Danny Palumbo
Hebba Gouda
Gwynedd Stuart
The best boxed mac and cheese is a beautiful thing. When it comes to pure decadence, oven-baked macs can’t quite be beat (seriously, try Patti LaBelle’s mac and cheese ASAP), but the best stovetop mac and cheese is quicker, more convenient, and way more customizable. Add canned peas! Add roasted broccoli! Add some fake chicken or a can of chili! The possibilities are pretty much endless.
How we conducted our boxed mac and cheese taste tests
Over the course of three taste tests (including one you can watch below), we tried a range of different boxed mac and cheeses. We included the classics, but we also tried some newer variations, like vegan boxed mac and cheese, gluten free boxed mac and cheese, and protein mac and cheese (yep, we finally got around to including Goodles in our taste test). Everything we tried came with dried pasta, cheese powder or cheese sauce, and the add-ins they advertised. The only things we added were ingredients that were explicitly in the directions, i.e. milk and butter.
What we looked for in the best boxed mac and cheese
There are a lot of differing opinions among the Sporked staff about what constitutes the best box mac and cheese. Mainly people are divided on cheese dust vs. cheese goo, but we all agree that the best boxed mac and cheese should be creamy, well sauced (nothing is more disappointing than dry mac), and actually taste like cheese—even if it’s fake cheese. Overall, we learned that there’s a ton of great boxed mac and cheese on the market, including a few new products that are giving the classics a run for their money. Honestly, it’s hard to go wrong, but if you’re really looking for the best of the best boxed mac and cheese, try one of the picks on this list.
The following article contains affiliate links that may generate a small commission to us when you make a purchase through the link. Learn more about how we work with affiliates here.
- Daiya Cheddar Style Deluxe Mac & Cheeze
-
Our previous pick for best boxed vegan mac and cheese (Upton’s Deluxe Ch’eesy Mac) was a little controversial (most of the tasting team weren’t fans), but everyone could get behind this Daiya Deluxe mac. The macaroni is super high quality—it reminded us of the noodles in the Kraft Deluxe boxes, which we love. This is “deluxe” because it comes with a packet of premade cheese sauce rather than a packet of powder that would be to be reconstituted with vegan butter and a milk alternative, and while the sauce is a little pale (it looks nothing like the bright orange cheese pictured on the box), it tastes great. We tasted this alongside “deluxe” offerings from Kraft and Velveeta, and it totally held its own despite being dairy free. In fact, it’s less salty tasting than its non-vegan counterparts, and that isn’t a bad thing. —Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon
- Kraft Gluten Free Mac & Cheese
-
The best gluten free mac and cheese comes frozen (ya GOTTA try Beecher’s), but the best boxed gluten free mac and cheese is made by Kraft—no surprise there, I guess. Other GF mac and cheese just doesn’t quite nail the noodle texture. It’s always too rigid. In years past, Banza and Annie’s seemed like great gluten free options, but Kraft recently swooped in with much more convincing noodles (they’re made with brown rice and corn) and a sauce that tastes exactly like the Kraft powdered cheese sauce you know and love. This is perfect for mixed GF/non-GF households. —Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Liv Averett / Banza
- Sprouts Hatch Green Chile Mac & Cheese
-
Yes, we said this is the best chile mac—not chili mac. (Though it would be good if you mixed it with one of the picks from our best canned chili ranking.) The hatch chile flavor here is really nice and smooth. Hatch chiles have a light spice and mellow fruitiness, and they are making their way into a lot of our favorite products these days. And that’s for good reason: Hatch chiles have a delicious flavor and I think you’ll appreciate it in this creamy, cheesy boxed mac and cheese. Just a note: This mac needs salt, in my opinion. — Danny Palumbo
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Great Value Artisan Crafted White Cheddar and Black Pepper
-
I used to be a fan of the classic elbow macaroni. That was back when I was young and naive, and didn’t know that you could have an elbow noodle that’s double the size of a classic elbow but a million times the quality. These beefy elbows are big enough to house a hefty amount of creamy cheese sauce, and curled enough to protect it on the long journey from bowl to mouth, essentially turning each noodle into a twisty water slide of cheese sauce. The ridges on the noodle invite a little extra goodness to cling to the outside, so it’s the perfect shape for a saucy bite through and through. Great Value (yes, Walmart’s Great Value) gets bonus points for having the cheese sauce ready made in a packet, but if you were banking on a bold black pepper flavor, you’ll have to add your own. Still, thanks to that big ol’ noodle, this is some of the best boxed mac and cheese. Also, Kraft Deluxe White Cheddar & Cracked Black Peppercorn (which you’ll find at #2 on our list) has been hard to find lately, so this is a good dupe for that. —Hebba Gouda
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- Cracker Barrel Cheddar Havarti Macaroni & Cheese Dinner
-
Cracker Barrel is very much like Velveeta Shells & Cheese. It has the same smooth texture and it’s super salty, creamy, and sharp. It’s a packet-of-goo type of boxed mac and cheese, which I have a strong proclivity towards, but it brings the flavor regardless of where you fall on the stovetop mac spectrum. All in all, it’s the addition of havarti that earns it a spot on our list of the best boxed mac and cheese. The semi-soft Danish cheese gives it a touch more saltiness and complexity. If you like Velveeta-style mac but want something with a more complex and interesting flavor, Cracker Barrel makes some of the best boxed mac and cheese. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Merc / Amazon
- Great Value Original Macaroni & Cheese
-
What I like about Great Value boxed mac and cheese is that it approximates that classic Kraft flavor, but it’s even cheaper. It costs just 58 cents. Fifty-eight! An amazing budget buy, especially considering this is some of the best boxed mac and cheese. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Merc / Walmart
- Annie’s Shells & Real Aged Cheddar
-
Personally, I believe that shells are the best pasta for mac and cheese—and Annie’s fills its mac and cheese in a box with perfectly sized little shells. The little cups just hold sauce well. It’s much easier to spoon together a big flavorful serving of shells compared to forking a few tiny elbows. Annie’s also scores big points for being the only mac and cheese on this list that correctly tells you to add salted butter. The other brands either don’t specify or specifically instruct you to add unsalted. That feels wrong. Most mac and cheese lacks proper seasoning if you don’t salt it yourself. While you should probably be salting and peppering all of these yourself, it doesn’t hurt to cut out the middleman and add salted butter. So, for both the choice of pasta shape and the specific butter instructions, this is some of the best box mac and cheese. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Cheetos Flamin’ Hot Mac ‘N Cheese
-
Cheetos Flamin’ Hot Mac ‘N Cheese brings all the wonderful flavor of the Bold & Cheesy (#3 on our list) but with some extra heat. It’s bright red, like the color of an exit sign hanging above a stairwell, but don’t let that deter you. Cheetos makes some of the best boxed mac and cheese because they’ve miraculously been able to distill the flavor of their Flamin’ Hot snack into mac and cheese powder. It’s delectable. They deserve a Nobel prize. Note: Make sure to buy the stovetop Cheetos Mac and not the microwavable one. The taste of the stovetop version is incomparable and produces some of the best stovetop mac and cheese possible. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Merc / Amazon
- Goodles Ched Over Heels
-
Okay, I will admit that when Goodles launched its line of protein-enhanced boxed mac and cheeses, I fell HARD. You’re telling me I can feel good about eating a box of mac and cheese every week or so? Hell yeah! Does the higher protein content (16g per serving in this deluxe variety versus 12g in Kraft’s deluxe mac and cheese) make it better for you? I’ll leave that to the nutritionists, but I can say with some authority that Goodles Ched Over Heels is their best offering yet. The cheese sauce is salty, rich, and satisfying, and the noodles have a nice bite. And if you are in it for the protein, fiber, and plant nutrients, this is a pretty fun way to get those gains. —Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Liv Averett / Target
- Kraft Macaroni & Cheese
-
Kraft is a classic, but I would argue the flavor has been outdone several times over by other companies. Still, there is a delightful buttery, salty, and sweet taste that keeps Kraft macaroni and cheese from the box in our top five. After our initial taste test, editor-in-chief Justine Sterling and I went back in to taste all the macs one more time and we found that Kraft is noticeably sweeter, especially when compared to its competitors. You think it’s just standard, but there’s really nothing quite like it. Plus, there’s something comforting about its simplicity and stability that makes it some of the best boxed mac and cheese. And hey, kids love it, too. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Merc / Amazon
- Cheetos Bold & Cheesy Mac ‘N Cheese
-
Cheetos has absolutely nailed it with their mac and cheese. It’s salty, cheesy, and dense with Cheetos flavor, just like their snacks. The packet of cheese dust that comes with this mac and cheese in a box is absolute gold. This mac is the perfect mash-up of junk food and comfort food. Hell, if a guy like Matty Matheson loves it, then it’s gotta be good. Like all of these mac and cheeses, if you want more flavor in your bowl, you can adjust the cooking ratios accordingly. Personally, I leave a tablespoon or two of pasta out of the package to get a higher ratio of dust-to-pasta. Cheetos Bold & Cheesy carries intense flavor. This is a big win for humanity and an instant place on our best boxed mac and cheese list. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Merc / Amazon
- Velveeta Shells & Cheese
-
Simply put, Velveeta Shells & Cheese is so good that it’s basically synonymous with this style of mac and cheese. It is creamy, smooth, buttery, delicious, and somehow every molecule of shell feels like it’s drenched in thick, delicious cheese goo. Sure, it’s overly processed cheese goo, but it’s America’s overly processed cheese goo. And you can’t debate the gloriously smooth and velvety texture. Nothing comforts like Velveeta Shells & Cheese. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Merc / Amazon
- Kraft Mac & Cheese Deluxe White Cheddar & Cracked Black Peppercorn
-
For a long time, this Kraft mac and cheese was in the #1 spot on our ranking of the best boxed mac and cheese, but accessibility has become an issue. We haven’t been able to find it locally for a while, but it still exists on Kraft’s website, so we’re keeping it on the list. It’s sharp, peppery, creamy, and downright sublime. The white cheddar is nutty and flavorful, and the black pepper gives it some bite. If you can find this Kraft Deluxe, buy it! But if you can’t find it, the best boxed mac and cheese on our list should be way easier to snag. —Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Merc / Amazon
- Kraft Mac & Cheese Deluxe Original Cheddar
-
The box says this mac and cheese is rich and creamy—and the box ain’t lying. You get those nice plump rigate macaroni noodles—nothing like the skinny, long, nearly straight Kraft macaroni you grew up with. This kind of mac is the perfect vehicle for the premade cheese sauce, which we decided is definitely Velveeta adjacent but ultimately much better tasting. Look, we still love Velveeta cheese, but when you taste it back to back against other cheese sauces, it has a sort of plasticky bitterness that’s tough to get past. This tastes just a little more like actual cheese, and that makes it the best boxed mac and cheese at the grocery store. —Gwynedd Stuart
Best Boxed Vegan Mac and Cheese
Best Boxed Gluten Free Mac and Cheese
Best Unique Flavor
Best Dupe
Best Cheese Combo
Best Budget
Best Cheddar
Best Spicy
Best Protein Mac and Cheese
Best Classic
Best Flavor Blasted
Best Texture
Best of the Best
Best of the Best
Other Products We Tried: Cheese Club Macaroni & Cheese Dinner, Muscle Mac High Protein Macaroni & Cheese, Simple Truth Organic Macaroni & Cheese Deluxe Cheddar, Kroger White Cheddar Macaroni and Cheese, First Street Mac and Cheese, Upton’s Naturals Ch’eesy Bacon Mac, Trader Joe’s Mac N’ Cheese, Great Value Gluten Free, Velveeta with Bacon, Velveeta with Broccoli, Signature Select Macaroni & Cheese, Kraft Mac & Cheese Deluxe White Cheddar & Garlic & Herbs, Daiya Deluxe Alfredo Mac and Cheese, Goodles Cheddy Mac, Goodles Down the Hatch, Banza Cheddar Elbows, Goodles Gluten Free Cheddy Mac
Tyler Bowers
