Flamin’ Hot Cheetos Mac and Cheese

by Sabrina Snyder

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12 Comments

5 from 5 votes
16 servings
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
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Flamin’ Hot Cheetos Mac and Cheese is creamy, spicy, and outrageously cheesy, baked with crispy Cheetos on top for comfort food with a twist!

After one bite of this amazing Pasta, dinner time will never be the same again because it is truly a game (and life) changer! Try out my Jalapeno Popper Mac and Cheese and Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese next!

Sabrina’s Flamin’ Hot Cheetos Mac and Cheese Recipe

Flamin’ Hot Cheetos Mac and Cheese is all about homemade junk food indulgence! You could use a box of Mac and Cheese, but you will miss out on all three cheeses, creamy goodness. It’s worth a little extra cooking time and calories for the best Mac and Cheese you’ll ever eat.

Recipe Card

Dinner, then Dessert

Flamin’ Hot Cheetos Mac and Cheese Recipe

Flamin' Hot Cheetos Mac and Cheese is creamy, spicy, and outrageously cheesy, baked with crispy Cheetos on top for comfort food with a twist!
Yield 16 servings
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Dinner
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder
dish of baked pasta with bag of cheetos on side
PrintRate

Ingredients
 

  • 6 cups Flamin’ Hot Cheetos , divided
  • 5 cups whole milk
  • 1 pound large elbow macaroni
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter , divided
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 2 cups mozzarella cheese , freshly shredded
  • 2 cups cheddar cheese , freshly shredded
  • 8 ounces American Cheese , slices

Instructions

  • Add 3 cups of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos to your food processor and pulverize into crumbs.
  • Add to milk and let sit while pasta water comes to a boil and cooks (about 20 minutes).
  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  • Cook pasta 2 minutes shy of the directions on the box and drain (do not rinse).
  • Add 4 tablespoons of the butter to a large pot on medium heat and melt.
  • Whisk in the flour, salt, and cayenne pepper and cook for 30 seconds.
  • Slowly whisk in the steeped milk and bring to a simmer.
  • Cook for 4-5 minutes until the milk has thickened, then add in the mozzarella cheese, cheddar cheese, and American cheese.
  • Whisk well until the cheese is melted then fold in the cooked pasta.
  • Pour mixture into 13×9-inch baking dish and bake for 15 minutes.
  • While the pasta is baking, lightly crush the remaining Cheetos and add to a large frying pan with the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter on medium heat.
  • Stir, cooking for 1 minute until sizzling and the red color is intensified.
  • When pasta comes out of the oven, top with buttery Cheetos and serve immediately.

Nutrition

Calories: 531kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 64mg | Sodium: 762mg | Potassium: 607mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 723IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 427mg | Iron: 1mg

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Sabrina Tip’s

Pick up the Cheetos around summer holidays when they are on sale. You’ll need about 2 regular bags or one family size bag of Cheetos. You can use the puffed Cheetos, but keep in mind they won’t be as crunchy. If you want to use puffs, use them with the milk for flavor and use the regular Cheetos for the topping. Skip the baked version of these chips and go with the regular kind for maximum flavor and crunch.

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About this Recipe

There are comfort food mashup recipes, and then there is the King of the cheesy, spicy junk food recipe. The creamy Mac consists of 3 melty cheeses and has Hot Cheetos in the sauce for extreme heat and flavor! On top of the delicious “no right to be this good” taste, this Mac takes less than an hour to make! It’s so tasty and easy, you’ll be making Flamin’ Hot Cheetos Mac and Cheese every chance you get.

Can this be made ahead of time?

Yes, you can make this mac and cheese ahead of time! Just prepare the recipe up until adding the crispy topping. Let it cool completely, cover it up and place it in the refrigerator. Reheat it over the stove to return it to that creamy texture. Add a splash of milk as needed, if your sauce is too thick or sticky. Make your crispy, crunchy coating in another pan at the same time and add it over the top once your pasta is heated all the way through.

Pairing Suggestions

Flamin’ Hot Cheetos Mac and Cheese is a perfect crowd-pleasing Fourth of July side dish and makes an easy, fiery summer dinner. For dinner time, serve with some lighter sides like Sautéed Green Beans or Roasted Broccoli. Top with sliced Grilled Chicken or Pulled Pork for a heartier summertime main dish that everyone will love. Cool off from the heat of this mac with some Red, White and Blue Cheesecake Bars.

How to Store

  • Serve: For best crunch and taste, serve Flamin’ Hot Cheetos Mac and Cheese immediately and don’t keep at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
  • Store: Store the Mac and Cheese and Cheetos topping separately. Keep the Cheetos at room temperature in a plastic bag. Mac and Cheese can be kept in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
  • Freeze: Prepare the Mac and Cheese without topping or baking. Cool and wrap the pan with plastic wrap and foil before freezing for up to 3 months. To serve, bake from frozen 20-30 minutes and prepare Cheetos topping the same day.

Alternative Cooking Techniques

Slow Cooker Method

Add all of the ingredients into the slow cooker except for the crispy topping. Cook on low for 2-3 hours and stir it every 30 minutes. When it is finished, make your crispy topping in a pan and add over the top of your fiery mac before serving.

Instant Pot Method

Cook the macaroni lightning fast and easy by cooking it in the Instant Pot! Add pasta, 3 cups of water, and 1 teaspoon salt to the Instant Pot and seal the lid. Set to Manual High Pressure for 4 minutes and then quick release when done.

Variations

  • Meat: Mix in 6-8 pieces crumbled crispy cooked bacon, or 1 pound cooked and drained ground beef, turkey, or chicken to make this a hearty main dish.
  • Veggies: You can add sautéed onions, mushrooms, or red and green bell peppers after you add in the cheese for some healthy veggies. Diced jalapeños peppers or green chiles will add a little extra southwestern heat.
  • Seasonings: Play with the flavors in this Mac and Cheese by adding 2 tablespoons Ranch Dressing Mix or Homemade Taco Seasoning before mixing in the cheeses!
  • Cheese: Other cheeses that can go in your mac are pepper jack cheese, Fontina cheese, Parmesan cheese, or Monterey Jack cheese. Make sure to grate the cheese yourself for the creamiest sauce.
  • Cheetos: You can use any Cheetos flavor you like for Flamin’ Hot Cheetos Mac and Cheese. For a less spicy mac, replace half the Flamin’ Hot Cheetos with regular Cheetos or White Cheddar Cheetos Puffs. For a peppery spicy flavor, use Flamin’ Hot Cheddar Jalapeño Cheetos, or go with the Flamin’ Hot Lime Cheetos!
  • Mac and Cheese Bites: Divide the prepared macaroni and cheese between greased muffin cups and bake as usual for Flamin’ Hot Cheetos Mac and Cheese Bites. This is great for potlucks or packing lunches!

More Mac and Cheese Recipes

mac and cheese pin image

These photos were used in a previous version of this post:

collage image of red hot mac and cheese
close up of mac and cheese on a serving spoon

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

See more posts by Sabrina

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  3. This was everything that was promised: quick, easy and sooooo good! So good that I’ll be making every chance I get? Yep! I’m about to make it again after making it for the first time yesterday and it was a big hit with family. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!

    Reply

  5. Wow! Such a cool and delicious mac and cheese, I would have never thought mac and cheese would be so much fun to cook.

    Reply