✔ Updated · fixed card (no rinsing pasta), real calories
This copycat Panera mac and cheese is all about the sauce: silky, rich white cheddar hugging every little shell. It's one pot and about 25 minutes, and honestly my favorite way to say “pasta night” at home.
At a glance
The one tip that matters: Shred the cheddar yourself and add it off a high heat, a handful at a time. That's the whole secret to a smooth, never-grainy sauce.
Why You'll Love This Mac and Cheese
- Café-style creamy: a white cheddar sauce that stays silky, not stringy.
- One pot, 25 minutes, with everyday ingredients.
- Kid-approved and grown-up good, with a little dry mustard and cayenne for depth.
What Makes This Taste Like Panera Mac and Cheese?
The café version is famous for a pale, velvety white cheddar sauce that coats small shells. This copycat-style recipe gets there with a classic roux, a mix of milk and cream for body, sharp white cheddar and a little dry mustard to make the cheese taste cheesier.
Feeding a crowd? The Panera Bread catering menu lists mac and cheese by the tray, or you can scale this recipe and keep it warm on low.
Step-by-Step Photos
Here's how it comes together. Exact amounts, times and temperatures are in the recipe card below.
Tips for Success
- Shred your own cheese. Pre-shredded cheddar is coated in anti-caking starch that makes the sauce gritty. A block and a box grater take two minutes, and it's worth it.
- Low heat for the cheese. If the sauce boils after the cheese goes in, it can split and turn oily. I turn the burner to low before the first handful.
- Don't rinse the pasta. The starch on the shells helps the sauce cling. Save some pasta water too; it rescues a sauce that's gone too thick.
- Shells are the move. Their little cups hold pockets of sauce, which is half the fun. Cavatappi is my second choice.
- Serve it fast. This sauce is at its silkiest straight from the pot. Max asks for it every time I say “pasta night,” and it never lasts long enough to go stiff.
Want the full Panera cheese experience? My copycat Panera broccoli cheddar soup uses the same grate-your-own, low-heat trick for a silky finish.
Panera Bread Mac and Cheese (Copycat)
8
servings5
minutes20
minutes660
kcal25
minutesCopycat-style Panera mac and cheese: medium pasta shells folded into a smooth, creamy white cheddar sauce made from a butter and flour roux, whole milk and heavy cream, seasoned with dry mustard and a pinch of cayenne.
Ingredients
- For the Pasta
1 lb medium pasta shells (or cavatappi or elbows)
1 tablespoon kosher salt, for the pasta water
- For the White Cheddar Sauce
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3 cups sharp white cheddar, freshly shredded (12 oz)
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper or white pepper
1 pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
Directions
- Cook the Pasta
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon salt. Cook the shells until just al dente, about 1 minute less than the package says. Scoop out 1 cup of the pasta water, then drain. Don’t rinse the pasta; the starch helps the sauce cling.
- Make the Sauce
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking, for 1 minute, until it smells toasty but hasn’t browned.
- Slowly pour in the milk, whisking constantly, then the cream. Keep whisking until smooth, then simmer gently for 3 to 5 minutes, until the sauce coats the back of a spoon.
- Turn the heat to low and stir in the dry mustard, salt, pepper and cayenne. Add the cheddar a handful at a time, stirring until each addition melts before adding the next.
- Finish
- Add the drained pasta to the sauce and stir until every shell is coated. Loosen with a splash of the reserved pasta water if needed; the sauce thickens as it sits.
- Taste, adjust the salt and serve right away, with extra black pepper on top.
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Variations and Serving Ideas
- Baked and crunchy: top with buttered panko and bake at 375°F until golden. Prefer the classic boxed style? Try our baked Kraft mac and cheese.
- Add-ins: crispy bacon, steamed broccoli, roasted chicken or a spoonful of pesto.
- More mac: compare it with our Cracker Barrel mac and cheese and Trisha Yearwood crockpot mac and cheese.
- Sides: see what to serve with mac and cheese, and for leftovers, our tips on reheating mac and cheese.
- Something sweet after: our Panera kitchen sink cookies.
🦃 Planning the big dinner? Here are all our copycat Thanksgiving side dishes, casseroles and pies in one place.
Frequently Asked Questions
What cheese is in Panera mac and cheese?
Panera describes its mac and cheese as made with a white cheddar cheese sauce. This copycat-style version uses sharp white cheddar for that tangy, creamy flavor. Shred it from a block for the smoothest sauce.
What pasta does Panera use for mac and cheese?
It's known for small shells, which catch the sauce in every cup. Medium shells work perfectly at home, and cavatappi or elbows are good swaps.
Why is my cheese sauce grainy?
Usually the heat was too high when the cheese went in, or the cheese was pre-shredded. Turn the heat to low, add freshly shredded cheese a handful at a time, and never let the sauce boil after that.
How do I reheat mac and cheese without it drying out?
Warm it in a saucepan over low heat with a splash of milk, stirring until creamy and heated through to 165°F. In the microwave, add a little milk and heat in 30-second bursts, stirring between each. See our full guide to reheating mac and cheese.
Can I make this ahead or freeze it?
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. You can freeze it for up to 2 months, though the sauce gets a little grainy. Thaw in the fridge and reheat gently with extra milk.
Can I bake it?
Yes. Spread it in a buttered 9×13-inch dish, top with buttery panko crumbs and bake at 375°F for 15 to 20 minutes until bubbly. Undercook the pasta by 2 minutes so it doesn't go soft.
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