If you love the goodness of classic Soul Food-style mac & cheese, my baked mac and cheese bites are for you! This handheld recipe is cute, convenient, and perfect for hosting. Let me show you how to do it!
And if you enjoy this recipe, you'll love my mushroom spinach egg bites for breakfast, too!
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❤️ Why You'll Love this Recipe
Simple to Make - This recipe for muffin pan mac n cheese cups is as easy as making a creamy, old-fashioned casserole-style mac and cheese, except we're baking it in a 12-count cupcake pan, aka muffin tin. You won't need any fancy tools or techniques!
Perfect for Parties - I first made easy mac and cheese muffins for a Christmas party, and it's been a hit at several gatherings since then. And my readers who are parents love making these mac and cheese muffins for toddlers and big kids. All the ooey gooey goodness with less mess.
👉🏾 Mac & cheese recipes are one of my specialties. Check out my Soul food mac and cheese with three cheeses, smoky mac and cheese with bacon, and gourmet roasted garlic mac & cheese next!
Featured Reader Review
★★★★★
"Made these for a birthday party over the weekend and they were just perfect! Everyone loved the individual servings and they stayed moist and delicious. Will be making this again for holiday parties!"
-Jessica
What You'll Need for this Recipe
Evaporated Milk adds richness and a teeny bit of sweetness to the roux. You'll notice the difference vs using heavy cream, regular milk, or half & half.
Sharp Cheddar Cheese and Parmesan provide nutty, creamy flavor notes that literally hold this dish together.
Mustard creates balance by cutting through all the rich, fatty elements of mac + cheese and helps to stabilize the cheese sauce. You can use regular yellow deli mustard or Dijon mustard interchangeably here.
Check out the recipe card below for full ingredients list, measurements, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions!
Substitutions & Variations
Boiling Liquid - Using chicken or vegetable broth instead of water to cook the pasta will result in a more savory taste. It's one of my must-dos when I have broth available.
With Bread Crumbs - If you want to create more of a baked breaded mac and cheese bites vibe without the deep fryer, toss bread crumbs in melted butter, then sprinkle them liberally over top before baking.
Cheese - You are free to mix up the cheese varieties to suit your taste, as long as they match the total amount of cheese indicated in the recipe card below! Smoked Gouda, spicy Jack cheese, and mild white cheddar are great options.
Pasta - Macaroni elbows, shells, ditalini, and cavatappi pastas are all fabulous options I keep in rotation for my mac dishes. And mixing and matching different pasta shapes and sizes is totally fine, too!
How to Make Easy Homemade Mac and Cheese Bites in Oven
- Step One: Shred the cheddar cheese. (Photo 1)
- Step Two: Melt the butter, then stir in the flour, spices, and mustard, followed by milk to start the cheese sauce. (Photos 2 and 3)
- Step Three: Stir in the shredded cheese. (Photo 4)
Pro Tip #1
I highly recommend shredding your cheese at home instead of buying bags of pre-shredded cheese, which typically contain additives to prevent clumping. This also impacts the texture of the sauce. I like to make quick work of shredding by using the shred disc in my food processor.
- Step Four: Once the sauce is smooth, stir the cooked pasta into it. (Photos 5 and 6)
- Step Five: Scoop the cheesy pasta into the cupcake pan, then top with another sprinkle of cheese, and bake until gooey and golden. (Photos 7 and 8)
Pro Tip #2
If you want to add bread crumbs, do it just before baking!
Frequently Asked Questions
Great for a make-ahead option: Remove the baked mac muffins from the pan and transfer to an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to five days.
To freeze muffin tin macaroni and cheese, wrap each one in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, then place them into an airtight, freezer-safe container or freezer bag. Keeps for up to three months.
Tips for Reheating Muffin Tin Mac and Cheese
I personally enjoy mac & cheese more the next day. Here's how to get the best results with your leftovers:
- To keep it as moist as possible, reheat it in the oven or air fryer rather than the microwave. I like mine firmer, so I actually prefer the microwave. 😂
- To retain moisture, cover the mac & cheese loosely with a microwave-safe top in the microwave or tented with foil in the oven.
- Add about one spoon of milk or cream to each bite you're reheating.
- The more times this dish is reheated, the drier it becomes, so only reheat the number of bites about to be eaten.
How to Serve
Temperature: Like any good mac & cheese recipe, this one needs to set just a bit before serving. So let these chill out in the pan for a few minutes before handling if you truly want grab-and-go mac & cheese. Otherwise, they'll fall apart in your hands.
Occasions and Pairings: These mini baked mac and cheese bites are a perfect side dish for Sunday dinner with the kids. Add it to southern-style baked chicken, Soul Food green beans, and sweet potato cornbread.
We've also enjoyed these bites at Thanksgiving dinners with a spatchcock buttermilk turkey and all the traditional fixins. They're always a big hit!
More Favorite Handheld Recipes
Looking for more like this? Try these:
I hope you'll enjoy this homemade mac and cheese bites recipe soon and very soon. Sharing is caring, so pin this baked mac & cheese muffins recipe on Pinterest. Thanks for reading!
📖 Recipe
Baked Mac and Cheese Bites
Equipment
- 1 hand grater or food processor
Ingredients
- water
- 1 pound uncooked macaroni shells
- 2 ½ cups sharp cheddar
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups milk
- 2 teaspoons mustard
- sea salt to taste
- white pepper to taste
- 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Cook the Pasta: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-count muffin tin with paper liners and set aside. In a deep pot or saucepan, bring water to a boil, then add the pasta and cook just shy of al dente (about 6-7 minutes) and drainOptional: Save about ½ cup of pasta liquid to use later.water, 1 pound uncooked macaroni shells
- Prep the Cheese: Meanwhile, use hand grater or food processor to shred the cheese. Separate ½ cup of the cheese and set aside.2 ½ cups sharp cheddar
- Make the Cheese Sauce: Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in flour to form a roux and cook for about one minute. Slowly whisk in milk until incorporated. Bring mixture to a boil then reduce heat and simmer until thickened (about five minutes), stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.6 tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoons flour, 2 cups milk
- Stir in mustard and season with sea salt and black pepper to taste. Stir in parmesan cheese and 2 cups of cheddar cheese until sauce is smooth then fold in the cooked shells.2 teaspoons mustard, sea salt, white pepper, 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- Bake the Bites: Fill prepared muffin tin with half of the cheesy macaroni mixture and sprinkle half of remaining cheese over the top of each muffin. Bake for 20 minutes or until tops are golden and bubbly.
- Let muffins sit in pan for 10-15 minutes in order to cool slightly before handling. Otherwise, they will fall apart.
- Repeat baking process with remaining mac & cheese mixture and shredded cheese. Should make 24 muffins in total.
Eden says
Made two batches of these bites for my son and his friends for a sleepover. They gobbled it right up! A definite winner, thanks for the recipe Jazz!
Jessica says
Made these for a birthday party over the weekend and they were just perfect! Everyone loved the individual servings and they stayed moist and delicious. Will be making this again for holiday parties!
Jen says
These mac and cheese muffins are such a great idea. I served them as a side at my last dinner party and everyone loved them! It was also a great way to control portion size.
Camille says
These are so addictive!! I maid them for my networking group and they were a hit. They were so cute and delish. Thanks girl. 💓
Kate says
These Mac & cheese muffins turned out so flavorful! I was able to carry some to work the next day, reheated them in the oven. I can't wait to make this again!
Marta says
I'm not quite sure my family and I did this correctly. We ate the entire pan of single serve mac and cheese muffins. It felt right because they tasted amazing. The parmesan, especially, was a delicious touch.
Britney says
These were so good! The crisp cheesy edges and the soft gooey centers were just amazing! I’ll definitely be making these again!
Judith Tra Herne Gilbert says
Wow, this looks so good. I am going to make these for next Sunday's supper.
Thank you so much for this.
Judith