Caribbean macaroni pie is a comfort food staple in the West Indies. This cheesy baked pasta dish is delicious with stewed or barbecued chicken. This recipe is a bit sweet and very plain, making it a kid-friendly version of this classic dish. If you’re looking for a more traditional savoury macaroni pie, check out my Trinidad Macaroni Pie post.
As much as I enjoy a big bowl of creamy mac and cheese, it will never replace my love for Caribbean macaroni pie.
Cheesy and baked until golden, this hearty side dish is was a weekend dinner staple at my house all through my childhood. My mom always made our macaroni pie a bit sweeter than most people do. She also left out a lot of the traditional seasonings (onions, herbs, mustard etc.), probably because I was such a picky eater. After making it that way for so many years for me, and then for my brother, this sweet version eventually became our preferred recipe.
Every Caribbean household seems to have their own macaroni pie recipe, to be honest. Some people like theirs to be spicy, some people use a lot of herbs. It’s one of those recipes that you can easily customize to suit your own family.
As I mentioned earlier, if you’re looking for a classic savoury macaroni pie recipe, you’ll want to check out my Trinidad Macaroni Pie post. That recipe has savoury ingredients like onion, garlic, thyme, etc.
Regardless of how you flavour your macaroni pie, it will always be delicious with a saucy main course. We enjoy eating it with stewed or barbecued chicken, but I’ve heard that some people serve it with fish. I personally love eating it with stewed chicken, because I can use the pie to mop up all of that delicious sauce.
Macaroni pie might be a bit strange to you if you’ve never eaten it before – especially if you’re used to eating creamy macaroni and cheese. The texture is different, because the cheese isn’t melted into the sauce. For macaroni pie, you just shred the cheese and mix it into the cold egg and milk mixture before baking. This gives you chunks of cheese, instead of a creamy cheese sauce. Don’t let this deter you from trying the recipe though – it’s tasty!
There are many ways you can make this dish your own. You can try using a different type of cheese, top it with fresh herbs and breadcrumbs or play around with the seasonings. My aunt makes a delicious macaroni pie with powdered ginger in it! Once you make the dish a few times, you’ll figure out what flavours you enjoy best. Again, if you prefer a classic macaroni pie, like the one in the Naparima Girls’ cookbook, you’ll want to take a look at my Trinidad Macaroni Pie recipe instead of this one.
I love the combination of cheddar or marble cheese, white pepper and brown sugar, because those are the flavours that I grew up with. This is the mac and cheese of my childhood, and I’m not about to mess around with it.
Caribbean Macaroni Pie
Ingredients
- 2 cups elbow macaroni , uncooked
- 2 eggs
- 2 2/3 cups evaporated milk , (measure from 2 cans of Carnation milk)
- 3 1/2 cups cheddar cheese , grated, reserve 1/2 cup for topping
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- salt , to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Boil macaroni in salted water approximately 8 minutes, or according to package instructions. Once cooked, drain and set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat eggs until fluffy.
- Add milk, pepper, sugar and salt and stir until combined.
- Stir in 3 cups of cheese, and the cooked macaroni.
- Pour into a greased, 9×11 baking dish and top with reserved 1/2 cup of cheese.
- Bake until firm, 35-40 minutes.
- Allow pie to rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Cold cheese is easier to shred than warm cheese
- In Trinidad, people use New Zealand cheddar cheese but you can use whatever you have available
- If the cheese on top begins to brown too quickly, cover it with tin foil for the remaining baking time.
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Ken says
Omg, that looks so yummy! I want a sample!
Veronica Worthy says
I love mac and cheese all ways…grew up on the homemade creamy kind…but when made like this…i can’t help my self I love it!????… It’s Cheesy and simple and great with a side of meat and gravy…
Shareba says
I’m glad you like it Veronica! I know what you mean, I grew up on macaroni pie but I LOVE creamy mac and cheese now too 😀 You can’t beat the cheese + pasta combo!
REBECCA DE SERRES says
Thank you for the recipe, I made one and froze it and now im wondering how to bake it? What temperature & for how long?
Please HELP!!
Shareba says
Ooh, good question. I’ve never frozen one before. I think you could be ok baking it from frozen, but I’d cover it with a piece of tin foil so the top doesn’t burn. It’s going to take longer to cook than the recipe calls for. Check it after 45 minutes, see how it’s firming up. It’s done with everything is set (solid), and you can still brown the top in the last 5-10 mins of cooking (take the foil off). Does that help?
Lini says
Can you use a 9×13 pan? If yes would you need to make adjustments to the recipe?
Shareba says
Hey Lini, sorry for the delay in my reply. Yes, you could totally use a 9×13, the resulting pie will just be a bit thinner. If anything, you may need to reduce the cooking time a bit because of that. I’d make sure to start checking the doneness by the 25 minute mark and keep a close eye on it. I hope that helps!
Talia Thompson says
I just made this and it is soooo yummy and perfect, how long can I keep it in the fridge would you say?
Thank you so much xxx
Shareba says
Hey Talia,
I’m glad that you enjoyed it! If it’s tightly sealed, you should be able to store it for 2-3 days. I hope this helps!
Nicky says
This is how my mom and the rest of my family makes Mac and cheese, I grew up on this and I’m American. I never really cared for creamy Mac and cheese and I still really don’t. This is thee best way to make it!
Shareba says
I totally get that! I thought creamy mac and cheese was so strange the first time I had it, although I do enjoy the homemade stuff now. Thanks for stopping by Nicky!
Leanne Paganelli says
I am a little
Confused with the macaroni is it one box of elbow pasta or is it two cups spiked so per box I would double the recipe? I made this but only cooking for two I cut it in half and did one cup of dry elbows to one can of evaporated milk and it was awesome! But now I am cooking for thanksgiving and want to make a few batches of it.
Shareba says
Hi Leanne, I’m so glad that halving the recipe worked for you. In regards to the box of macaroni, it depends on the size of the box. I usually buy large bags of macaroni and measure out the amount that I need. The full amount for this recipe is 2 cups elbow macaroni, which is 16 oz or 1 lb. If you need to make a few batches, I would make one batch and bake it. Then make another batch, and bake it. Rather than doubling the recipe and trying to bake it in a larger dish, as the edges could burn before the inside cooks. Does this help? Let me know!
Patti says
I’m confused by the amount of elbow macaroni. I weighed 1 cup and it is only 4 ozs so the total for the recipe would be 8 ozs not 16 ozs. Would you please clarify? Thanks.
Shareba says
Hi Patti, sorry for the delay in my reply. You are correct, it should be close to 4oz. I just measured mine on a scale and 1 cup of small elblow macaroni gave me 4.9oz.
I made a mistake, 1 cup = 8oz of liquid, but solids are measured differently. Thanks for pointing that out! I will make the adjustment in the recipe.
Larry says
Hi I am trying this recipe tonight. Just to clarify, am I using 2 cups of macaroni or 2 boxes of macaroni?
Shareba says
Hi Larry, please use 2 cups as listed in the recipe. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you how many boxes to use as not all boxes have the same amount. I buy my macaroni in large bags and measure out the amount that I need. I hope this helps!
Kandy says
Do I have to use the egg?
Shareba says
Hi Kandy, Trinidadian macaroni pie always has an egg or two in it, to bind the filling together. But I have seen Southern pies that leave it out, so it should work if you omit it (although I’ve never tried that myself).
Fe says
Hello….. You can make a white sauce also and omit the eggs…..Each culture has its own little secret ingredient….
Shareba says
Good to know, thanks for sharing!
Kayla says
Hey what size baking pan did you use
Shareba says
Hi Kayla, I used a 9×11 baking dish (step 6 in the recipe).
Denise says
Nice. I didn’t know they made mac and cheese like that in the Caribbeans. This same mac and cheese can be found in southern black homes in Ms, Al, Ga, Sc, and Nc. We add a little bit if butter tho. I add my eggs and milk after the noodles and cheese have cooled a bit so that the egg won’t cook. My cheeses of choice are hoop cheese (the one with red wax around it) and sharp… the one you shred yourself. I bake mine on 350 for 30 min or when it lightly ….. and I mean lightly brown around the edges. So Amazing that other people in the world do this. Brown sugar is new and i will have to try it. Thank you for sharing!!
Shareba says
Hey Denise, that’s so interesting! I’ll have to try your method sometime and see what the difference tastes like. If you end up making my version, let me know what you think of it!
ERJ says
in Jamaica my grzndmother taught me to make mac and cheese this way. we cut up onion garlic green pepper escallion saute in butter then and flour slowly add in milk cheese optional mustard. we add to cooked macaroni. on top spread more cheese and panko bread crumbs bake
Shareba says
Yum! Your version sounds tasty 🙂
Mike says
Given me a good idea for my own, more a savoury than sweet person so no sugar. Would have liked metric measures and Celsius for oven, but Google can sort that out. Thanks.
Shareba says
Hi Mike, thanks for your feedback. My recipe is supposed to have a feature that allows you to press a button to convert to metric, but it doesn’t seem to be working right now. I’ll have my tech guy take a look at it for me, thanks for the heads up! Also, I do have a more savoury version of this recipe here: https://insearchofyummyness.com/trinidad-macaroni-pie/
Sal says
For the carnation milk you wrote 2 cans of carnation milk, does this mean it is ok if we use 2 cans in the recipe? or buy 2 cans and then measure it out to 2 and 2/3 cups. i used both cans and my pie seems a little more watery than most of the recipe videos i’ve watched. wondering if i have ruined the pie from using too much carnation milk
Shareba says
Hi Sal, that’s a good question… I’m going to have to go back and test this to check. This recipe is actually several years old (I keep going in to update things in the post), and I honestly don’t remember if I measure it out or use both cans. I’m assuming I usually put both cans in if I wrote it that way… but I just checked the math and it’s more than 2 2/3 cups, so I’m not sure. I’ll re-test the recipe and update the instructions. I apologize for the confusion.
Shareba says
Hi again Sal, ok so I made the recipe again tonight and figured out that I meant you’d need to measure the amount from 2 cans. The difference is 1/3 of a cup if you use all of both cans, so it will be a looser pie but definitely still edible. Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I have adjusted the instructions. sorry again for the confusion.
Nina says
Hi
Can i please have the amount of evaporated milk in mls or fluid onces
Thanks nina
Shareba says
Hi Nina, it’s about 630 ml or 21.28 fluid ounces. If you change the dropdown tab under “salt” from US Customary to Metric, it will show you the conversion. I hope this helps!
mack says
very nice
Shareba says
Thank you!
Joi says
As the amount of servings you choose go up, would you need a bigger pan? And also, I’ve experienced adding heavy cream makes it taste better!
Thanks Joi
Shareba says
Hi Joi, yes, if you’re going to make a bigger batch you may need a bigger pan. The recipe makes about 8 servings, which fits comfortably into a 9×11 baking dish. If you’re going to double it, use two pans.
Also, thanks for the tip about the heavy cream, I’ll have to try that 🙂
Dave says
Is this to be eaten alone or as a side
Shareba says
You can eat it alone if you want to, but it is often served as a side with stewed chicken, or BBQ chicken. This mac pie is pretty sweet, so if you’re new to the dish you might want to try the savoury version instead: https://insearchofyummyness.com/trinidad-macaroni-pie/. It has more mass appeal.
George R Alexander says
I’ve made this dish several times, and my entire family love it. Since I grew up in Grenada, and was used to my mom’s delicious savory version of ‘Macaroni Pie’, I really appreciate ‘your kid friendly’ version, which our 3 grandgirls 10,7 & 3 love. The American adults love it also. One important fact that one can’t over-stress; What you have here is ‘Macaroni Pie’, which is way different to ‘Macaroni & Cheese’. Thank you!
Shareba says
Hi George, thanks so much for your comment. I’m so glad that your grandchildren enjoy this version! Honestly, I was a little anxious about sharing it because I thought people would think it’s too sweet. It does seem popular with the little ones though. And yes, Mac Pie is definitely far different than Mac and Cheese!
George R Alexander says
Fantastic and delicious.
Jessica says
Oh man, I’m so excited to have found this! My best friend of 28 years is the daughter of a Jamaican immigrant. Her grandparents eventually immigrated too (we’re Canadian) and we grew up with her Nana making mac and cheese like this for us! For years we’ve been wishing we had Nana’s receipe, but we didn’t know it was a Caribbean thing! I’m so excited to try this now and maybe even porch drop some down the street to my friend 🥰 Thanks so much for sharing!
Shareba says
I’m happy to be able to help! This one is the sweeter kid-friendly version. If you grew up eating the more savoury one, I’ve got that recipe here: https://insearchofyummyness.com/trinidad-macaroni-pie/. I hope one of them works out for you! And I’m sure your friend would appreciate a porch drop – that’s such a nice idea 🙂 Stay safe!