Is the World Ready for Sweet and Spicy Kraft Mac & Cheese?

Have you heard the term “swicy” yet? I’m ashamed to admit it comes up a lot around the office, especially lately. It’s a portmanteau of “sweet” and “spicy,” and it’s invaded the cultural consciousness via the grocery store, thanks in no small part to the packaged food brands leaning hard into the public’s (apparent) affinity for hot honey. 

Everywhere you look these days, there’s hot honey. In the past couple of years, we’ve seen—and, in some cases, tasted—hot honey Pringles, Utz potato chips, Cheez-Its, AriZona tea, and, in a few short days, we’ll be able to dig our forks into Hot Honey Kraft Mac & Cheese. 

Okay, so the new Kraft Mac & Cheese flavor is hot honey. In a word…why? 

Call me an old fuddy-duddy, but I’m not convinced hot honey-flavored mac and cheese needs to exist. And far be it from me to argue with the algorithm. According to Kraft, they’re simply giving the people what they want—or what they stare at on social media, anyway. As the press release says, “Hot Honey is one of 2025’s hottest culinary trends (literally!), appearing everywhere from restaurant menus to social media platforms, with #HotHoney garnering over 100M+ views on Tik Tok.” 

Great, the new Kraft flavor is optimized—but how will it taste? 

According to Kraft, you can expect “a first-of-its-kind sweet heat twist on the classic mac, with notes of hot honey, paprika, and buttermilk.” Honestly, it doesn’t sound bad, but we’ve been burned before. A lot of the hot honey-infused savory snacks we’ve tried have been just okay. The spice is nice, but the honey flavor always tastes a little phony and feels a little wedged in. 

Luckily, there’s a second new Kraft mac and cheese flavor coming down the pike—and you don’t have to know from “swicy” to like it. New Garlic Parmesan Kraft Mac & Cheese promises “a creamy cheese sauce with rich garlic and parmesan flavor.” Sadly, you’ll have to wait a little longer to give this one a try: While Hot Honey Kraft Mac & Cheese (a Target exclusive, FYI) is hitting stores on September 28, Garlic Parm won’t be on grocery store shelves until October 20. But hey, that gives you enough time to finish the OG box that’s been moldering in your pantry for a couple months.