The great boxed mac and ‘cheese’ throwdown

We tasted 5 top brands to find the perfect nostalgic noodle

Hey team, and welcome back to Cool Beans! If there’s an age limit on boxed mac ’n’ cheese, I don’t want to know about it. It’s cheap, fast, and easily zhuzhed with veggies, condiments, or toppings to be as highbrow or lowbrow as I want. The only caveat? The boxes most of us grew up with are full of powdered cheese, which means they’re a no-go for climate-minded eaters looking to kick the dairy habit. 

Plant-based alternatives have been around for years (Annie’s debuted its version back in 2017), but the action in the noodle aisle has been spiraling up lately: Kraft launched a dairy-free version of its iconic blue box last November, and Walmart rolled out a cheese-less house brand in April. So, I decided to try the top plant-based macs in search of one that ticks all the creamy, cheesy, comfort-food boxes. And because we’re adults now (I guess), I searched my pantry for a way to upgrade those noodles into a rounded, grown-up dinner.

The test: The boxed mac and ‘cheese’ throwdown

The contenders, plus Sabine. Credit: Gabriella Vigoreaux

Boxed mac ’n’ cheese has been a household staple since Kraft first hit shelves in 1900, and now there are dozens of brands fighting for a spot in our cupboards—many of them sans cheese. These speedy nondairy suppers increasingly tap cheese-emulating ingredients like umami-rich mushrooms, nutritional yeast, and cashews to mimic the savory, salty nuttiness of the real deal.  

For the taste test, I focused on five brands that are readily available in the average American grocery store. I prepared each according to the box instructions, and to even the playing field and give each the best possible shot at satisfying my quest for quick comfort, I used our favorite plant-based butter from Miyoko’s and Bored Cow Milk when called for. Finally, I took a look at how their nutrition info compares with the original Kraft, which has 10 grams of protein and 1 gram of fiber per serving. I rated them on a scale of 0-5 🧀, with five being the absolute closest to classic Kraft. The criteria:

• Texture. Is it smooth and creamy—and does it cling to the noodles?

• Taste. How closely does its taste mimic a savory, sharp, and buttery real cheese sauce? Is there any aftertaste?

• Appearance. Does the color of the sauce look appetizing? Is there any artificial or plastic-y sheen?

Ok, on to the mac attack…

Annie’s Homegrown Vegan Macaroni and Cheddar

Annie’s has dozens of products—from graham bunnies to salad dressings—but the boxed macaroni came first. The nondairy version is the veteran on our list and has no trendy ingredients: just a cheddar-flavor powdered seasoning made of rice syrup, palm oil, cornstarch, and dyes. A box has two and a half (1 cup) servings with 3 grams of fiber and 7 grams of protein. 

Texture. Texturally, this mac is very similar to Kraft. It’s creamy but needs a little help to get there. The box instructions call for an optional 2 tablespoons of butter, but I found that extra fat is actually a necessity to achieve optimal creaminess—and for the sauce to stick to the noodles. 

Taste. The flavor is there, but it’s pretty mild—like a less-seasoned version of the childhood stuff. I wished I had an extra cheese packet to amp up the tang.

Appearance. If I didn’t know, I would think this was a bowl of Kraft mac. The color of the sauce and the tiny tube macaroni are virtually identical, though perhaps slightly paler. 

Rating. 🧀🧀🧀

Bettergoods Plant-Based Original Macaroni and Cheeze

Walmart’s new house brand Bettergoods launched earlier this year with a slew of plant-based items, like ice cream, almond milk, and, yes, boxed macaroni. Its dairy-free sauce comes in a squeeze-y pouch and contains coconut and sunflower oils and nutritional yeast. It yields three 1-cup servings per box, each one with 8 grams of protein and 2 grams of fiber. 

Texture. The pouched cheese sauce makes for a creamier mac than one you’d get reconstituting from powder. However, this one turned watery as it warmed up, and the sauce didn’t cling to the noodles very well. 

Taste. This smelled like Kraft mac in the pan, but it was severely lacking in flavor and seasoning. It was honestly hard to tell that I was eating anything beyond plain boiled noodles.

Appearance. The case of the disappearing sauce continues on sight. Visually, it’s extremely pale and almost undetectable. One small point in Bettergoods’ favor: The brand opted for elbow macaroni, which is a fun update to the skinny little tubes we’re used to. 

Rating. 🧀

Daiya Deluxe Mac & Cheeze

Daiya is a major player in the faux cheese game, and the ingredients list here is similar to what’s in the company’s cheddar shreds and canned cheese sauce. The pouched sauce is primarily made from safflower and coconut oil. Each box has three 1-cup servings, each with a measly 4 grams of protein and 2 grams of fiber. 

Texture. While the sauce is very creamy right from the packet, it solidifies quickly when it’s not on the heat. It leaves a tacky feeling in the mouth, which I’ve come to associate with a lot of store-bought faux cheese. 

Taste. Overall, this was one of the blander macs in the bunch, but not totally devoid of flavor. It’s got an artificial something I can’t quite pinpoint, but it for-sure does not taste like cheese.

Appearance. To be frank, this looks like someone poured nacho cheese over noodles; it’s very orange with a Velveeta-esque sheen.  

Rating.  🧀 ½  

Goodles Vegan Is Believin Plant-Based White Cheddar Spirals

I’ve been eyeing this company’s groovy-looking macs for a while because it makes fun flavors like Hatch Chile, Cacio e Pepe, and Elote and sneaks veggies like broccoli, mushrooms, sweet potato, and kale into the noodles. The dairy-free flavor comes with powdered white cheddar made from cashews and nutritional yeast and spiral noodles made from wheat and chickpeas. The box is the smallest of the lot, but it wins the protein game: 12 grams per 1-cup serving, with 7 grams of fiber. 

Texture. The sauce is creamy, but I needed to add a little extra plant butter and milk to get my noodles nice and coated. Once I got the consistency right, it clung to the spirals perfectly.

Taste. This mac is tangier and a tad sweeter than most. I definitely picked up on the nutritional yeast, but the sauce might not be quite cheesy enough for some people. The noodles are actually what taste the most different, due to the nutty chickpea protein. 

Appearance. Since it’s white cheddar, this mac is more beige in color. The spiral noodle choice has a more grown-up feel to it, but the coils are pretty tiny, so a serving of this seemed smaller than the others. I would probably eat the whole box at once. 

Rating. 🧀🧀🧀 ½

Kraft Original Plant-Based Mac and Cheese

The OG has ditched the dairy and released two plant-based varieties in partnership with NotCo, a company that uses AI to match the flavor and texture of animal proteins. The powdered sauce mix for the mac contains coconut oil powder and fava bean protein. Each box has two 1-cup servings, each with 10 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber. It comes in original and white cheddar flavors, but for this test I went with true blue. 

Texture. The consistency gets there, but it takes some tweaking. I had to add a couple more tablespoons of milk than the ¼ cup that was called for, but then the sauce became very creamy. Similar to the classic, it sets up pretty quickly in the bowl and gets a little globby as it sits. 

Taste. Smell precedes taste, and when I added the cheese I was hit with a heavy dose of nostalgia. It’s a pretty spot-on flavor match to the OG, if maybe a tad sweeter, which makes sense given that the ingredients list includes coconut oil and dried pineapple. I couldn’t stop thinking about piña coladas, but it’s not overwhelming.

Appearance. This is pretty indistinguishable from Kraft’s classic mac. The noodles are the same and the sauce has the familiar yellowy-orange hue.  

Rating. 🧀🧀🧀🧀

The results: 

In my mind there are two winners here, depending on your goal. If you want something that tastes like the stuff you ate as a kid, Kraft’s nondairy mac is a no-brainer. If you’re after something with a bit more nutrition that also tastes good, it’s Goodles all the way. Kraft die-hards will say it’s not cheesy enough, but it’s the closest to the faux cheese sauces I make at home from scratch. If you’re a fan of nooch, you’ll love it. 

One thing all these macs are lacking is enough protein and pizzazz to qualify as a whole meal. Which is why I’m also thinking outside the box—literally—and kicking those noodles up a notch.

The recipe: Hack your boxed mac with this spicy upgrade

Next time you’re noodling on what to make for dinner, consider boxed mac and cheese as a canvas for all your flavor desires. Personally, I would love to pack a little heat in there, as well as some more fiber and protein to make it a well-rounded meal. For this recipe, I reached into the back of my pantry for a jar of Calabrian chiles and into the freezer for some plant-based sausage. I also threw in kale to up the fiber and topped things with buttery toasted breadcrumbs for a touch of crunch. 

Goodles with more goods. Credit: Gabriella Vigoreaux

Calabrian Chile, Sausage, and Kale Mac

Yield: 2 to 3 servings