Gwynedd Stuart
Ariana Losch
The best frozen mac and cheese is creamy and indulgent and puts the boxed stuff to shame. Whether you’re looking for a mac worthy of your holiday table or you just want to upgrade dinner, the best frozen macaroni and cheese is just what the pasta doctor ordered.
Frozen mac and cheese is indulgent and delicious, yes, but it isn’t for control freaks. If you like to micromanage how al dente your pasta turns out, frozen mac and cheese probably isn’t for you. This stuff is saucy and, generally, that makes for soft pasta. But let’s rewind and focus on the good. Like I said, this stuff is saucy. Cheese-saucy. It’s special-occasion food, but there’s no reason you couldn’t throw a tray of it in the oven for dinner any night. Eat it as a side or, hell, eat the best frozen mac and cheese as a meal. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but nothing matters anymore!
How we conducted our taste test:
We update our recommendations every year by trying (and retrying) all of the frozen mac and cheeses out there. We focus on brands available at major nationwide grocery stores, from places like Walmart, Kroger, Costco, and Trader Joe’s, and always hunt for new vegan and gluten-free options, too. We’re looking for classic, homestyle crowd-pleasers alongside more unique and gourmet flavors. We’ll typically cook each frozen macaroni and cheese as recommended (if oven is the first suggestion, we go with that; otherwise, they went in the microwave).
What we looked for in the best frozen mac and cheese:
- Indulgent flavor: A rich, deeply cheesiness that doesn’t blend into the background or taste too much like cream.
- Thick, creamy sauce: If the sauce is at all watery, it’s out. (In fact, just stirring the tray should sound borderline NSFW.)
- Good noodle texture: Even after freezing and reheating, the pasta should hold its shape. Soft noodles are hard to avoid, but mush in the bowl is unacceptable.
- Cheese pull: Cheese pull isn’t just for mozzarella sticks! If our forks pick up strings of cheese, we know we’re in business.
We found the best frozen mac and cheese to serve a crowd, the best frozen gluten free mac and cheese, and the best vegan mac and cheese, too. Buckle up (but not too tight); things are about to get cheesy.
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- Evol Truffle Mac
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Coming from someone who isn’t the biggest fan of truffle, this higher protein truffle mac and cheese is nice, balanced, and bright. The truffle flavor is surprisingly subtle (it smells way more truffle-y than it tastes), and the sauce has enough parm to blend that funky little mushroom with the more classic cheddar. It has 15g of protein (hell yeah) and the most acceptable level of sodium of all the best frozen mac and cheeses on this list. My main critique is that I wish there was more of it. The tray is pretty petite. (Perhaps a chance to add even more protein?) —Ariana Losch
Credit: Liv Averett / Target
- Chao Creamery Plant-Based Mac ‘N Chao Creamy Original
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This vegan mac and cheese blew us away. We’ve liked Chao’s products in the past—their vegan cheese slices are perfect for vegan grilled cheese—but this was a surprise. It’s very saucy and the sauce really tastes like cheese. There’s no odd aftertaste, which is usually the drawback with vegan dairy products. Our only problem with this vegan mac and cheese? The portion is so small! If you’re serving this for an occasion, like vegan Thanksgiving, for instance, buy a few boxes. —Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart
- Amy’s Macaroni & Cheese
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The image on the box isn’t lying—this frozen macaroni and cheese is saucy as all get out. And the cheese sauce is definitely the star here. It’s silky and creamy and doesn’t separate like some other cheese sauces tend to. Even if you eat this with a fork, every bite packs a mouthful of sauce. That said, the sauce could stand to be a little more flavorful, but if you want something that won’t dry out on the table, this is the best frozen mac and cheese you can buy. —Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- Stouffer’s Macaroni & Cheese
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As we so often say, this one is a classic for a reason. Yes, the macaroni is mushy rather than al dente and the flavor of the cheese sauce doesn’t have a whole lot of complexity, but it’s warm and creamy and satisfying in a way that doesn’t require a lot of thought. No thinking, just eating. Whenever I have Stouffer’s frozen macaroni and cheese I always wonder why I don’t eat it more often. It’s a treat-yourself side that’s easy as hell to make (I love that the edges brown up even when you cook the tray in the microwave, which we did in this case). This is the best frozen mac and cheese for a crowd, especially if you’re feeding a big group with a bunch of kids. They’ll be so happy. —Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart
- Beecher’s “World’s Best” Gluten Free Mac & Cheese
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I will admit that I didn’t taste this frozen gluten free mac and cheese alongside its glutenous counterpart (see #2), but I swear, I would never, ever, ever be able to tell this tray of frozen macaroni and cheese was made with gluten free pasta (penne, specifically). It’s so good! But, honestly, Beecher’s cheese sauce would be good on a boot. It’s so rich with salty, complex cheddar flavor. This is the best frozen mac and cheese for a mixed crowd—I highly doubt any gluten eaters will notice the difference. —Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- Beecher’s “World’s Best” Mac & Cheese
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Beecher’s claims to make the “World’s Best” mac and cheese. And in terms of overall flavor, no joke, this may be the best frozen mac and cheese you can buy. But here’s the thing: This isn’t macaroni! It’s penne! I couldn’t in good conscience give a penne and cheese the top spot on a macaroni and cheese list. That said, holy shit, this stuff is good. Beecher’s eschews a homogenous mystery cheese sauce for one that’s redolent of sharp white cheddar (Beecher’s Flagship cheddar, to be precise) and plenty of paprika. I cooked this one in the oven because that was the first suggestion on the package, and it browned up really nicely. Scoop this into a Pyrex and put it on your holiday table; no one will know it’s frozen mac and cheese. Just don’t gaslight guests by calling it macaroni! —Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Liv Averett / Vons
- Patti’s Good Life Mac & Cheese
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Patti LaBelle is a music industry icon (c’mon, she has two tracks on the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack!). And if this mac and cheese from her lifestyle brand, Patti’s Good Life, is any indication, she’s also an absolute maniac in the kitchen. There are four servings of mac and cheese in this box and each individual serving packs 34 grams of fat and 20 grams of saturated fat. With stats like that, you’d assume this stuff is indulgent—and you’d be correct. This frozen mac and cheese, made with both cheddar and Monterey jack, isn’t just cheesy. It’s so, so buttery. Honestly, my new life goal is scoring a Thanksgiving or Easter invite to Patti LaBelle’s house, because you know this woman is loading her sides and casseroles with pounds of butter like god intended. But this isn’t the best frozen mac and cheese just because it’s egregious; it’s the best frozen macaroni and cheese because it’s really well seasoned and tastes absolutely excellent. If you can find this at Walmart, buy it! (And pick up one of Patti’s cobblers while you’re at it.) —Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
Best Protein Mac and Cheese
Best Vegan Frozen Mac and Cheese
Best Sauce
Best for a Crowd
Best Gluten Free
Best Flavor
Best of the Best
Other products we tried
365 Family Size Macaroni & Cheese, Banquet Mac & Cheese, Marie Callender’s White Cheddar Mac & Cheese, Michelina’s Macaroni & Cheese, Signature Select, Stouffer’s Ultimate Spicy Nacho Mac & Cheese, Bob Evans Queso Mac and Cheese, Lean Cuisine Frozen Meal Vermont White Cheddar Mac And Cheese, Bob Evans Farms Macaroni & Cheese, Blake’s Old Fashioned Mac & Cheese, Marie Callender’s Creamy Vermont Mac & Cheese Bowl, Stouffer’s Ultimate Five Cheese Mac Frozen Meal
Griffin Parker
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