A Ranking of the Best and Worst Boxed Mac-and-Cheeses

If you’re like me, your relationship with BOXED macaroni and cheese has been a, well… ROLLERCOASTER OF LOVE. There are falling-outs, but you keep coming back.

A boxed mac-and-cheese fanatic just ranked his favorites, and not from memory. He blind taste-tested nine different varieties. And yes, he says he followed the directions to a T, and didn’t use any “house rules” to jazz them up.

Here’s how they stacked up, along with the cost of each:

1. Walmart Great Value –  He says, “It’s my hands-down winner, regardless of price point, but if you add in the fact that a box costs mere cents, I’ll have a hard time ever buying anything else.” Price per box: $0.34. Not a typo.

2. Velveeta –  “There will always be Velveeta haters, but in my opinion, this stuff is just indescribably delicious.” Price: $3.59.

3. Kraft Deluxe –  “A rich, creamy sauce that packs in a whole lot of flavor makes this ‘deluxe’ version of Kraft’s classic mac worth every penny.” Price: $3.59.

4. Annie’s Original –  “Sometimes the classics really do reign supreme.” Price: $3.19.

5. Trader Joe’s –  “Is it perfect? No. But it’s certainly a solid choice, especially at its very budget-friendly price point.” Price: $0.99.

6. Annie’s Grassfed –  “I had high hopes for the ‘grass-fed’ version of the classic Annie’s I’ve always loved, so I’m sad to report that not a SINGLE element here was exciting.” Price: $3.29.

7. Kraft Original –  “For nostalgic reasons, I’ll never quit you, Kraft, but yikes, was your mac-and-cheese always this basic?” Price: $1.00.

8. Whole Foods 365 –  “The price may be more or less right, especially for an organic option, but the flavor couldn’t have been more WRONG.” Price: $1.49.

9. Banza –  This is a gluten-free brand where the pasta is made out of CHICKPEAS. He said, “When it’s served in a deeply flavorful sauce, that bean-y taste can be more or less masked. Since their cheese sauce was subpar at best, all that chickpea flavor was the first thing to hit my taste buds.” Price: $3.99.

(You can find his full report on each variety at BuzzFeed.com.)