How To Reheat Mac And Cheese (Easy Method)

Macaroni and cheese, or mac and cheese as it’s often called, is one of the tastiest and most savory comfort foods there is when it’s fresh out of the oven or stove, but reheating it can be a bit of a tricky business if you don’t know what you’re doing.

Luckily, there are some easy tricks and different methods you can use to reheat all kinds of mac and cheese. Whether your leftover mac and cheese is of the stove variety, baked variety, frozen, or even macaroni and cheese casserole, here’s a look at some methods so you know how to reheat mac and cheese without drying it out.

Reheating Macaroni and Cheese in the Oven

As always, the oven is one of the best ways to heat food, even though it takes longer than the microwave. Ovens heat more thoroughly than the microwave and don’t dry food out near as much. This can make all the difference when it comes to macaroni and cheese. Here’s a great method for reheating traditional mac and cheese in the oven.

1. Start preheating the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Put your leftover mac and cheese into a glass casserole dish.
3. Measure out about 1 tbsp of milk for every cup of macaroni and cheese you are reheating. Pour the milk into the leftover mac and cheese and thoroughly stir until the milk is evenly distributed.
4. Use aluminum foil to cover your glass casserole dish
5. Once the oven is preheated, place the glass casserole dish into the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
6. Once the 20 minutes is up, remove the foil from the casserole dish and let it sit in the oven for another 10 minutes. Look for the cheese to lightly start browning. If you have a little bit of extra grated cheese, you can top of your leftover macaroni and cheese with a handful before placing the dish back in for the extra 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, let it cool, and it’s ready to serve!

Reheat Macaroni and Cheese on the Stove

Traditional mac and cheese can easily be reheated on the stove-top. Here’s a simple method!

1. Put your leftover mac and cheese into a pot or pan.
2. Add 1 tbsp of milk per cup of mac and cheese and stir it in thoroughly.
3. Put the pot or pan on the stove and medium heat. Stir it constantly until it’s thoroughly heated.
4. Add another little splash of milk or cream and stir it in thoroughly.
5. Let it cool for a few minutes and it’s ready to go!

Reheating Macaroni and Cheese in the Microwave

As usual, reheating your mac and cheese in the microwave isn’t the preferred option, but it’s better than nothing if you’re pressed for time! And, luckily, if you’re using this method, you’ll be getting the best microwave-reheated mac and cheese possible.

1. Place your leftover mac and cheese into a microwave-safe bowl.
2. Just like with the oven method, add about 1 tbsp of milk per cup of mac and cheese and then thoroughly stir it in.
3. Use plastic wrap to cover the bowl, leaving a little bit open so that excess steam has a place to get out.
4. Place the bowl in the microwave and heat for about a minute.
5. After a minute, remove the bowl and stir the mac and cheese. Then, place it back in the microwave and keep heating for 30-second intervals until it’s at the desired temperature and consistency. Once done, let it cool for a minute and then it’s ready to eat!

Reheating Frozen Macaroni and Cheese

Here’s a method to reheat mac and cheese that has been frozen. You may have had some leftovers that were on the verge of spoiling yet you didn’t want to throw them out, so you put them in the freezer instead. Luckily, there’s a great method for bringing frozen mac and cheese back to life.

1. Start preheating the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Place the frozen mac and cheese in a glass casserole dish
3. Once the oven is preheated, place the casserole dish into the oven and bake for about 45 minutes
4. Pull the casserole dish out and then add a 1tbsp of milk per cup of mac and cheese to the now-defrosted mac and cheese, stirring it in thoroughly.
5. Place the dish back into the oven and let it cook for another 20 minutes. Once done, let it cool off and it should be ready to go!

Reheating Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Baked mac and cheese is a little bit of a different beast than traditional mac and cheese and thus requires a slightly different method to reheat to its optimal consistency. It isn’t too hard, so have a go at it!

1. Start preheating your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Lightly butter a glass casserole dish and put your mac and cheese into it, drizzling a little bit of butter over the mac and cheese as well.
3. As usual, add 1 tbsp of milk per cup of leftover baked mac and cheese, stirring it in thoroughly.
4. Once the oven is preheated, simply bake the mac and cheese for about 20 minutes or until it’s at the right temperature. Let it cool of for a few minutes and enjoy!

Reheat Macaroni and Cheese Casserole

Mac and cheese casserole is pretty similar to baked mac and cheese and doesn’t require a different method to reheat.

1. Start preheating the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Place the leftover mac and cheese casserole into a glass casserole dish.
3. Once again, add 1 tbsp of milk for every cup of mac and cheese casserole.
4. Cover the glass casserole dish with aluminum foil
5. Once the oven is preheated, place the glass casserole dish in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes.
6. Once the 20 minutes are up, remove the foil and let the mac and cheese casserole cook for an additional 10 minutes uncovered. As with the oven method for traditional mac and cheese, you may wish to add some extra cheese if you have some handy.
7. After 10 minutes, remove the dish and let the mac and cheese casserole sit for a few minutes before serving.