Tini’s viral mac and cheese is an absolute dream and so rich and delicious.
Three kinds of cheese and corkscrew pasta are a match made in heaven. If you’re a mac and cheese lover, this is the recipe you need try.
What is Tini’s mac and cheese?
Tini’s mac and cheese is a viral Tiktok with over 60 million views and counting. It’s viral in the way people wish their videos could go viral. Everybody and their aunt made her mac and cheese for Thanksgiving, so if you want to give it a try, I’ve detailed it for you below! It’s probably the best thing you can bring to a potluck, for real, for real.
Tini’s viral mac and cheese ingredients
- pasta – Tini uses corkscrews aka cavatappi aka the best pasta for mac and cheese because the sauce goes into the center of the tube and when you bite into it, you’re biting into pockets of cheesy creaminess. You can find corkscrews at most grocery stores or online.
- cheese – there are three kinds of cheese in Tini’s mac and cheese: mozzarella, colby jack, and sharp cheddar. Buy blocks of cheese and grate them yourself. After your shred all your cheese, mix them up and divide them into 2 equal portions.
- butter – you need butter to make a roux or white sauce, go for unsalted.
- flour – flour is the other ingredient in roux. The regular all purpose flour in your pantry is perfect.
- evaporated milk – one can of evaporated milk makes everything super creamy.
- heavy cream – using heavy cream instead of milk makes this mac and cheese even creamier and richer.
- seasonings – salt, pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika. The garlic powder adds garlickiness and the smoked paprika adds a hint of smokiness in the background. Mix up all the seasonings together in a small bowl so it’s easy to add to the pan.
- Dijon mustard – most people don’t know this but almost all mac and cheese recipes contain some kind of mustard. Tini opts for Dijon, which cuts through the richness of the cheese and adds balance to the entire dish.
How to make Tini’s mac and cheese
- Cook the pasta: in a large pot of salted water, cook the pasta over high heat according to the package directions then drain well.
- Make a roux: melt 3 tablespoons of butter in large non stick pan. When it’s melted, add half of the seasoning and stir it around to release the aromatics. Stir in 3 tbsp flour and stir and cook until everything starts bubbling and the raw flour cooks.
- Add the evaporated milk: slowly stream in one can of evaporated milk and whisk immediately. It should start to thicken slightly.
- Add the heavy cream: stir in the heavy cream, whisking it in completely. Whisk in the remaining seasoning and 1 tbsp of Dijon. Let the sauce thicken slightly, whisking occasionally.
- Add the cheese: Add in 1/2 of the cheese, by the handful, whisking in and letting each handful melt before adding more cheese.
- Stir in the pasta: Stir in your cooked pasta making sure all the sauce coats every single noodle.
- Layer the mac and cheese: in an oven safe casserole dish, layer the pasta. Add 1/2 of the mac and cheese to the pan, spreading it out evenly. Then add 1/2 of your remaining shredded cheese. Add the rest of the mac and cheese and finish the top with the last of the shredded cheese.
- Bake: Pop the casserole into a preheated 350°F oven and bake for 25-30 minute or until the top melts and it’s golden and bubbly.
- Broil: Finish it off by broiling for 2 minutes so the mac and cheese gets a nice little crust.
- Enjoy! Add some sliced chives if you want (Tini does!), then scoop and enjoy!
Who is Tini?
Tini is a cook (she was also on Next Level Chef with Gordon Ramsey) with a popular Tiktok account with over 5.5 million followers.
Mac and cheese tips and tricks
Shred your own cheese – Pre-shredded cheese usually has cellulose in it to make sure the shreds don’t clump and the cellulose makes your mac and cheese grainy.
Layer – Just like lasagna, layering mac and cheese is a pro move. You get pockets of melty cheese and a crispy cheese top.
Season – Don’t skip the garlic powder, smoked paprika, and mustard! They really add that extra bit of oomph and flavor that takes this mac and cheese over the top. Trust me, you don’t really taste any of the seasonings in particular, instead they just meld together into a really nice flavor note that makes you want to eat more and more.
Make ahead mac and cheese
You can make this entire recipe ahead of time up until the point where you bake it. Cover it tightly and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days before baking. To bake it, cover it with foil and bake it for 30 minutes, remove the foil and continue to bake until the mac and cheese is heats through. Finish by broiling.
Do you need to use corkscrews?
I’ve made this many times now and corkscrews are good but so are traditional macs, mini penne, and rotini. Really any pasta shape you love will be just as good because this mac and cheese is so decadent it won’t matter, the pasta is just the vehicle to transport the gooey cheesy deliciousness.
Is this too rich/complicated/expensive?
Try this luscious homemade scratch Velveeta mac and cheese as an easy to make alternative that will hit all right notes too. Or for a more refined take, try this Pumpkin Sage Mac and Cheese from our noodle cookbook.
Happy mac and cheesing friends!
xoxo steph
Ingredients
- 1 lb pasta corkscrew/cavatappi preferred
- 1 lb mozzarella cheese
- 1 lb colby jack cheese
- 1/2 lb cheddar cheese sharp preferred
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 tbsp all purpose flour
- 12 oz evaporated milk ~1 can
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 tbsp mustard Dijon preferred
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Once at a rolling boil, add the pasta and cook it according to the package directions. When done, drain well.
- While the water is coming to a boil and the pasta cooks, shred the cheese. Grate the cheese with the coarse side of a box grater. Once you finish grating, mix all the cheese together in a large bowl, then divide into two even portions and set aside.
- Make the seasoning mix: in a small bowl, stir together the salt, pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika. Set it aside.
- In a large pan, melt the butter over medium heat. When melted, add 1/2 of the seasoning mix. Stir, bringing out the aromatics. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until everything bubbles slightly and looks incorporated.
- Slowly stream in the evaporated milk while whisking to ensure there are no lumps. Next, add the heavy cream, whisking constantly. Whisk in the Dijon and remaining seasoning mix. Let the sauce come to a simmer and thicken, giving it an occasional whisk.
- Add HALF of the cheese. Turn the heat to low (or remove it from the heat if needed) and slowly melt in 1/2 of the cheese, handful by handful, making sure the cheese melts before adding more.
- Stir in the drained pasta, making sure to coat all the noodles in sauce.
- Grab your casserole dish and add 1/2 of the mac and cheese to the bottom of the dish, spreading evenly. Layer on 1/2 of the remaining cheese then the remaining mac and cheese.
- Finish by evenly layering on the last of the shredded cheese.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until the top melts and bubbles. Broil for 2 minutes to give it a crispy crust, the remove, let sit for a bit so you don’t burn yourself, scoop and enjoy!
I’m happy to count on you for tic toc recipes, I missed it since I’m not on it, and also love different kinds and tweaks of mac and cheese, so thank you
What size baking dish do you need for this? Is 9×13 too small?
9×13 is perfect!
Can I you make ahead?
yes, just don’t bake it with the cheese, layer it, then wrap it up tight, then when you need to make it for the event, bake it with foil on top until heated through, then remove the foil until the top is broiled to your liking.
Hi, I hope you see this! In regards to “bake it with foil”, is covering it with foil only for if one decides to make it ahead of time or do we need to use foil when it’s made immediately as well? Does foil need to be used regardless? Thank you!
oops, sorry i did not see this until now! the foil is to keep the mac and cheese warm and cozy without drying it out and browning the top too much when you make it ahead and are baking from the fridge or frozen. hope that helps! you don’t need the foil if you’re baking it right after making it.
Can this be made the day ahead and stored in the fridge? Just skip the baking part until the day of the event.
yes, for sure!
To make a day ahead, be sure to take the Mac and cheese out of the fridge, and let it reach room temp before baking.
Potentially a dumb question – when you say 1lb of cheese is this equivalent to one 8oz block or should I use 2 8oz blocks? Thanks!
1 lb is two 8 oz blocks!
Nah really brooooo 💀
Wow! This was a huge hit at Christmas dinner. Thank you for sharing. We have some leftover. Any recommendations for reheating?
Thanks again.
usually i just reheat in the microwave! you can also cover it in foil and reheat in a low oven until it’s heated through.
Sweet Caroline, buh Buh BUH good times have never felt so good, so good…. SO GOOD~
Going to make this tonight!
Just wondering about the 16oz can of evaporated milk, listed above. Is it supposed to be 12oz can? I’ve never seen the 16oz cans available so I’m not sure which is the best way to go.
hi, it is a 12 ounce can! i will correct it, thanks for catching that!
I don’t know how much time to boil the pasta but it was still very good! Please respond so next time I do it right!
hi sabrina!
you should boil the pasta according to what it says on the package you buy – different pasta shapes/brands have different times for al dente :)
Pro tip here remember to use evaporated milk and NOT sweetened condensed milk lol got distracted and put sweetened condensed. It was delicious after I fixed my mistake luckily I caught it before I added the cheese!
My daughter just made this and it was beyond delicious!! It will be a staple at our holiday gatherings. ( and probably once a week!!)
can I use monterrey jack instead of mozzarella cheese?
absolutely!
This looks delicious, would love to try! What would you recommend as a sub for colby jack cheese? We don’t have that kind where I live
you can use marble or extra cheddar or mozza :)
This was soooo GOOD!!! def a infinity/10 my family loved it
Soooo good recommend this to anyone
For 2 of us, this is too much. Can this be frozen?
yes! that’s exactly what we did!
I just halved the recipe it’s just me. ! Great!
Hello
Can the left overs be frozen
yes, i’ve frozen them before, it reheats well!
Has anyone served this without baking it? I love the taste by just melting all the cheese without baking but I’m wondering if it’s necessary.
you don’t need to bake it! i’ve had it out of the pot before :)
Hi thank you so much for posting the recipe!! I wanted to ask if you could freeze the dish before baking and serving?
absolutely!
Can this be made ahead and frozen? Would you bake it normally after?
i’ve made it ahead and then baked it. i would assemble, freeze it and bake it afterwards.
An excellent recipe for macaroni and cheese which is about the only thing my grandchildren will ever eat. The cavatappi pasta is an excellent choice for the pasta and a little more unique than the traditional elbow pasta. Just leave yourself enough time to grate all that cheese (reminder that you are using 2 1/2 lbs of cheese).
It’s amazing, made it last night for the family. Curious for the calorie count. What is considered a serving? A cup?
hi misty,
the nutritional information is for 1/10 of the full recipe :)
Try using fontina instead of mozzarella. Still just as melty but even more flavor!
Hi how do I keep leftover?
wrap the leftovers up tightly or place in an air tight container and keep it in the fridge, it should keep for up to one week. to heat it, just scoop it out and microwave
it was really good and me family loved it but it was stressful to make
it was really good I loved it but it was stressful to make
I had a question about the cook time. Before I put it in the dish, the cheese sauce and noodles were delicious. After baking for 25 mins at 375 the cheese looked like it had released a lot of oil and kind of denatured. The texture was no longer smooth and was grainy. The cheese was fresh grated. I realized I hadn’t covered it with foil, but I also saw online some people saying this happens when the cheese is cooked too long or too hot. Thanks for any advice.
hi,
it’s true, when you bake it and your oven is too hot – ovens temps are notoriously incorrect – sometimes cheese will release oil and break down a bit. honestly, you don’t need to bake it too long, the bake is just to melt the cheese, not create a crust. definitely cover it with oil to avoid direct heat and bake it for a shorter period of time (15 mins) or a lower oven temp. (325) or, you can enjoy it without baking as well!
found that out the hard way myself
This looks soooo good! I will be making it this weekend, but I need to ask: in the recipe, you indicate teaspoons for the spices, but in the video, it looks more like tablespoons. Am I wrong?
Thank you
it’s seasoning, so tablespoons might be a bit much, but you can play around with the seasoning measurements to taste!
Amazing! The cheese pull and creaminess was unbelievable. worth the wait.
This was sooo good and pretty easy to make. We didn’t put it in the oven but it was still just as good! I heavily recommend this recipe! :D
This was sooo good and pretty easy to make. We didn’t put it in the oven but it was still just as good! I heavily recommend this recipe! :D
is there anything i can replace the evaporated milk for?
hi riya,
it won’t have the same flavor, but you can use regular milk if you can’t find evaporated. hope that helps!
I was looking for this because I hate the taste of evaporated milk since I was a child.
this is amazing!! Pro tip, turn the leftovers into air fried mac and cheese 🧀
its crunchy on the outside and perfect and cheesy on the inside
im going to make this for my school assingment! ( im going to half the recipe) but is it still goign to take 1 hour?
yes, it will take the same amount of time!
I made this after my 10-year-old grandson saw it on TikTok and requested I make it. Oh my goodness is it good. Definitely a special occasion dish because the calories are crazy but I’ll give up dessert for this!
How much dry mustard would be equivalent to 1 tbsp of Dijon mustard?
i would use 1 tsp :)
I have made this numerous times and it’s amazing. We are currently without an oven, wondering if anyone has thrown it in a crockpot from the stove? I want to bring it for a pot luck soon and am curious if that would work or not.
I’m curious too. Did you ever try the crockpot and if so did it work? Did u keep it on low?
Has anyone put this in the crockpot instead of the oven? Really just to keep warm?
I didn’t see where you added the rest is the seasonings?
when you whisk in the dijon, before you add the cheese, you add the remaining seasoning :)
I really appreciate having this recipe written down as I don’t participate in social media lately 😋 – glad to have found your blog!
it was good but we felt it needed a bit more salt
My 14 year old made this. It was hit. One of the best Mac and cheeses I’ve had.
I make this Gluten Free. It is wonderful. You only need to make 2 changes to the recipe.
1. Substitute gluten free noodles (chickpea ones are really good).
2. Instead of 3 Tablespoons of flour, Substitute 1&1/2 Tablespoons of cornstarch.
This mac and cheese recipe is so rich and thick and creamy. My husband is a huge fan so I will making it again! I served it as a main course with a veggie on the side and it was very filling and satisfying.
So can you use half n half instead?? I didnt realize i had that instead of heavy cream.
yes, you can, it’ll just be a bit less rich!
For those of you who ate it straight from the pot 🤩, did you put all of the cheese in or only the half that the sauce portion of the recipe calls for?
Haven’t made it yet, but looks like an excellent recipe! I also might make it a second time with chipotle powder instead of paprika. Easily accessible here in San Diego. Lovely smokey spicy flavor! Thank you, looks delicious!
If I want to make this for a large party, enough for a large buffet dish (chafing dish full size) would this recipe need to be doubled or tripled? Trying to gauge making this for a large crowd to accompany some BBQ. Thank you!
i think it would need to be doubled, that would be 2 lbs pasta!
I wanted to make this for Thanksgiving but whenever I watch her TikTok it looks like she’s using a hard block of mozzarella but I only see soft ones in the store.
Are hard blocks kept in a specific part of the grocery store?
Did you use hard or soft?
hi, sorry for the late reply, the hard blocks of mozzarella are right next to the blocks of cheddar :)
My kids love this recipe. It is their new Friday favourite, a perfect start to the weekend. Thanks!
Mine separated when I added the pasta. Like the butter separated from the cheese sauce just making a butter and clumpy glob mess. What did I do wrong?!
how was the sauce before you added the pasta? was it smooth and incorporated? were the noodles drained well?
Do you cook the pasta noodles until fully done or do you cook half the said time since they will also cook in the oven? I’ve seen people say to only cook half the boil time but wasn’t sure! First time making it, wanna make sure it’s good for Thanksgiving! Lol. I will be cooking the day before & sticking it in the oven on Thanksgiving to heat.
you can cook them all the way unless you’re very sensitive to soft noodles :)
I’d like to make it in a crockpot… has anyone tried thus?
super yummy!! turned out great and was a super easy recipe to follow
There is no colby jack cheese where I live, what cheeses can I use as a substitute? Also, is it okay to not broil it?
you don’t have to broil it and you can substitute in more cheddar and mozzarella :)
Thank you for the recipe :)
Hi! Can you use milk instead of heavy cream?
you can but it definitely won’t be as rich
Is the pound of pasta before it’s cooked or after?
before!
Can you freeze leftover once it is baked?
yes, absolutely!
Made this for Christmas 24’ and my family loved it! Will be making again.
Great recipe. Added crispy pancetta and sauted lobster!
Important word of advice. Turn the heat way down or completely off when you’re mixing the cheese into the sauce. Otherwise the sauce will separate. And definitely never use preshredded cheese.
I’m planning to make this for our next holiday get together, but oven space is a premium. Any thoughts on starting on stove top and finishing in a crock pot?
do you meant you want to keep it warm and serve it in the crock pot? i think that would work, obviously there would be no crunchy/baked cheese topping.
can you use homo milk instead of heavy cream ?
you can but it won’t be as rich!
This mac and cheese delicious! It has some crispy cheese on top. I don’t think there are any missing ingredients ¡it perfect!
Hey there, what is your opinion on topping it with breadcrumbs to add a bit of a crunch?
i say go for it! i would use panko :)
Wow made this last night with my 12 year old daughter and it was delicious. She has been asking me for months. Very cheesy is an understatement but so worth it. The crispy cheese on top was perfect too. Totally recommend it.