This creamy Lobster Mac and Cheese with Brie is the ultimate upgrade to a classic comfort food. A silky Brie and cream cheese sauce coats every noodle before it's loaded with tender lobster and baked until bubbly. Use real lobster for a special occasion, or swap in langostino to keep it easy on your wallet without losing any of the flavor!
Love rich, comforting seafood recipes? My crabmeat stuffed mushrooms are another restaurant-worthy appetizer that's surprisingly easy to make at home.
Recipe Summary: Lobster Mac and Cheese
- ✅ Recipe Name: Creamy Lobster Mac and Cheese
- 🕒 Ready In: 55 minutes
- 👪 Serves: 8
- 🍽 Calories: 697
- 🥣 Main Ingredients: Cooked lobster meat, Brie, Parmesan, white cheddar, cream cheese, milk, half and half, and shell pasta.
- 📖 Dietary Info: Contains dairy, gluten, and shellfish.
- ⭐ Why You'll Love It: Creamy Brie sauce, tender lobster in every bite, and easy enough for a weeknight but special enough for date night — plus a budget-friendly langostino swap.
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This is, hands down, one of the most requested recipes in my house. There's something about a bubbling dish of cheesy pasta studded with sweet lobster meat that makes any night feel like an occasion. And the best part? It's genuinely simple to pull together, even with lobster in the mix.
I've made this more times than I can count, testing it with different cheeses along the way, and Brie is the one that stuck. It melts down softer and silkier than gruyère, with just enough tang to play off the sweetness of the lobster instead of competing with it.
Serve it up for family, date night, or bring it to your next potluck and watch it disappear! If you can't get enough pasta and cheese recipes, try my homemade cheeseburger helper recipe or this stovetop mac and cheese with shells.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Silky rich sauce: Brie cheese gives the dish a luxurious texture along with a mild savory, buttery, and nutty flavor.
- One recipe for two different budgets: Use real lobster when you've got a bit of money to spend for a special occasion, or swap in langostino lobster for a more budget-friendly meal.
- Make-ahead friendly: Even though this dish is ready in about an hour, you can also make it ahead of time so all you need to do is pop it in the oven during the week.
- Special enough for date night or any special occasion: Brie and lobster combined with mac and cheese makes a comfort-food favorite into something impressive.
Other dinner favorites in my house are this sausage and spinach lasagna and homemade Sunday sauce.
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Ingredients
- Cooked lobster meat: Use a frozen mixture of cooked claw, knuckle, and leg lobster meat. Be sure to thaw it ahead of time. It's sweet, tender, and already tender-cooked, so there's no risk of overcooking it later.
- Conchiglie/shell pasta. It holds the sauce really well, which is why it's my favorite here! Cavatappi or elbow macaroni work in a pinch if that's what's in your pantry. Grab an extra bag at the store to make this cold tuna pasta salad later in the week.
- Half and half and milk. This combination gives the sauce richness without making it heavy. Half and half brings the creaminess, while milk keeps it pourable and prevents the sauce from feeling too thick or dense once the cheeses melt in. For the milk, use 2% or whole milk, whichever you prefer.
- Cream cheese and Brie. Cream cheese gives the sauce tang and keeps it stable so it doesn't break. Brie is the real secret here. It melts silkier and softer than the gruyère most lobster mac recipes use, and balances the lobster's sweetness. I also love Brie in this holiday crescent ring.
- White cheddar. Use freshly grated for the best texture. Pre-shredded cheese is coated in anti-caking starch, which can make the sauce grainy instead of smooth.
- Grated Parmesan cheese. Adds a salty, savory depth and a golden finish on top.
- Fresh grated nutmeg. So much better than the pre-ground stuff! It's more fragrant and adds real warmth to the cream sauce. I find pre-ground nutmeg tends to taste flat and dusty by comparison.
See the recipe card for the full list of ingredients and quantities.
Lobster Macaroni and Cheese Variations
- Budget swap: Swap the lobster for langostino tails, a type of crab that has texture similar to lobster. They make a tasty stand-in for lobster, but have a much smaller price tag.
- Starting with raw lobster: If you prefer to start with uncooked lobster. You will need to cook the tails first and then proceed to finish the recipe as directed.
- Crunchy top: If you prefer a crunchy topping, mix melted butter with panko breadcrumbs or crushed Ritz crackers, and some Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle it over the top before baking.
- Other seafood: Use lump crab or cooked shrimp instead. Just be sure not to overcook the shrimp, as it toughens up quickly.
- Cheese swaps: Gruyère and fontina are other cheeses that would also work well, though they don't have the same creamy, silky finish as Brie. For the best results, buy a block and shred it yourself.
For more pasta recipes, try this sausage artichoke pasta bake or creamy tomato and sausage and cheese tortellini.
How To Make Lobster Mac and Cheese
To make the mac and cheese super easy to assemble, prepping first is key. To start, boil the pasta according to the package instructions until just under al dente, then drain it well and set it aside. You also want to place the cream cheese and Brie on the counter to soften and preheat the oven to 375° F.
- Step 1: Melt 2 tablespoon of butter in a large, deep frying pan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk to combine it fully with the butter, cooking for two minutes while stirring frequently..
- Step 2: Whisk in the milk and half and half. Cook, stirring occasionally, until it thickens, about 7-8 minutes.
- Step 3: Add the cream cheese and Brie. Cook the sauce, stirring occasionally, until homogeneous.
- Step 4: Turn off the heat, and fold in the cheddar, Parmesan, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Adding the grated cheeses off the heat keeps the sauce smooth, not grainy.
- Step 5: Stir the cooked and drained pasta into the cheese sauce until well coated. Transfer the mixture to a greased 9x13 baking dish.
- Step 6: Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the thawed lobster meat, garlic, and lemon zest. Toss to combine and cook until just warmed, about 2-3 minutes.
- Step 7: Transfer half of the cooked lobster meat using a slotted spoon to the top of the mac and cheese, and fold it into the mac and cheese mixture. Arrange the rest of it over the top of the dish.
- Step 8: Whisk together a ½ teaspoon cornstarch with ½ teaspoon water. Add to the pan with the remaining liquid from cooking the lobster meat. Cook over medium heat, until just thickened.
Step 9: Spoon the thickened sauce over top of the mac and cheese and sprinkle with the reserved Parmesan cheese.
Step 10: Transfer the dish to the oven and bake on the top rack for 20-25 minutes, or until the cheese is lightly browned and the mac and cheese bubbles around the edges. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15-20 minutes before serving. Serve with a simple side dish such as sauteed broccolini.
Expert Tips
- Shred your own cheese. Pre-shredded cheese is coated in anti-caking starch that keeps it from melting smoothly, and can leave your sauce grainy instead of silky. A few extra minutes with a box grater makes a real difference here.
- Avoid high heat when adding the cheese. Adding cheese to a sauce that's still actively bubbling is the #1 cause of a broken, oily, or grainy sauce.
- Don't overcook your lobster. Since you're working with meat that's already cooked, you only need to warm it through in the butter, garlic, and lemon zest so it should only take a couple of minutes, tops. Overcooking already-cooked lobster meat is what turns it rubbery.
- Cook your pasta just under al dente. Pull it a minute or two before the package directions say it's done. It'll finish cooking in the oven, so slightly underdone here means perfectly tender (not mushy) once it's baked.
- Storing leftovers: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. When reheating, add a splash of milk before warming it in the oven or on the stovetop over low heat to help loosen the sauce back up since it thickens as it chills.
Lobster Mac and Cheese Recipe FAQs
Yes! You can fully assemble the mac and cheese up through topping it with the Parmesan up to a day in advance. Cover the dish and refrigerate it. Since it'll be going into the oven cold, add a few minutes to the baking time. You can also turn it into a freezer meal. Assemble the dish but don't bake it. Wrap it tightly and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw completely in the fridge overnight before baking as directed.
That's completely up to you. It's not necessary. The rind is edible and will melt into the sauce along with the rest of the cheese, adding a bit more depth of flavor. If you prefer a cleaner, milder sauce, you can trim it off before adding the Brie in.
Yes, you can use raw lobster tails. But you will need to cook them first before adding them to the recipe. Boil the tails in salted water for 3-4 minutes, or broil them at 450°F for about 8-10 minutes, until the meat is opaque and firm. Let them cool slightly, then remove the meat from the shell and chop before proceeding with the recipe as written.
A grainy sauce almost always comes down to overheated cheese. If the cheese is added while the sauce is still actively boiling, or if the sauce is heated too high after the cheese goes in, the fat and proteins separate and the texture turns grainy or oily instead of smooth. To prevent this, always take the sauce off the heat before folding in the cheese, and use freshly shredded cheese rather than pre-shredded, which contains anti-caking starches that can also cause graininess.
Serving Suggestions
Since this dish is rich and decadent on its own, I love pairing it with something bright and crisp to balance it out. An easy kale salad is one of my go-tos because the sweet-tart strawberries and feta cut right through the creaminess.
For something warm, oven-roasted asparagus with Parmesan or an air-fried squash recipe are both quick, low-effort sides that round out the meal without competing with the star of the show.
More Easy Seafood Dinner Recipes
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Creamy Lobster Mac and Cheese Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb conchiglie/shell pasta
- 2 cups half and half
- 1 cup milk
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 8 oz brie, softened and torn Into small pieces
- 8 oz white cheddar, shredded
- ½ cup grated Parmesan, plus ¼ cup for topping
- 4 tablespoon butter, divided
- 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 lb lobster meat
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon water
Instructions
- Boil pasta according to package directions to just under al dente before draining, since they will cook more in the oven. Drain and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Add 2 tablespoon of butter (reserve other 2 tablespoon for later) to a large, deep frying pan and cook over medium heat until melted, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add flour and whisk to combine fully with butter. Cook, stirring frequently, 2 minutes.
- Whisk in milk and half and half and cook, stirring occasionally until thickened, 7-8 minutes.
- Once sauce is thickened, add the cream cheese and brie and cook, stirring occasionally until homogeneous.
- Turn off the heat, and fold in cheddar, Parmesan, nutmeg, salt and pepper
- Stir in cooked noodles until well coated.
- Transfer to a greased 9x13 baking dish.
- In a non-stick frying pan, melt remaining 2 tablespoon butter over medium heat.
- Add the thawed Langostino lobster tails, garlic and lemon zest, and toss to combine. Cook until just warmed, 2-3 minutes.
- Remove the Langostino tails from the liquid in the pan with a slotted spoon, and transfer to top of Mac and cheese. Fold half into Mac and cheese mixture, and arrange the rest over top.
- Add a slurry of ½ teaspoon cornstarch and ½ teaspoon water whisked together well to the pan with the remaining liquid from cooking the lobster.
- Heat liquid over medium heat, stirring for about 2 minutes, until just thickened.
- Spoon thickened sauce over top of Mac and cheese.
- Top with reserved Parmesan cheese.
- Transfer dish to the oven, and bake on top rack for 20-25 minutes until cheese is lightly browned and Mac and cheese is bubbly. Allow to cool for 15-20 minutes until serving.
Notes
- Shred your own cheese. Pre-shredded cheese has anti-caking starch that can make your sauce grainy instead of smooth.
- Keep the heat low when adding cheese. Adding cheese to a bubbling sauce is the top cause of a greasy or grainy texture.
- Don't overcook the lobster. It's already cooked, so just warm it through for a couple of minutes — any longer and it turns rubbery.
- Cook pasta just under al dente. It'll finish cooking in the oven, so slightly underdone now means perfectly tender later.
Sharon says
This super indulgent Lobster Mac is my go-to for a fancy dinner party, or when I'm craving a rich and satisfying summer dinner!
Carrol says
Do you remove the rind from the Brie? I'm thinking not since it isn't mentioned.
Sharon says
Totally up to you! You do not need to!