Our homemade air fryer macaroni and cheese for one recipe comes out so good! Made in a small batch with elbow macaroni, shredded cheddar cheese and heavy whipping you can make as a Ninja Foodi recipe or Cosori.

We bet you didn't think you could make homemade air fryer macaroni and cheese did you? You totally can cook pasta noodles perfectly in your hot air machine. Let us show you this easy air fryer recipe you'll love.

How Long to Cook Homemade Macaroni and Cheese in Air Fryer

22-25 minutes is about right. Longer if you want to add an extra layer of shredded cheese to the top to brown and melt. You can use the air crisp function on your Ninja Foodi to make this as well. Once you have this handy pot you can make all sorts of things you'd normally bake.

We mean not that our Ninja Foodi macaroni and cheese isn't to die for, but this makes a smaller portion for “those nights”. You can use any type of small noodles you want, not elbow. We have used small shells which is kinda' a fun change. Use cheddar and Mexican cheeses or whatever blend is your favorite.

Tips: My Favorite models are the Cosori or making Ninja Foodi recipes with the lid that is attached.

It is best practice to put food into a hot basket. This is how to preheat air fryer first before adding your food so it becomes as crispy as possible. For best results, here's a printable free air fryer cooking time chart here for your fridge.

A close-up photo of a hand pulling out the basket of an open air fryer on a light-colored surface. The interior of the air fryer basket is empty and features a mesh design, solid for cooking your favorite dishes like bang bang shrimp. The edge of the air fryer has a latch mechanism for securing the basket.

In this case we like to start from scratch instead of using boxed Kraft. The key to success is stirring every 5 minutes so the noodles rotate with the sauce and get as tender as you'd like them to be. In this case stay close, it is not a set it and forget it type of air frying.

For the most part we use the same ingredients over and over when making homemade Mac and Cheese with Heavy Cream. Whether it be on the stovetop, in a pressure cooker, or this one. Of course tweaks are necessary, but why mess with perfection.

If you aren't a fan of elbow macaroni, by all means use small shells instead. It doesn't matter what shape you use, they need to be of a smaller variety.

Ninja Foodi Air Fryer Mac and Cheese

For this pot you will want to use the lid that is not attached. An oven proof dish without holes is necessary and an example is linked below as to what we prefer to use. This is what you'll need to get out so you're ready to mix, preheat and “bake” it all up for your air fryer dinner recipe.

Ingredient notes

You will want a 7″ air fryer pan with handles to make this. Noodles of course are necessary. Like we said you can use elbow macaroni featured here or small shells or penne work too. The smaller they are the quicker it will soak up the sauce. They need to be small.

You are going to need enough Water for liquid so the cheese can get nice and creamy.

Heavy cream will make it thick like you want it and of course lots of shredded cheddar cheese or mix of your choice

Substitutions

You can choose your favorite kinds but here we have cheddar and some gouda. Already shredded Mexican blend is pretty good too because it has some taco seasoning mixed in there which gives it a great extra flavor.

Only salt and black pepper were used for seasonings but that is up to you. Garlic salt or powder work well for flavoring too. You'll want a bowl to mix it all together before pouring it into your air fryer pan. Once you try this you'll see how handy this pot will become.

There seriously isn't much we have tried that hasn't turned out pretty great. We mean it can't do our laundry but beyond that it can do about everything.

Do you rinse macaroni for macaroni and cheese? No. You want to keep that white powdery substance on the outside so the cheese sticks to it well. They would get kinda' sticky and icky if you rinsed them anyway so we would not recommend doing that.

Boxed Mac and Cheese in Air Fryer

If you wanted to start with a box of Kraft it would be around the same amount of noodles as we used here so it would fit in the same size pot. You would use the dry “cheese” packet instead of fresh but could still add a fresh layer to melt on top if desired in the last 3-4 minutes.

Can you cook Stauffers mac and cheese in an air fryer?

You can. Our recipe is for homemade but for this store bought ready made dish you place the dish in your air fryer basket. Then set temp to 360 degrees F and cook for approximately 18-20 minutes. This is how this one looks prepared and ready to take a journey under into hot air basket.

Tips

If you wanted a sort of crunchy topping on your air fryer mac and cheese you could put a bit of bread crumbs on top. Alternatively about 4 minutes before it's done you can sprinkle on crispy fried onions too! OH MY we tell you that's good.

Parmesan cheese is always a yummy addition at the end of this macaroni and cheese recipe too. We do that when making our Instant Pot macaroni and cheese as a side dish and it's always a hit. You can see an added layer of melted and crispy shredded cheese on top here. So good right? Let's jump to recipe below. You can print it at the bottom of this post as well.

Air Fryer Mac and Cheese Recipe

By Air fryer mac and cheese comes out so good! Tender macaroni cheesy noodles made in a small batch. Homemade and solid when you want dinner quick. Prep: 10 minutes minsCook: 25 minutes minsServings: 4 Save Recipe Saved! Pin Recipe Comment Print Recipe

Equipment

Ingredients

1.5 cup elbow macaroni, noodles, uncooked
1 cup water
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
8 oz cheese, gouda, colby or cheddar, shredded
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Instructions

Combine ingredients into a mixing bowl, stir together.
Spray inside of a 7" air fryer pot with non stick cooking spray. Pour mixture in.
Preheat air fryer to 360 degrees F for 5 minutes.
Put pot inside basket and close. Cook at 360 degrees for 22-25 minutes total stirring every 5 minutes until noodles are as tender as you'd like them to be.
If you want a browned crispy layer of additional cheese on the top add more shredded once noodles are tender and cook at 380 degrees F for 2-4 minutes until melted and browned.

Notes

Ninja Foodi Air Fryer Mac and Cheese

Follow same directions above. You are going to use a trivet in the bottom of the pot with the lid that is attached. Use the air crisp button on the front to set the time.

Nutrition

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

Additional Info

Course: Entree, Main CourseCuisine: American Tried this recipe?Mention @thetypical_mom or tag #thetypicalmom!

How do you revive leftover macaroni and cheese?

If you do have leftovers store them in the refrigerator in airtight containers. To reheat add 1 tbsp of milk per 1 cup of pasta and stir to moisten. Heat in microwave in 30 second intervals stirring in between cook times until warm.

Serve it with

Our favorite duo is probably this and some parmesan broccoli in air fryer for sure. You can never have too much cheese. LOL. We mean we would say that our kids don't think you need anything else. It's a true one pot meal for them, they don't think of a side salad like we would.

Typically we do like to incorporate some sort of vegetable into any meal. Adding a crisp to the outside of produce is kinda' a game changer, especially when it comes to getting kids to like them.