This Popular Trader Joe's Dip Will Give Your Mac And Cheese An Upgrade

Whether you keep it classic or elevate it to gourmet, mac and cheese is an undeniable crowd-pleaser. In short, it's the cheese that pleases. But even the most tried and true dishes need an upgrade from time to time. Enter Trader Joe's Buffalo Chicken Style Dip. Its unmistakable bright orange packaging beckons from the refrigerated section of your favorite TJ's. This thick and creamy dip is anything but one-dimensional — think Buffalo wings meets spicy cheese dip. Ranked seventh in our list of Trader Joe's dips, it contains cayenne pepper sauce, sour cream, cream cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, and even has actual chunks of white meat chicken breast (as well as garlic, onions, cayenne powder, black pepper, and parsley).

According to TJ's website, this whipped dip's popularity soars during football season, where it can be enjoyed cold or warmed up and put on everything from tortilla chips, breadsticks, and french fries to crudités (cut veggies), pizza, quesadillas, and grilled cheese. But the mouth-pleasing mother of them all has got to be adding it to mac and cheese. While these two have always been an undeniably perfect pairing (one rivaled only by peanut butter and chocolate), shortcutting it in one dish is truly sensational. The easiest and quickest way to enjoy this combo is to pick up one of TJ's frozen mac and cheeses (Hatch Chile Mac & Cheese or Joe's Diner Mac n' Cheese) and a tub of the dip. If you have a little time, though, homemade mac is the way to go.

At its heart, mac and cheese is simple and classic. It can serve as a snack, goes perfectly as a side dish with various meats from barbecue pork to fried chicken, and is perfect on its own as a full meal. Switching up the preparation is easy with tons of decadent mac and cheese recipes just waiting to be tested, and this dip can be added to most, like this simple mac and cheese crunchy topping. Stir in Trader Joe's Buffalo Chicken Style Dip as it is, or add even more cooked chicken to the mix before topping with shredded cheese, then bake. With its crisply topped crumbled crackers, this cheddary-baked creation adds a bit of crave-worthy crunch that, when paired with TJ's dip, takes the whole thing to flavor town.

And it works great gluten-free, too! Sub in gluten-free noodles or skip the noodles altogether, adding some vegetables to your plate, with roasted cauliflower "mac" and cheese. Just as creamy and delicious as the real thing, this don't-knock-it-before-you-try-it dish is a real treat, which only benefits from the spicy addition of TJ's Buffalo chicken dip. Dollop some warmed dip over the top just before serving; that way, you can mix it in with each bite as desired. Want more Buffalo in your Buffalo-style mac? Try an easy-peasy three-ingredient variant from TikTok that adds Trader Joe's Spicy Buffalo Cheddar to the mix for a super gooey, spicy bake.