How Chick-fil-A Mac & Cheese is Made, According to an Employee

story by SARAH THOMPSON • photo by KALEA MARTIN

Chick-fil-A has the best mac and cheese in the fast-food game. I’ll stand by that. Maybe I’m biased—I worked there for four years—but the proof is in the pan: a sauce that’s perfectly creamy, plenty of browned, toasted bits mixed throughout, and a flavor that’s comforting without trying to reinvent the wheel. It’s just classic mac and cheese, done right, which is exactly why it hits every time.

My Chick-fil-A days are long over, but that mac and cheese recipe is with me forever.

@malavezgarcia

sorrry to disappoint everyone who didn’t know this is how we make our mac & cheese #chickfila #mypleasure #macandcheese #lunchbreak #fyp #foryou

♬ HOT & SPICY SALSA – Jaycee Mante

The Not-So-Secret Method

Let’s get this out of the way first: no NDAs are being broken here, and no vaults are being cracked open. Spend a few minutes on TikTok and it won’t be hard to track down a video of a current Chick-fil-A employee explaining exactly how the mac and cheese is prepared.

The process is simple:

• A bag of fully cooked mac and cheese is opened
• It’s heated in a lined tray
• A shredded cheese blend is sprinkled on top
• The whole thing is baked until the cheese melts and forms that signature crust

That’s it. No stovetop stirring, no secret seasoning packets, no theatrics. Which brings us to the real question everyone wants answered:

So What’s Actually in the Mac and Cheese?

The magic isn’t in the method, it’s in the ingredients. According to the label on the bag of pre-made mac and cheese, here’s what’s inside:

Cooked elbow macaroni, water, pasteurized American cheese spread, margarine, Montamore cheese, cheddar cheese, soybean oil, nonfat dry milk, parmesan cheese and asiago cheese, natural butter flavor, Romano cheese, modified corn starch, salt, sugar, emulsifying salt, lactic acid, egg yolk powder, emulsifier, enriched bleached wheat flour, sodium polyphosphate and sodium phosphate, soy lecithin, natural cheese flavor, and xanthan gum.

This explains a lot: the ultra-smooth texture, the rich dairy flavor, and the consistency that holds up whether the mac has been sitting on the line for five minutes or thirty.

As for the shredded cheese on top, the ingredients are:

Cheddar cheese, annatto, Monterey Jack cheese, potato starch, powdered cellulose, natamycin, soybean oil, soy lecithin, dimethylpolysiloxane, and propellant.

Translation: A cheddar-forward blend with Monterey Jack for meltability, plus the usual anti-caking agents and preservatives that keep pre-shredded cheese stable in a commercial kitchen.

@xoxo.tluna

spice up your mac @Chick-fil-A #chickfilet #chickfilahacks #chickfilaemployee #chickfilasauce #chickfilamenuhack #chickfilaislife #chickfilamacncheese #chickenontiktok #chickfilatings #chicken #sidechick #macaroni #macncheeserecipe

♬ original sound – Tiana Luna

Turning Fast Food Into Homemade

Yes, there are preservatives. Yes, there are stabilizers. That’s the reality of food made at scale. Natamycin prevents mold growth. Powdered cellulose keeps shredded cheese from clumping. Xanthan gum thickens and stabilizes the sauce so it reheats smoothly every single time. None of this is unusual—it’s just how fast food maintains consistency across thousands of locations.

Here’s the good news: if you’re making this at home, you don’t need most of that stuff. You can replace xanthan gum with cornstarch, or better yet, make a classic roux with butter and flour. Freshly grated cheese melts better anyway, and you can control the balance of cheddar to Monterey Jack based on how sharp or stretchy you want the final dish to be.

Now, Chick-Fil-A obviously doesn’t share the actual recipe with all the exact measurements with its employees. However, between the ingredient lists and the preparation method, we know enough to reverse-engineer a very convincing homemade version. Here’s how to make the mac and cheese at home.

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The Real Chick-Fil-A Mac and Cheese Recipe (An Employee’s Homemade Copycat Version)

Ingredients (for 4 servings):

Pasta

• 8 oz (about 2 cups) elbow macaroni
• 2 cups water (for cooking pasta)
• 1 tbsp salt

Cheese Sauce

• 2 tbsp margarine
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole milk
• ½ cup pasteurized American cheese spread (such as original Velveeta)
• ¼ cup shredded MontAmore cheese
• ¼ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 2 tbsp nonfat dry milk powder
• 2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp shredded Asiago cheese
• 1 tsp natural butter flavor (optional, if you want closer taste)
• Pinch salt
• Pinch sugar
• 1 tsp egg yolk powder (or 1 egg yolk)

Topping (Optional for crust)

• ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
• ¼ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Instructions:

1. Cook the pasta:
   • Bring 2 cups of salted water to a boil in a medium pot.
   • Add elbow macaroni and cook until just tender (al dente). Drain and set aside.
2. Make the roux:
   • In the same pot, melt butter over medium heat.
   • Whisk in flour and cook for 1–2 minutes until it forms a smooth paste.
3. Make the cheese sauce:
   • Gradually whisk in milk until smooth.
   • Lower heat and add American cheese spread, MontAmore, cheddar, Parmesan, Asiago, nonfat dry milk, salt, sugar, butter flavor, and egg yolk powder.
   • Stir constantly until all cheese is melted and the sauce is creamy.
4. Combine pasta and sauce:
   • Add the cooked macaroni to the cheese sauce. Stir to coat evenly.
5. Bake for the signature crust (optional):
   • Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
   • Transfer mac and cheese to a lightly greased baking dish.
   • Sprinkle shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack on top.
   • Bake 15–20 minutes until the top is bubbly and slightly golden.
6. Serve immediately and enjoy that creamy, Chick-fil-A mac & cheese!

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