Why We Ranked Beecher's As The Best Frozen Mac And Cheese

Macaroni and cheese is one of those comfort foods that hooks us in childhood and lingers as a favorite well into adulthood. As a grown-up, one can make a much more sophisticated dish than the instant macs we zapped in the microwave as children (check out the best mac and cheese recipe). When you're in a hurry, though, the microwavable and boxed mac and cheeses still do a fine job of satiating your hunger. And these days, there are tons of varieties that you can pop into the nuker, and some of them taste surprisingly gourmet.

Food Republic (FR) sat down to a veritable buffet of frozen macs to suss out which one was the best of the bunch. In our ranking of 13 frozen mac and cheeses, one stood out as the cream of the cheesy crop: Beecher's "World's Best" Mac & Cheese. It delivered a scrumptious bite that our taste tester found to be almost as good as homemade (in some cases, better).

The frozen foods space has become a huge market in the United States, valued in the tens of billions of dollars, and a host of frozen mac and cheese dishes vie for supremacy. So, declaring its product to be the "world's best" might seem like a bold move. But from what our taste tester experienced while trying the Beecher's product along with 12 others, it may just be true.

The award-winning Beecher's Handmade Cheese company started out as a cheese purveyor in Seattle's world-famous Pike Place Market before branching out into other food categories. So, it stands to reason that any cheese-forward dish offered by the brand would be a standout. Some things that make Beecher's "World's Best" Mac & Cheese rise above the crowd include the incorporation of made-by-hand artisan cheeses. One of them is Beecher's signature creation — its award-winning Flagship cheese, which the company ages for 15 months. The frozen mac also includes the company's Just Jack cheese. All of its cheeses, including the Flagship and Just Jack, contain no artificial ingredients and feature farm-fresh milk that is locally sourced. Those fresh, gourmet dairy components shine through deliciously in the product.

Beecher's prides itself on only using ingredients that "we trust, are proud of, and would eat ourselves," as well as offering products that are free of preservatives and additives, per the company's website. This is reflected in the other elements comprising the mac and cheese. Ingredients quintessentially found in holistic food products are to be found here, like durum wheat semolina in the noodles, apple cider vinegar and honey in the chipotle puree part of the dish (there's no trace of ordinary sugar among any of the mac's ingredients), and rice flour. 

The absence of anything artificial adds up to pure, rich flavor oozing forth among the gooey, cheese-covered penne noodles (which FR's taste tester found to be perfectly cooked). A unique flavor profile is further achieved with a mild spice that plays out on the palate. This comes courtesy of that chipotle puree and the addition of chili powder.

While some of the ingredients — like the rice flour and also rice starch — are components often found in gluten-free food items, Beecher's "World's Best" Mac & Cheese is not gluten-free. However, the company does offer a gluten-free version of the dish that similarly bears that "World's Best" label for those who are gluten intolerant and want to experience what the renowned mac tastes like. In addition to the two "World's Best" products, Beecher's also offers various other frozen macaroni and cheese dishes. Included among them is the brand's Smoked Flagship Mac & Cheese, a Hatch Chile Mac & Cheese, a Mariachi Mac & Cheese (which is a spicy rendition featuring roasted Anaheim chiles), and a Broccoli Mac & Cheese.

The company additionally sells soups and crackers alongside its artisan cheeses and frozen dishes. Since all of Beecher's products feature quality ingredients that are crafted with care, it's unsurprising to find that other frozen foods from the brand have also ranked high in Food Republic's taste tests. Like the "World's Best" mac, the company's lasagna similarly beat out all the competitors as the best the grocer's freezer has to offer, featuring the unique element of Beecher's award-winning cheese curds among its components.