CopycatSpices
Copycat Panera Mac and Cheese
Make Panera Bread's ultra-creamy white cheddar mac and cheese at home with a luxuriously smooth cheese sauce and perfectly cooked shells.
copycat · panera · casual-dining · pasta
🕑Prep10 min
🍳Cook20 min
⏱Total30 min
🍽Serves6
⭐DifficultyEasy
Ingredients
- 1 lb shell pasta
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2.5 cups whole milk
- 8 oz white cheddar cheese, shredded
- 4 oz Fontina cheese, shredded
- 2 oz cream cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and white pepper to taste
Instructions
- 1.Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the shell pasta to al dente according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- 2.Make the roux. In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes until golden and bubbly.
- 3.Build the sauce. Slowly pour in the milk while whisking continuously to prevent lumps. Cook for 4-5 minutes, whisking often, until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
- 4.Melt the cheeses. Remove from heat. Stir in the white cheddar, Fontina, and cream cheese until completely melted and smooth. Add the Dijon mustard and garlic powder. Season with salt and white pepper.
- 5.Combine. Fold the cooked pasta into the cheese sauce, stirring until every shell is generously coated. Serve hot in bread bowls or regular bowls.
Panera Bread’s mac and cheese is widely considered the best mac and cheese in the fast-casual world. Made with white cheddar and served in an optional bread bowl, it is rich, smooth, and intensely cheesy. This copycat version uses three cheeses to replicate that signature Panera creaminess that keeps customers coming back for it over and over.
Why This Recipe Works
The three-cheese combination is what sets Panera’s mac and cheese apart. White cheddar provides the sharp, tangy flavor backbone. Fontina adds incredible meltability and a slightly nutty, buttery taste. Cream cheese contributes richness and silky body that prevents the sauce from becoming grainy. Together they create a sauce that is smoother and more complex than any single-cheese version.
Pro Tips
- Use white cheddar, not yellow — it has a sharper, more refined flavor and is what Panera uses.
- Shell pasta catches the cheese sauce in their curves, delivering maximum cheese in every bite.
- Use white pepper instead of black to maintain the clean, pale color of the sauce.
- For the full Panera experience, serve it in a sourdough bread bowl.
