9 Hamburger Helper Flavors, Ranked Worst To Best

Hamburger Helper has always been one of those “struggle” meals that actually tastes good, no matter how old you are. Sure, you’re not eating gourmet pasta from a restaurant, but it’s still a comforting, satisfying dish that tastes like homestyle cooking. Plus, it’s super easy and quick to make, with minimal ingredients; usually, all you need to add is milk, water, and ground meat, with the addition of optional elements for some variations.

Speaking of variations, there are way more varieties of Hamburger Helper than you may realize. Seriously, there are around 50 products currently listed on its website. And while there are a vast number of flavors to choose from in the Hamburger Helper family, some of them are also pretty similar, so much so that it’s almost like the different options are actual siblings. And like actual human siblings, it makes sense to rank them.

We chose nine varieties of Hamburger Helper and ordered them from worst to best to at least give you a heads-up on which of those 50 variations to choose from. Because although it may seem like no one makes old-school ground beef dishes anymore, perhaps it’s time for them to have a renaissance … or not. Let’s find out.

Hamburger Helper’s Cheesy Ranch Burger is described in product listings as, and I quote, a “ranch burger entrée” and combines pasta, mashed potatoes, and crispy ranch coating. This is a chaotic combination of ingredients that had me nervous — something called a “ranch burger entrée” where one of the ingredients is mashed potatoes? Interesting. The recipe also calls for an added ingredient not usually included in Hamburger Helper meals: mayonnaise (or sour cream).

Well, I was absolutely correct in being nervous about this Hamburger Helper option. It is, hands down, the worst one. It tastes like if you dunked a cheeseburger into ranch dressing and then poured melted cheese on it … but worse, somehow. It’s creamy to the point of being uncomfortable and incredibly rich in the worst possible sense. There is way too much zest — the ranch is overpowering any flavor. This is definitely due to the added ingredient (in this case sour cream), but even if you choose not to add it, the dish tastes bad in a different way (extremely bland and almost tasteless). Unless you typically enjoy your dinners tasting like a bowl of melted Cool Ranch Doritos, skip this flavor. Don’t even look at it in the store. Please stop trying to make “ranch burger entrée” a thing, Hamburger Helper.

There was something about the Tomato Basil Penne that intrigued me. It seemed fancier, for some reason. Perhaps this is because it’s the option that looks most like a typical pasta dish. Maybe it’s as simple as the inclusion of the words “penne” or “basil.” Regardless, I was comically wrong because this flavor of Hamburger Helper is extremely upsetting. To its credit, it’s edible, unlike the Cheesy Ranch Burger, so it’s got that going for it. But, oh, the disappointment is heavy with this one.

This is the only Hamburger Helper option on this list that doesn’t call for milk to be added to it — only water, and this is its first downfall, as it’s pathetically watery. Truly, this just tastes like watery marinara-based pasta. I feel like the box is wrong, and I want to call Hamburger Helper and tell it to change the instructions. This dish absolutely requires milk, and if the company isn’t going to change that (when I call and ask it to), they might as well rename this flavor to “Tomato Water Pasta.”

Unfortunately, that’s not the only thing wrong here. Along with being watery, it’s also flavorless. Allegedly, there is basil in this, but I sure can’t taste it. There’s also an unwelcome sweetness to it. I can see this dish being actually good with the addition of milk and more ingredients, like spinach or other veggies, as well as way more basil. So unless you’re going to wing the recipe and not listen to the box, skip this flavor. As my dad said when he took a bite, “This feels incomplete.” It does indeed.

Cheesy Italian Shells are Hamburger Helper’s version of a “classic home-style Italian entrée,” consisting of shell pasta, cheese sauce, and Italian seasoning. Already it seems like this option is having an identity crisis because this combination of ingredients isn’t necessarily what I would call “home-style Italian.” Upon eating it, this was very much confirmed; it clearly didn’t know what it was, and frankly, neither did I. This was actually the most silent meal of Hamburger Helper my dad and I had all week because both of us were confused as to what we were eating.

Despite the name, it didn’t taste Italian, and more surprisingly, it didn’t even taste cheesy. I might not have even known that it used a cheese sauce had it not been named “Cheesy Italian Shells.” For the record, it didn’t taste bad. Actually, the one thing this had going for it was that the shell pasta would envelop the beef and sauce, creating a sort of pasta pocket. This was very enjoyable, despite being completely impossible to identify flavor-wise. For this reason, it comes in at No. 7.

In addition to it being extremely confusing, this is a strangely watery option of Hamburger Helper, which was weird because it had the longest cooking time of 25 minutes. Since I added exactly the amount of water the recipe called for, I was beginning to think that someone needs to edit the directions on some of the boxes of Hamburger Helper.

The Four Cheese Lasagna flavor of Hamburger Helper boasts a “robust tomato and herb flavor” on the box, and it’s not totally lying. Honestly, I did not expect to like this flavor at all because it looked, on the box, very similar to Zesty Ranch Burger, with lots of seasoning and sort of an unidentifiable sauce color. Is it yellow, red, or brown? It’s kind of all of them. I wasn’t looking forward to it.

And then, miraculously, it tasted fine — pretty decent, even. I actually liked it, for the most part. Would I choose it over the other flavors? Probably not. But if it was in the fridge at my dad’s house and I was hungry, I would happily eat it. The seasoning isn’t overwhelming, and it’s not too creamy, despite being made with more milk than other flavors. It’s a little bland and lacking in flavor, but not to an offensive degree. It vaguely tastes like actual lasagna if you really focus on it (and maybe picture a lasagna in your head as you eat it). Four Cheese Lasagna is square in the middle when it comes to Hamburger Helper flavors. It’s nothing all that special but also kind of good. It could use some spinach and maybe some pepper.

It’s easy to make mistakes when cooking regular beef stroganoff, but Hamburger Helper’s Beef Stroganoff? It’s simply too easy to mess up. Deluxe Beef Stroganoff gives off a real “I’m the president of all the other Hamburger Helpers” vibe. The picture on the box is what I would expect Hamburger Helper to be if there was only one flavor. The brand’s website says that it’s “made with real herbs and spices,” which makes me think, “Were the others not? Is that why they weren’t that good?” Either way, I was looking forward to basking in that delicious stroganoff taste, also advertised in the product description.

Turns out the website was right; that classic stroganoff taste and real herbs and spices combine to make a tasty Hamburger Helper option. Not sure what’s so “deluxe” about it, but my dad and I both agreed that it was good — not delicious, but definitely good. It’s very creamy and flavorful overall. I will say that as I continued to eat it, I got a little bored, which is why it’s right in the middle of this list. Another reason is that it certainly made me sick. The rich, creamy sauce was way too much for my sensitive stomach, and I felt it for several hours, which was unpleasant. But, hey, at least it tasted pretty good. If you have a sturdy stomach, you might enjoy this flavor. 

Step aside, pasta — potatoes are taking center stage in this stroganoff. And boy do they ever: Hamburger Helper’s Potatoes Stroganoff is the “oops, all potatoes” option of the brand, in the best possible way. It’s basically the same thing as its beef counterpart but more enjoyable. The potatoes seem to complement the sauce and beef better than the pasta. There is just more flavor overall, and the chewy texture of the potatoes is very satisfying and pleasant.

Sure, this flavor of Hamburger Helper also made me feel a little sick due to the creaminess of the sauce. But I also liked it a lot more, which made the discomfort I felt for way too many hours after eating it almost worth it. It’s definitely more of a side dish than anything else, but it’s a welcome one. One might wonder if I simply have noodle fatigue from eating many different varieties of Hamburger Helper in such a short time, but I specifically ate this one earlier in the process to prevent this and still enjoyed it very much.

Potatoes Stroganoff dances to the beat of its own drum, with no pasta in sight. That said, my dad and I both agree that the two stroganoff flavors of Hamburger Helper should combine to make a super stroganoff. They are best together, but if we have to choose, the potato variety is the stroganoff champion. 

Cheeseburger Macaroni is one of the simplest and most straight-to-the-point variations of Hamburger Helper in that it looks and tastes exactly what it sounds like: cheesy macaroni with added burger bits. Truly, if a cheeseburger and mac and cheese were to assimilate into each other to create one meal, this is what it would become. And honestly? That’s a good thing. For kids, it’s two of the best possible dinners fused into one thing. For adults, it’s … also two of the best possible dinners fused into one thing.

It’s packed with flavor while also not going overboard. There are just enough combinations of ingredients in this dish, without any spice to overwhelm the taste buds. Both my dad and I agreed that this one was one of the best Hamburger Helper options and that we would happily continue eating it until we were uncomfortably full despite regretting it later. We might be slightly biased, as we’re long-time fans of this type of dish (one of our favorite meals to make when I was a kid was just adding stuff to mac and cheese). It takes the No. 3 spot because of this. Cheeseburger Macaroni is simply a classic. Also, it’s one of the flavors that could benefit from the added ingredients used to make a gourmet Hamburger Helper dish on an episode of “The Bear.”

Forget about pasta; this Hamburger Helper option is all about the rice. Cheesy Enchilada is a welcome addition to this lineup, and it proves that some of the brand’s best options aren’t necessarily pasta-based. I’m going to be very honest with you right now: This dish is legitimately good. It also doesn’t even really taste like Hamburger Helper. In a blind taste test, I wouldn’t have guessed that it was, anyway (and my dad agrees, by the way).

The seasoning is great. It’s sort of a Tex-Mex situation with just enough spice but no heat whatsoever. It could benefit from adding beans and tomatoes, which would elevate the dish into something more substantial nutrition-wise. After eating a few bites of it, I decided I would like to eat it more often in my life — not as a weekly staple or anything, but as an occasional treat. The only thing that keeps this Hamburger Helper from being crowned No. 1 is the cheese topping that you’re supposed to mix in after cooking it. It’s just too much. I chose not to add the entire package of cheese and instead added around three-fourths of it, which was the perfect amount. I look forward to one day trying this flavor of Hamburger Helper with the addition of Rotel to take it to the next level.

Well, here we are, at the No. 1 flavor of Hamburger Helper. The title goes to none other than Beef Pasta. That’s right, Beef Pasta, the most generically named meal ever, is, hands down, the best flavor. I didn’t expect this — I genuinely laughed upon reading the name “Beef Pasta,” but, hey, when it comes to Hamburger Helper, perhaps the simpler the dish is, the better it will be.

It is similar to the Deluxe Beef Stroganoff option of Hamburger Helper, but it’s not as creamy or rich to the point where it’s unpleasant. The sauce is savory without being overwhelming and has a very pleasant consistency (no runniness here) and beef flavor. There’s also not as much dairy in it as the stroganoff options, so I didn’t experience any stomach pain after eating it. A good taste and no stomach pain? That’s a Hamburger Helper win, if you ask me. 

This is the prime Hamburger Helper option that rules above all of the others, and that is a compliment. Beef Pasta Hamburger Helper honestly tastes special and singular. My hat goes off to you, Beef Pasta. Your name is silly, but your flavor is strong.

I taste-tested each option of Hamburger Helper over a week. It’s possible that this is the most Hamburger Helper anyone has ever consumed in such a short amount of time, but I have no evidence to support this claim. It’s simply a theory. A special guest joined me for the tasting of each option (my dad), and although I took his opinions into consideration, I was the boss as far as the ultimate takeaways go. To keep it fair, we stuck to the necessary ingredients only, rather than adding in extras like extra seasoning and veggies. 

Our taste test of these nine Hamburger Helper options included an analysis of overall texture, consistency, and most importantly, flavor. As it turns out, both consistency and texture always wound up affecting the overall flavor of the dish. For example, if a dish had a watery consistency, it usually made the overall meal pretty bland in flavor. If the ingredients didn’t pair well together (for example, the creaminess and the seasoning overload of Cheesy Ranch Burger), the texture was most likely (and I have no better word to describe this) creepy, which also always resulted in an unpleasant flavor. The Hamburger Helper options were ultimately ranked by how good we thought they tasted.