I love mac n cheese!!! I know I’m not alone with that statement. The ooey gooey cheesy goodness brings such comfort, and it’s so exciting that so many brands are making vegan versions. Though my favorite is just making mine homemade, I do try a store bought one every now and again. I’ve been seeing the Upton’s Natural in stores but I am so stuck on my Annie’s Sweet Potato and Pumpkin one that it took me until now to try it — and I’m glad I did! Here is my Upton’s Naturals Cheesy Bacon Mac Review.
Upton’s Bacon Mac n Cheese Review
The preparation.
It’s super easy to prepare Upton’s Naturals Cheesy Bacon Mac because the noodles are precooked and the “cheese” sauce is all pre-made and ready to go in the packet. You simply combine and stir them in a sauce pan for 3-7 minutes. Of course the frozen microwaveable ones are even easier to just pop in the microwave, but I prefer to avoid the microwave as much as possible so this is the next (quickest) best thing since you don’t need to boil noodles or make a powder into sauce.
The flavors.
Very flavorful! Such a nice smokey flavor thanks to the actual liquid smoke. This smokey, bacon-y flavor tends to be the dominant one in this mac n cheese but not in an overpowering way. The first flavor you get is that savory bacon flavor followed by a little rush of cheesy flavor. It is a really nice balance, and it is what I expected since it is a bacon mac n cheese. However, if you are looking for a super cheesy flavor with the bacon flavor in the background, you may be a bit disappointed and may be better off with the regular cheesy one since that one doesn’t have the liquid smoke. Also, it’s worth noting that the ingredients are nice and clean like nutritional yeast and mustard so it doesn’t give a weird artificial cheese flavor.
The consistency.
The noodles are really nice and don’t taste pre-cooked and the seitan bacon is sooo nice and tender and full of flavor. The cheese sauce goes a long way and lends itself well to the dish, but I wouldn’t say it’s super super creamy or anything. I would personally add a little bit of vegan butter, unsweetened almond milk and a touch more nutritional yeast to make it a bit creamier and round out all the flavors. That being said, it is just fine as it is as well and is very complete and satisfying in and of itself.
The nutritional content.
Let me finish off this Upton’s Naturals Cheesy Bacon Mac Review by sharing the nutritional content. I ate almost the whole pack myself although it says there are two servings. It can definitely be 2 servings if it was a side, but not as a full meal. For a full meal you’ll likely want the whole pack. Here’s what’s in it:
Ingredients:
Durum wheat semolina, nutritional yeast, rice bran oil, vital wheat gluten, wheat flour, soy sauce (soybean, wheat, salt), cornstarch, paprika, sea salt, liquid smoke, mustard, onion, garlic, turmeric, sugar.
Contains: Soy, Wheat.
Nutrition Information:
Serving Size: 143 g
Servings Per Container: 2
Calories Per Serving: 270
Amount per serving (% DV)
Total Fat: 6 g (8%)
Saturated Fat: 1 g (5%)
Trans Fat: 0 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg (0%)
Sodium: 270 mg (12%)
Total Carbohydrate: 44 g (16%)
Dietary Fiber: 4 g (14%)
Total Sugars: 1 g
Including 1 g Added Sugars (2%)
Protein: 10 g
Vitamin D: 0 mcg (0%)
Calcium: 50 mg (4%)
Iron: 1.2 mg (6%)
Potassium: 170 mg (4%)
So there you have it! My Upton’s Naturals Cheesy Bacon Mac Review. While you’re here, check out my Atlas Monroe Fried Chicken review as well 🙂 And let me know what your favorite vegan mac n cheese is!