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Turn a guilty pleasure into an indulgent dinner party dish by upgrading your everyday mac and cheese into an uber luxurious truffle mac and cheese. Rich, slick and humming with truffle aroma, it’s a sophisticated treat that won’t cost the earth.

Serve as sidekick to a slab of rib eye steak for ultimate decadence, or with a Winter Salad for freshness and balance.

Close up view of truffle mac and cheese in a baking dish.

How to make truffle mac and cheese

Making a white sauce is a rite of passage. A skill that is passed from generation to generation.

So, the chances are you already have a mac and cheese recipe up your sleeve. Having perfected the skill of slowly and gently introducing milk to a floury paste in order to make a smooth, velvety sauce, you’re already more than halfway there.

The only difference is adding the truffle. I add it to the melting butter and then go on to make the cheese sauce as usual.

If you’re feeling particularly flush and fancy, why not add a little lobster for stratospheric luxury?! You can use a pre-cooked, defrosted whole lobster. Once you’ve extracted the lobster meat set it aside to be added to the sauce later along with the cheese.

Top down view of truffle mac and cheese in a baking dish

What truffle to use

Truffle in any form is potent and distinctive, but the price, convenience and accessibility of products can vary greatly. Here’s a quick rundown of your options:

Truffle pesto is what I’ve used for this recipe. Made from 2% Italian summer black truffles. The truffle content may be low, but I think it works for this macaroni and cheese recipe! Plus, I picked it up at the supermarket for under £4 ($5USD). Bargain! And it was easy to use.

Truffle cheese can be high end from a delicatessen or budget-friendly from a supermarket. The more affordable supermarket versions also contain about 2% truffle and can cost from as little as £2.20 ($2.75) for 180g. So, easily accessed, but you’ll need to grate it/crumble it into the sauce. But that’s not so hard, is it?

Truffle oil does not always contain actual truffle but flavouring. So, if you’re after the real deal make sure you read the label! Buy online or in a good deli for one containing real truffle. It will cost more than the alternatives mentioned above but will make more of an impact. A bit more leg work, but easy to use and authentic truffle flavour.

Truffles preserved in oil are whole truffles, so you can be sure you are getting the genuine article. Costly and fiddly, so in my opinion, better reserved for those extra special date night dishes like truffle risotto.

Recipe Tips and Notes

It may be baked macaroni and cheese, but do not overbake it!! It goes in the oven at 200C/400F for 10 minutes only. This is enough time to get that gorgeous bubble at the edges and a crispy breadcrumb topping but to keep the centre oozy and lava-like. Any longer and the risk is a dry bake.
Buy a block of quality cheese, not a pre-grated one. Although it seems more convenient, pre-grated does not melt well (due to added anti-caking agent) and it doesn’t taste as good. It will drastically impair the texture and flavour of your macaroni cheese.
Don’t get me wrong, you can’t beat a tongue-tingling mature cheddar on a cheeseboard, but in a truffled mac and cheese, I go for a milder one. It’s a good melter and it won’t battle with the truffle for flavour supremacy! Or you could try a truffle-flavoured cheddar if you can find one.
I’ve used a store-bought truffle pesto as nifty little kitchen hack. Way more economical than real truffle, easy to use and I could get all my ingredients from my local supermarket. Alternatively, you could use the truffle cheese mentioned or This is an affiliate link.truffle oil.
Rooting out a decent truffle or truffle oil needs a bit of guidance. My blog for tagliatelle with bacon and portobello mushrooms, or tagliatelle with truffle sauce can offer some first-time truffle buying advice (and 2 more delicious pasta and truffle recipes!).
Yes, you can be picky about your breadcrumbs! My crumb of choice is This is an affiliate link.Panko. If you don’t know, they are breadcrumbs made without the crusts. This makes them lighter, flakier and less likely to absorb the oil- which means a crispier topping.

Process shots of making the sauce mixture

Storage and leftovers

If your family is anything like mine, you can bet your bottom dollar there won’t be any truffle mac and cheese leftovers. If yours is more restrained though, you can keep the covered leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days.

To reheat, either microwave for 1-2 minutes (per portion), or add a splash of milk and reheat on the hob. I don’t advise reheating in the oven as the sauce tends to dry out.

Other pasta recipes to try

Truffle Mac and Cheese

By Julia Frey of Vikalinka

Prep: 10

Cook: 25

Total: 35

Servings: people

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An uber luxurious truffle mac and cheese that's rich, slick and humming with truffle aroma, it’s a sophisticated treat that won’t cost the earth.

Ingredients

Instructions

Cook the macaroni in a large pot of salted water according to package instructions. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F.
Meanwhile, make the truffle cheese sauce by melting the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, then add the truffle pesto and blend in the flour with a wire whisk. Continue cooking for 1-2 minutes while stirring the entire time. The mixture will turn yellow and start to smell pleasantly nutty. Now add the milk gradually while stirring to avoid lumps, allow the sauce to thicken for 5-7 minutes over medium heat. Stir in the grated cheese and allow it to melt and fully incorporate into the sauce. Add salt to taste. (Don't forget the salt!)
Make the breadcrumb topping by melting the butter in a microwave, then add the breadcrumbs and a pinch of salt, then mix to combine.
Drain the pasta, then return it to the pot and pour the cheese sauce over it, stir to coat. Turn out the macaroni and cheese into a buttered baking dish (at least 3.5-4 Quart/3.5-4 L capacity). Sprinkle the prepared breadcrumb topping all over and bake in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes. (Baking it longer will only dry out the sauce!