Few meals are as comforting as macaroni and cheese. While Kraft’s blue box reigns supreme as a go-to pantry staple and Goodles has made waves as a new protein-packed option, there’s a certain nostalgic charm about the classic TV dinner.
Stouffer’s Mac & Cheese is arguably the most iconic in the freezer aisle. However, after decades of being one of the best frozen macs in the biz, fans are speculating that the recipe has changed—and not in a good way.
Stouffer’s Fans Claim Its Mac & Cheese Recipe Changed
The fury began when Redditor @MinkSableSeven posted a thread, asking, “Why has Stouffer’s Mac & Cheese changed?” They went on to explain, “So, I got some Stouffer‘s Mac & Cheese about two weeks ago, and I thought I got a bad one. It wasn’t as rich as it normally is, and there was a lot less macaroni. I got some a couple days ago, and the same thing happened. There’s a lot less macaroni and a whole lot more sauce, so it never thickens up when you’re done cooking.”
Many Redditors agreed, citing watered-down noodles, artificial-tasting cheese, and even the smell of chemicals. One Redditor dubbed Stouffer’s the “go-to mac and cheese in the frozen world,” and, after a few years of not buying the product, gave it another go. “Just had one…Wow, these are really watered down and nothing like the old taste it used to have.”
“This used to be a great, guilty pleasure!” commented another Redditor, who added that the frozen dish “was bland as heck with barely any cheese flavor. It used to be rich, creamy, and so cheesy! Now? Ew!”
“It tastes horrible now; I know it has changed because when I was cooking it (in the microwave as I have always done), I wondered ‘What is that weird smell?'” wrote one Redditor, who is confident that the recipe for the frozen product has changed in recent years. “It was sort of a chemical, unpleasant smell; I didn’t even want to finish it…This is definitely worth a customer service complaint call.”
And Reddit isn’t the only social network with Stouffer’s discourse. Many former fans have also taken to Facebook over the years to air their complaints—and sometimes Stouffer’s has joined the conversation. The brand even admitted on its own Facebook account that the macaroni and cheese recipe has changed more than once.
“While we’ve made our iconic macaroni and cheese with quality ingredients for over 60 years, we tweak our recipes from time to time to meet consumer preferences and adjust for ingredient availability. Our goal is to make dishes people love,” the brand commented on a Facebook post. Stouffer’s also cited brand acquisition, adding that “Nestlé acquired Stouffer’s in the early seventies, since then we made a few changes along the way.”
“I thought it was me, but I guess not,” commented one Facebook user, who added that they were “so disappointed” in the change. “I feel like this was made with orange flour and fake milk.”
According to frequent shoppers, Stouffer’s macaroni and cheese isn’t the only product that seems to have suffered as of late. “Used to get Stouffer’s Spinach Soufflé. Three of the last four have been inedible,” wrote one Redditor on the thread speculating a mac and cheese revamp. “They didn’t firm up, they were runny, and tasted bad.”
A representative for the Stouffer’s brand confirmed to Allrecipes that “the recipe has not changed recently.” However, if it’s been a long time since you’ve tried Stouffer’s Mac & Cheese, you might taste something different.
Dining and Cooking