My Honest Aldi Boxed Macaroni and Cheese Review

In the past, I’ve snubbed boxed macaroni and cheese unless I had no other option. How could brittle noodles and dusty cheese powder compare to a homemade meal with generous noodles and creamy sauce? However, I’ve had a craving for cheesy dishes recently — and when I found Aldi’s selection of boxed mac and cheese, I thought I’d give it a shot.

After all, these products promised a superior experience that your basic Kraft dinner couldn’t offer. I was a little skeptical, but they were affordable and offered intriguing flavors, so I took home six boxes and decided to try a different one each night. And while I was at it, this seemed like the perfect opportunity to write a review.

As always, this is NOT a paid Aldi promotion. These are my honest, unfiltered opinions (and poorly lit photographs) of their boxed mac and cheese options.

Ready? Grab a spoon, and let’s dig in.

1. Cheese Club: Mac and Cheese Made with Chickpea Pasta

This product offers a gluten-free twist on traditional macaroni and cheese. Instead of flour, Cheese Club uses chickpeas as a base for the noodles. Even if you’re not following a gluten-free diet, the box boasted about the health benefits of chickpeas: high in nutrients, low glycemic, allergen-free.

Preparation was simple: boil the noodles, add the white cheese powder, stir and enjoy. The end result looked just like a regular bowl of mac and cheese, but the dish had a distinct tanginess that I hadn’t experienced with other brands. Admittedly, I’m not sure if that came from the chickpea noodles or the white powder that turned into a thin sauce when mixed with water.

In any case, this was pretty close to your standard boxed mac and cheese, but maybe with a tad more flavor. I recommend it to anyone who’s looking for a cheap, gluten-free comfort food.

2. Chef’s Cupboard: Hot Honey Mac and Cheese

I’m not a big impulse shopper, but when I saw these colorful boxes on a shelf, I knew I had to try this “hot honey” variety. The box came with cheese sauce instead of powder, which upgraded the quality and gave the pasta more of that gooey cheesiness I love. I also appreciated the fact that this box contained pasta shells, which hold more sauce than traditional elbow noodles.

To make this dish, I had to boil the noodles and squeeze the sauce directly from the pouch. Weirdly, the sauce didn’t taste entirely like cheese. Instead, it was more like a rich, spicy honey butter. The chili and cayenne peppers gave the sauce a fiery kick that made me take a drink after every bite. It’s not too overwhelming, but it made it hard to taste the cheese.

Overall, this dish wasn’t quite restaurant quality, but the creamy white sauce was a step up from the pouches of bright yellow dust — even if the buttery flavor made me feel like I should be spreading it on rolls at Texas Roadhouse. I’d buy it again if I saw it on a future Aldi trip.

3. Specially Selected: Macaroni and Cheese — White Cheddar and Black Pepper

This is another variety that came with sauce instead of powder, and they gave you a generous amount, which was nice because boxed macaroni and cheese often doesn’t come with enough. Same preparation as the previous product: boil the noodles and squeeze the sauce into a bowl.

The sauce had a mild white cheddar tang with a hint of black pepper. I expected the black pepper to be stronger, but I enjoyed the savory flavor. Still, despite the “gourmet” marketing, this was a pretty standard product. It’s good for a quick dinner, but I wouldn’t serve it to guests during the holidays.

4. Specially Selected: Macaroni and Cheese — Smoked Gouda Cheese

This is essentially the same as the previous dish, but with smoked Gouda instead of white cheddar and black pepper. Looking at the box, I noticed that the ingredients contained cheddar and Gouda with no mention of smoked cheese, implying that the “smokiness” is artificial flavoring.

Still, I won’t deny that I enjoyed the smoky flavor that enhanced the Gouda’s natural savoriness. The box had enough for two servings, so I’d say that it’s worth the price. Just don’t approach this product thinking you’re going to have a mindblowing experience.

5. Specially Selected: Macaroni and Cheese — Pesto

The preparation for this one was a little unusual. Instead of boiling the noodles and adding the powder separately, I opened the box to find the pasta and powder pre-mixed in the pouch. I poured everything into a bowl, heated it up in the microwave and ended up with pasta covered in a thin, greenish sauce.

The ingredients list mentioned “process cheese food powder,” which gave me some doubts about the product’s quality, but the taste was decent. I detected strong notes of Parmesan, garlic and spinach that blended together to form a vibrant pesto-inspired sauce.

Still, it’s obvious that the sauce comes from a powder. The spices definitely elevate this product and mask the artificial flavorings. I probably wouldn’t buy this again, but garlic lovers might enjoy it.

6. Specially Selected: Macaroni and Cheese — Truffle and Porcini Mushroom

This product is a variation on the previous item. To its credit, it didn’t try to hide its ingredients: the box read “ARTIFICIALLY FLAVORED” on the front in large letters, and the list included “artificial truffle flavor” and “process cheese food powder” alongside the dehydrated button mushrooms and black truffle granules.

Sure enough, the pouch contained a dusty powder with a strong mushroom aroma. Once I cooked the pasta, the powder infused the noodles with an intensely earthy, savory flavor with notes of black truffle and cheese. It wasn’t bad, but I couldn’t quite shake the “artificial” vibes.

On the plus side, this product contained a decent amount of potassium, calcium and vitamin D. However, it’s also high in sodium, so watch out if you’re on a low-salt diet.

Have you tried any of these products? What’s your favorite Aldi find? Sound off in the comments.

Originally published at https://vocal.media.