I Tried And Ranked 8 Hamburger Helper Flavors

America's favorite one-pan meal, Hamburger Helper, has been serving up both comfort and convenience since 1971. The brand began then with just five humble flavors but has since exploded to an entire aisle's worth of options. It's safe to say that ease in the kitchen will never go out of style.  Lefty, the brand's iconic helping hand — with his stirring spoon always at the ready to assist at-home chefs — has been there through it all. He's a cheerful, red-nosed reminder that a filling family dinner doesn't have to be complicated. All you need is a pound of meat, some water and/or milk, and a trusty box of Hamburger Helper (which has since rebranded to just "Helper"). 

Looking at the selection now is like flipping through a cookbook of American weeknight meals. So, in the name of both nostalgia and curiosity, I recently picked up several different boxes — some classics, some wildcards — to cook up and try for myself. All the boxed dinners deliver the same level of cooking convenience. All you have to do is cook the meat, dump in the rest of the ingredients, and let it simmer. So, I judged and ranked them based purely on what comes in the box: the noodle shape, the seasoning, the sauce, and how everything came together on my plate. Sure, there are plenty of ingredients you can add to dress them up (even the boxes offer "make it fancy" suggestions), but I tried them all as is to find the best meal in its natural state. Apron on. Lefty at our service. Let's dig in.

When I think of one-pot beef stroganoff, I think of a rich and bold Russian dish with sauteed cubes of beef tenderloin, thick egg noodles, and an abundance of mushrooms — and don't forget about the generous dollop of sour cream on top. This version from Helper, on the other hand, takes some creative liberties — and it doesn't quite pan out.

Egg noodles are swapped for an enriched wheat flour-based pasta, and in true Helper style, it calls for ground beef rather than tender steak. Thanks to all these substitutions, it was already shaping up to be an inferior take on stroganoff. The dish tried to redeem itself with a savory sauce mix, and this particular box even calls for the highest quantity of milk out of all the Helper varieties at 2¼ cups, so I assumed it would at least have creaminess on its side. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

This meal ends up rather drab. There's no umami-rich beef flavor running through it, and it lacks the cheesiness of most other Helper flavors. It's supposedly seasoned with dried onion, garlic, parsley, and a handful of other spices, but even those are hard to notice. What you're left with is a bowl of soft pasta and unseasoned ground beef cloaked in a thin, slightly off-putting film. It could be improved by a handful of cooked mushrooms or a DIY seasoning blend, but even then, I think it would still land in the bottom spot.

If you're craving Italian-inspired flavors, Helper has you covered. The brand offers a few Italian comfort recipes, like spaghetti, tomato basil penne, and this box of lasagna. I would advise you to keep your expectations low, though. This dish doesn't exactly deliver gourmet quality or a straight-from-nonna's-kitchen kind of experience.

The lasagna actually uses the same pasta shape as the stroganoff: a wavy mafaldine noodle. It then layers in real Parmesan cheese, a tomato sauce, and Italian-style herbs along with the ground beef, of course. It sounds homestyle and comforting, but it's lacking in a few areas. The base sauce reminds me of the watery kind you'd find in a can of SpaghettiOs, and the cheesiness is extremely light. Combined with the extra-soft noodles, it ends up tasting like an overcooked, washed-out pasta meal with some ground beef tossed in for good measure. The seasoning blend is really the only element that stands out. A mix of spices gives the dish a fresh herbal lift. It's the one thing that pulls it ahead of the bland stroganoff.

A great fix for this one would be swapping out the ground beef for Italian sausage. That alone would instantly add spice and zest and would also pair perfectly with the existing seasoning. Throw in a spoonful or two of ricotta, and then it would really start to live up to its Italian roots.

This is not one of the original Helper flavors, but it is exactly the kind of meal I think of when I think of the brand. It has hamburger meat. It has noodles. It has cheesiness. And that's just about it. It's unapologetically simple, and that's its charm.

Now, that's not to say it's the absolute best flavor out there. It still has its quirks and a few small shortcomings. The dish comes with classic mac and cheese-style elbow noodles, though they're noticeably larger than what you'd find in, say, a box of Kraft. Then there's the pound of ground beef and the mix of real cheddar and blue cheeses. I thought the latter was an interesting addition, though I didn't notice any kind of blue cheese flavor. Overall, it's cozy and filling, but the flavor isn't quite as rich or cheesy as I had hoped for. The noodles don't soak up much of the cheesy sauce — just the meat does — so they're a bit plain. I did accidentally overcook the ingredients at the bottom of the pan, and that worked in my favor, bringing a deeper, bubbly cheese flavor into the mix.

In addition to the mild taste, I also don't love that food dyes like yellow 5 and yellow 6 were included to achieve that brighter orange hue. So, all things considered, it's pretty tasty. But there are several other Helper meals out there that surpass it.

I'll be honest, I'm not usually a big fan of canned tuna. I can eat tuna seared or even raw, tucked into a sushi roll, all day long. Yet there's something about it swimming around in a can that always gives me pause. Needless to say, I was wary of this fishy meal that calls for not one but two cans of tuna thrown in along with water, milk, and 4 tablespoons of butter. However, I ended up being pleasantly surprised by its agreeable taste.

The twisted noodles have a similar effect as egg noodles, though they aren't quite as thick. Their texture is a bit firmer — closer to al dente than mushy — which helps them hold up well in the pan. The base sauce, which is made of buttermilk, cheddar cheese, and a little bit of blue cheese, is extra melty and cheesy. It honestly masks most of the tuna flavor, so it's not overly fishy. You can still tell it's there — and you still get all the protein benefits — but it's just cloaked in cheese, making it far more approachable for those of us who don't usually go for the canned stuff.

Altogether, it reads just like a stovetop cheesy tuna casserole and one that sails past several other, blander Helper varieties. The perfect finishing touch would be a sprinkling of breadcrumbs or maybe even a handful of crushed potato chips for that classic casserole crunch.

The beef pasta does happen to be a Helper OG — although you may remember it as beef noodle. It combines standard pasta in a loosely twisted shape (the same one as the tuna cheesy pasta noodles) with lean ground beef and sauce. And, even from just that first taste, I could see why it's stuck around for so long.

The dish is admittedly pretty basic, just like the stroganoff and beefy macaroni. But there's just something special and nostalgic about it. It really is as rich and savory as the box promises. The seasoning packet, when stirred together with the water and milk, transforms into a creamy beef gravy-like substance. It's umami, salty, and has a deep flavor all-around. The sauce coats the noodles and the hearty amount of beef crumbles, making for a stick-to-your-ribs kind of dinner. For a second, you almost forget that it was born from dry ingredients in a cardboard box.

If I had one note, it would be that replacing the ground beef with cubed chuck roast or a different kind of cut would take the meal so much further. It would taste richer and have a much better texture. The box also recommends tossing chopped onions into the skillet while the beef cooks and stirring in mixed vegetables like corn, peas, and carrots toward the end for extra color and flavor. Even without these add-ins, though, this Helper variety is a can't-go-wrong kind of choice. Here's to another 50 years of it on the shelves.

The brand doubles down on the cheeseburger macaroni flavor with a Deluxe product. Now, when you hear the term "deluxe" cheeseburger at a fast food joint or restaurant, you probably think of a sandwich loaded up with veggies or condiments. At Helper, though, deluxe seems to be code for more cheese and with a few tablespoons of butter tossed in. Every other part of this recipe stays the same as the earlier version, from the ground beef and elbow noodles to the amount of water and milk stirred in.

The extra cheese and butter may seem like small, insignificant additions, but they actually make a big difference when it comes to both flavor and consistency. The meat and noodles get a more generous coating of cheese and the sauce clings to each bite much more easily. This is the level of cheesiness I was hoping for with the original cheeseburger macaroni box. The butter also works its magic here, giving the sauce a richer texture and more satisfying body. After all, boxed mac and cheeses always fare better with butter rather than milk alone.

Like its predecessor, this version also includes a few food dyes to achieve that desirable golden hue. But here, thanks to the superior taste experience, it's more forgivable. Dyes and all, this meal offers a heartier, cheesier take on a classic dish, earning it a spot as one of my top three picks.

Compared to the lasagna, this Italian-inspired dish was much more satisfying. I thought the two would be very similar, and in many ways, they are. But this box also bakes in a few subtle recipe changes that make all the difference.

It still includes ground beef, cheese, and noodles — go figure. But this time, the noodles come in that Velveeta-style shell shape that perfectly catches all the sauce. Additionally, instead of a diluted, tomato-based sauce, the cheesy Italian shells are soaked in a base of buttermilk, Parmesan, cheddar, and a little bit of blue cheese. Plus, you still get that same, familiar Italian seasoning blend.

The flavors all come together really nicely. It's cheesy, creamy, and chock full of herbs to the point where it almost tastes homemade. It looks closer to a vodka-style sauce, yet the taste has more of a garlic herb flair. I also noticed it was a bit greasy, even without adding any oil or butter, which made it all the more decadent. If you want to build on it even more, the box also suggests a way to "make it fancy" by tossing in baby spinach, diced tomatoes, and a sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese. To me, that sounds like a wonderful idea that would add color, freshness, and even more balance. I would also consider sprinkling on some red pepper flakes for a bit of spice.

I have never associated Helper with spicy foods. It's most often lumped into the category of quick and convenient home cookin'. So, I certainly did not expect one of its spice-infused choices to win me over. But spoiler: It did.

Even Lefty, the helping hand, gets a different look on this box. He trades out his standard wooden mixing spoon for a glass thermometer, and if that wasn't enough to warn you of the mild heat, he's also decorated with a few beads of sweat and a puff of steam. As for the pasta meal itself, it's not quite as spicy as the brand lets on. But it's every bit as tasty. You still have your pound of ground beef, rotini noodles, butter, water, and milk — that's how I knew it would be extra good. When everything is combined and cooked up together, you get a pan full of creamy, garlicky, and cheesy goodness. A blend of cheddar, blue, and Parmesan cheeses gives it some additional complexity, along with small bits of red bell pepper. Then comes the spice. It hit me a bit late and I couldn't find the specific ingredient responsible for the piquancy on the ingredient list, though it had a similar effect to red pepper flakes. Altogether, it's an unexpectedly delicious blend of flavors and a spicy twist on comfort food that I can get behind.

Over the course of two days (and multiple pans), I cooked up all of the meals per the instructions on the box. Depending on the variety, that meant adding ground beef or tuna, plus milk, water, and butter where necessary. Then, I based my rankings on their distinct tastes and consistency.

All of the pastas cooked evenly, landing in that sweet spot of texture — not too mushy, not too firm — and the sauces thickened nicely after a few extra minutes on the stove. So, in the end, it came down to taste. I ranked each product based on how rich and savory it was, giving favor to those that used a great blend of seasonings and those that were extra cheesy. Really, it all just had to flow well together and give me that true comfort food feeling. The best one did that and even surprised me with a tiny bit of spice — something I never knew a plateful of Helper could benefit so much from.

It's important to note that none of these boxes made quite as much food as I expected. Each one could comfortably feed about a family of three, or two really hungry adults. So that's something to keep in mind when you're planning your dinners.