Best Recipes 2023: Allrecipes asked our readers and a panel of judges to help us find the best recipe in five different categories: bacon, chicken, potatoes, cheese, and chocolate. See the full list of winners here, and read more about the best cheese recipe below.
Cheese is the literal magic sauce in our mac and cheese, the tour de force in our enchiladas, and the wind beneath (or on top of) our pizza. That’s why when we attempted to find the best cheese recipe for Allrecipes’ Best Recipes 2023 competition, we took the task very seriously. After our editors whittled down our cheesiest recipes—based on what our readers love and trending dishes—our readers voted on the top 10. The top two recipes went to a cook-off in Birmingham where our judges—Carrie Boyd, Elizabeth Heiskell, and Dakari Akorede—chose the winner. Not to be cheesy or anything, but we truly love the #1 dish.
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Meet the Two Contenders
- VELVEETA Down-Home Macaroni and Cheese: This recipe is from VELVEETA Cheese, and was originally published on April 15, 2013. It has 150 reviews with a 4.5-star rating. It made the running for our Best Recipes 2023 contest because it was voted the best mac and cheese recipe in a recent taste test. Our test kitchen pro Amanda Stanfield, says this recipe gets its creaminess from a mix of VELVEETA cheese and cheddar. But what really puts this recipe over the edge is the buttery, crushed Ritz cracker that you add on top of the pasta before baking.
- Cheddar Bay Biscuits: This recipe comes from Cookie, and was first published on April 4, 1999. The biscuits have over 1,300 reviews with a 4.6-star rating. Our test kitchen pro, Catherine Jesse, says this Red Lobster copycat is filled with lots of cheddar cheese, garlic powder, butter, flour, and a few other seasonings.
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What the Judges Had to Say
- VELVEETA Down-Home Macaroni and Cheese: Boyd said this macaroni and cheese was “creamy, cheesy, and so tasty!” And that she loved the buttery Ritz crackers on top. Akorede agreed with Boyd, but thought the dish could use a “pop of Parm to offset the VELVEETA.” Heiskell said that the recipe was very “creamy and delicious.”
- Cheddar Bay Biscuits: Akorede described this recipe as “garlic butter heaven,” and Heiskell said the biscuits were “light and savory.” Boyd said they were a little dry, but that they were “exactly what I wanted and expected.” Akorede also agreed with Boyd that the biscuits were a bit dry, and suggested more butter.
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And the Winner Is…
Ultimately, VELVEETA Down-Home Macaroni and Cheese took the throne for 2023. “You can’t compete in a cheese category against macaroni and cheese, I’m sorry, you just can’t,” says Heiskell. “You’re not wrong,” says Boyd.