Review: Kraft Brings The Sweet Heat With New Hot Honey-Flavored Mac And Cheese

There's no doubt hot honey is currently having a moment in the sun. From being featured on menus everywhere to the seemingly endless praise it receives on social media platforms, you can find the delectable flavor combination popping up all over the place. Kraft wasn't going to let this opportunity pass them by either, so they made sure to jump on the bandwagon with a fun twist on its classic mac and cheese recipe. Enter: Kraft Hot Honey Mac & Cheese.

Kraft's new flavor sounds intriguing at face value, but does the addition of hot honey actually lend itself well to a fan favorite like mac and cheese? It's good on grilled cheese sandwiches, but could it be a sweetness overload when it comes to our beloved comfort food? Lucky me, I got a sneak peek at the new flavor, and I can tell you it surprised me quite a bit. Keep reading to find out how, and more importantly, whether or not you should rush to stores to snag a box when it hits the market.

Some recommendations are based on first-hand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer/distributor/etc.

Kraft Hot Honey Mac & Cheese isn't available in stores just yet. As noted, I got a sneak peek. (It's okay to be a little jealous — I would be.) However, you won't have to wait long to give it a try because it will be stocked on store shelves later this week — September 28, to be exact. Not just any grocery store, though: The new flavor is exclusive to Target, so don't even bother looking for it anywhere else.

If you decide it's worth checking out Kraft Hot Honey Mac & Cheese — the jury is still technically out on this matter — expect to pay $1.98 per box. Don't sleep on it, either, because it's a limited edition release and is only expected to be available until Spring 2026. You never know, though. Maybe it'll be such a hit that it sticks around for even longer. Regardless, it might be time to plan your Target run.

Okay, let's get something straight. No one really thinks a box of mac and cheese is a nutritional powerhouse. That's okay, though, as long as we don't rely on it to get a dose of dense nutrition. Even so, Kraft Hot Honey Mac & Cheese has a few things going for it. For starters, it may be a bright yellowy-orange color, but you can rest assured it doesn't contain any artificial dyes, flavors, or preservatives. Nice.

As you probably could have guessed, Kraft Hot Honey Mac & Cheese also requires a bit of milk and butter to turn it into the dish we all know and love, so you get some nutritional value from them. Once prepared, a single serving (about 1 cup) provides you with 9 grams of protein. You also get a dash of calcium, potassium, and iron, so it's not without its benefits. Of course, you also get a heaping dose of sodium (520 milligrams) and 11 grams of fat — and that's if you use margarine without trans fat and 2% reduced-fat milk. You can bump up all of the numbers if you opt for real butter or whole milk.

The moment we've all been waiting for has arrived: the taste test. And you know what? I couldn't be happier to report that Kraft Hot Honey Mac & Cheese was pretty darn tasty. Is it a gourmet product? No, obviously not. Still, many boxed mac and cheeses need an upgrade — not this one, though.

After preparing my Kraft Hot Honey Mac & Cheese, I immediately noticed that it's a deeper shade of orangey-yellow than Kraft Original, so it looks richer. I also realized that the abundance of pepper flakes depicted in the box's image was dramatically exaggerated. There were a few, but not nearly as many as the box would lead you to believe.

Moving on to flavor and texture, Kraft Hot Honey Mac & Cheese had it going on. It was exceptionally rich and creamy compared to Kraft Original. I'm not sure why — it has the same amount of butter — but who cares? As for flavor, I quickly picked up on the heat, which I thought was fairly mild. However, after several bites, it started to build, putting it firmly in the mild to medium range. The honey, on the other hand, was trickier to detect. It was extremely subtle, yet well-balanced. Thankfully, it didn't become the star of the show, and that was preferred. I'd much rather have a spicy mac than a sweet one — wouldn't you?

As I mentioned earlier, I was surprised by Kraft Hot Honey Mac & Cheese, in a good way. I say that because I'm not a huge fan of Kraft Original. Actually, in a ranking of boxed mac and cheeses, I only awarded Kraft's Original Mac & Cheese eighth place out of 15. Honestly, a lot of its points came from nostalgic appeal, too. It's not like I don't get why people like it so much, either — I mean, there are even chain restaurants that proudly serve it. It's just not my jam. All that being said, I would choose the new Hot Honey Mac & Cheese over Kraft Original every single time.

Kraft Hot Honey Mac & Cheese comes with a beautiful balance of flavors, and that includes cheese, heat, and honey. The heat is definitely the main event, but it is still mild enough to appeal to a broad range of preferences. Admittedly, I could have used even more heat, but I tend to like food that's pretty spicy. Thankfully, the honey played a supporting role, so you can put any thoughts of the flavor being excessively sweet out of your head. I came into this taste test skeptical, but I'm leaving pleasantly surprised. I definitely recommend giving it a try during its limited release window.