Why Cracker Barrel Mac And Cheese Is The Best Store-Bought Variety You Can Buy

King Kraft and Queen Velveeta may have ruled the store-bought macaroni and cheese game for a long, long time, but that doesn't mean you don't have options when you go shopping. Here at the Takeout, we tasted and ranked thirteen different brands of mac and cheese in search of the very best. It should come as no surprise that Kraft and Velveeta are right near the top, at #3 and #2 respectively — but what's this? What young upstart has taken the number one spot from these two titans of noodles and cheese sauce? Why, it's none other than Cracker Barrel (no, not that Cracker Barrel), which does everything Velveeta does, but better, and with actual elbow noodles, too. (If you're worried about Kraft's bottom line after this staggering defeat, don't worry — Kraft owns the Cracker Barrel brand, too.)

Although we praised Velveeta's "cheesy, saucy, rich goodness," we couldn't help but admit that Cracker Barrel took everything good about it and "cranked that right up." In contrast with Kraft blue box, you don't have to use milk or butter; all you need is the cheese mix provided. Similar to Kraft blue box, however, Cracker Barrel has the decency to offer elbow noodles (otherwise known as actual gosh-darn macaroni) instead of shells. Not only that, but the noodles are thicker and more robust than Kraft's elbow offerings, adding to a "cozy homemade feel."

When it comes to something like mac and cheese, sophistication is pretty relative. It's pure comfort food, the kind you've probably enjoyed ever since you were a toddler, and that's all it really needs to be. Still, Cracker Barrel's striking black-and-gold packaging instantly sets it apart from the Kraft blue boxes of the world, and it has the flavor to match. Other mac and cheeses are more cheese-adjacent than anything, which isn't necessarily a bad thing: it's what we've come to expect from them. But isn't it a marvel when you bite into supple, perfectly cooked noodles and taste something that tastes like the genuine article? It's continuing proof that there's more out there than Kraft.

Mind you, this brand of mac and cheese is not to be confused with the Cracker Barrel restaurants, a popular chain of dining establishments and general stores that also happen to sell the dish. As it turns out, the mac and cheese brand was first on the scene: it began in 1954, as part of the Cracker Barrel cheese brand you may know from their various cheddars. Meanwhile, the Cracker Barrel restaurant chain wasn't founded until 1969 — by which point, the mac and cheese had been showing off its glory for over a decade.