My Lobster Mac and Cheese Recipe is ooey gooey, creamy, and cheesy loaded with sweet lobster meat. Lobster Mac and Cheese is one of those decadent treats you order when you go out to eat. But the truth is you can make it better than your favorite restaurant and at a fraction of the price with my easy recipe!
It’s comfort food that calls to us with all its decadent deliciousness.
Lobster meat used to be hard to find in grocery stores and most people didn’t have access to the places chefs could shop. That just isn’t true anymore, with many supermarkets carrying frozen lobster meat.
You can even find whole live lobsters at local grocery stores and Asian supermarkets. They’re easy to cook. All you need is a large pot of salted water and some old bay seasonings. Just make sure you’re buying cold water lobster.
What ingredients do I need to make Lobster Mac and Cheese?
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make Lobster Mac and Cheese. In Chef Speak this is called the “Mise en Place” which translates to “Everything in its Place”.
Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed up the cooking process, it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
What type of lobster should I use for lobster mac and cheese?
You definitely want to use lobster meat from the claws and body. It actually has the most flavor and that’s why its also used in New England’s favorite sandwich “Lobster Rolls”.
Don’t use lobster tails! It’s a waste of good lobster meat and will disappoint you if added to mac and cheese. Lobster tails, need to be quickly cooked or they get tough and rubbery; lobster meat from the claws and body has a lot more moisture and flavor making it perfect for baked casseroles.
No lobster? No problem, you can use any type of crab meat you like instead of lobster. Shrimp can be used, but if they cook too long they’ll get tough and chewy.
What type of cheese should I use for lobster mac and cheese?
A combination of cheese is best for this type of dish. I love sharp cheddar cheese and will usually add some gruyere cheese and a little parmesan cheese to my cheese mixture. The flavors of the cheese sauce will be well-balanced and delicious.
Feel free to use the types of cheese you enjoy eating. After all it’s your dinner.
Making the cream sauce for the mac and cheese is pretty easy to do and the real trick to the dish comes when you assemble and finish it. If you let it sit too long the noodles will absorb the cream sauce and the mac and cheese will be dry.
So to make sure it’s the best it can be, the cheese sauce should be hot and the noodles room temp or warm. Don’t mix it all together and instead layer the noodles with some sauce lobster, more noodles and more sauce.
Top with breadcrumbs and finish under the broiler. Don’t let it bake or sit any longer than you have to.
Don’t wait for a special occasion to order Lobster Mac and Cheese at your favorite restaurant! Make dinner a special occasion and enjoy this decadent, delicious dish in your home tonight.
Recipe FAQ’s
Lobster meat from the body and claws is the best choice for this dish. Lobster tail meat is at its best when cooked quickly, leaving it tender. Lobster tail cooked longer than necessary yields tough, tasteless, rubbery lobster.
You can use your favorite type of cheese or a combination of cheese to make this dish. Some of my favorites to blend into this dish are cheddar, gruyere, Jarlsberg, and fontina. Adding a little parmesan cheese or Romano cheese will perk up the sauce.
More cheesy Recipes You’ll Love!
The Very Best Lobster Mac and Cheese Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 4 tablespoon flour
- 2 cups milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 pound cooked lobster meat body and claw
- 1 lb elbow macaroni or your favorite pasta
- 16 oz sharp cheddar cheese shredded or cheese of your choice
- ½ cup Italian bread crumbs
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° and grease an 8″ x 8″ baking dish
- Boil the elbow macaroni for 7 minutes or until al dente, drain and set aside
- cut the already cooked lobster meat into manageable pieces
- heat the milk in a saucepan until hot, but do not allow it to boil.
- In a heavy saucepan, melt the butter and then add the flour, whisking until combined
- Gradually add the heated milk, whisking constantly until the mixture becomes smooth and creamy. You may need to add additional milk or water if it becomes too thick.
- add in the shredded cheese and mix until fully incorporated
- Stir in the salt, pepper, nutmeg and mix well
- start a layer of the cooked macaroni in the baking dish and ladle cheese sauce covering it completely.
- Add a layer of lobster pieces , and then another layer of macaroni.
- add a few pieces of lobster on top(for visual appeal) of the last layer of pasta and then cover with the remaining cheese sauce.
- sprinkle the Italian bread crumbs on top of the finished mixture and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.
- For the last 5 minutes turn on the broiler to add color to the top.
- Remove from oven and serve immediately.
Jo
Who can resist this pasta. Mac n cheese never fails. Never tried mac and cheese with lobster, it looks so very delicious!
Moop Brown
This Mac and cheese looks incredibly comforting and filling. I love the way you paired 2 of my favorite foods in this dish!
Loreto Nardelli
This definitely deserves 5 stars. Lovely dish!
Loreto Nardelli
Chef Dennis, this is exsquisite luxurious comfort food at its best. Making that cheese sauce so cheesy and having those morsels of lobster makes for a taste bud tantalizing experience. We don’t have Reasaurant depot here but it sounds like a cool place!
Cheers!
Beth
I used to think that Lobster was the ultimate birthday dinner, but combining it with mac and cheese really takes it into decadent comfort food. Loved the story about shopping like a chef.
Farrukh Aziz
This lobster Man n cheese was so delicious, it was creamy and cooked perfect, we had great Saturday family dinner. I have saved this recipe and am making this again soon. Thank you very much for sharing this amazing recipe Chef! 🙂
Neha
I am loving how creamy, rich and delicious it looks! I like the use of cheddar cheese in this lobster mac and cheese. A lot of cheddar is sitting in my fridge and now I know where I am going to use it, yum!
Jenny
May I say that this is the best lobster mac and cheese I have ever had? We wanted Christmas to be special this year, and we also did not want to roast anything. Your fabulous dish came to the rescue, and it was comforting, delicious, and such a treat. Felt like a hug! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. We loved it and will make it again.
Kathryn Donangelo
This lobster Mac and cheese is one of my favorites and love how it’s made with white cheddar. It pairs perfectly with the lobster and I’ll be making this again for a Christmas side dish. Thanks Dennis!
Gloria
OMG….this is the ultimate comfort food. It takes mac and cheese to a whole new level. My kind of recipe….and finally I have convinced hubby to like lobster. Maybe that is a bad thing since now I will have to share LOL.
Chef Tami Conklin
Chef – This Was Very Nice. I Made This for Another Lady Chef and We Both Enjoyed This Dish Very Much – Thank You.
Ken Albert
Living in Maine, our family has a tradition of enjoying something with lobster / sea food for our Christmas meal. I used this recipe (doubled), and it was a BIG hit. I couldn’t find the Cabot Alpine, but I did find their shredded Mac & Cheese, which is a nice blend of the Alpine and some of their Sharp Cheddar. This dish was so appreciated that it will be a new staple for hardy meals requiring wonderful comfort food.
Chef Dennis Littley
I’m happy to hear your family enjoyed my mac and cheese recipe and just about any cheese you like will in mac and cheese will work with this recipe. I hope you find more deliciousness to try on blog
Mike
I used a good GRUYERE and TRULY aged sharp cheddar and 1/2 again more sauce.Great simple recipe that made great left overs.
Chef Dennis Littley
Happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe Mike!
David
Over from England, skiing in Stowe, and looking to cook lobster mac ‘n cheese. Found your recipe and followed it to the letter. Didn’t know we were a stones throw from the Cabot creamery until we Googled it – the cloth bound was fab. With lobster from Stowe seafood and your recipe we had a match made in heaven. Thanks Dave
Chef Dennis Littley
Thanks for finding my recipe and giving it a try Dave! I do love Cloth Bound Cheddar.