How to make Kraft Mac and Cheese better with four simple tricks
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Wondering how to make Kraft Mac and Cheese better? I've got four simple tricks that will make boxed mac and cheese creamy and delicious! In fact, two of them are so basic I can't believe they're not in the instructions on the box.
How much do I love Kraft Mac and Cheese?
I love Kraft Mac and Cheese (or Kraft Dinner, as my Canadian friends call it). I will eat it hot, cold, leftover, for breakfast, and even massively expired, apparently:
And although it will taste fine if you just follow the instructions on the blue box, I always use four simple tricks to make it so much creamier and even more delicious! Trust me, once I show you how to make box Mac and Cheese better, you won't want to go back to the box instructions.
How to make box mac and cheese better
There are four easy things you can do to make box mac and cheese better: salt the water, cook the pasta for less time than the directions say, replace half of the butter with American cheese, and make the sauce in a separate pan.
Salt the water
My first trick is to add salt to the water before cooking the pasta. I can't believe that Kraft doesn't tell you to do this. Adding salt to pasta water should just be automatic, no matter what you're making. This is your only chance to season the macaroni itself (the rest of the flavor will be on the outside of the pasta), so go ahead and put a spoonful of kosher or table salt in there.
Now, I add the salt as soon as I put the water in, because otherwise I forget, every time. But if you're using a pot with a non-stick bottom, you may want to wait and add the salt after the water comes to a boil, because supposedly the undissolved salt sitting on the bottom of the pan as the water heats up can make marks on the non-stick surface.
This could be an old wives' tale, I have no idea-it's never happened to me, and I boil long pasta in this awesome pasta pot all the time. But I mention it because I don't want to be responsible for ruining your non-stick cookware.
Don't over-cook the pasta
My second trick is to cook the elbow macaroni a minute or two less than the package says, otherwise the pasta will be mushy. The instructions say to boil the pasta for seven or eight minutes "or until tender," but tender is overdone, and seven or eight minutes is way too far!
Start tasting it after five minutes, and drain it as soon as it's al dente (just a hair short of soft), because it's going to keep cooking while it sits.
And remember, don't ever rinse cooked pasta, unless you're making the rare recipe that specifically calls for it (some cold pasta salads, for example).
Replace half of the butter with American Cheese
My third trick is to replace half of the butter with two or three slices of American cheese. The difference is incredible!
The instructions say to use four tablespoons of butter (or margarine, but don't do that). We're only going to use two, plus some American cheese.
I get my American cheese sliced really thick, so two of my slices would be equal to about three slices of packaged stuff. But hey, go ahead and throw in a fourth if you want. It will just be even creamier and cheesier!
Can you use all of the butter the instructions call for, plus the American cheese? Sure, but I actually like it better this way. It gets a little too greasy with all that butter added to the extra cheese.
Make the sauce separately
My fourth trick is to never, ever try to make the sauce while the elbow macaroni is in the pot. The macaroni gets totally beaten up during this process, and it's almost impossible to get rid of every little bit of powder, leaving the mac and cheese gritty.
Instead, set the drained macaroni aside in a bowl (hey, you can use that bowl to serve it in, instead of the pot-fancy!), adding a tablespoon of the butter and giving it a gentle stir, so that the pasta doesn't stick together as it sits.
Then, over low heat, stir the remaining tablespoon of butter with the quarter cup of milk, the packet of cheese powder, and the two or three slices of American cheese.
Now, if you absolutely don't want to use another dish and just want to serve the mac and cheese in the pot, I get you. At the end of the day, one more bowl for each thing you cooked adds up. In that case, just let the pasta sit in the strainer or colander you used to drain it, and don't add the tablespoon of butter to it (add it to the sauce, instead).
You just have to be extra careful when it's time to add the pasta to the sauce, because it will tend to fall out of the strainer in one big clump, and that could make a big mess (I speak from experience, and yes, hot cheese sauce burns like a mofo). And you'll have to do a bit of extra stirring to get the pasta separated again.
That's it! Easy tips to upgrade your boxed mac and cheese from good to delicious!
Recipe Card
4 Easy Tricks for the Creamiest Kraft Mac & Cheese Ever!
Want to make Kraft Mac and Cheese even better? These hacks will make the best boxed mac and cheese you've ever had!
Ingredients
- 1 box Kraft Macaroni and Cheese
- 1-2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon salted butter, divided
- ¼ cup milk, whole tastes best
- 2-3 slices American cheese, torn into smaller pieces
Instructions
- Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil over high heat
- Add the elbow macaroni from the box and cook, stirring occasionally (especially in the beginning), until al dente (start tasting after 5 minutes)
- Drain the macaroni and put into a bowl with 1 tablespoon of the salted butter, stirring gently to incorporate the butter; set aside while you make the sauce
- Return the empty pot to low heat and stir together the remaining tablespoon of butter, the milk, the American cheese, and the cheese powder from the box
- Keep stirring until you have a creamy sauce with no traces of powder
- Add the pasta to the sauce and stir carefully, until all of the pasta is coated with the sauce
- Remove from the heat and serve hot
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Nutrition Information
Yield
3Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 430Total Fat 17gSaturated Fat 10gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 5gCholesterol 49mgSodium 1190mgCarbohydrates 55gNet Carbohydrates 0gFiber 1gSugar 11gSugar Alcohols 0gProtein 13g
Nutritional information is an estimate only.
Definitely creamier but WAY TOO salty. I have always added salt to pasta water but I believe I will try this without. Will also on use only one or two (at most) slices of cheese. Except for the salt overload, this is a good recipe and will use in future just being aware that I must be very careful of the salt (water and/or cheese). Thanks.
I see that this says it is usually 4 tablespoons of Butter, but the directions on the box is actually 1 tablespoon, which is making me confused.
Hi Dan, every box of Kraft Mac & Cheese that I've ever seen has said to use 4 tablespoons of butter or margarine, so I'm not sure where you're seeing 1 tablespoon.
@Amy Oztan, mine is 1tbsp as well. My bet is Dan is in Canada just like me :)
Figures that Canadians would be healthier than Americans. :-D
@Dan, all my boxes say to add 4.
I did notice that if you buy the Kraft "others" meaning not the regular box that the amount of butter to add is different.
So maybe you don't have a regular box?
They have shapes plus spiral, thick & creamy, white cheddar and I can't remember the rest.
Try the thick and creamy type of Kraft Mac n cheese. I add all the things you mention plus a tablespoon of Mayo. Gives a really zesty flavor. My kids never knew I added Mayo snd now they do the same for their kids. Delicious.
I need to try that! I've never objected to adding mayo to ANYTHING. :-D
Thank you for this recipe!!! It turned out amazing and you’re right….I will never make it by the box directions ever again!!
Yay!
I usually hate Kraft Mac & Cheese, this recipe is awesome & so simple! My son love's it, too!
Oh wow, I'm so glad! Always a win when I can find something I like that my kids like too.
I will try to do the sauce separately thing. When I come home for lunch, my Go To quick Comfort food lunch is Box of Kraft Mac n Cheese. I can Tuna, I can mushrooms. A little extra milk, throw in some Mexican blend shredded. Slice a few black olives. Some Capers. When ready to eat, dot with Habanero sauce. Oh Ya !
@Don, This is my favorite go to meal! Try cutting up a couple hard boiled eggs and add it. Takes it over the top.
I’m in my early 50s and this is what I remember Mac and cheese tasting like when I was a kid. Sometime between then and now they turned it into cardboard. But I keep buying the stuff hoping to find a way to make it better. This is a great option. Added a little black pepper at the end. Normally I add a dab of sour cream and some shredded cheddar. Mostly because my daughter is a cheddar head. But I’ve never prepared the sauce separately. I really like that. It’s worth a second dirty pan. Thanks for sharing. Definitely improved our lunch today.
I mean, sour cream and cheddar would improve just about anything!!!
I have always added salt to the water I make 2 boxes at a time always al dante drain water in pot melt butter and milk then add powder cheese a little at a time then 4-5 slices American cheese melt completely then add macaroni taking the spoon and breaking up the big chunk it becomes while doing the cheese sauce add some macaroni mix then add more until all macaroni is mixed in always add fresh ground pepper
I saw this article today and tried it for lunch. I used fat-free half and half instead of milk but I did make the sauce separate from the pasta and added the additional cheese. I also added frozen peas and some left over turkey (cubed) to the pasta while it cooked. The mac and cheese was richer tasting than the old way of doing it and I will probably not go back to the old way. I have added tuna to my mac and cheese before and I will try this new way with it.
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Very glad I tried it. Delicioso!!!
thank you SO MUCH for this recipe!! it’s so simple but elevated my kraft so so much, it truly shocked i haven’t tried this sooner! i’ve been having such bad luck with my pasta being so bland, sometimes to the point where i’d take two bites and toss the rest because i just couldn’t handle it. this added so much flavor and creaminess i’ve fallen in love all over again!
You're very welcome!!
This is the way I have always used kraft mac & cheese in case it interests anyone. I sautéed chopped onions one red pepper one green pepper. I then brown 1 pound of ground beef. I cooked two boxes of mac & cheese usually for this. Can I add the macaroni to the trained ground beef onion pepper mix. Of course I season my ground beef is cooking. Then I add a little milk butter and cheese sauce packets. Then I add in shredded cheese whatever variety I would like that day. I have made it this way for years. I never tried adding a little bit of cream cheese so I appreciate that idea. Anyway just another idea to share. Thanks for your recipe!! Happy cooking!
I tried this and it came out so salty! I'm thinking next time I'll do either the salted cooking water or the american cheese, but not both. I definitely like the macaroni undercooked though, thanks for the tip!
Thank you for this!! I used 3 tbsp of butter because that's all I had left and I didn't want to leave just the 1, cause the box asked for 4 LOL
And then I used shredded Colby and Monterey jack cheese. It was delicious and creamy!
@Tara, the way Amy is telling you to do it uses less butter. The box says to use 4 but in this recipe she says to only use 2.
I just made this and I have to say it turned out soo good! Thanks for the changes to the recipe!! I didn’t have any American cheese but I put in some cream cheese.
I haven't found too many foods that aren't improved by adding cream cheese!! One of my favorites is that when I'm making a quick tomato sauce with fresh tomatoes, I add a tablespoon or two of cream cheese. Creamy deliciousness!!
I've been craving Mac & Cheese for days and now I may just have to go get some and give this a shot. I love Kraft Mac & Cheese as is but I am willing to give this a go :-) Thanks for the tips!!