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Baked White Cheddar Mac and Cheese (The BEST!)

By Carolyn Stilwell

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Updated Nov 02, 2025, Published on Nov 22, 2023

Before I get into the recipe for this baked white cheddar mac and cheese, just know that if I had to pick a favorite food, it's definitely pasta. If I had to pick a favorite pasta dish, mac and cheese is definitely a contender! It's hard to resist that ooey gooey cheese pull. I love how mac and cheese can be made so many different ways - stovetop vs baked, boxed vs homemade, infinite cheese and seasoning options, and so on!

This baked white cheddar mac and cheese is extra special because it is topped with White Cheddar PopCorners Chips. The PopCorners add a great crunch to the top of the mac and cheese and are bursting with salty white cheddar flavor. Also, these are one of my favorite snacks so I think you will enjoy snacking on the rest of the bag!

If you're looking for another fun variation on classic mac and cheese, try my viral French Onion Mac and Cheese!

Recipe Ingredients

• 4 tbsp Butter
• 1/4 cup All Purpose Flour
• 2 cups Whole Milk
• 3/4 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/4 tsp Cayenne
• 1/4 tsp Dry Mustard
• 1 cup White Cheddar Cheese freshly grated
• 1 cup Pepper Jack Cheese freshly grated
• 8 oz Pasta I used shells

Topping

• 2 tbsp Butter melted
• 1 cup White Cheddar PopCorners Chips crushed; or use panko
• 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese grated

Recipe Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cook pasta according to package instructions 1 minute less than al dente. Reserve about 1/2 a cup of pasta water in case you need to thin out the sauce.
3. Meanwhile, melt 4 tbsp butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Add the flour. Whisk to combine and cook 2 minutes until starting to turn golden. Pour in whole milk and add the garlic powder, onion powder, salt, cayenne, and dry mustard. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired. Turn heat to medium high and whisk, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes or until thick.
4. Turn off heat and add the freshly grated cheeses. Whisk until completely melted and smooth. Taste and add additional seasonings as desired.
5. Add the cooked pasta to the cheese sauce and stir well to combine. Add a little pasta water as needed if the sauce is too thick.
6. Transfer the mac and cheese to an oven-safe baking dish. Evenly top with the topping (instructions below) and grated parmesan cheese.
7. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the topping is golden brown. Keep an eye on the mac and cheese while baking to ensure the topping doesn't burn.

Topping

1. Add the PopCorners chips to a bag. Use a heavy-bottomed pot to crush the chips into smaller pieces.
2. Pour the crushed chips into the melted butter and stir to combine.

Did you try this Baked White Cheddar Mac and Cheese recipe?

This baked white cheddar mac and cheese has white cheddar cheese, pepper jack cheese, parmesan cheese, and white cheddar PopCorners chips making it ULTRA cheesy and so delicious! Have fun and switch around the cheeses with your favorites as well.

If you try this recipe, feel free to rate/leave a review. You can also tag me on Instagram or TikTok!

No ratings yet

Baked White Cheddar Mac and Cheese

By: Carolyn Stilwell

An ultra-creamy and cheesy baked white cheddar mac and cheese with a crunchy topping!

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 20 minutes mins

Bake Time: 20 minutes mins

Total: 50 minutes mins

Servings: 6

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Equipment

• Box Grater
• 2 Pot
• 8"x 8" Baking Dish oven safe

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 4 tablespoon Butter
• ▢ 1/4 cup All Purpose Flour
• ▢ 2 cups Whole Milk
• ▢ 3/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon Onion Powder
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon Dry Mustard
• ▢ 1 cup White Cheddar Cheese, freshly grated
• ▢ 1 cup Pepper Jack Cheese, freshly grated
• ▢ 8 oz Pasta , I used shells

Topping

• ▢ 2 tablespoon Butter, melted
• ▢ 1 cup White Cheddar PopCorners Chips, crushed; or use panko
• ▢ 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated

US Customary - Metric

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Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Cook pasta according to package instructions 1 minute less than al dente. Reserve about 1/2 a cup of pasta water in case you need to thin out the sauce.
• Meanwhile, melt 4 tbsp butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Add the flour. Whisk to combine and cook 2 minutes until starting to turn golden. Pour in whole milk and add the garlic powder, onion powder, salt, cayenne, and dry mustard. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired. Turn heat to medium high and whisk, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes or until thick.
• Turn off heat and add the freshly grated cheeses. Whisk until completely melted and smooth. Taste and add additional seasonings as desired.
• Add the cooked pasta to the cheese sauce and stir well to combine. Add a little pasta water as needed if the sauce is too thick.
• Transfer the mac and cheese to an oven-safe baking dish. Evenly top with the topping (instructions below) and grated parmesan cheese.
• Bake for about 20 minutes or until the topping is golden brown. Keep an eye on the mac and cheese while baking to ensure the topping doesn't burn.

Topping

• Add the PopCorners chips to a bag. Use a heavy-bottomed pot to crush the chips into smaller pieces.
• Pour the crushed chips into the melted butter and stir to combine.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 515kcal, Carbohydrates: 45g, Protein: 20g, Fat: 28g, Saturated Fat: 17g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Trans Fat: 0.5g, Cholesterol: 79mg, Sodium: 700mg, Potassium: 281mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 886IU, Vitamin C: 0.1mg, Calcium: 442mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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