How to Make Box Mac and Cheese Better
Published 3/27/2023
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We are obsessed with box mac and cheese (who isn’t). Have you ever wondered how to make box mac and cheese better?
This is our go-to way to make box mac and cheese. It’s so creamy and flavorful you’ll never go back to the boring way!
Let’s Make Box Mac and Cheese Better!
Everyone has their favorite mac and cheese recipe in their back pocket. Some people love a classic homemade mac and cheese and others love a baked mac and cheese recipe.
No matter what mac and cheese team you’re on, most people agree that there’s nothing quite like a good ol’ box of Kraft mac and cheese.
In this post, we’re telling you how to take a box of Kraft and make it ultra creamy and tasty without much more effort. Our secret ingredients? Greek yogurt and hot sauce.
What You Need
The normal ingredient list for box mac and cheese is butter, milk, and cheese powder. We are only adding a few more ingredients to make the creamiest box of mac and cheese that you’ll ever make.
- 1 box Kraft macaroni and cheese- you can use any regular box of mac and cheese of your choosing!
- Pasta water– You set aside a little bit of the pasta water that you boil your macaroni noodles in. It helps to thicken up your mac and cheese sauce.
- Unsalted butter– You can’t skip the butter! It adds a little fat and flavor to the cheese sauce.
- Greek yogurt- The greek yogurt in this recipe really creams this mac and cheese sauce to perfection and adds a delicious tartness.
- Hot sauce– A little kick enhances this cheese sauce so much!
- Black pepper– Sprinkle black pepper into your cheese sauce to round everything out perfectly.
How to Make Kraft Mac and Cheese Better
You only have to do a few things differently than normal when you’re trying to make box mac and cheese better! Here’s how you do it.
- Cook the noodles. You cook your noodles the same way that you would any other time! Bring water to a boil, add the macaroni noodles, and cook them until they are al dente.
- Set aside pasta water. Before you strain the pasta set aside 1/4 cup of pasta water that you just cooked your noodles in.
- Make the cheese sauce. Leave your noodles in the strainer while you prepare the mac and cheese sauce in the same saucepan that you just cooked the pasta in. The key is to melt the butter over low heat, then add the greek yogurt, pasta water, and hot sauce to the pan and mix them all together until all the ingredients are combined. Then, add the delicious cheese powder and mix everything together until you are left with a thick and creamy sauce.
- Add noodles to cheese sauce. Then, just pour the noodles back into the saucepan and mix everything together.
- Enjoy. Eat your mac and cheese right out of the saucepan or share with friends, the choice is yours. 🙂
how do you like your box mac and cheese?
Some people like mac and cheese thick and creamy and some people like their box mac and cheese a little on the runny side. If you want your mac and cheese a bit more runny, add another tablespoon or two to your mac and cheese sauce!
Tips + Tricks for Box Mac and Cheese
How do I make box mac and cheese fancy?
There are so many ways that you can make this box mac and cheese recipe fancy. If you are making box mac and cheese to impress a crowd, we recommend adding chopped sun-dried tomatoes and 1/4 cup of feta to your cheese sauce.
Top the mac and cheese with some fresh basil or chopped green onion and you’re golden.
Other Mac and Cheese Add-Ins
There are so many add-ins that will really up your mac and cheese game. Here are some of our favorites.
- Shredded buffalo chicken folded into the mac and cheese.
- You can add 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese or gruyere to the cheese sauce before adding the noodles back in.
- Slicing up brats or hot dogs and folding them into the mac and cheese is classic.
- Cooking ground Italian sausage in a separate skillet and then adding it to the mac and cheese at the end is so delicious!
How do you store mac and cheese?
To store mac and cheese, let it cool completely and then place it in an airtight container before placing it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
How do you reheat mac and cheese?
To reheat this mac and cheese, place it in a saucepan over medium/low heat and add 1/4 cup of milk. Mix it together and let the mac and cheese warm.
Can you freeze mac and cheese?
We do not recommend freezing mac and cheese!
How to Make Box Mac and Cheese Better
Ingredients
- 1 box Kraft macaroni and cheese, or any box mac and cheese
- 2-3 tablespoons pasta water
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup 2% Greek yogurt
- 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large salted pot of water to a boil. Add noodles and stir.
- Cook the noodles until they are al dente. Before straining noodles from the pot, remove about ¼ cup of the pasta water from the pot and set aside.
- Strain water from the noodles.
- Place the pot back on the stove top and turn heat to medium/low.
- Add butter to the pan. When the butter is melted, add the Greek yogurt and 2 tablespoons of pasta water, hot sauce, and pepper to the pot and stir until combined.
- Add the cheese powder packet to the Greek yogurt mixture and stir until there are no cheese powder clumps. If the clumps do not dissolve add 1 more tablespoon of pasta water to the pot.
- Finally, add the cooked noodles to the pot and stir until all the noodles are covered by the cheese sauce. If the cheese sauce is too thick add a teaspoon of pasta water to the pot at a time until it reaches the desired consistency.
Watch It
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Surprisingly easy way to jazz up boxed pasta with ingredients on hand. This was great.
Normally I put just a little oregano on them and they are already quite delicious but we will see how rich it can be as you say in your recipe.
-Annie
Oregano would be a great addition! Yum!
Well I only remember having tried this once, the truth is, it seemed quite delicious, but if I also felt that something was missing, I will try to use your recipe and see how it works. Thank you so much
Yes! Please let us know if you try it!
This was immediately added to my book of quick go-to recipes. The tangy yogurt+hot sauce combo is killer. And somehow I feel like more boxed mac is allowed because of it? Really, a win for all.
Fave hot sauce add-in is Cry Baby Craig’s or K-Mama – SO good!
YAY! So glad you liked it!
I have a confession, I’ve been making Mac n Cheese wrong for 36 years. THIS is how you make it. I ate the WHOLE box of Annie’s