Taste and texture: I favored boxes that, like Kraft, have a mild cheese flavor, a balance of saltiness, and soft noodles that keep drenched in sauce.I wanted to investigate and find which options are closest to the O.G. Kraft Macaroni and Cheese is the standard boxed mac, and now, vegan options are starting to populate the shelves. The sauce tastes as cheesy as vegan gets, and the salt level is just right to make this comfort food.Ĭons: This box only has two servings, which I shamelessly finished in one sitting. Modern Table's is the closest to Kraft in terms of the comfort it brings with its cheesy flavor, saltiness, and relatively quick preparation. In addition to being dairy free, Modern Table's mac is also gluten free.Īfter stirring in the powdered 'cheese' packet to make sauce, the mac started coming together. In reality, the protein-packed noodles don't have an overpowering taste and offer a great nutritional benefit: they contain all nine essential amino acids, have 16 grams of protein per serving, and 4 grams of fiber.

When I poured the dark red, spiral noodles into the boiling water, I assumed this brand's vegan mac wouldn't taste good because I thought Modern Table was trying to make a comfort meal too healthy. But this box surprised me and is arguably the best of the bunch. And the box only has a tiny picture of the mac, like it's trying to hide something. Unlike Kraft, it uses pasta made from lentils, rice, and peas. I did not have high hopes for Modern Table. Modern Table Vegan Mac, Classic Cheddar Style $16.57 for 6 boxes ($2.76 per box) available on Amazon

Here are the top options, ranked, with pros and cons included. Some recipes call for plant-based milk and butter, where I would use Ripple Unsweetened Original pea milk and Earth Balance's Vegan Buttery Sticks. I braved nine boxes and found that five outshine the rest. Others were delicious but arguably noodles in a yellow-colored pasta sauce, not macaroni and cheese. Some of the boxes I tried had the bonus of little cooking time or nutritional benefits. But when I reach for boxed mac and cheese, I want it to be comforting, quick, and easy. Sure, when I have time, I make my own vegan mac and cheese recipe. I went on a quest to find the best boxed vegan mac and cheeses that were most similar to Kraft in terms of flavor, texture, and ease of preparation. But it takes a skilled recipe to perfect the flavor, texture, and look. There are some great vegan cheese-tasting ingredients, especially nutritional yeast. Vegan mac and cheese options are growing in quantity and quality, but that doesn't mean they're all delicious. I grew up in Chicago eating deep dish pizzas and relishing in the comfort of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese or soul-food style mac, which has a cheese crust baked on top with every noodle beneath it engulfed in a rich, cheesy sauce.

Soon after I transitioned to a vegan diet, I realized I would be looking for cheese forever.

Best vegan cheese for mac n cheese