The Best Boxed Macaroni and Cheese, According to a 13-Year-Old
Some truth bombs were dropped.
Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm
I’m sure I’m not the only one who loves mac and cheese. It’s a favorite dinner at our house, and we eat the boxed kind at least once a week.
When Annie’s, our go-to brand, stopped tasting as good as it used to, we went on a hunt for a new favorite. And so, the search began. We taste tested a lot of different brands—some were good, others adequate, and a few were just plain bad. Below are all my thoughts, plus what I look for in the ideal mac and cheese.
What’s the Perfect Boxed Mac and Cheese?
For me, the perfect macaroni is slightly soupy and loaded with cheesy flavor and creaminess. The cheese flavor isn’t too weak or too strong and isn’t artificial tasting. It has a saucy consistency that sticks to the macaroni, which should be tender.
The less desirable mac and cheese is either too rich or too soupy. The cheese powder becomes lumpy when mixed in, making it taste too strong in certain bites. Sometimes I find mac and cheese that would be perfect, except the cheese flavor is barely present. *Cough. Kraft. Cough.*
Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm
The 6 Brands of Mac and Cheese I Taste Tested
I tried a variety of brands from stores in my town. All of the brands had two things in common, which evened the playing field:
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They were made with a powdered sauce mix.
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They were regular or white cheddar flavor.
These are the 6 brands:
My mom and I followed the box instructions to cook them exactly as the brand recommends. I tasted them right after they finished cooking, and then recorded my notes on each brand, ready to be typed up for this story.
My Top 3 Picks Ranked
Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm
1. Trader Joe’s Organic Shells and White Cheddar Macaroni & Cheese
This mac and cheese hit almost every mark. It was delicious, the cheese flavor tasted genuine, and the pasta itself had a great texture. If I had to be picky, the only flaw was the soupiness of the cheese sauce. It was a bit too watery, though not bad enough to…
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