Mummy Mac and Cheese Cups

These mummy mac and cheese cups turn creamy baked mac into spooky, kid-approved fun. Make a batch for Halloween dinner and watch them disappear fast.

Mummy Mac and Cheese Cups are individual portions of creamy cheddar macaroni baked in a muffin tin, with optional pastry strips arranged on top to look like mummy bandages. This recipe serves 12, delivers bubbly, golden-topped cups with a silky cheese sauce inside, and is perfect for Halloween dinners and kids’ parties.

Here’s everything you need to make it perfectly.

Okay, so I thought the mummy wrapping would be the hard part. It wasn’t. The part that tripped me up was the sauce: I rushed the milk on my first try and ended up with a thin, runny mess that soaked straight through the pasta.

Why You’ll Love These Mummy Mac and Cheese Cups

The inside is rich and creamy, and the top bakes up golden with a slightly crisp edge. Each cup is its own portion, so there’s no scooping and no arguing over who got the corner piece. Kids can help arrange the bandage strips and press on the candy eyes, which makes dinner feel like a craft project. The mummy wrapping is optional, so you can also bake them plain and still get a great cheesy bite.

What Ingredients Do You Need for Mummy Mac and Cheese Cups?

Ingredient Group	Ingredient	Amount	Notes
Pasta	Elbow macaroni	1 (16 ounce) package	Cooked al dente
Cheese Sauce	Unsalted butter	1/2 cup	Melted for the roux
Cheese Sauce	All-purpose flour	1/2 cup	Whisked into butter
Cheese Sauce	Milk	4 cups	Whole milk preferred
Cheese Sauce	Shredded cheddar cheese	4 cups	Stirred in off heat
Seasoning	Paprika	1/2 teaspoon	Stirred in with cheese
Seasoning	Salt and pepper	To taste	Added after cheese melts
Mummy Wrap (Optional)	Crescent roll dough or puff pastry	Amount not specified	Cut into thin strips
Decoration (Optional)	Edible candy eyes	Amount not specified	Added after baking

The original recipe doesn’t give an amount for the pastry or candy eyes, so I left those open rather than guess. If you love a classic creamy homemade baked mac and cheese, this is the same comfort food in a cute single-serve shape. Whole milk gives you the creamiest, richest sauce, and the paprika adds a subtle warmth that keeps these Halloween mac and cheese cups from tasting flat.

How to Make Mummy Mac and Cheese Cups Step by Step

Prep the Oven and Pasta

1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C) and grease a muffin tin.
2. Cook elbow macaroni according to package directions until al dente. Drain and set aside.

💡 Pull the macaroni while it still has a little bite, because it keeps softening in the sauce and again in the oven.

Make the Cheese Sauce

3. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly, to create a roux.
4. Gradually whisk in the milk until the mixture is smooth and thickened. Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Remove from heat and stir in the shredded cheddar cheese and paprika until the cheese is completely melted and the sauce is creamy. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Pro Tip: Add the milk gradually while whisking, because pouring it in all at once is what causes lumps in the roux.

Assemble and Bake

6. Add the cooked macaroni to the cheese sauce and stir until well combined.
7. Spoon the macaroni and cheese mixture into the prepared muffin cups, filling each cup almost to the top.
8. (Optional mummy step) If using, cut crescent roll dough or puff pastry into thin strips. Arrange the strips over the mac and cheese cups to resemble mummy bandages, leaving a small opening for “eyes.”
9. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the mac and cheese is bubbly and golden brown on top (and crescent roll dough is cooked through, if used).
10. Let cool for a few minutes before carefully removing from the muffin tin. If desired, add small edible candy eyes to the mummy cups.

Pro Tip: Let the cups rest a few minutes before lifting them out, since the cheese sauce firms up as it cools and helps each cup hold its shape.

Expert Tips for Perfect Mummy Mac and Cheese Cups

Pro Tips for Success

Take the sauce off the heat before the cheese goes in. The key to a smooth, creamy sauce is stirring the shredded cheddar in off the burner, which melts it gently instead of making it grainy. Keep stirring until you can’t see any strands of cheese.

Don’t skip the full 5-7 minutes on the milk. The most common mistake is stopping when the sauce looks pourable, so instead cook until it coats the back of a spoon. I wish someone had told me this before my first batch turned watery in the muffin tin.

Fill the cups almost to the top. For best results, mound the mixture right up to the rim, since mac and cheese doesn’t puff up like batter. Full cups give you a golden, bubbly surface for the bandages to sit on.

Keep the bandage strips thin and uneven. Mummy Mac and Cheese Cups work best when the strips overlap loosely and leave a small gap for the eyes. Messy strips look more like real wrappings than perfectly straight ones.

Watch the top, not just the timer. Look for bubbling edges and golden brown color, and if you used pastry, make sure it’s cooked through with no pale, doughy patches.

Delicious Variations

Quick Version. Skip the mummy step and bake the cups plain. You still get creamy, golden Halloween mac and cheese in about the same time.

Alternative Ingredients. Use puff pastry instead of crescent roll dough for the bandages. Both are listed in the original recipe, and puff pastry gives you flakier layers.

Gluten-Free Version. Swap in gluten-free elbow macaroni and a gluten-free flour blend for the roux. Leave off the pastry wrap unless you find a gluten-free dough you trust.

Troubleshooting Common Problems

Problem: The cheese sauce is thin and runny.
Solution: The milk needed more time. Keep cooking and stirring until the sauce thickens and coats a spoon, which takes 5-7 minutes.

Problem: The cups stick to the muffin tin.
Solution: Grease every cup well before filling, and let the cups cool for a few minutes before lifting them out.

Problem: The pastry strips look pale or doughy.
Solution: Keep baking up to the full 20 minutes until the crescent dough or puff pastry is cooked through and golden.

How to Store and Reheat Mummy Mac and Cheese Cups

Storage Method	Duration	Best Practice
Room Temperature	Up to 2 hours	Cover loosely on the serving tray
Refrigerator	3-4 days	Cool completely, then use an airtight container
Freezer	Up to 2 months	Freeze baked cups in a sealed freezer bag

Reheat in the oven until the cheese is bubbly again and the edges turn lightly crisp. The microwave works if you’re in a hurry, but add a splash of milk and expect softer, creamier cups instead of crisp tops.

Leftover cups make an easy lunchbox side with a few veggie sticks. You can also crumble one into a small skillet with a little milk and warm it into a quick stovetop mac.

FAQs About Mummy Mac and Cheese Cups

Go Make a Spooky Batch

Honestly, these are the first thing to vanish at our Halloween table, and I mean it. Save the recipe to your Pinterest Halloween board so you can find it when October rolls around again. Then come back and tell me in the comments how your mummies turned out and what silly faces you gave them. For more weeknight winners, browse these family-friendly comfort dinner recipes, and add a sheet pan nacho party bake if you’re feeding a crowd.

Mummy Mac and Cheese Cups with creamy cheddar sauce and golden, crisp-edged bandages. An easy Halloween dinner kids love to eat. Save this for your spooky party menu!