Fried Mac & Cheese

Happy Thursday to all! Another cooking night in the books and another recipe to share.

This recipe was definitely a challenge for me and definitely required a decent time investment but I assure you that it was worth it. Here is my twist on Fried Mac & Cheese.



Let's break down the recipe. Please note that the below figures can be scaled up depending on how many people you are making this recipe for. My recipe serves about 24 pieces.

Prep Time: 1 Hour plus about 10 Hours spent in Fridge/Freezer (I split mine over 2 nights)
Cook Time: 45 minutes

Part 1
3/4 pound of Elbow pasta
1 1/4 cups of Milk (I used Skim)
10 oz Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese (Buy a fresh block and grate at home)
10 oz Gouda Cheese (Buy a fresh block and grate at home)
5 oz Velveeta
1 1/2 tbsp Butter (Unsalted)

Part 2
2 cups of Seasoned Breadcrumbs (you may use slightly more or less)
2 Eggs
2 tbsp Milk
40 oz Vegetable Oil


1. Boil water, add a pinch of salt to pot, and cook pasta until tender. Drain all water from the cooked pasta.

2. Now you will want to prepare the cheese in another pot. First, set the burner to medium and start melting the butter. As soon as the butter melts, add in the milk. Now you want to continue to heat the butter and milk mixture for a few moments until the 2 are blended and heat up (about 2 minutes).

3. You can now add the 3 cheeses into the pot. The Velveeta can be cut into a few smaller pieces to make the process a bit easier. Once all of the cheese is in the pot, continue to stir until everything is blended. Remove from heat and pour over the pasta. Mix thoroughly to ensure the cheese mixture is evenly distributed.

4. Transfer the Mac & Cheese to a shallow pan and place in the fridge to cool for a few hours (I waited just under 3 hours but you could probably get away with 2 hours).

5. Once removed from the fridge, form balls of the cold Mac & Cheese (mine were around 2 inches in diameter). Once formed, you can place the balls on a tray covered with wax paper and put the tray in the freeze for at least 8 hours (mine were in the freezer overnight and most of the next day - nearly 18 hours). This step is crucial to the Mac & Cheese balls staying together while frying.

6. Mix the eggs and milk in a small bowl. Place the bread crumbs on a plate. Take the Mac & Cheese balls straight from the freezer, dip into the egg/milk mixture, and transfer to breadcrumb plate. Ensure an even layer of breadcrumbs is applied. Once coated, place the balls in the freezer one last time for about 15 minutes.

7. While in the freezer, prepare your Deep Fryer set to 375F. Make sure the oil is fully preheated before proceeding. Fry the Mac & Cheese balls in the Fryer for 4-5 minutes until they are nicely browned.

8. Serve immediately. There you have it - Fried Mac & Cheese!