Kraft Mac & Cheese is moving beyond pasta into ramen territory, with the company arguing that cheese works just as well on noodles as it does on spaghetti. The brand revealed Kraft Mac & Cheese Cheesy Ramen on October 6, which represents the first time the label has entered a new food category in almost 20 years.
Three well-known ramen types now sit alongside Kraft’s signature cheese flavor in a single new lineup. Over the past three years, the segment has doubled, according to the company, due to customers mixing cheese into their own ramen dishes to produce a creamier texture and counterbalance spicy flavors.
The Three Flavors
Kraft has launched three new Cheesy Ramen varieties, each blending the brand’s signature cheese flavor with a distinct style of ramen. The flavors on offer are Spicy, Chicken and Pork.
A spicy take brings together cheese with a sharp burst of heat. The chicken option pairs the familiar cheese taste with the savory notes linked to chicken ramen. For pork, the design leans into a fuller, more substantial pork ramen flavor instead.
Nicolas Henault, Kraft Mac & Cheese Vice President of Marketing, framed the move as a natural fit for a brand with decades of cheese experience. “Consumers are increasingly looking for bold flavors and new ways to enjoy the foods they love, and we’re seeing growing demand for cheesy ramen in the US,” he said.
“As a brand that has been delivering cheesy comfort for nearly 90 years, we saw a natural opportunity to bring our cheese expertise to ramen and give consumers a uniquely Kraft Mac & Cheese take on a format they’re already embracing.”
A Brand That Already Tried Ramen
While this marks a new category for the brand in the US, Kraft Dinner has already taken a similar approach in Canada. Kraft Dinner’s own KD Ramen lineup brings the brand’s signature cheese flavor to instant noodles.
A familiar Kraft flavor forms the base of the ramen launch, while the format shifts around it. Cheese stays fixed; everything else changes.
The Soda Experiment
The Canadian brand Kraft Dinner attempted to turn cheese into a drink in September 2026, teaming with Solly’s Craft Soda to launch KD Cream Soda, a limited-edition drink combining traditional sweet cream soda with a hint of KD’ for a cheesy flavor.
The timeline matters here. Over three years, cheesy ramen went from a small trend into a doubling market. Kraft is not waiting for that growth to slow down before entering the space.
What This Means For Kraft
This shift shows a readiness to try something new outside its main offering. A company that started with mac and cheese has since added noodles, soda and cheese-flavored drinks to its lineup. The strategy is consistent: enter a market, apply cheese, and watch whether it catches on.
The Kraft Mac & Cheese Cheesy Ramen is set to hit stores across the country at some point in early 2027, though no specific release date has been given by the company.
Before the ramen is rolled out more widely, fans can get a chance to sample it first. Kraft points people toward its Instagram and TikTok accounts for information about an early taste of the new products.
The Early Taste Details
The rollout is not happening all at once. Kraft is running a limited early taste program, pointing customers toward its social media accounts for more information about the upcoming sampling.
Henault’s own words reveal what the company is doing. He calls it a “natural opportunity.”, which is marketing talk for betting on a proven trend.
There’s no objective answer to whether cheese and ramen go well together. However, the trend is very much real, and Kraft isn’t the only company trying to cash in on it.
Key Facts Box
– Announced: October 6
– First new category in nearly 20 years
– Flavors: Spicy, Chicken, Pork
– Cheesy ramen segment growth: Doubled over the past three years
– KD Cream Soda: Launched September 2026 with Solly’s Craft Soda
– Availability: Nationwide in early 2027
– Early taste details: Available via Kraft’s Instagram and TikTok accounts
Comfort food has been what Kraft Mac & Cheese has sold for close to 90 years now. The company is moving that product into a cup instead. The open question is whether Americans still want cheese on their noodles as much as they did on their pasta.
Details about the early tastes can be found on both Instagram and TikTok. You can follow those feeds, take a look at the samples they post, and form your own opinion.
Source material: “Kraft Mac & Cheese is making ramen for the first time in the US,” Dexerto.
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