I have found this to be one of the easiest (and yummiest) ways to prepare mac and cheese. The pasta cooks in the cream and broth, making this a very convenient one-pot method. While your pasta is cooking you can shred your cheeses to have ready to stir in once the rice cooker has done its job. I have listed swiss, cheddar, and jack cheeses in my recipe, but you can experiment to make this recipe your own. A tablespoon of grated parmesan is an excellent addition. I would recommend keeping the swiss, as that adds a nice creaminess to the dish.
Why the rice cooker?
Hands-Off Cooking: This is arguably the biggest advantage. You simply add the ingredients to the rice cooker, turn it on, and let it do its thing. Since I always manage to have boil-over when cooking anything with cream, this is a must for me!
Minimal Effort & Simplicity: It’s a very straightforward process. There’s no need to boil water separately, drain pasta, or manage multiple pots. It simplifies the entire cooking process, making it ideal for beginners, busy individuals, or those in small kitchens without a full stove.
One-Pot Meal: Everything cooks in a single pot, which means significantly less cleanup afterward. This is a huge plus for anyone who dislikes doing dishes.
Creamier Results: Cooking mac and cheese in milk (instead of just water) in the rice cooker can lead to an extra creamy texture, as the starch from the pasta thickens the milk.
A few more tips:
If you are feeling a little guilty about the heavy cream, this can be made with evaporated milk as a 1:1 substitute. the end result is a little less creamy, but still delicious.
Vegetable stock is equally yummy in place of the chicken stock.
Gluten free pasta can also be used. The penne pictured with this recipe was gluten free.
One half cup grated cheese is about 2 ounces of the block of cheese.
Rice cookers vary. When I originally posted this recipe over 10 years ago, I was using a rice cooker that cooked the pasta much faster than it’s “white rice” time. The rice cooker I use now (pictured above with my amazon affiliate link) takes about 20 minutes on the “quick” setting. All that to say, check your rice cooker periodically the first time you make this recipe to find your cooker’s perfect timing.
Mac and Cheese in the Rice Cooker
Ingredients
- 2 cups macaroni
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup shredded swiss
- ½ cup shredded cheddar
- ½ cup monterey jack
- ½ teaspoon salt and pepper
- Pinch of Cayenne pepper
Directions
- Place pasta, chicken stock, and cream into your rice cooker with salt, pepper and cayenne. Close lid and start cooking on the “white rice” setting. Check on the pasta every 10 minutes or so. Rice cookers vary, so check your pasta often for tenderness.
- Once pasta is al dente, and liquids have been partially absorbed, (it should look creamy, not watery) add cheeses, stir well, and allow to heat through. Serve right away.
This recipe was originally posted on November 5, 2012
and was edited and updated on June 2, 2025.
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Clover and Thyme 
I’m gonna try that!
Great! I hope you enjoy it! It’s so much less involved than the baked mac and cheese recipes I’ve made.
Brilliant idea — never would have thought of it. My rice cooker doesn’t really have settings (just on/off/warm) but I think I can make this work!
Thanks, Jessamine – yes, I think any rice cooker would work – just check the pasta for doneness and you’re good!
Brilliant!
Wow- very cool. We have the rice cooker and will try this!
Great! I hope it works out for you, too!
Great idea
Thanks! it’s been such a time saver!