Tini’s Mac & Cheese (The Viral TikTok Recipe!)
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If you were anywhere near TikTok in November 2023, you saw Tini’s mac and cheese. Content creator Tini Younger posted her homemade baked mac and cheese recipe and the internet collectively lost its mind. The video amassed hundreds of millions of views. I made it the first week it went viral, then again the following weekend because my family demanded it, and at least ten more times since. This is the best baked mac and cheese I have ever made or eaten. Three cheeses, cavatappi pasta, a rich béchamel base, and a golden baked crust that produces the most incredible cheese pull you have ever seen.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Restaurant-quality baked mac and cheese from scratch
- Three cheeses create incredible depth and the ultimate cheese pull
- Cavatappi pasta holds sauce in every spiral — far superior to elbows
- Golden crispy top, impossibly creamy interior
- The most requested dish I have ever made
Ingredients You’ll Need
- 1 lb cavatappi pasta — the spiral traps sauce in every curl
- 2 cups each: sharp cheddar, Colby Jack, mozzarella — ALL freshly shredded from blocks
- 4 tbsp butter + ¼ cup flour — the roux base
- 2 cups whole milk + 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 large eggs — tempered carefully
- 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp smoked paprika, ½ tsp mustard powder, salt and pepper
How to Make Tini’s Mac & Cheese
Step 1: Make the roux
Cook cavatappi 2 minutes shy of al dente. Drain, do NOT rinse. Mix all three cheeses and divide in half. Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and whisk constantly for 2 full minutes until nutty-smelling roux forms.
Step 2: Build the cheese sauce
Gradually whisk in milk and cream. Cook 5 to 7 minutes until thickened. Add seasonings and HALF the cheese — stir until melted. Temper the eggs: add 2 spoonfuls of hot sauce to beaten eggs, whisk quickly, then pour back in. Sauce will be thick, glossy, and deeply golden.
Step 3: Combine and layer
Fold pasta into cheese sauce until every spiral is coated. Pour HALF into greased 9×13 dish, sprinkle HALF remaining cheese, add remaining mac, top generously with remaining cheese.
Step 4: Bake until golden
Bake at 350°F for 30 to 35 minutes until deeply golden-brown and bubbly. Broil on HIGH for 2 to 3 minutes for the ultimate golden crust. Watch closely. Rest 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
The Cheese Pull
The moment you have been waiting for — lift a spoonful and watch the cheese stretch dramatically. This is why Tini’s recipe went viral. Three cheeses working together create a pull that genuinely looks unreal.
Tips for the Perfect Result
- Always shred your own cheese — pre-shredded contains anti-caking agents causing grainy sauce
- Undercook pasta by 2 minutes — it finishes in the oven
- Temper the eggs — never add cold eggs directly to hot sauce
- The cheese layer in the middle is non-negotiable
- Be generous with the top cheese layer for the best golden crust
- Broil at the end for maximum golden color
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I find cavatappi pasta?
Most major grocery stores carry it. Also called cellentani. If unavailable, penne or rigatoni are the best substitutes — not elbow macaroni.
Why temper the eggs?
Adding eggs directly to hot sauce will scramble them. Tempering — adding hot sauce to the eggs gradually while whisking — slowly raises their temperature so they incorporate smoothly as a thickener.
Can I make this ahead?
Yes — assemble through layering, cover tightly, refrigerate up to 24 hours. Bake as directed adding 15 extra minutes since it starts cold.
More Comfort Food Recipes
- Philly Cheesesteak Pasta — one-pan pasta with beef and melted provolone
- Crack Chicken Casserole — addictive ranch cream cheese chicken
- Jiffy Corn Casserole — the most beloved potluck side dish
- Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta — creamy one-pot pasta
Tini's Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 lb cavatappi pasta
- 2 cups sharp cheddar freshly shredded from block — never pre-shredded
- 2 cups Colby Jack freshly shredded from block
- 2 cups mozzarella freshly shredded from block
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 large eggs whisked — tempered before adding
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp mustard powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Cook cavatappi in heavily salted water until 2 minutes shy of al dente. Drain — do NOT rinse. Mix all three cheeses together and divide into two equal halves.
- Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and whisk constantly for 2 full minutes until nutty-smelling roux forms.
- Gradually whisk in milk and cream in a slow steady stream. Cook over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes, whisking frequently, until sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
- Remove from heat. Add all seasonings and HALF the cheese mixture. Stir until completely melted. Temper eggs: whisk 2 large spoonfuls of hot sauce into beaten eggs, then pour tempered eggs back into saucepan. Stir to combine. Sauce should be thick and glossy.
- Add cooked pasta to cheese sauce and fold until every piece is fully coated.
- Grease a 9x13 baking dish. Pour in HALF the mac and cheese. Sprinkle HALF the remaining cheese mixture over this layer. Pour remaining mac and cheese on top. Cover generously with remaining cheese.
- Bake at 350°F for 30 to 35 minutes until top is deeply golden-brown and bubbly. Optional: broil on HIGH for 2 to 3 minutes for an extra-golden crust. Watch closely.
- Rest 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Salt pasta water heavily.
Undercook pasta 2 minutes — it finishes in oven.
Temper eggs before adding — never add cold eggs directly to hot sauce.
Do not skip the cheese layer in the middle.
Make ahead: assemble, refrigerate up to 24 hours, bake adding 15 extra minutes.
Reheat with a splash of milk.
Did you make Tini’s mac and cheese? Leave a star rating and tell me how the cheese pull turned out!
Sarah Mitchell is the home cook and recipe developer behind Kitchen Love Story, a food blog dedicated to easy, comforting recipes that real families actually love. After years of searching for simple weeknight dinner ideas that didn’t require a culinary degree or a grocery list a mile long, Sarah decided to start creating and sharing her own. Her recipes focus on accessible ingredients, straightforward techniques, and big, satisfying flavors — the kind of food that brings people together. When she’s not testing recipes in her kitchen, Sarah enjoys meal prepping on Sundays, exploring farmers markets, and convincing her family to try at least one new dish a week. She lives with her family and a very enthusiastic golden retriever who considers himself the official taste tester.
