Level Up Your Mac & Cheese with Mustard Powder
A pinch of mustard powder makes boxed mac taste like it has a secret.
Mustard powder does something quiet but decisive in a cheese sauce: it sharpens everything. The sauce stops tasting flat and starts tasting unmistakably cheesy, even before you've added more cheese. That's not an accident—it's chemistry working in your favor. The result is a mac and cheese that tastes like you actually tried. The sauce is a little bolder, a little deeper, and it holds your attention all the way to the bottom of the bowl. One spice, added in under a second, and the whole dish steps up.
How much
¾ teaspoon dry mustard powder for a 4-serving batch (about 12 oz pasta, 2 cups cheese sauce)
When to add it
Whisk the mustard powder into the roux—the butter-and-flour stage—before any liquid goes in. Heat activates its sharpening compounds and cooking it briefly in fat smooths out any raw, nose-tickling edge.
Why it works
What you need
- 12 oz elbow macaroni
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon dry mustard powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups whole milk
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 cups sharp cheddar, freshly grated
- ½ cup Gruyère, freshly grated
How to do it
- 1
Cook macaroni in well-salted boiling water until just al dente, about 7 minutes. Reserve ½ cup pasta water, then drain.
- 2
Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat until foamy. Add flour and whisk constantly for 90 seconds until the paste turns pale gold and smells slightly nutty.
- 3
Add mustard powder, salt, and pepper directly into the roux. Whisk for 30 seconds—the mixture will look dry and slightly grainy. That's fine.
- 4
Pour in milk and cream in a slow stream, whisking the whole time to prevent lumps. Keep heat at medium and stir until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes.
- 5
Remove the pan from heat. Add cheese in two handfuls, stirring each addition until fully melted before adding the next. The sauce should be glossy and smooth.
- 6
Fold in the drained pasta. If the sauce feels thick, add pasta water a splash at a time until it moves easily.
- 7
Taste and adjust salt. Serve immediately—the sauce tightens as it sits.
Same trick, another dish: The same ¾ teaspoon trick works in a classic potato gratin: whisk it into the cream before you pour it over the layers.