5 Store-Bought Sauces To Mix Into Mac And Cheese

Mac and cheese needs no introduction. It's a time-tested, well-loved meal that can be made as simply or extravagantly as you wish. Whether a side dish for a cookout or an entree in itself, there are plenty of additions to make mac and cheese extra special. If you're a fan of an extra punch of flavor in your dish, try mixing in different sauces to amplify the tastes you love best.

It's as easy as buying a bottle of sauce at the store to make your mac and cheese an even bigger taste sensation. Whether you wish to start with a from-scratch recipe or your favorite brand of instant mac and cheese, you can pick the right mix-in sauce that will provide even more spice, heat, and umami flavors in your meal. There are so many different canned and jarred sauces you should keep in the pantry that you can even get a little experimental in your own kitchen. As long as you take it slow with your mix-ins and are careful to taste as you go, the variety of options for store-bought sauces to mix into your mac and cheese is virtually limitless.

You already know that roasted garlic is the powerhouse ingredient you need for a crowd-pleasing mac and cheese, but did you know that you can infuse this into your mac and cheese in the form of a store-bought sauce? The rich mix of creaminess and umami in Kinder's Creamy Roasted Garlic Dipping Sauce from Amazon is a perfect complement to your favorite mac and cheese recipe. The drizzle-optimized bottle lends itself to especially easy application whether you're mixing the sauce into a pot of mac and cheese or drizzling it on top of a bake.

The combination of dairy-forward ingredients such as parmesan cheese and buttermilk enhance the cheese factor in any mac and cheese, while the roasted garlic introduces a unique umami complexity. With just the right amount of sweet and savory components, mixing this sauce into your next batch of mac and cheese is a must for any garlic fans. This would work especially well in a baked mac and cheese casserole recipe, to which you can also incorporate fried garlic with the breadcrumb topping for even more flavor intensity.

For a one-two punch of sweet and savory, give black pepper sauce a try in your next batch of mac and cheese. Different versions of this store-bought sauce can be found at your local Asian market, or you can easily order a jar of Lee Kum Kee Black Pepper Sauce on Amazon. Typically used in stir-fry recipes or as a dressing for chicken wings, this sauce includes ingredients such as soy sauce, oyster sauce, tomato paste, garlic, and of course, ground black pepper, all of which amount to a robust flavor profile.

Using black pepper sauce in your mac and cheese will fuse together flavors typical of Asian cuisine with a rich Southern taste profile. You can lean further into this matchup by preparing a baked kimchi mac and cheese recipe and drizzling the black pepper sauce on top. It would also make an excellent addition to an imitation crab baked mac and cheese for an especially hearty meal.

There are many creative ways to use chili crisp in your cooking including adding it to your mac and cheese. This condiment brings a desirable bit of heat, which is tempered by the dairy element, while enhancing the overall flavor of your meal. Albeit texturally different than chili crunch, chili crisp is made with a combination of oils, garlic, and chili peppers and comes in varying levels of spiciness and intensity.

You can choose your favorite among the best chili crisp brands and even grab a jar of the popular Fly By Jing Sichuan Chili Crisp on Amazon. It makes an especially great addition to typically mild flavored instant mac and cheese or stirred into a slow-cooker mac and cheese recipe. If you're planning to use an extra spicy version of this store-bought sauce, be sure that your mac and cheese is extra cheesy — or that you have a glass of milk on standby!

For mac and cheese fans who want to give your dish the nacho treatment, spicy queso is the way to go. This makes a great enhancement to a green chili mac & cheese recipe or any of your other favorites. Cheese sauce seems almost a little too obvious, but it's the addition of spicy peppers and flavors that really makes the difference here. You can choose from a variety of different store-bought cheese sauces to suit your level of spice tolerance.

For example, Velveeta's launch of three new queso flavors in May of 2024 offers options such as queso blanco, queso con salsa, and jalapeño, which you can find on Amazon. Choosing any of these to stir into your next pot of mac and cheese will make a big impact. You can even top your mac and cheese with pickled jalapeños and crushed up tortilla chips for an extra complement to the texture and taste.

If chimichurri is the versatile salad dressing you never knew you needed, imagine what it can do for your mac and cheese meal. The popular Argentinian sauce is made with a blend of olive oil, herbs, and hot peppers. Though typically used as a marinade or condiment for steaks and other proteins, chimichurri sauce would make a bold and flavorful addition to your next batch of mac and cheese. This sauce plays well with the tastes already present in your mac and cheese, by complementing and contrasting the rich and creamy cheese elements with strong notes of tanginess and spice.

Use your favorite store-bought chimichurri sauce such as Gaucho Ranch Chimichurri Sauce from Amazon to introduce new levels of flavor complexity into your mac and cheese. This would make an especially great addition to a garlic shrimp mac and cheese recipe, among others. You can easily stir this into a pot of any mac and cheese or use it as a topping for a baked casserole.