- Take boxed mac and cheese to the next level by experimenting with different combination of add-ins.
- Adding cold butter to the sauce and baking the mac in the oven helps with both texture and flavor.
- Incorporating things like real cheese, bacon, or leftover veggies can turn boxed mac and cheese into a full meal.
For an easy and convenient meal with a welcome hint of nostalgia, boxed macaroni and cheese always hits the spot.
That said, despite its comforting taste, boxed mac and cheese can feel a bit boring after a while. Whether you're looking to jazz up the flavor or make it a bit more satiating, the ways to doctor up boxed mac and cheese are endless.
If you'd like to keep your favorite boxed mac and cheese in your meal rotation but want to transform it into an elevated, adult-appropriate dish, try these nine hacks recommended by chefs and recipe developers.
1. Slightly undercook the pasta for the perfect al dente bite
One of the most common complaints that we heard from our expert sources was that the cooking instructions provided on mac and cheese boxes overestimate the amount of time required to boil the pasta, and following those directions can result in mushy, less-than-appealing mac and cheese.
"Undercook the pasta from the time listed on the box by 2 to 3 minutes to ensure some texture," says Jim Mumford, cookbook author and recipe developer of Jim Cooks Food Good.
2. Add your favorite cheese to the cheese powder
All boxed mac and cheeses come with a packet of cheese powder, but if you're a serious cheese enthusiast, then those small, salty packets aren't likely to hit the spot on their own. But if you add some actual cheese to the powder, both the flavor and texture will get a very welcome boost.
If American cheese isn't your thing or you want to add even more depth of flavor, feel free to sub in other cheeses like cheddar, gruyère, fontina, smoked gouda, or pepper jack.
3. Stir in a tablespoon of cream cheese for a smooth texture and flavorful zing
To lend a creamier texture and a hint of acidity to your boxed mac and cheese, look no farther than cream cheese.
"Start by adding one tablespoon of cream cheese," says founder and food blogger Michelle Adenle of My Morning Mocha. Stir until it's incorporated into the sauce and macaroni. If the single tablespoon gets you the thicker and richer mac and cheese you crave, feel free to stop there. But if you want even more cheesiness, go ahead and add another tablespoon.
4. Swap out regular milk for tangy kefir
According to editor Alicia Harper of ProbioticReviewGirl, replacing cow's milk with kefir (a type of milk made from fermented cow, sheep, or goat milk, which has a similar texture and flavor to very thin yogurt) delivers on both the health and the flavor front.
"Fermented organic kefir is packed with lactobacillus probiotic bacteria, and studies have shown this particular strain to have a wide range of digestive health benefits. Also, adding kefir to your boxed mac and cheese can add an extra thickness and a great sour taste," says Harper.
5. Include vegetables for a nutritous crunch
The addition of vegetables to cooked mac and cheese will bring both a satiating boost and a pleasant textural crunch to the dish.
"My favorite way to upgrade boxed mac and cheese is to add vegetables to make it a more nutritious option and to add fiber, which will make the dish more filling overall. This also allows you to clear out your vegetable crisper to reduce food waste," says recipe developer Taylor Stinson of The Girl on Bloor.
Stinson recommends broccoli for mac and cheese purposes, but summer or winter squash, cauliflower, bell peppers, and peas also make excellent additions.
Quick Tip: To give your boxed mac and cheese some added protein, stir in cooked chicken, ground beef, tofu, plant-based meat, or greek yogurt.
6. Bone broth gives the mac and cheese plenty of umami
Most boxed mac and cheese instructions tell you to cook the noodles in boiling water before making the cheese sauce. But if you want to add deeper, more savory flavor notes to your finished dish, replace some of the cooking water with bone broth or stock.
"I always have some homemade bone broth in my freezer, so whenever I want to add a little boost of nutrient density and depth of flavor to a box of mac and cheese, I'll use half water and half broth for my pasta cooking liquid," says BuzzFeed Tasty test kitchen manager and Belly 2 Baby Nutrition co-founder Karlee Rotoly.
7. Finish the sauce off with cold, cubed butter
Some boxed mac and cheese naysayers say that the sauce made with the cheese packets lacks the silky, glossy texture of a from-scratch cheese sauce. Chef, owner, and recipe developer Devan Cameron of Braised and Deglazed solves this problem using a classic French technique: adding cold butter.
"You need to add cold, cubed butter to the mac and cheese at the end. This is actually a classic French technique called "Monter au Beurre," which makes the sauce extra creamy and shiny. Be sure to also add a splash or two of the pasta water to get the sauce to the right consistency," says Cameron.
8. Add spice with hot sauce, black pepper, mustard, or kimchi
The indulgent creaminess of mac and cheese is arguably its biggest selling point, and a hint of spice will both highlight that richness and add some flavor-related intrigue.
Founder and recipe developer Jessica Clark of Gluten Free Supper says that she jazzes up her boxed mac and cheese by adding a dash of dry mustard and a bit of Frank's buffalo sauce. She tops it off with some cracked black pepper.
For an extra mac and cheese ingredient that offers spiciness, acidity, and a bit of funk, kimchi is an ideal choice. "Stir in 1 cup of store-bought or homemade kimchi before serving. The combination of kimchi spices and the texture of the noodles and cabbage together make for one truly satisfying dish," says cookbook author and recipe developer Kristen Wood of Moon and Spoon and Yum.
9. Top with breadcrumbs (or bacon) and broil in the oven
Giving your mac and cheese some time in the oven is a widely-used technique for homemade versions of this dish, but there's no reason why boxed mac and cheese can't also get some appealing oven-baked crispiness on the top.
Recipe developer Angela Latimer of Bake It With Love recommends pouring your mac and cheese into an oven-safe dish and sprinkling the top with crumbled bacon, Panko breadcrumbs, and/or grated Parmesan cheese. Then, broil on high for a few minutes until crisped and golden brown.
Insider's takeaway
Boxed mac and cheese is a beloved, nostalgic treat, and a few easy techniques can turn this college-dorm classic into a grown-up entree. Add real cheese and cream cheese for texture, bone broth and butter for richness, kimchi and hot sauce for spice, and vegetables for vitamins, and you'll end up with a hearty, flavorful, and satisfying meal.