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Home » Recipes » Halloween

Halloween Macaroni and Cheese

Published: Sep 16, 2023 Last Updated: Sep 15, 2023 by Marye 977 words. | About 5 minutes to read this article.

15 minutes mins
Easy Halloween mac and cheese is colored deep, spooky black. Serve it sprinkled with Parmesan cheese for a delicious, kid-friendly meal that they'll love!
Jump to Recipe
Halloween mac and cheese is colored deep, spooky black and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.

🎃 Greetings, dear mortals, and welcome to the macabre feast of the night!

Behold, the Halloween Black Macaroni and Cheese, a sinister concoction of pasta enrobed in a velvety abyss of darkness.

As the moon waxes and the shadows dance, dare you venture into the depths of this decadent abyss? A symphony of flavors that would make even the spirits shudder with delight.

An exquisite delight for the discerning palate. Bon appétit, if you dare!

A bowl of black macaroni and cheese for Halloween.
Jump to:
  • 🗝️ Key takeaways
  • 🧾 Ingredients
  • 📖 Variations
  • 🔪 Instructions
  • 🥫 How to store leftovers
  • 💭 Things to know
  • 👩‍🍳 FAQs
  • 📚 Related recipes
  • 🍽️ Serve with...
  • 📓 Meal plans in minutes
  • 📞 The last word
  • 📖 Recipe
  • 💬 Comments

🗝️ Key takeaways

  • A fun, spooky twist on everyone's favorite cheesy recipe—and it only takes five ingredients!
  • Great as a quick lunch or easy dinner, this is a perfect meal for kids during Halloween season.
  • Regular macaroni and cheese is easy to spook-ify with one effortless, budget-friendly step.

This Halloween mac and cheese recipe is exciting, delicious, and only takes a few minutes to make—nothing scary about prep!

Whip up a big cauldron for your next Halloween party, and everyone is guaranteed to have a hauntingly good time.

🧾 Ingredients

This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.

Ingredients for Halloween mac and cheese.

📖 Variations

  • Instead of black, feel free to use blue or green food coloring. It gives a creepy, toxic look to your mac and cheese.
  • You can use this same method with homemade macaroni and cheese. Add the coloring when mixing the cooked pasta with other ingredients.
  • Sometimes, I'll heat up a microwaveable bag of veggies (like broccoli or peas) and stir it into cooked, boxed mac for a more filling meal.
  • You could also add some chopped-up ham or bacon for more flavor.

🔪 Instructions

This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page.

Step by step instructions for Halloween mac and cheese.
  1. In a large saucepan, boil the noodles according to the package directions. Add the butter and milk to the drained pasta.
  2. Sprinkle in the cheese mixture.
  3. Stir, then add food coloring.
  4. Mix, adding more coloring if necessary.

🥫 How to store leftovers

Prepared macaroni and cheese is easy to store, so if you have leftovers, don't toss it out!

Refrigerate

Spoon any extras into an airtight container or cover with plastic wrap. Keep it in the refrigerator.

Enjoy within five days.

Freeze

You can also store it in the freezer for three months.

Defrost the Halloween macaroni and cheese overnight in the refrigerator. Then, add a splash of milk and microwave 'til heated to your liking.

A Halloween table set with spooky black mac and cheese in white bowls.

💭 Things to know

Expert Tip: For the best mac and cheese, cook the noodles to al dente. This means they are still firm and have a bite. They'll continue to soften a tiny bit while the creamy cheese sauce is hot.

  • Whole milk makes the sauce creamier and richer. Some people add a little cream cheese to amp up the texture!
  • Use a light hand with the food coloring. You can always add more if it's too light. However, too much coloring can taste bitter.
  • Garnishing with parmesan cheese adds a delicious finishing touch. I like to grate it myself—the green tube stuff just isn't the same.

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👩‍🍳 FAQs

Can I use any mac and cheese shape?

Sure thing! If you prefer pasta shells, go ahead. It's also fun with the novelty shapes, too.

Do I rinse the pasta in cold water after draining it?

No. Some people use an ice bath to stop pasta from cooking, but that's best when making a chilled dish. It's not recommended when you want the sauce to stick to the noodles, like mac and cheese.

Does the black food coloring stain your teeth?

The color brushes right off when you brush your teeth although they may look a little creepy until you brush.

Overhead view of the Halloween mac and cheese on a red linen.

📚 Related recipes

  • One of my favorite spooky recipes, Mummy Jalapeno Poppers are easy to make and look adorable—a scary-adorable way, of course.
  • This Jack-o-Lantern Face Cheese Ball is spicy and zingy from ranch seasoning, spicy cheese puffs, and sharp cheddar cheese.
  • Looking for something homemade? Try Old-Fashioned Baked Macaroni and Cheese. You can still make it spooky, too—just add food coloring.
  • Close up of a finished loaf of pan de muerto.
    Mexican Day of the Dead Bread (Pan de Muerto)
  • Close up of a bowl of pumpkin dip surrounded by cookies.
    Pumpkin Cream Cheese Dip
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    Mummy Jalapeno Poppers
  • Close up of a cheeseball that looks like a Jack-o-lantern.
    Pumpkin Cheese Ball Recipe

🍽️ Serve with...

Halloween Hot Dog Fingers from Deb at Bowl Me Over complement macaroni and cheese perfectly, both in taste and festive spookiness!

Scary celebrations aren't complete without an evil potion. This Dragon's Blood Cocktail is spicy and sweet—a frighteningly good combo!

Nutter Butter Ghost Cookies and Jack Skellington Oreos are easy to prep and make any party dessert table look boo-tiful!

  • DragonsBloodCocktailissogood  andprettytoo!FromRestlessChipotle.com
    Dragon's Blood Cocktail
  • Feature image showing a closeup of one of the finished cookies.
    Nutter Butter Ghost Cookies
  • Closeup of the Oreo Pops for feature image.
    Jack Skellington Oreos

📓 Meal plans in minutes

Save time in the kitchen with this simple meal planning ap. Get a 14 day free trial!

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📞 The last word

It's fun to be the weirdest mom on the block, you know?

It's a great way to make sure the kids eat something decently nutritious before they head out for candy.

If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.

If you love this recipe please comment below and give it 5 stars!

📖 Recipe

Halloween macaroni and cheese from a boxed mix colored black and served in a white bowl
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Halloween Mac and Cheese

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Easy Halloween mac and cheese is colored deep, spooky black. Serve it sprinkled with Parmesan cheese for a delicious, kid-friendly meal that they'll love!
Course Main Dish (Quick and Easy)
Cuisine Halloween,kid friendly
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes minutes
Servings:4
Calories:307
Author:Marye Audet-White
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Equipment Needed

  • Sauce pan

Ingredients

  • 7.25 ounces boxed mac and cheese
  • ¼ cup milk
  • 4 tablespoons butter, cut in pieces
  • 1 tablespoon black food coloring
  • ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

I earn a commission from Instacart from qualifying purchases.

Instructions

  • Bring 6 cups of water to a boil.
  • Add the macaroni and cook until tender.
  • Drain.
  • Add the butter and milk to the drained macaroni.
  • Stir in the cheese.
  • Stir in 1 teaspoon of the black food coloring until all the macaroni is colored black.
  • If it's not dark enough add another teaspoon or so of food coloring until the desired color is reached.
  • Spoon into serving dishes and sprinkle with Parmesan.
  • Serve.
You'll find more helpful tips and variations in the body of the post.

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 307kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 599mg | Potassium: 139mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 429IU | Calcium: 152mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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    About Marye

    With a 40 year focus on the importance of family and a passion for southern comfort food, Marye Audet-White is an expert in melding the two together effortlessly. Marye's a NY Times Bestselling author with 10 cookbooks under her belt and her recipes have been featured in Good Housekeeping, Country Living, Today, House Beautiful, Texas Living, Food & Wine, and many more.

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