Common Ingredients in mac cheese Recipes

We researched the most common ingredients in over fifty popular mac cheese recipes and found the top 15 ingredients.

The most common ingredient in mac cheese dishes is cheese.

Elbow macaroni, milk, butter, flour and sharp cheddar cheese are also common ingredients in mac cheese recipes. Variations include:

• white cheddar cheese and heavy cream in place of sharp cheddar cheese

Salt is in 75% of mac cheese recipes and pepper, 55%.

The average mac cheese recipe has about 12.3 ingredients, with a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 29.

In terms of directions, mac cheese recipes have about 5.1 steps on average, ranging from 1 to 19 instructions.

An average mac cheese recipe takes about 1 hour 6 minutes to prepare, ranging from 8 minutes to 6 hours 5 minutes.

Ratios of Common Ingredients in Mac Cheese

For 1 cup cheese (112 g), the median and average amounts of other significant ingredients are below. Some ingredients are potential substitutes for others, meaning they almost never exist together in a single mac cheese recipe, and are marked below.

Ingredient	Median	Average	% of recipes with cheese	Potential subsitutions
elbow macaroni	0.49 pound (224 g)	0.78 pound (352 g)	80%
sharp cheddar cheese	7.9 ounce (224 g)	8.2 ounce (233 g)	40%	white cheddar cheese heavy cream
butter	1 tablespoon (14 g)	1.5 tablespoon (22 g)	40%
parmesan cheese	0.38 cup (33 g)	0.58 cup (51 g)	30%
evaporated milk	5.9 ounce (168 g)	6 ounce (169 g)	30%	heavy cream gruyere cream cheese
heavy cream	4 cup (474 g)	2.5 cup (297 g)	20%	sharp cheddar cheese eggs gruyere evaporated milk

Ingredients by Average Weight in Mac Cheese

We also found the average content of the significant ingredients by weight in mac cheese recipes. This would be: 32% elbow macaroni, 21% whole milk, 20% milk, 7% sharp cheddar cheese, 6% white cheddar cheese, 4% butter, 3% yellow onion, 3% flour and 2% parmesan cheese.

Here are the top ingredients, listed in order of popularity.

salt

Salt is the most popular ingredient in mac cheese dishes. In fact, over 75% of mac cheese recipes contain salt.

Salt is often included in mac cheese dishes in amounts of 1 teaspoon or 2 teaspoons.

In mac cheese recipes that contain salt, it is on average, 0.1% by weight.

For mac cheese recipes, salt is frequently used with elbow macaroni, black pepper, flour, butter and whole milk.

cheese

Another popular ingredient in mac cheese is cheese. From the recipes we've sampled for mac cheese, over 75% have cheese.

Variations of cheese include:

• sharp cheddar cheese: 31% of recipes
• parmesan cheese: 27% of recipes
• white cheddar cheese: 23% of recipes
• cream cheese: 10% of recipes

In recipes for mac cheese, cheese is often used with elbow macaroni, salt, black pepper, eggs and sharp cheddar cheese.

sharp cheddar cheese

Another popular ingredient in mac cheese is sharp cheddar cheese. From the recipes we've sampled for mac cheese, over 30% have sharp cheddar cheese.

Shredded and grated are frequent preparations for sharp cheddar cheese in mac cheese dishes.

Sharp cheddar cheese is often included in mac cheese dishes in amounts of 8 ounces, 2 cups or 1 pound.

In mac cheese recipes that contain sharp cheddar cheese, it is on average, 10% by weight.

For mac cheese recipes, sharp cheddar cheese is frequently used with elbow macaroni, salt, black pepper, flour and butter.

Potential substitutions for sharp cheddar cheese in mac cheese:

• white cheddar cheese
• heavy cream

Also, sharp cheddar cheese is not often used with parsley and thyme.

parmesan cheese

Parmesan cheese is another common ingredient in mac cheese dishes. In fact, over 25% of mac cheese recipes contain parmesan cheese.

Grated and shredded are frequent preparations for parmesan cheese in mac cheese dishes.

Parmesan cheese is often included in mac cheese dishes in amounts of half a cup, a quarter cup or 1 cup.

In mac cheese recipes that contain parmesan cheese, it is on average, 4% by weight.

For mac cheese recipes, parmesan cheese is frequently used with elbow macaroni, salt, flour, whole milk and black pepper.

elbow macaroni

Elbow macaroni is another common ingredient in mac cheese dishes. In fact, over 70% of mac cheese recipes contain elbow macaroni.

Cooked is a frequent preparation for elbow macaroni in mac cheese dishes.

Common quantities for elbow macaroni in mac cheese dishes include 1 pound, 8 ounces or 2 cups.

In mac cheese recipes that contain elbow macaroni, it is on average, 21% by weight.

Salt, flour, black pepper, sharp cheddar cheese and butter are commonly used together with elbow macaroni in mac cheese dishes.

milk

Another popular ingredient in mac cheese is milk. From the recipes we've sampled for mac cheese, over 65% have milk.

Variations of milk include:

• whole milk: 31% of recipes
• evaporated milk: 9% of recipes

For mac cheese recipes, milk is frequently used with salt, flour, elbow macaroni, butter and black pepper.

Potential substitutions for milk in mac cheese:

• whole milk
• eggs
• evaporated milk

Also, milk is not often used with dijon mustard.

whole milk

Whole milk is another common ingredient in mac cheese dishes. In fact, over 30% of mac cheese recipes contain whole milk.

Warmed is a frequent preparation for whole milk in mac cheese dishes.

Common quantities for whole milk in mac cheese dishes include 2 cups, 1 cup or 4 cups.

In mac cheese recipes that contain whole milk, it is on average, 32% by weight.

Salt, elbow macaroni, flour, black pepper and parmesan cheese are commonly used together with whole milk in mac cheese dishes. Conversely, whole milk is not often used with panko bread.

butter

Butter is another common ingredient in mac cheese dishes. In fact, over 60% of mac cheese recipes contain butter.

Mac cheese dishes often call for butter to be melted.

Butter is often included in mac cheese dishes in amounts of 2 tablespoons, 3 tablespoons or 4 tablespoons.

In mac cheese recipes that contain butter, it is on average, 3% by weight.

In recipes for mac cheese, butter is often used with salt, elbow macaroni, flour, black pepper and milk.

pepper

Another popular ingredient in mac cheese is pepper. From the recipes we've sampled for mac cheese, over 55% have pepper.

Variations of pepper include:

• black pepper: 48% of recipes

Salt, elbow macaroni, flour, black pepper and olive oil are commonly used together with pepper in mac cheese dishes.

black pepper

Black pepper is another common ingredient in mac cheese dishes. In fact, over 45% of mac cheese recipes contain black pepper.

Ground is a frequent preparation for black pepper in mac cheese dishes.

Black pepper is often included in mac cheese dishes in amounts of 1 teaspoon, a quarter teaspoon or 2 teaspoons.

In mac cheese recipes that contain black pepper, it is on average, 0.1% by weight.

For mac cheese recipes, black pepper is frequently used with salt, elbow macaroni, flour, garlic and butter. However, evaporated milk is almost never used together with black pepper in mac cheese dishes.

flour

Another popular ingredient in mac cheese is flour. From the recipes we've sampled for mac cheese, over 45% have flour.

Flour is often included in mac cheese dishes in amounts of a quarter cup, 3 tablespoons or 2 tablespoons.

In mac cheese recipes that contain flour, it is on average, 3% by weight.

In recipes for mac cheese, flour is often used with salt, elbow macaroni, black pepper, milk and butter. On the other hand, flour is almost never used with evaporated milk.

olive oil

Olive oil is another common ingredient in mac cheese dishes. In fact, over 25% of mac cheese recipes contain olive oil.

Olive oil is often included in mac cheese dishes in amounts of 2 tablespoons, 1 tablespoon or 1 teaspoon.

In mac cheese recipes that contain olive oil, it is on average, 1.2% by weight.

In recipes for mac cheese, olive oil is often used with salt, elbow macaroni, black pepper, flour and garlic. On the other hand, olive oil is almost never used with eggs and evaporated milk.

garlic

Another popular ingredient in mac cheese is garlic. From the recipes we've sampled for mac cheese, over 25% have garlic.

Chopped, smashed and minced are frequent preparations for garlic in mac cheese dishes.

Common quantities for garlic in mac cheese dishes include 2 cloves, 3 cloves or 1 clove.

In mac cheese recipes that contain garlic, it is on average, 0.4% by weight.

Salt, black pepper, elbow macaroni, olive oil and flour are commonly used together with garlic in mac cheese dishes. Conversely, garlic is not often used with eggs, dijon mustard and evaporated milk.

yellow onion

Another popular ingredient in mac cheese is yellow onion. From the recipes we've sampled for mac cheese, over 25% have yellow onion.

Mac cheese dishes often call for yellow onion to be sliced, diced and chopped.

Yellow onion is often included in mac cheese dishes in amounts of 1 small, 1 large or 2 yellow onions.

In mac cheese recipes that contain yellow onion, it is on average, 6% by weight.

In recipes for mac cheese, yellow onion is often used with salt, black pepper, olive oil, elbow macaroni and flour. On the other hand, yellow onion is almost never used with eggs and evaporated milk.

Other mac cheese Ingredients

Other significant ingredients used in mac cheese recipes include:

• eggs - 15%
• heavy cream - 15%
• parsley - 15%
• nutmeg - 15%
• panko bread - 10%
• dijon mustard - 10%
• bacon - 10%
• thyme - 10%
• gruyere - 10%
• paprika - 5%
• heirloom tomatoes - 5%
• hot sauce tapatio - 5%

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