Ranking Fast Food Mac And Cheese From Worst To Best

When you think about fast food, your mind probably goes to standbys like cheeseburgers, fries, fried chicken sandwiches, and chicken nuggets. Like anyone else, most of the time we gravitate toward these classic meals whenever we hit up our favorite fast food joints. But sometimes we like to experiment with lesser-known sides. One of our favorites is macaroni and cheese. Not many fast food restaurants serve ooey-gooey noodles, so whenever we see them, we pounce.

 Some of the fast food mac and cheese offerings out there rival grandma's recipe, while others might leave you disappointed and hungry. To help you tell the difference, we've gone through each noodle dish from worst to best to help you decide which ones are worth ordering and which ones deserve a hard pass. That said, you may disagree with us. So, even if we didn't particularly like one version, we encourage you to give it a try. Who knows? You might discover a new favorite. Now that we've whet your appetite, check out our in-depth ranking of fast food mac and cheese.

Even though we're massive foodies, we tend to stick with what we know — especially when it comes to fast food side dishes. At KFC, that means adding mashed potatoes and biscuits to our chicken tenders order. If you can believe it, we didn't even know KFC served mac and cheese before we started looking at fast food restaurants in depth.

As far as positives go, KFC's macaroni and cheese is served piping hot and the noodles are cooked al dente. Alas, those are about the only good things it has going for it. Right off the bat,  the artificial yellow color and the lack of cheese smell spell trouble. Pretty much the only smell you'll notice is the one coming off the starchy pasta. Taste-wise, it's the same story — all macaroni and no cheese. And contrary to KFC's description, this side isn't creamy, but rather gluey. As far as fast-food macaroni and cheese is concerned, you're better off giving this one a pass and making instant mac and cheese at home.

With frequent specials like Tender Tuesdays and Wing Wednesdays, plus a list of sides that includes okra, Pepper Poppers, and corn nuggets, it's easy to miss the mac and cheese at Bush's Chicken. That's a shame, too, because Bush's cheesy pasta dish is a solid item on a chicken-dominated menu. Available in single or family size, you can order just enough for a little taste or make everyone happy by bringing home the larger size.

Like many fast food companies, Bush's Chicken makes its macaroni and cheese with elbow pasta and a cheese sauce that's not particularly revolutionary. It's by no means creative, but it is fairly tasty, and that's all we can ask for when we're indulging in a cheesy cheat day. We've heard from others that it can be bland and watery, but we recommend trying it for yourself before making up your mind.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup is hands down one of the best items at Panera Bread. Served with tiny bits of broccoli and carrots in a rich cheddar cheese broth, it's the definition of comfort food. Given our amazing soup experience, it's only natural to have high hopes for the mac and cheese riff of this beloved Panera item. Unfortunately, like a lot of remakes, the new version just can't hold a candle to the original. Put simply, this flavor combo works better as a soup than a pasta dish.

For one, the vegetable pieces are tiny — so tiny they don't seem worth including. Not only do they not add much in the flavor department, but if you're chowing down on mac and cheese, there's a good chance you're not super worried about nutritional values. Panera describes the cheese sauce as creamy, but more often than not, it's thin and runny. There are definitely notes of cheddar, but the chalky aftertaste camouflages from what could be a tasty sauce. It's not all bad, though. The noodles are generally well-cooked. Plus, the option to eat mac and cheese out of a bread bowl for no additional charge definitely bumps this dish up a couple of notches.

Although lesser known than other fast food chicken restaurants, Church's has been serving up delicious Southern comfort food since 1952. Church's chicken and biscuits are out of this world, but ignoring its mac and cheese would be a huge mistake.

Made with cheddar cheese and elbow noodles, Church's version may resemble a lot of fast food mac and cheese, but it's better than most. Church's sprinkles its mac with extra cheese, then bakes it to an absolutely perfect golden brown prior to serving. The amount of cheesiness is incredible and is enough to make up for some of the less ideal aspects of this dish. The main issue is consistency. Church's sauce has so much cheese in it that it's almost runny. We prefer a little heft in our mac and cheese, something Church's just doesn't deliver. However, if you like extra-cheesy mac, then this might be perfect for you.

Los Angeles-based Dave's Hot Chicken has garnered all kinds of praise for its spicy chicken tenders, so we were curious if its mac and cheese side lived up to the hype as well. Like its signature dishes, Dave's mac and cheese has a bit of a kick. If you're sensitive to spicy foods, you might have to limit your portion, but if you can handle a bit of heat, the spiciness adds a whole new level of flavor we didn't know was possible in mac and cheese.

Aside from the spice, the cheese sauce is creamy, smooth, and perfectly gooey. Plus, it's got this slightly orange color that indicates that there's actually real cheese inside and not some artificial powdery replica. The noodles are cooked to the correct texture and provide the perfect backbone for the cheese sauce to shine through. There's really nothing we don't like about this version, but if you're looking for a more classic mac, this one might miss the mark.

Like any foodies worth their salt, if Anthony Bourdain blesses something, we listen. In a 2017 interview with The Boston Globe, the late "Parts Unknown" host revealed Popeye's mac and cheese as his most shameful guilty pleasure food. That's a pretty serious endorsement, and it's worth asking if Popeye's mac and cheese really is one of the best. 

In true homestyle fashion, this tasty side is made with plenty of real butter, cream, and cheddar cheese. Before serving, it's topped with extra shreds and baked. The result is a perfectly browned crust that adds just the right amount of crunch to an otherwise gooey dish. To counteract the gooeyness, we recommend giving it a good stir before digging in. And don't be afraid to really get your fork in there — the noodles are firm enough to stand up to your mixing. Although Popeye's quality control seems pretty well regulated, some people have reported receiving rubbery noodles covered in a bland sauce. All the more reason to try it out yourself. 

Based on its name alone, Noodles & Company's Buffalo Chicken Mac sounds too good to be true. Luckily, this mac lives up to its promise. Made with a blend of real Wisconsin cheddar, Parmesan, and cream, the sauce is rich and full of flavor. More specifically, the Parmesan adds a nice tanginess that's often missing in mac and cheese, fast food or otherwise.

But Noodles & Company didn't stop with its amazing sauce. This delicious mac is topped with Parmesan-crusted chicken, Frank's RedHot Buffalo Wings Sauce, and scallions. The Buffalo sauce added punchiness, while the chicken provides the extra bulk needed to make this feel like a full meal and not just a side dish. Lastly, the scallions add just the right amount of freshness to brighten up an otherwise heavy dish. It's close to perfect, and for that reason, it comes out as the victor in this battle of the macs.