Name: Truffle Mac and Cheese
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 16 cups water; 1 tablespoon kosher salt (or sea salt); 1 pound uncooked elbow pasta; 3 cups shredded fresh white cheddar (see Notes); 3 cups shredded fresh smoked gouda (see Notes); ½ cup unsalted butter; ½ cup all-purpose flour; 2 cups half-and-half (at room temperature); 2 cups whole milk (at room temperature); 1 ½ teaspoons salt (more or less to taste); ½ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper (more or less to taste); 1 teaspoon truffle oil (see Notes)

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Truffle mac and cheese is a simple but oh-so-incredible twist that instantly elevates a classic side dish. Made with tender elbow macaroni and an indulgent blend of white cheddar, smoked gouda, half-and-half, and truffle oil. It comes together super quickly, with an optional baking step that makes the dish extra gooey.

Overhead view of a large oval casserole dish holding a rich, creamy truffle mac and cheese on a table with a glass of white wine and a blue striped napkin.

Before You Get Started

No surprise, the cheese is a huge component in this truffle mac and cheese recipe, so it’s important you set yourself up for success! This is one dish where the already-shredded bags of cheese simply won’t work well. Since they contain added starches to prevent clumping, they get a grainy consistency when they’re melted. Not ideal here. Instead, buy blocks of cheese from the deli counter and shred them yourself. It’s so easy, and the difference is SO worth the extra effort!

How to Make This Recipe

See recipe card below for full list of measurements, ingredients, and instructions.

Cook the macaroni.

Boil your elbow macaroni in a big pot of salted water until it’s just barely al dente – usually a minute or so less than the recommended cook time on the pasta packaging. Drain the pasta well and set it aside until later.

If you’re worried about the noodles sticking together after you drain them, you can toss them in a little olive oil or melted butter to prevent that. Don’t use much, though, or the cheese sauce may not stick to the pasta.

make the cheese sauce.

Whisk together melted butter and flour until you have a nice roux, then super slowly add the half-and-half. Add it a little at a time, and whisk everything really well each time you add more. Once you’ve added all the half-and-half, repeat the process with the whole milk. By the time you’ve added all of the milk, you should have a nicely smooth mixture. Remove the saucepan from the heat to add the truffle oil and spices, then add 50% of your shredded cheese, stirring until everything’s melted and combined.

Combine and bake (or don’t).

If you want a creamier truffle mac and cheese, add the rest of the shredded cheese to the sauce and stir until it’s melted. Pour the elbow noodles into the pot and stir to coat them completely, then transfer the mixture to a baking dish and serve immediately.

If you want a gooier, baked mac and cheese, add just half of the remaining cheese to the sauce and save the rest. Stir the macaroni into the cheese sauce, then transfer the mixture to your baking dish. Top the mac and cheese with the rest of the shredded cheese, then bake the dish for 15 minutes, or until the cheese on top is nice and melty.

A scoop of truffle mac and cheese being held up over a casserole dish by a large silver spoon.

What I Love About This Recipe

The blend of white cheeses gives the dish an intensely deep flavor, and the process cooks the cheese sauce long enough for it to melt into itself. This is easily the creamiest mac and cheese you’ve ever eaten, truffles or not.
A little bit of truffle oil goes a long way, which is nice since it’s not exactly a “cheap” ingredient. It’s worth the expense, though, adding a complex, earthy aroma to things like scrambled eggs, popcorn, french fries, and – obviously – mac and cheese.

Recipe Variations

Cheddar Cheese: You can replace the white cheddar with 3 cups of shredded mozzarella, or you can use a blend of white cheddar and mozzarella.
Smoked Gouda: You can replace the smoked gouda with shredded regular gouda or shredded gruyère, or you can use a blend of 2 or 3 of these.
Toppings: If you want a little crunch to offset the creaminess of the truffle mac, that’s easy to do! Add cooked and crumbled bacon when you stir the noodles into the cheese sauce. Top the pasta with sliced green onions or a layer of buttery Panko breadcrumbs. If you go with breadcrumbs, give them a few minutes in the oven to really crisp up!

Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions or variations listed are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.