Creamier than expected and vegan friendly? That sounds pretty Goodle to us.
@allgoodles on Instagram
The search of healthy packaged snacks for kids and quick weeknight dinners is never-ending in my home. With five hungry kiddos, full-time work and a handful of dietary restrictions I was eager to try the much-hyped Goodles mac and cheese.
The brand impressed me—read on to get the full scoop (though you'll likely want more than a single scoop).
If you're looking for rich, homemade mac and cheese flavor without any gnarly stuff—you're in for a treat. Goodles mac is just the ticket, brimming with good-for-you ingredients without sacrificing any of the addictive flavor boxed mac and cheese are known for.
Each serving boasts as much as 14 grams of protein, seven grams of gut-healthy fiber and loads of body-friendly nutrients kids need. Plus, there's a variety for nearly every palette. Cheddy Mac is the brand's direct competition with Kraft blue boxes—it looks and tastes just about the same, but offers way healthier ingredients like low glycemic index tapioca flour.
The brand's no-rennet policy makes all the options kosher, and the vegan-friendly option is entirely dairy-free. This is especially important if your child has a sensitivity or keeps a strictly kosher or halal diet.
Bryce GruberEach box of Goodles vegan mac and cheese is a colorful, fun-to-look-at pleasure to stock in a pantry. I know it seems trite to focus on packaging, but for whatever reason, kids seem to care. The boxes are the same size as typical blue-box mac and cheese, so you won't need any added space or clever storage solutions.
Cooking this healthier mac and cheese is also just as effortless as the classic boxed stuff. Boil your water and throw the noodles in for a few minutes. Different varieties may have slightly different cooking times, but on average it takes about 7 or 8 minutes, but overall, it's quick and simple.
Then, toss in a bit of fat like a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil—this gives even the vegan variety a creamy, authentic cheese-like consistency. Finish with the milk of your choice and stir in your powdered cheese packet.
It's truly that easy, and you don't even notice the resistant starch for prebiotic benefits (though we're grateful it's there).
Bryce GruberIn the name of proper journalism, I tried making these vegan-friendly boxes two ways: totally vegan as well as purely vegetarian.
In the first scenario, I used extra virgin olive oil as my fat source and a 1/4 cup of unsweetened coconut milk. The result was a creamy treat. I'd give this option a solid 8 out of 10, and maybe it would hit a 9.5 out of 10 with the addition of some fake meat crumbles or garlicky veggies.
A few days later I swapped the vegan ingredients with a spoonful of real butter and whole milk. Our family isn't vegan, but does have strict dietary concerns that rule out most boxed mac and cheese options, so this was an exciting trial for us. Using real butter and milk made the texture somehow even creamier and it genuinely tasted like real cheese.
This was a solid 9.5 out of 10 for my kids, who asked for seconds... and then thirds.
Overall, my kids loved Goodles—especially the Shella Good variety, which is a vegan white cheese and mini shells offering. To be honest, it tasted a bit more alfredo-ish than standard white mac and cheese, but it was downright delish. The other flavors are also excellent and worth a try as meals on their own or as side dishes.
If you're feeling sassy, feel free to add vegan meat crumbles, sauteed peas, roasted garlic cloves or other faves.
We suggest ordering the six-pack variety bundle which works out to a bit over $3 per box. It's a great value and allows new Goodles customers to give a few of the brand's bestselling flavors a try. You can also buy individual boxes of our favorite variety, Shella Good, through Amazon.
Shipping is fast and free for Prime members. Not a member? Click here to score a free 30-day Prime membership and then check out all these other free stuff from Amazon for families.
This article contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.
Keep up with your baby's development, get the latest parenting content and receive special offers from our partners
Bryce Gruber is a Jewish mom to five growing kids. She loves writing shopping and trend content and catching up on pop culture. When she's not raising her children, she can be found hiking local mountains, traveling to sunny beaches and trying to get a handle on the endless laundry life provides.