Mac Down: Which Store-Bought Mac N Cheese is the Best?

Mac and cheese is a simple pleasure. But just because it's simple doesn't mean it shouldn't be taken seriously. Here at Complex, we understand your cheese needs, which is why we went on an insatiable quest to find the greatest dairy-covered-carbs to ever reside in a package.

We ate our way through countless boxes, cans, and cardboard containers in search of a mac and cheese that could fool our finely-tuned tastebuds, committing carbo-cide just so you could eat a decent, faux-homemade meal.

Here are the Mac Down finalists, the cheesiest contenders that also happened to require no recipe and zero effort—in short, the best mac and cheese money can buy. At least, at a supermarket. Because, let's face it, once those sub-zero temperature roll in, you'll be hungry and looking for an excuse not to leave your couch.

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Type: Boxed with powdered cheese
Cost: $1.29
Cheesiness: 5/10
Ease of Preparation: 6/10 (boil water and add butter/milk)
Healthiness: 5/10 (310 calories/serving, durum wheat pasta)
Nostalgia Factor: Nonexistent

The Whole Foods house brand was tasty, but it was far from the best we tried. Not only was the elbow pasta an unappetizing day-glo orange, the cheese lacked the smooth texture the others had. It also wasn't as cheesy as we like our mac n cheese to be, but its uniquely tart tasting cheddar (and super low cost) made it ideal for a quick cheese fix, earning it a spot on our list.

Type: Frozen
Cost: $2.19
Cheesiness: 8/10
Ease of Preparation: 10/10 (a few minutes in the microwave)
Healthiness: 5/10 ( 320 calories/serving, high in saturated fat/sodium)
Nostalgia Factor: Low

Boston Market's mac n cheese is a triple threat, packing three types of cheese in every bite: American, cheddar and blue cheese, a combo which makes for a tangy mac that stands out in the frozen crowd. Also unique yet appreciated is the choice of rotini, an underrated pasta whose grooves make for maximum cheese containment.

Type: Frozen
Cost: $2.99
Cheesiness: 8/10
Ease of Preparation: 10/10 (a few minutes in the microwave)
Healthiness: 7/10 (360 calories/serving; nothing artificial)
Nostalgia Factor: Low

Upon opening a package of Trader Joe's macaroni and cheese, you're met with exactly what makes it awesome—real, shredded cheese piled on top. And not just one, but four different kinds: Havarti, Gouda, Swiss and cheddar. The result? A tangy mac & cheese with a slightly gritty texture and full-on stringy-stretchy-cheesiness that somehow manages to feel like the real deal.

Type: Boxed with powdered cheese
Cost: $2.19
Cheesiness: 7/10
Ease of Preparation: 7/10 (adding butter/milk, boiling water)
Healthiness: 8/10 (260 calories/serving, no artificial preservatives, organic wheat pasta)
Nostalgia Factor: Low. "Nature" is too healthy-sounding to inspire nostalgia.

Don't let Back to Nature's anorexic elbow noodles and its faded yellow, dairy-deficient appearance fool you: this M&C actually packs a surprisingly cheesy punch. In fact, it completely nails the real cheddar taste most macs miss and had a soft, satiny mouth feel that won over our cheese-loving hearts. Don't judge this mac by the "nature" on its cover, this stuff is seriously legit.

Type: Boxed with liquid cheese
Cost: $3.95
Cheesiness: 10/10
Ease of Preparation: 8/10 (Boil water, add cheese packet)
Healthiness: 4/10 (303 calories/serving, high in sodium/saturated fat)
Nostalgia Factor: Pretty high. The this is the M&C of our youth.

Like nothing you could ever recreate in your kitchen, Velveeta's gloriously over-processed cheese sauce has an unaturally silky texture and, unlike most M&C's, has more cheese than pasta, every shell's crevice oozing with day-glo orange cheese. Sure, the cheese is faintly reminiscent of chemicals, but what can we say, we love us some neon food!

Type: Frozen
Cost: $4.39
Cheesiness: 8/10
Ease of Preparation: 10/10 (a few minutes in the microwave)
Healthiness: 8/10 (255 calories/serving, nothing artificial, organic)
Nostalgia Factor: Low. This is a relatively new brand, so no childhood memories to speak of.

The crust might be a little Sahara-like, but once you break through you're met with an ultra-rich and creamy cheese that makes it easily to forgive its dry exterior. Far from thin and watery, Amy's cheese was heavy and comforting, with a spot-on real cheddar taste and aunthentic M&C texture. The only thing Amy could use is a cheaper price point, and maybe a pinch or two of salt.

Type: Boxed with powdered cheese
Cost: $1.39
Cheesiness: 8/10
Ease of Preparation: 7/10 (boil water and add milk/butter)
Healthiness: 5/10 (410 calories/serving; nothing artificial, organic wheat pasta)
Nostalgia Factor: The highest possible; this is the quintessential mac daddy.

Does Kraft taste like it's made with real cheese? No, not at all—but it doesn't have to. Part of Kraft's specific brand of deliciousness lies in it's strangely addictive artificialness, a semi-sweet cheddar flavor with a slight chemical finish that somehow satisfies like no other can, and probably ever will.

Type: Boxed and frozen
Cost: $4.05
Cheesiness: 7/10
Ease of Preparation: 10/10 (a few minutes in the microwave)
Healthiness: 3/10 (340 calories/serving; high in saturated fat/sodium)
Nostalgia Factor: High; this red box screams comfort.

Stouffer's is homestyle mac n cheese at its best. Once you dig beneath the weirdly rubbery top film, the tender, oversized elbow macaroni underneath is thickly coated in creamy, pale yellow cheese that actually tastes like your mom had her hand in making it. Out of all the M&Cs we tried, Stouffer's had the heartiest texture, making it a go-to for ruthlessly cold winter nights.

Type: Boxed with powdered cheese
Cost: $1.85
Cheesiness: 7/10
Ease of Preparation: 7/10 (adding ingriedients, boiling water)
Healthiness: 8/10 (280 calories/serving; nothing artificial, organic wheat pasta)
Nostalgia Factor: Packaging? No. Taste? Heck, yes.

Annie knows what she's doing. Her straw-colored shells act as the perfect place for ample amounts of cheese to hide, and the cheese itself was slippery and super-smooth with a unique buttery flavor. Props to Annie—she nailed this one.

Type: Frozen
Cost: $29.00
Cheesiness: 10/10 (presumably)
Ease of Preparation: 10/10 (a few minutes in the microwave)
Healthiness: 4/10 (410 calories/serving; nothing artificial)
Nostalgia Factor: Zero

According to Oprah, and hundreds of Yelp reviewers, Beecher's award winning mac & cheese is the "world’s greatest," in a package or otherwise. Maybe it's because its made with one pound of their one-year-aged cheddar cheese and another pound of their singaure jack cheese, or maybe it's just the mysterious allure of the gourmet pricetag. Need to know for yourself? Go to beechershandmadecheese.com, or if you live in NYC, make it down to their flagship store in Flatiron and indulge, shipping free.