Fast food mac and cheese can either be your perfect comfort food companion or a disappointing pile of artificial cheese sauce that barely qualifies as food. While some chains have mastered the art of creamy, cheesy goodness, others serve up something so processed and fake-tasting that it’s genuinely embarrassing. After testing mac and cheese from nearly a dozen popular chains, the results were shocking – some were surprisingly amazing while others were so bad they belonged in the trash.
Good Times serves dry noodles with barely any cheese
Good Times Burgers & Frozen Custard takes the crown for the absolute worst mac and cheese in fast food. When the container opens, it literally looks like plain noodles with maybe a tiny drizzle of something that’s supposed to be cheese sauce. The cavatappi noodles are cooked properly, but that’s where any compliments end. Even after stirring thoroughly, there’s barely enough sauce to coat the pasta, making each bite feel like eating dry noodles with a hint of artificial cheese.
At $3.99, this side dish is a complete waste of money that will leave anyone questioning their life choices. The lack of creaminess and cheese makes it downright awful according to taste testers who couldn’t even finish their portions. Friends have literally laughed when seeing this sad excuse for mac and cheese, thinking the restaurant made a mistake. Unfortunately, this is exactly what Good Times considers acceptable to serve customers.
KFC’s artificial taste leaves a weird aftertaste
KFC’s mac and cheese looks promising with its bright orange cheese sauce, but one bite reveals a completely artificial taste that lingers unpleasantly. The cheese sauce has that processed, fake quality that screams “from a powder packet” rather than real cheese. While it’s definitely creamy and cheesy in texture, the flavor is so bland and artificial that it’s genuinely off-putting. The noodles tend to be overcooked and mushy, adding to the overall disappointment.
For $2.99 to $4.19 depending on size, the price seems reasonable until you realize the portion is quite small and the taste is completely artificial. The weird aftertaste makes it impossible to enjoy, even when you’re really craving mac and cheese. Colonel Sanders might have created an amazing fried chicken recipe, but his restaurant’s mac and cheese is a complete letdown that tastes more like chemicals than comfort food.
Church’s Texas Chicken looks good but tastes fake
Church’s Texas Chicken mac and cheese is a perfect example of why you shouldn’t judge food by appearance. It looks thick, creamy, and cheesy with what appears to be melted cheese on top, similar to grocery store deli mac and cheese. The thick sauce coating every noodle makes it seem like it should taste amazing. However, the appearance is completely misleading because the taste is anything but appetizing.
The “melted cheese” on top is actually just congealed sauce from sitting under heat lamps, and the entire dish tastes incredibly fake. The cheese sauce has that same artificial quality as KFC but somehow even worse. The noodles are overcooked and mushy, making the entire experience unpleasant. Even at just $3.49, this mac and cheese is so bad that most people would choose something else even if it was free.
Bojangles delivers bland comfort that lacks any real taste
Bojangles promotes its mac and cheese as a comforting Southern side dish with a hint of spice, but the reality is completely different. For a restaurant that specializes in Cajun-inspired fried chicken and bold seasonings, their mac and cheese is surprisingly bland and flavorless. The texture is actually quite good with properly cooked noodles that aren’t mushy and a creamy coating, but there’s virtually no cheese taste or any other interesting flavors.
At $3.29, it’s reasonably priced, but the complete lack of flavor makes it a poor choice when there are so many other sides available. The mac and cheese barely tastes cheesy and has no salt or spice to make up for it. For a chain that’s all about bold flavors, this side dish is incredibly disappointing and drab. Most people end up choosing the seasoned fries or dirty rice instead because they actually have some taste.
Popeyes has potential but falls short of expectations
Popeyes mac and cheese comes with high expectations since some people claim it’s the best they’ve ever had, but the reality doesn’t match the hype. While it’s significantly better than the bottom-tier options, it still has that lingering artificial taste that prevents it from being truly great. The chain does manage to create a much better cheesy flavor compared to KFC and Church’s, and they even add melted cheese on top for extra richness.
The sauce is creamy and thick, and the baked cheese topping adds some nice texture and extra cheese flavor. However, the noodles tend to be mushy, and there’s still that processed taste that keeps it from being amazing. At $3.19 to $3.99, it’s reasonably priced and tastes homemade compared to the worst options. While it’s decent enough to order again, it definitely shouldn’t be anyone’s all-time favorite mac and cheese.
Noodles and Company nails the pasta but skimps on sauce
Noodles & Company should excel at mac and cheese since pasta is literally their specialty, and they do get the noodles absolutely perfect. The Wisconsin Mac & Cheese features perfectly cooked al dente elbow macaroni with cheddar and jack cheeses plus cream. The noodle texture is ideal with just the right amount of bite, and the cheese blend creates a classic, familiar taste that’s much better than the artificial options.
Unfortunately, the dish is quite dry overall and could use about twice as much cheese sauce to reach its full potential. The flavor, while better than processed options, is still somewhat bland and lacks the richness you’d expect from a pasta-focused restaurant. At $2.85 for a side, it’s the least expensive option tested, making it decent value. The chain offers buffalo chicken and BBQ chicken variations, plus you can add extra sauce, which definitely helps improve the overall experience.
Potbelly creates complex white cheese sauce that divides opinions
Potbelly takes a different approach with their mac and cheese by using a white cheese sauce instead of the typical orange cheddar variety. The sauce features three different cheeses (though they don’t reveal which ones) that create a more complex, sophisticated flavor profile. The ultra-creamy white sauce clings perfectly to the noodles and has a rich, almost gourmet taste that’s completely different from typical fast food mac and cheese.
At $4.89, it’s pricier than most options, but the quality justifies the cost with its thick, creamy texture and sophisticated cheese blend. The white sauce approach means it doesn’t look like traditional mac and cheese, which some people love while others prefer the classic orange appearance. The noodles can be slightly too al dente for some preferences, but the complex cheese flavor makes it stand out from typical fast food options.
Panera charges premium prices for decent shell pasta
Panera breaks the mold by using shell pasta instead of elbow macaroni, and these shells hold an amazing amount of creamy white cheddar sauce. The béchamel sauce is incredibly thick, rich, and creamy with a sophisticated cheese flavor that tastes like real ingredients rather than processed powder. The shells are cooked perfectly and create a different eating experience since they hold so much sauce in each bite.
However, the biggest issue is the price – a small side costs $6.99 to $8.49 depending on location, which is wildly expensive for a side dish. The portion size doesn’t justify the premium pricing, especially when you can get a full entrée at many restaurants for the same cost. While the quality is definitely there and nothing tastes artificial, the price makes it hard to recommend when other options offer better value for money.
Chick-fil-A and Dave’s Hot Chicken tie for the best overall experience
Both Chick-fil-A and Dave’s Hot Chicken create mac and cheese that actually tastes homemade rather than processed. Chick-fil-A uses a blend of Parmesan, cheddar, and Romano cheeses, then bakes each serving to create a crispy cheese crust on top. The result is perfectly cooked noodles in a rich, creamy sauce with amazing cheese flavor and those delicious crispy bits throughout. At $3.39 to $4.39, it’s reasonably priced for the quality.
Dave’s Hot Chicken offers similar quality with their rich béchamel sauce that clings perfectly to the noodles, plus a sophisticated blend of cheeses with black pepper that creates gourmet-level flavor. At just $3.79, it’s an incredible value for the quality. Both chains prove that fast food mac and cheese can be amazing when made with real ingredients and proper techniques. The difference between these top options and the worst ones is absolutely shocking.
The difference between the best and worst fast food mac and cheese is truly staggering, with some chains serving genuinely delicious comfort food while others offer barely edible artificial cheese sauce. Stick to the top-rated options like Chick-fil-A and Dave’s Hot Chicken for the best experience, and avoid the bottom tier completely unless you enjoy disappointment with your meal.
