“Cracker Barrel mac and cheese” means two different things. One is the boxed pouch from Kraft Heinz, which bakes at 400°F after about 12 minutes of boiling. The other is the restaurant side, which has no published recipe. Here are the box directions, then a baked copycat built from the two recipes we read.
This is a home version, and we haven’t cooked this exact batch. Nobody outside the restaurant can say what is in its kitchen, so nothing here claims an exact match. What you get is a cheesy, set-in-the-middle bake you can have ready in about 40 minutes!
How do you make the boxed Cracker Barrel mac and cheese?
Per Kraft Heinz, heat the oven to 400°F. Boil 6 cups of water and cook the pasta 11 to 12 minutes, then drain without rinsing. Melt butter, stir in the seasoning, add milk, and cook 1 to 2 minutes to thicken it. Stir in the cheese sauce, combine with the pasta, and top with toasted breadcrumbs.
Then pour it into a 1½ quart baking dish and bake 10 minutes, or until the sauce bubbles. If you’re in a rush, Kraft Heinz says to skip the oven step after sprinkling on the breadcrumbs. Each 12.3 ounce pouch makes about four servings, and the product page lists wheat and milk as allergens.
What’s different about the restaurant version?
It isn’t the box. One r/macandcheese poster made the split clear when they shared a photo of the restaurant dish:
“The restaurant kind, not the boxed. How does one achieve this much? Order the country Vegetable plate, all 4 sides of Mac and cheese.”
– r/macandcheese (243 upvotes)
That’s one diner’s account of the vegetable plate, not a statement from the restaurant. Ever wondered what’s really in it? We couldn’t find an official ingredient list for the restaurant side. So the copycats below guess at the idea, not the formula.
How do the two copycats compare?
They take very different routes. Bake It With Love bakes pasta with cheese in an egg and evaporated milk custard. The Food.com recipe builds a roux and a quick stovetop sauce, with a short bake only to brown the top.
| Bake It With Love | Food.com | Boxed (Kraft Heinz) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheese | American, Colby, cheddar, Parmesan or Romano | Colby only | Cheese sauce packet |
| Liquid | Evaporated milk plus milk | Chicken broth plus cream | Milk |
| Binder | 2 eggs and mustard | Butter and flour roux | Seasoning mix |
| Oven | 375°F, 20 min | 350°F, about 10 min | 400°F, 10 min |
| Makes | 8 side servings | Not stated | About 4 servings |
Bake It With Love calls its recipe both a 4-cheese and a 5-cheese mac in different places. Its ingredient list shows American cheese, Colby, cheddar and a Parmesan and Romano blend, so count it however you like. The Food.com reviewers aren’t happy with their version, either:
“This is a good recipe for easy mac and cheese but it is nothing like Cracker Barrel’s so my search continues.”
– Food.com reviewer (their words, one review)
Another Food.com reviewer called the sauce bland and floury. So if you want a baked, set-in-the-middle result, we build on Bake It With Love.
Cracker Barrel mac and cheese ingredients
- 16 ounces elbow macaroni
- ¾ cup butter, cubed and divided
- 4 ounces American cheese, cubed
- 6 ounces Colby or Colby Jack, shredded and divided
- 6 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded and divided
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan, or a Parmesan and Romano blend, divided
- 12 ounces evaporated milk
- ¼ cup whole milk
- 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
You’ll need a 9 by 13 inch baking dish. The amounts are Bake It With Love’s, and we haven’t tested them.
How do you make it?
Cook your pasta a little short, melt butter and American cheese into it, and layer in the rest of the cheese. Then pour over the egg mixture and bake. Rest it 10 minutes under foil before serving, because the custard sets as it sits.
- Cook the macaroni 1 to 2 minutes short of al dente and drain without rinsing. It keeps cooking in the oven.
- Heat the oven to 375°F. Return the pasta to the pot and stir in half the butter, then the American cheese until it melts and coats the pasta.
- Transfer to the baking dish. Mix in half the Colby, half the cheddar and half the Parmesan, then dot with the remaining butter.
- Whisk the milk, evaporated milk, mustard, eggs, salt and pepper. Pour it over the pasta.
- Top with the remaining cheeses and bake uncovered for 20 minutes.
- Cover with foil and let it set for 10 minutes.
Grate your cheese from a block, says Bake It With Love. Pre-shredded cheese carries a coating that keeps it from melting as smoothly! You can grate it the day before, too.
Can you make it ahead and store it?
Bake It With Love says leftovers keep 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Reheat single portions in the microwave, or cover the dish with foil and bake 15 minutes at 350°F. You’ll like that on a holiday table, where oven time is short. Our Thanksgiving side dishes ranked shows where mac and cheese sits among the other sides.
Want other restaurant mac and cheese versions?
We’ve written two more. Our Chick-fil-A mac and cheese copycat bakes with a browned cheese top, while our Panera mac and cheese recipe stays on the stovetop. For the rest of the plate, see what goes with mac and cheese. Another Cracker Barrel side we’ve covered is the hashbrown casserole.
Cracker Barrel mac and cheese questions people ask
How long do you bake the boxed version?
Kraft Heinz says 10 minutes at 400°F, or until the sauce is bubbling.
What cheese works best for a copycat?
Bake It With Love says a 5-cheese blend is closest to the restaurant, but that Colby, Colby Jack or cheddar alone also work. Its tip is sharp cheddar for flavor.
Can you double the recipe?
Bake It With Love notes that doubling or tripling only changes the ingredient list, so plan on a bigger dish or two. Its original makes 8 side servings or 6 main-course servings.