfect. All the flavors were there but the rue had a slight powdery consistency. It wasn’t totally smooth like Panera’s. I really want to get it spot on.
So excited to try this recipe! The closest Panera has recently closed and I’ve been craving this for weeks!
I totally get it! I now live in Japan and all of my favorite restaurant dishes I need to make myself now! I’m so glad you found this recipe, let me know how you like it!
Made this as a side for our Christmas dinner and my husband and kids all said it was the best mac-n-cheese they’d ever had! I used ground mustard instead of dijon and it worked out great. Thanks for the recipe!
I’m so glad you family loved the recipe! Thanks for stopping by, Kelly!
I made this recipe twice to make sure that I was doing it right. It tasted nothing like Panera’s. I was very disappointed.
I’m sorry you didn’t like it. My family and I love it and think it tastes just like Panera Bread’s.
Have you tried subbing the milk for cream? I have some heavy cream i need to use up and loved loved LOVED this recipe when i made it last. The cheese is so expensive that i dont want to ruin the recipe using cream instead!
Hi Mari! I would not suggest using cream in this recipe. I think it would be way too heavy and greasy. Maybe try half cream and half milk?
I see a lot of attention being given to “White American Cheese”. The only difference between White American cheese or yellow American cheese is the addition of food coloring. Other than that they are exactly the same. Same goes for white VS yellow cheddar, food coloring is the only difference.
The key to this recipe is using good quality cheese’s. Boars Head American Cheese produces are far better product then the cheaper store brand American cheese from the deli. Kraft cheese slices will not work for a recipe like this. Go for the good stuff. You will be rewarded in the end. As far as Cheddars, Yellow or White doesnt matter but look for a really good brand. Boars Head, Tillamook are name brands that are nationally sourced. And yes a good Wisconsin or Vermont Cheese will certainly work.
If you have problems with oil or grittiness dont over cook the cheese. Don’t boil it, it will separate the fats from the solids and you get a weird texture and appearance.
Jay thanks for all of the tips and explanation. I agree, the color of the cheddar doesn’t effect the taste but if you want the end product to look like Panera’s you should use white cheddar. Also, good quality cheese is key like you said!
This is one of my “go to” recipes … everyone LOVES it … since we like quirky names around here (and NO disrespect to Panera) we refer to this as “Panera can suck it” mac & cheese! It’s right up there with “Perfect Martha’s (Stewart) Mac”!!! Thanks for sharing!
Hah, I love it! Thanks for stopping by, Lacey!
this has become the family favorite recipe. My college daughter and her friends always ask me to come up and make it. The other high school kids ask for it at least twice a month and their sports teams ask me to make it for team dinners. I absolutely love it!
Hi Vicki, your comment totally made my day! I’m so glad it’s a hit with college and high school kids alike! 🙂
My family is not a big fan of hot sauce so we don’t want to buy an entire bottle for 1/4 of a teaspoon of it. Are there any substitutes? or is there anything I can do about it?
You can just leave the hot sauce out.
I made this for dinner tonight and my children loved it! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Kathy I’m so glad it was a hit! Thanks for stopping by and letting me know! 🙂
THANK YOU!!! My 7 year old son has autism and food aversions; needless to say, he’s a very picky eater. He hates cheese of all kinds, except Panera’s mac and cheese. I have tried all kinds of traditional mac ‘n cheese recipes on him, to no avail. I finally decided to try your recipe out on him, expecting another rejection. But he ate every single bite, and asked for more! Thank you SO MUCH for a recipe that my son will finally eat!
Rachel, you are SO welcome! I am so glad your son like it!
WOW tasted incredible. I went to market looking for American Cheese that was not “cheese Food” and actually found real “american Cheese” in the deli. Doubled recipe as have big family came out PERFECT! Thank you!
Glad you liked it! Thanks for stopping by!
I made this tonight and the sauce texture turned out amazing but the extra-sharp cheddar flavor was overpowering! I used the recommended cheeses and everything else exactly as it says. I don’t love sharp cheddar and that was all I could taste. My 2 girls also did not love it. I probably won’t be making it again with those cheeses but I might try it with traditional cheddar.
I’m glad you liked the texture. Sorry you didn’t like the sharp cheddar. I guess this recipe is for those who like sharp cheddar (I love it!). Let me know how it turns out using other cheese. 🙂
I made this over the holiday for family. Used crackerbarrel’s Vermont sharp white cheddar (not extra sharp), regular yellow mustard and left out the hot sauce. Topped it with butter-toasted seasoned panko bread crumbs. The family really enjoyed it … very close to what I was looking for. The next time I will use a little less flower and maybe try a little of the hot sauce. My only complaint is that it does not re-heat well (not creamy). How does Panera achieve the creamy texture when they re-heat theirs?
Hi Lisa! You’re right, this recipe isn’t the best at re-heating. As to your question, I’m not exactly sure how Panera keeps the creamy texture when they reheat theirs-sorry. 🙁
I believe Panera reheats this in a plastic bag in water. I’ve seen them dump those gallon bags into the severing pots.
I’ve seen them do that, too.
Sous Vide cooking is how they do it.
I believe you’re right. This is a recipe for the home cook that Panera placed on their site.
Okay so I also think the dijon is overpowering and I just made this for a work pot luck! Help! Can I melt extra cheddar and butter down to add to it to reduce the impact of the dijon?
I don’t think there’s any way to counteract the Dijon. 🙁
Hello!!
I was wondering if you could tell me where you purchase your cheeses from. Would you think a Hy-vee or Walmart would have them? Thanks!!
I have purchased the cheese for this recipe at a few different stores including: Von’s/Safeway, Target, and Sprouts. I’ve never shopped for it at Walmart so I’m not sure they’ll have it. I hope this helps!
I was wondering where the actual directions are. I see the ingredients, but I clicked on make it and get no directions.
Hmm, I’m sure what’s happening. I checked the post on multiple web browsers and on my iPhone and the whole recipe was indeed there.
In any event, here are the directions:
Prepare pasta according to package directions.
Melt butter over low heat. 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.