Popular Boxed Mac And Cheese Brands, Ranked

If you have a kid who only eats mac and cheese, you'll be happy to know that there are plenty of options out there that bring flavor to appeal to adults and children. While you may associate boxed mac and cheese with clumpy orange powder and mushy noodles, there are actually more choices than ever on the grocery store shelves — many from new brands that put their own spin on a classic dish. We considered taste and texture before anything else when ranking, but also looked at flavor options, ingredients, and the preparation process. Price and value also weighed in, since mac and cheese is a go-to budget dinner in our household. If we pay more than a couple of dollars for boxed mac and cheese, it better bring something extra special in the taste or texture departments.

We enlisted the help of a panel of experts between the ages of 5 and 8 to test popular boxed mac and cheese brands to see which one gets their seal of approval. We asked some adults to weigh in on which brands have the flavor to appeal to more sophisticated palates as well. Overall, brands that rose to the top were big of flavor while still maintaining a creamy delicious texture that we'd expect from homemade mac and cheese.

The Cheetos mac was the only brand that we ended up throwing away rather than finishing or saving for leftovers. It delivers on its promise of a bold and cheesy flavor, tasting exactly like a bag of Cheetos, but it was too much for both adult and kid taste testers after just a few bites. We went with the standard cheese version, which was Cheetos' closest comparison to regular cheddar. It also offers a few unique flavors, such as cheesy jalapeño and flamin' hot, which we probably wouldn't buy even if it was on super sale. However, we did like the spiral noodles, as they held onto the sauce well for each bite. We just wished the sauce was a little less intense and tasted like actual cheese.

From first glance, this mac is technicolor, even compared to other bright orange cheese powder-based options. It has a long list of unrecognizable ingredients, including artificial flavoring and colors. While other brands also use processed ingredients, this was one of the few that actually tasted like it. If you are a big Cheetos lover, this mac is for you. For the rest of us, this is one you can probably skip.

If you want a gluten-free option, Banza uses chickpea flour in its shells and cheese. This brand has elbow macaroni as well as shells and comes in cheddar and white cheddar. It is one of the only brands to offer a vegan version with vegan cheese sauce, which is made using parsnips and potatoes instead. Banza mac and cheese has a fine powder for both the regular and vegan varieties, as well as a deluxe sauce option.

We wanted to like this mac and cheese because it is higher in protein thanks to the chickpea pasta, but we just couldn't get over the different taste. We could tell that it was made with chickpeas because it tasted like them so much that it overpowered any cheese sauce. If you want to try it, we recommend upgrading your mac and cheese with other strong flavors, like barbecue chicken, veggies, or even tender brisket. On its own, Banza mac and cheese was not an option that we would be enthusiastic about trying again.

Banza is also quite a bit more expensive than other options, costing over $3.30 for a 5.5-ounce box. Not only is it pricey, but it's also smaller than any other option and we'd likely need to get two boxes for our family of four.

For kids who love fun shapes, check out Pastabilities mac and cheese. It comes in organic dinosaur and princess options, as well as a special vegan under-the-sea themed version. We tried the princesses, which was a hit with our youngest taste tester. The shape didn't impact much beyond the presentation, but each noodle did stay together pretty well and we were able to tell what they were, even when reheating leftovers the next day. The noodles had a surprisingly satisfying bite in the middle, which we've found is unusual in smaller novelty-shaped pasta.

Pastabilities is just under $6 for a 9-ounce container. It makes multiple servings, but is still more expensive than other character mac and cheese from other brands. If you're buying it just for the shape, stick with a cheaper brand — but if you want the organic or vegan ingredients, plus fun shapes for kids, this will do the trick.

As for the taste, this batch was a little lackluster and didn't have as strong of a cheese flavor as some others that we tried. It also needed a lot of mixing to fully incorporate the cheese powder with the added milk and butter. If we were to try this brand again, we'd add more butter and let it fully melt before adding any of the cheese.

Cabot makes deliciously creamy and sharp cheese, so we expected a little bit more flavor from this box. The taste was good, but not nearly as strong as any Cabot cheese we've tried. We picked the classic yellow cheddar to give a good comparison to other traditional options like Kraft and Annie's. However, the Seriously Sharp and the bacon cheddar also caught our eye, so maybe different flavors would have a stronger taste. It calls for 3 tablespoons of milk, which made the sauce pretty runny, so next time we'd sub out more butter for some of the milk. Adding an egg yolk can also turn a thin sauce into a thicker, creamier version.

The shells are also on the small side, although they had a nice bite and held plenty of cheese sauce in each. Overall, the Cabot mac and cheese that we sampled was good but nothing to write home about, even compared to other pretty standard shells and cheese. The box is 6.25 ounces, which is a bit smaller than other brands. It's also around $2, which is twice the cost of the most economical options on our list. If we're paying more for mac and cheese, we want it to bring something special like a strong flavor, unique shape, or large serving size. Unfortunately, Cabot doesn't have any of these to justify the slightly higher price tag.

Velveeta shells and cheese is another one of the classic options when it comes to boxed mac and cheese. Velveeta, which is known for its creaminess when melted, was created in 1918 and the famous shells and cheese, came out in 1978. This option is made with pourable Velveeta cheese sauce, which goes directly over the cooked shells. Velveeta hasn't branched out too far beyond its standard cheese flavor, adding only a couple of options such as pizza-flavored mac and 2% milk cheese sauce to its lineup.

The shells are pretty large, especially compared to other brands' shells that we tried. Each one is like a tiny bowl holding plenty of cheesy goodness. The sauce was also one of the creamiest that we enjoyed, which isn't surprising given Velveeta's history and development. However, the taste isn't as sharp, so expect a creamy dish rather than an intensely flavorful one. This knocked it just a bit down on our rankings, since many other brands have managed to strike a slightly better balance of texture and taste, in our opinion.

If you like super sharp flavor, the Cracker Barrel mac and cheese is worth trying. It comes with a prepared cheese sauce, which you can pour over the top of your cooked noodles. This reduces the need for stirring cheese powder with added butter and milk, which also cuts down on extra ingredients. You can just add water (to boil your pasta) and enjoy a creamy, delicious bowl of mac and cheese. The noodles are bigger than any of the other brands we tested, which lets each one keep plenty of cheese inside. They also have ridges on the outside, a detail that makes sure they hold onto even more sauce.

Cracker Barrel Vermont sharp white cheddar has strong sharp flavor, which is what we expected from this dish as well. Even though it was good, the sharp white cheddar flavor wasn't as bold as we had hoped. That being said, it still had more flavor than many other brands, so we're willing to admit that our expectations may have been a bit unrealistic. This box costs around $4 for a 14-ounce container, which won't break your budget but also isn't newsworthy, either. wWen you consider that you don't need to add milk or butter, it can become more appealing if you don't want to the hassle of picking up additional ingredients. This was our favorite of the options with cheese sauce because of the creamier texture and sharper flavor.

If you want classic favorites made with a few more health-conscious ingredients, check out the Whole Foods store brand, 365. At around $1.25, it's a great way to stick to a lower budget while shopping at the grocery store chain known for its sky-high prices along with its healthy offerings. The 365 classic macaroni and cheese is similar in taste and texture to Kraft, but free of synthetic food dyes. Instead, paprika and annatto add color to the cheese powder, which makes it less technicolor and more natural looking as well as tasting. The noodles plump up well and are the perfect way to get sauce in every bite.

365 also makes an organic option in both the standard 6-ounce size and a 12-ounce family size. There aren't any flavor choices, so don't expect a lot of variety and unique tastes. If you want classic mac and cheese without worrying about questionable ingredients, however, or you've already spent most of your budget at Whole Foods, 365 is a good choice.

We put the Trader Joe's macaroni and cheese in the same category as 365 from Whole Foods. It's tastes like the classics that we love, is made without things like artificial food dyes and flavorings, and is found at just one retailer–Trader Joe's. But this one is a slightly better value than 365, costing less than $1 per 7.25-ounce box. The instructions recommended 4 tablespoons of butter, which was a lot. After preparing it, much of the cheese sauce was left in the bottom of the pot. Next time, we'd cut it down to 2 or 3 tablespoons and likely be just as happy with the taste.

Trader Joe's mac only uses annatto and paprika to get the orange coloring we've come to expect from this boxed dish, but it's not as vibrantly orange as mainstream brands like Kraft. But that's okay for us, since we know that means that it uses natural ingredients for coloring. Our young taste testers were too busy eating it to notice that the color wasn't as neon as they're used to seeing.

The Kraft blue box has long been considered the gold standard for boxed mac and cheese. Making its debut in 1937 just before World War II, Kraft was one of the first to offer this type of dish. At the time, it cost just 19 cents, and the price has stayed pretty low compared to other easy-to-make dinners. You can find Kraft for around $1 per box, which is typically enough for two to four full bowls, depending on your appetite.

Kraft is definitely the brand with the best marketing team and has partnerships with Paw Patrol, Super Mario Bros., and Spongebob. Given that this is a popular food for kids, the fun shapes offer extra appeal to the younger crowd. 

Our household has preferred Kraft both as an economical dinner for picky young eaters as well as its classic flavor. The noodles are on the thin side, but still hollow, which helps them hold the sauce inside. Each package makes a good amount but the family size package, which is twice the size of the standard box, works best if you want leftovers to pack in lunches the next day. Overall, Kraft gets high marks for taste and texture, but gets an even higher spot on our rankings thanks to its fun shapes that appeal to kids.

Safeway's store brand mac and cheese is similar to Kraft but at an even more budget-friendly price. Each 7.25-ounce box of classic mac and cheese costs around 80 cents, while the deluxe style with cheese sauce is close to $2.80. Signature Select is one of the most budget-friendly and would earn the top spot if value was the only factor. Other than the great price, there isn't much to set this mac and cheese apart from other brands. If you're already at Safeway and considering the Kraft mac and cheese, you'll be happy to save a few cents opting for Signature Select instead. Otherwise, it's not a brand we would recommend making a special trip to find.

It tastes similar to Kraft and we had a hard time telling the two apart in a blind taste test. The noodles were similarly sized and shaped, plus the sauce made out of cheese powder, butter, and milk was almost exactly the same. However, Signature Select has noticeably fewer options compared to other brands and no novelty character choices. It comes in shells, spirals or classic macaroni noodles, but only the classic shape is available in white cheddar.

Annie's mac and cheese relies on character shapes to draw in younger diners but the lack of artificial flavoring and coloring that made it a top pick for adults in our home. Because it relies on annatto extract from the Bixa orellana plant, the color isn't as vibrant as some other brands, but it delivers on the strong cheese flavor. Plus, it has a lot of cheese powder and it dissolves well as you make the sauce. 

Annie's recommends 12 to 14 minutes of cooking time for the pasta, which was a few minutes more than most other brands. While this may not be a big factor, if you're looking for the most efficient option, you can find plenty with faster preparation than Annie's. Fortunately, even with this longer cooking time, the noodles stayed firm. If you chose one of their character shapes, like we did, this is key. 

The only reason we hesitate to make Annie's a part of our regular grocery trip is that it is quite a bit more expensive than other brands. This is due to the higher quality, organic ingredients list. Annie's is also one of the only brands to have multiple options available that use grassfed dairy for cheese powder. If we see it on sale, we get excited and stock up on this tasty mac and cheese.

We hadn't heard of Goodles before, but after trying it, we can say this is the only brand we'd go out of our way to find and pay more to buy. We went with the classic cheddy mac, which appealed to our young taste testers and was a comparable option alongside classics like Kraft and Velveeta. However, Goodles has both of these top brands beat when it comes to intense flavor and firm noodles. When we found out that it was higher in protein and fiber, made without artificial flavoring or coloring, and tasted that good all at the same time, this quickly climbed to the top of our rankings list.

Goodles mac and cheese offers some unique flavors as well, which appealed to the adults. We tried the truffle mac — which is appropriately named Here Comes Truffle — and it was so full of flavor thanks to the addition of black truffles. The bacon and cheddar shells, parmesan twists, and smoked gouda mac and cheese were also intriguing, although we didn't sample these during this test. Based on what we've tried from Goodles so far, we'd happily add any of them to our shopping cart.

We were fortunate to have plenty of young taste test volunteers sample macaroni and cheese, giving their opinions is the form of clean plates, asking for seconds, and bowls left unfinished. Taste and texture were top criteria for great mac and cheese, but we also considered flavor variety that could elevate the dish or switch things up. Character shapes got the biggest oohs and ahhs when we made them, but some of our overall favorites were simply the ones that tasted the best.

We looked at budget and ease of preparation as well, since both are big reasons why we turn to mac and cheese when counting pennies or making dinner on a busy weeknight. A few options were made without artificial flavoring or coloring or had extra protein, which was more important to the health-conscious adult taste testers than the kids. These tended to be a bit pricier, but in some cases, they tasted so great that the extra cost or even a special trip to find that brand would be worth it for us.