How to Make Leftover Mac & Cheese Creamy? [7 Ideas]
Mac and cheese are one of the simplest, tastiest, and most joyful pasta experiences. Still, this cheesy delight is so good that it makes the eye very greedy, and before you know it, you are left with a pile of leftover mac and cheese. Sadly, one stiffened mac and cheese is not as creamy as it was when it was soft and warm. Since throwing it out is not an option, at least not a desirable one, you have to think of something to bring back the mac and cheese creaminess. So, how to make leftover mac and cheese creamy?
Adding sour cream, ricotta, milk and butter, heavy cream, milk and starch, cheddar and milk, or eggs and milk makes leftover mac and cheese creamy and soft. So, either of these solutions or a combination of two or more can do an excellent job bringing mac and cheese to their former glory.
In the following paragraphs, I will give you some ideas on making your leftover mac and cheese creamy again and maybe even tastier than before.
Sour Cream
Sour cream is a magical product you can use in many ways. If you don’t mind the sourness, you certainly won’t mind its creaminess.
When you want to make your mac and cheese creamy again, you need to whip some sour cream in a bowl, maybe add some spices, but you don’t have to, and pour it over the mac and cheese.
You need to ensure that the amount of sour cream you add corresponds to the amount of leftover mac and cheese. Adding too much would be counterproductive and make your mac and cheese too watery. On the other hand, adding too little would just make your mac and cheese sticky.
I recommend adding a scoop of sour for each mac and cheese plate.
Ricotta
Ricotta is an excellent solution to bring the creaminess back to your mac and cheese, especially if you don’t want to change the taste. Neutral-tasting, soft, creamy, and slightly grainy, the ricotta will enrich your mac and cheese, possibly making it taste even better than before.
Even though it isn’t solid, ricotta is a type of cheese, and you may not be able to bring it to the desired consistency by just whipping it. Therefore, you can add a tad of warm water to make the consistency easier to manipulate.
Spread the ricotta over the mac and cheese and mix well. You may need to mix more than you expected, but the ricotta must be transferred all over the mac and cheese.
This method has a hidden surprise: the occasional macaron filled with ricotta.
Milk and Butter
There’s nothing milk and butter cannot fix. When it comes to fixing consistency, bringing creaminess back, and enriching even the poorest of dishes, milk and butter is the most potent duo ever.
What salt and pepper do to the taste, milk and butter do to consistency and texture. Mix the milk and butter together in a bowl, making sure that the mixture is entirely homogenized. Do not leave lumps of butter in the milk.
I would recommend adding half a cup of milk with half a butter stick for each mac and cheese plate. Pour the mixture over the mac and cheese, mix well to ensure it is equally distributed, let the mac and cheese heat up for a few minutes, and enjoy the results.
Heavy Cream
Heavy cream is yet another delightfully simple solution to make your mac and cheese creamy again. Still, since heavy cream is very fatty, you need to be careful with the dosage; in this case, more is not better.
The milk fat will quickly burn if you go overboard with the heavy cream quantity or if you reheat the mac and cheese a little longer. Therefore, instead of a rich and creamy meal, you will get a sticky and even slightly burnt one.
So, add half a cup of heavy cream for each place of mac and cheese, mix the heavy cream well with the mac and cheese and make sure you don’t reheat at a high temperature.
Milk and Starch
Adding plain milk to make your mac and cheese leftovers creamy is risky, as the milk evaporates quickly, leaving your mac and cheese as solid as a rock. However, mixing a cup of warm milk with a tbsp of starch can make all the difference in the world.
Mix the milk and starch well until you get a substance similar to heavy cream. Pour it over the mac and cheese, and mix them well together. The milk and starch mixture may cluster up in some places, so I recommend using your hands to mix everything nicely.
The beauty of this method is that with it, you will get the creamy effect of the heavy cream but avoid its fattiness.
Cheddar and Milk
This is the one case on this idea list where more is better. Heat up some milk and grate as much cheddar inside as you like. Don’t just grate dry cheddar over your mac and cheese, as it will likely burn while you reheat the dish. The more cheddar you use, the creamier your mac and cheese will be.
Instead, let the cheddar melt inside the milk and pour and smear the mixture over your mac and cheese. As you reheat them, the cheddar will additionally melt, without creating a crust, as the liquid from the milk will maintain its softness.
Eggs and Milk
Eggs and milk are other wonderful solutions to make your leftover mac and cheese creamy again and give it a rustic note. Add one egg and half a cup of milk for each place of mac and cheese. Whip the eggs and milk until they homogenize and pour them over the dish.
Mix the mac and cheese with the mixture, ensuring that the eggs and milk are equally dispersed inside the mac and cheese. Pop the pan into the oven and warm up the mac and cheese until you are certain that the eggs are fully cooked.
How to Reheat Mac and Cheese Without Drying It Out?
As a universal rule, the best way to reheat a dish is how it was originally cooked. Since you make mac and cheese in the oven, it is the best appliance to use when reheating it. However, the microwave works too.
If you use the oven, don’t preheat it, but place the mac and cheese on the middle rack and then turn it on. Set the temperature to medium and let the mac and cheese warm up gradually as the temperature inside the oven increases.
Once the temperature reaches its full potential, let the mac and cheese warm up for about five minutes, take them out, and mix them well. Put them packed in the oven for another five minutes, and you are done.
If you use the microwave, set the timer to about 15 seconds when you first put the mac and cheese inside. After the initial cycle:
- Take the mac and cheese out and check their condition if you want to warm them up more.
- Set the timer for short five-second intervals.
- Check the mac and cheese after each one until you are happy with the results.
7 Ways How to Make Leftover Mac & Cheese Creamy
Ingredients
- Add Sour Cream
- Add Ricotta
- Add Milk and Butter
- Add Heavy Cream
- Add Milk and Starch
- Add Cheddar and Milk
- Add Eggs and Milk
Instructions
- Pick one group of the ingedients .
- Add to your mac and cheese leftover.
- Enjoy in your creamy meal!
