Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Copycat Recipe (2024)

Introduction: Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Copycat Recipe

About: I'm a single full time working mom, food enthusiast, and recipe day-dreamer! Try out my instructables! They are super easy to follow, have tons of photos, and are always delicious!! More About MaddieJ3 »

When I was a kid, I loved when my mother grabbed that classic blue box of Kraft and made me a steaming bowl of mac & cheese. Now as a mother, I find myself making a box now and then for my kids. Macaroni & cheese is a comfort food down to the bones. As an adult, my home-made mac & cheese usually consists of a blend of fresh grated cheeses, usually at least 3 or 4. Cheddar, Gruyere, Mozzarella, Parmesan, Gouda, Swiss...oh how the list goes on and on. I love the unique flavors that all these cheeses bring to the dinner table and palette! However, sometimes I crave that good ol' boxed flavor my kids love. I strongly believe it is important to show my kids how to make food on their own, without following a box. It makes cooking real. So, I decided to make my own Kraft Macaroni & Cheese! It's creamy, cheesy, and child approved. Get your inner child ready, It's about to be blown away!

Ingredients:

Step 1: Cook the Macaroni

Cook your macaroni. It's simple, I know you can do it!

  • Bring a pot of water to a boil
  • Pour in your macaroni
  • Boil for 11 minutes

I used elbow macaroni, but you can use whatever kind of pasta you want. Do you have a bag of fun shaped pasta in the back of your pantry? You know, that overpriced pack of pasta you bought from your niece's fundraiser last year? Have some fun and use silly shapes! Just make sure to boil the pasta as long as the package suggests. Or maybe a few minutes more. Everyone knows your mom was busy and over boiled your mac & cheese on accident. And it was AMAZING that way!

Step 2: Get the Ingredients Ready

While your pasta is cooking, you will want to get your other ingredients ready to go! Why make this a whole step? Great question and simple answer! As a parent you know that when your kid is hungry, they are literally DYING OF STARVATION! If they have to wait an extra 2 minutes because you didn't follow this step, it is possible they may die. If you love your child, and want them to see another day, make sure you get the darn stuff ready!

  • Take a stick of butter and cut it in half
  • Cut the half stick of butter (which is 1/4 cup or 4 Tbs) into chunks.
  • Measure out the milk
  • Take out the cheese and have a measuring spoon ready

Please note, it is important to cut up the butter into pieces. If you do not, it will take longer for it to fully melt. This extra cooking time could possibly result in the starvation of your child. ;)

Step 3: Drain the Macaroni

Ok guys, this is probably the hardest part. CAREFULLY drain the hot water from your pasta. Make sure to give it a gently shake in the strainer. The water likes to stick around inside the noodles and we do NOT want any extra water! It will take away from the cheesy, creamy taste!

Return the drained pasta to the cooking pot.

Step 4: Make It Cheesy!

Okay, I lied. This step requires a little more thought than the last. But I am 100% confident you can do it!

  • Add the butter to the drained macaroni and stir constantly until melted
  • Add the milk and stir until combined
  • Add the powdered cheese until fully distributed.

For traditional Kraft Macaroni & Cheese add 3 Tbs of the cheese. For the Cheddar Explosion version, add 4 Tbs.

You can add all the ingredients at the same time if you wish. I personally find that if you follow the steps, it works a lot better. You get a quicker and more even mac & cheese. Trust me, I'm a blue box expert! ;)

Step 5: Let Your Inner Child Eat!

Scoop some of that yummy macaroni into a bowl and enjoy! Or just eat it out of the pot if nobody's looking..I won't judge you! Just make sure to eat a spoonful before you give the bowl to your child. You know, just to make sure it's safe ;)

If you liked this recipe, check out my other Copycat recipes!!

  • Homemade SpaghettiO's
  • Red Lobster Coconut Shrimp
  • Olive Garden Garlic Wine Chicken
  • McDonalds Egg McMuffin
  • Bang Bang (Rock) Shrimp

Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Copycat Recipe (5)

Runner Up in the
Pasta Challenge

Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Copycat Recipe (6)

Participated in the
Copycat Recipes Contest 2017

Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Copycat Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What are the ingredients in Kraft macaroni and cheese? ›

PASTA (ENRICHED WHEAT FLOUR [WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, IRON (FERROUS SULFATE), THIAMIN MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID], WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR, GLYCEROL MONOSTEARATE), CHEESE SAUCE MIX (WHEY, CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, MILK, MILKFAT, PALM OIL, MODIFIED FOOD STARCH, SALT, MILK PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, MALTODEXTRIN, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% ...

Why is Kraft mac and cheese different now? ›

In 2016, Kraft quietly changed its recipe, removing artificial preservatives and dyes and replacing the latter with paprika, annatto and turmeric. The company even sold 50 million boxes of its new recipe before cleverly announcing the change in a marketing campaign.

What seasonings to add to Kraft mac and cheese? ›

Sour cream. Also season with black pepper, creole seasoning, onion powder, and paprika. We like to get some spam and chop it and fry it up to get it a little crispy and add it to the Mac and cheese.

How much cheese powder is in Kraft macaroni and cheese? ›

Kraft Dinner is seen as an inexpensive, easy-to-make comfort food, with marketing that highlights its value and convenience. The Original Recipe of dry macaroni pasta (roughly 172 grams) and 70 ml (roughly 42 grams) of powdered processed cheese.

What is the largest ingredient in Kraft Mac n Cheese? ›

Turns out, it is mostly milk products and byproducts like whey and milk protein and cheese culture, milkfat and lactic acid. Kraft has recently started taking out the more chemical-based ingredients like artificial dyes and flavors.

What are the raw ingredients in macaroni? ›

Macaroni is made from Fine semolina (Suji), Wheat flour, Milk solid is the main ingredients in pasta.

Why is someone suing Kraft mac and cheese? ›

18. The lawsuit alleged that the Kraft Heinz Food Company violated federal law by saying the mac and cheese cups take 3½ minutes to prepare, arguing that the time limit does not include the time it takes to remove the lid, add water and stir in the cheese sauce.

What is the lawsuit against Kraft mac and cheese? ›

On April 6, 2021, class claims were filed in federal court in the Northern District of Illinois against The Kraft Heinz Company (“Kraft”) over claims that its popular Kraft Mac & Cheese products (“the Products) have improper and misleading packaging, also displayed in its marketing.

What is Kraft macaroni changing its name to? ›

Now, Kraft is answering the question of how Americans (at least) should address this pasta product, officially slimming it down to the shorthand. Kraft Macaroni and Cheese's "new" name is officially "Kraft Mac & Cheese." And the grocery store staple is getting a logo and packaging update to boot.

Why put nutmeg in mac and cheese? ›

Make Nutmeg Mac And Cheese Like The Pros

Ray favors including a pinch of nutmeg and also adds some cayenne pepper to turn up the heat. Both nutmeg and cayenne pepper have warm flavors and, together, add a nice sweet and peppery undertone to the dish.

How to make Gordon Ramsay's mac and cheese? ›

Preparation
  1. In a large pot over medium heat, combine the pasta and milk. ...
  2. Once the pasta is cooked, remove the pan from the heat and add the butter, cheddar cheese, salt, and pepper. ...
  3. Divide between serving bowls and top with the bread crumbs.
  4. Enjoy!
  5. All your favorite recipes, stored in one place.
May 4, 2023

What was Kraft's mascots name? ›

The Cheesasaurus Rex was the mascot of the Kraft Macaroni and Cheese product. He was introduced in 1991, and was kept all the way until the late-2000s.

Why did Kraft stop selling cheese powder? ›

The lack of consumer recognition might be the primary reason that Kraft Heinz was looking to sell its powdered cheese business in the first place.

What is the most popular cheese used in mac and cheese? ›

But there is one go-to that you'll almost always see. An overview of Food Network's mac and cheese roundup reveals that most recipes have one type of cheese in common: sharp Cheddar.

What are the ingredients in Kraft not cheese? ›

Kraft x NotCo Plant Based Provolone Cheese Slices Ingredients: Water, Coconut Oil, Modified Food Starch, Chickpea Protein, Maltodextrin, Contains Less than 2% of Salt, Carrageenan, Sorbic Acid as a Preservative, Natural Flavor, Lactic Acid, Pumpkin Concentrate (color). Allergens: There is coconut oil in all 3.

Does Kraft mac and cheese have MSG? ›

It's also important to note that generally, people do not report symptoms of headache when consuming non-Asian sources of MSG, such as in Doritos, Kraft Mac & Cheese, Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup, or Lipton Soup mix despite all of these foods containing MSG.

Why does Kraft mac and cheese have so much starch? ›

The representative explained that the starch is there to prevent the Easy Mac from boiling over in the microwave and acts as a thickening agent.

References

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