Truffle Mac & Cheese Recipe
This truffle mac and cheese recipe is an elevated stovetop mac and cheese with a white cheddar truffle cheese sauce flavored with truffle zest instead of truffle oil for a robust truffle flavor that isn't artificial. Topped with a crunchy Ritz cracker topping, done in 18 minutes, and leftovers reheat like it's freshly made!
I spent over $300 comparing fresh black truffles to five different truffle products to find the one that actually tastes like the truffle mac and cheese you'd order at a restaurant. Spoiler alert: truffle oil didn't make it to the top three. The real secret for the best truffle mac and cheese recipe is truffle zest! It gives you the distinct flavor associated with truffles without the off-putting artificial flavor other products carry.
Love truffle? Try my whipped ricotta with honey & truffle! If you prefer a baked mac and cheese, try my old-fashioned mac and cheese with evaporated milk.
Recipe Overview: Truffle Mac & Cheese Recipe
✅ Recipe Name: Truffle Mac & Cheese Recipe
🕒 Ready In: 18 minutes
👪 Serves: 10 people
🍽 Calories: 385 calories (estimated)
🥣 Main Ingredients: elbow pasta, truffle zest, white cheddar cheese, fontina cheese, milk, butter, flour
👌 Difficulty: Easy!
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Why You'll Love This Creamy Stovetop Mac & Cheese
- It reheats like a dream! The roux helps to stabilize the truffle cheese sauce so it can tolerate heat without the cheese splitting and getting stringy.
- It has real truffle flavor without the hefty price tag! Truffle zest is the best substitute for fresh truffle I've tested - even better than truffle oil!
- It's a posh macaroni and cheese recipe that'll impress your guests without keeping you in the kitchen, plus the toasted Ritz cracker topping adds a crunch that makes it feel like a restaurant side.
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Key Ingredients
Pasta. Opt for elbows or cavatappi pasta. The truffle cheese sauce coats the outside and gets in the middle. You can also use penne!
Cheese. White cheddar gives this truffle mac recipe just enough sharp flavor, and the fontina balances it out with a sweet, buttery flavor. Since most pre-shredded cheeses have an anti-caking agent that can prevent them from melting smoothly, it's best to shred from the block.
Whole Milk. Adds richness without adding too much fat that would make the truffle cheese sauce greasy.
Flour & butter. Equal parts all-purpose flour and unsalted butter make a roux, which is crucial for this homemade stovetop mac and cheese to stay creamy and so it reheats smoothly.
Ritz crackers. Toasted for a crunchy topping. You can also use panko breadcrumbs, saltines, oyster crackers, or even your favorite cheddar crackers!
Truffle zest. Gives this white cheddar mac and cheese recipe true truffle flavor without being overpowering or artificial. If you're interested in how to imitate truffle flavor with other products, you can also try using truffle salt when boiling your pasta!
How to Make This Truffle Mac & Cheese Recipe
- Step 1: Make the Ritz cracker topping.
- Step 2: Make the roux.
- Step 3: Add milk slowly to make a béchamel.
- Step 4: Add the cheese on low heat and stir til smooth.
- Step 5: Stir in the elbow pasta.
- Step 6: Add the Ritz cracker topping to the truffle mac and cheese and serve!
FAQs
Yes. Your roux or béchamel can get grainy if the heat was too high or if the milk was added too fast. To fix this, reduce the heat (remove the pan from the heat if needed) and whisk until smooth. If still grainy, use an immersion blender and process until smooth.
Your heat is probably too high. When cheese is exposed to heat that it too high or is heated too fast, the proteins seize up, separating the cheese into a globby, stringy mass and grease. To avoid this, keep the heat as low as possible.
Using pre-shredded cheese can also cause the cheese to melt into globs since the anti-caking agents prevent the cheese from melting smoothly.
No. This truffle mac and cheese recipe is made specifically for the stovetop. In one of my tests of this recipe baked it to crisp the Ritz cracker topping but the cheese sauce separated. To keep the truffle mac and cheese creamy, it should be cooked on the stovetop.
If you're trying to keep the mac and cheese warm before serving, the "keep warm" setting on your stove is best. You can also place it in a crockpot set to low. Add the Ritz cracker topping right before serving.
Nope! You get a robust truffle flavor from the truffle zest (I like Sabatino brand) that also doesn't taste overwhelmingly artificial.
Getting fresh truffle probably isn't worth it for most home cooks since the actual truffle has a mild flavor, and the flavor that many people associate with truffle from restaurant dishes is from additional truffle flavoring that is added to the dish.
If you really want to try fresh truffles for yourself, Urbani and Sabatino are reputable companies that ship you real fresh truffles. I've ordered from both, and the quality is about equal, but Sabatino is slightly more affordable.
If you do buy fresh truffle, be sure to have a plan to use it all within a week since the flavor reduces quickly with time. You can infuse it in butter to extend the shelf life.
Roux vary in the level of browning from white to blond to brown to dark roux. As the roux is heated, the starch molecules in the flour are broken down, so the darker the roux, the less potent its thickening power; however, darker roux have a deeper flavor thanks to the Maillard reaction. This truffle mac and cheese recipe uses a blond roux for a happy medium, while my crab chowder uses a brown roux.
Tips for the Best Truffle Mac and Cheese
- Shred your cheese cold from the block. Cheese shreds more easily when it's cold, and pre-shredded cheese often has an anti-caking coating that prevents it from melting as expected and making a homogeneous truffle cheese sauce.
- Don't rinse the boiled pasta. The starchy coating helps the truffle cheese sauce cling to the pasta. For the same reason, avoid adding oil to the pasta water. To avoid the pasta sticking together, bring the water to a boil first, then give a quick stir once the pasta is added.
- Save a little of the pasta water. I always save at least ½ a cup when making any sauce for pasta. If you let your béchamel or the cheese sauce cook a little too long or at too high a heat, the water evaporates, making the cheese sauce thicker than intended. The pasta water can help to thin the sauce as needed, and the starch helps to keep everything smooth.
- Add the milk to the roux slowly. Adding the milk too fast can make the béchamel sauce clumpy.
- Keep the heat low when adding the cheese. High heat will make the white cheddar cheese sauce separate and get stringy.
- Keep it warm in the crockpot so the truffle cheese sauce stays smooth. Add the Ritz cracker topping right before serving.
More Pasta Recipes You'll Love
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Truffle Mac and Cheese Recipe
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Boil the elbow pasta according to the manufacturer's instructions. Drain and set aside. Be sure to salt the pasta water adequately.8 ounces elbow pasta
- Shred the white cheddar and fontina cheese and combine them by hand. Set aside.10 ounces white cheddar cheese, 8 ounces fontina cheese
- Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat. Add the crushed Ritz crackers, stirring occasionally until evenly toasted (about 2 minutes).1½ ounces Ritz crackers, 1 ounce unsalted butter
- Set aside until ready to serve the mac and cheese.
- Wipe the pan clean of any Ritz cracker bits, then melt the butter for the roux over medium heat.1½ ounces unsalted butter
- Add the all-purpose flour, whisking until it forms a smooth paste and is very light brown/beige in color.½ ounce all-purpose flour
- Slowly pour in the milk a little at a time to make a béchamel, continuously whisking until completely incorporated and the sauce is smooth.12 ounces whole milk
- Turn the heat all the way down to low and add half of the shredded cheese to the béchamel, along with the truffle zest and white pepper. Stir until the cheese has completely melted.¾ teaspoons truffle zest, ½ teaspoon white pepper
- Add the other half of the shredded cheese and stir again until the truffle cheese sauce is completely smooth.
- Add the drained pasta set aside earlier and stir until all the pasta is coated.
- Sprinkle the Ritz cracker topping on top of the truffle mac and cheese. Serve while warm (with shavings of fresh truffle and shredded Parmesan if using).fresh truffle, Parmesan cheese
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat easily in the microwave, stirring in increments so it heats evenly and retains its smooth texture.
Nutrition
Notes
- Shred your cheese cold from the block. Cheese shreds more easily when it's cold, and pre-shredded cheese often doesn't melt smoothly due to anti-caking coatings.
- Don't rinse the boiled pasta or add oil to the pasta water. The starchy coating helps the truffle cheese sauce cling to the pasta.
- Keep the heat low when adding the cheese. High heat will make the white cheddar cheese sauce separate and get stringy.
- If you need to make the mac and cheese a little in advance, keep it warm in the crockpot so the truffle cheese sauce stays smooth. Add the Ritz cracker topping right before serving.
