Three-Cheese Air Fryer Macaroni and Cheese

Macaroni and cheese on the stove, ready for the air fryer.

Three-Cheese Macaroni and Cheese

There's something special about waking up before your household, making yourself a nice, cold coffee that provides energy needed to start your day. Since I started homeschooling my son last week, I have made an effort to wake up at least 30 minutes before the household. It actually feels good to have some alone time and check some items off the list. 

Although today is Sunday, I decided to continue my tradition - this time giving you a blog based around the dinner we made last night. 

Jace (my son) requested a homemade macaroni and cheese dinner and since our oven is out-of-commission, we resorted to an air fried version.  Jace shared some words to describe this meal and we came up with cheesy, crispy, browned, creamy, soft on the inside, crispy on top, and delicious enough for seconds. He is taking cooking and has helped a lot with making dinner, learning about techniques, and being hands-on. He loves it.

• Difficulty Level: Intermediate
• Serving size: 4
• Total cook time: 20 minutes
• Total prep time: 5-10 minutes
• Family friendly: Absolutely! Jace had seconds!
• Topping suggestions: Top with more bacon, Italian seasoning and black pepper

Why You Will Love This Air Fryer Macaroni and Cheese Recipe

Using the air fryer is one of the healthier ways to cook meals. It adds an extra layer of crisp and crunch to the top of the macaroni, yet keeps the middle nice and creamy. It melts the cheese just perfectly. Air frying allows it to fry without adding extra calories, carbs, or oils.

I saved this recipe for the weekend where I had a little bit more time to prepare. It has a few extra steps than a normal macaroni and cheese recipe so I wanted to make sure I had the time and the energy to make this. I used three cheeses and the way they all melted together gave it an unmatched flavor.

What Makes This Recipe Different?

Traditional macaroni and cheese is made in a pot on the stove. In this recipe, you cook it on both the stove and in the air fryer. Also, the cheese sauce isn't pre-made, it is a homemade roux. You combine the cheeses, milk, seasonings, and bacon together to make this light but silky sauce whose smell will radiate through your entire home.

Pro Tips

• While the pasta is cooking, I suggest cooking the bacon alongside of that. As you make the sauce, the ingredients will go in super quickly and you don't want to have to pause to make the bacon
• Since the pasta is pre-cooked, the macaroni and cheese only needs to be in the air fryer enough time to melt and brown. Time may vary as different air fryers have different settings. The brand I use the Gourmia. 

Inspiration

This recipe was inspired by AllRecipes. We swapped out garlic clove for garlic powder, the three cheeses we used were: Fine cut Parmesan, Sharp Cheddar and Triple Cheddar. We omitted the Ricotta cheese and used Italian-style Bread Crumbs. We also used Dried Italian Seasoning instead of dried Italian herbs. I also never add salt to my recipes.

If You Enjoy Macaroni and Cheese Recipes, You May Also Like

How to Store

Store the macaroni and cheese in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the Air Fryer or in the microwave for 2 minutes or until warm.

Adjust to Your Liking

  • Feel free to add your favorite cheese combinations
  • You can add bacon on top of the macaroni and cheese as well as your favorite seasonings
  • We didn't miss out on anything by omitting the ricotta cheese. Feel free to adapt and remove ingredients that your family doesn't want or like
  • Jace topped his with crunchy chilli crisps for added heat

Ingredients for Air-Fried Ranch Chicken Drumsticks

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  • *2 1/2 cups elbow macaroni
  • 2 tbsp bacon grease
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp flour
  • 1 1/2 cups milk + 2 tbsp
  • Crumbled bacon (we used 6 pieces of cooked and crumbled bacon)
  • 1 tsp Italian Seasoning
  • 1/4 cup Fine Cut Parmesan cheese, shredded
  • 1/4 cup Sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 1/4 cup Triple Cheddar cheese, shredded
  • Black pepper to taste
  • *4 tbsp Italian Style bread crumbs (or here is a *Gluten Free version instead)
  • Canola or PAM cooking spray
For a spicier version, you can add *Crunchy Chilli Crisps on top like Jace did
    Ingredients for three-cheese macaroni and cheese, laid out on the countertop.

    How to Make Three-Cheese Macaroni and Cheese

    ✓ Step #1: Cook the pasta on the stove - Cook the macaroni pasta in boiling water for about six minutes. While this is cooking, add the bacon to a separate pan and cook until crispy. I used 6 pieces of bacon for ours. Drain the noodles and chop up the bacon into pieces.

    Bacon in bacon grease in a skillet on the stove.

    Elbow pasta shells, drained, and ready for a homemade roux.

    ✓ Step #2: Make roux – Leave the grease from the bacon in the skillet. On medium heat, add in the garlic powder and stir about 20 seconds. Add in the flour and stir until golden brown, making a roux, about 45-60 seconds. Slowly whisk in milk. Turn the heat up to high and once boiling, turn to low and let simmer for 5 minutes, stirring every 30-45 seconds.

    A homemade roux on the stove.

    ✓ Step #3: Add in remainder roux ingredients – Add in your chopped bacon and Italian seasoning. Mix in cheeses and season with pepper. Stir about 3 minutes or until cheese has completely melted. 

    A roux in a skillet, on the stove, with bacon and Italian seasonings.

    A homemade roux on the stove with three cheeses added.

    ✓ Step #4: Preheat air fryer – Preheat air fryer to 390 degrees. On the stove, add pasta shells into roux and mix. 

    Pasta shells and a three-cheese roux mixed together.

    ✓ Step #5: Add pasta to air fryer – Spray all around the air fryer (we did not have a separate tray so we used the entire air fryer for this) and add the pasta and sauce combination. Top with a cooking spray followed by bread crumbs.
    Macaroni and cheese added to an air fryer, ready to cook.

    Macaroni and cheese in an air fryer, topped with breadcrumbs and ready to cook.

    ✓ Step #6: Air fry the macaroni and cheese – Air fry for about 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, I opened up the air fryer, added a little bit more milk and more cheese. Cook for about 2 more minutes or until the cheese is melted and the top is browned. 

    Air fried macaroni and cheese topped with milk and more cheese.

    ✓ Step #7: Serve – Top with more bacon crumbles, Italian seasoning and black pepper. For best results, serve immediately. 
    Homemade macaroni and cheese, fresh out of the air fryer and ready to eat.

    Three-Cheese Air Fryer Macaroni and Cheese in bowls and ready to eat.

    What Did You Think?

    Did you make this delicious macaroni and cheese? Did you like it as much as we did? 

    How You Can Support Savvy with Abbie

    ✓ Pin this recipe on Pinterest

    ✓ Comment below and let me know if you made this recipe

    ✓ Review/rate the recipe below so others can see what you thought of it

    ✓ Follow this blog for more pasta recipes

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