This Smoked Mac and Cheese on Pellet Grill is the ultimate comfort food. Creamy macaroni blended with a smoky cheese sauce and topped with a crunchy top layer makes it the perfect main dish or side dish.
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This is Mac and Cheese like you've never had before. Creamy noodles and gooey cheese combine to create the most flavorful dish. Cooking the dish on a pellet smoker infuses delicious smoke flavor into each bite. Make it on a Pit Boss, Traeger, or electric smoker.
If you love homemade mac and cheese but want a gluten-free version, check out Gluten-free Mac and Cheese.
Try Smoked Chicken Breasts, Crispy Smoked Chicken Wings, Smoked Pork Tenderloin, How To Make Perfect Smash Burgers, and Easy Smoked Chili.
Jump to:
- ❤️ Why you'll love smoked gouda mac n cheese
- 🥘 Ingredients & substitutions
- 🧾 How to make smoked mac and cheese on pellet grill
- Substitutions
- 🥗 Serving suggestions
- 💭 Top tips
- 🌡️ Storage
- 📖 Additions & Variations
- ❓ Recipe FAQ's
- Here's what readers have to say about this smoked mac and cheese:
- Reader Reviews ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- 👩🏻🍳 More Pellet Grill Recipes
- Printable Recipe
- Comments
❤️ Why you'll love smoked gouda mac n cheese
- This homemade mac and cheese is easy to make.
- It makes a large batch, and leftovers taste even better the next day.
- The smoked flavor takes mac and cheese to a new level.
- You'll love the crispy topping.
- It's the ultimate comfort food recipe.
🥘 Ingredients & substitutions
Pellet grill mac and cheese is an easy recipe; don't let the long line of ingredients scare you off. Honest, it's not hard, and the flavor will be worth it!
See the printable recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and quantities.
- Elbow macaroni.
- Butter.
- Flour.
- Dry mustard powder.
- Cream cheese.
- Gouda cheese.
- Half-and-half.
- Milk.
- Panko bread crumbs.
🧾 How to make smoked mac and cheese on pellet grill
Quick overview
- Cook and drain macaroni.
- Make cheese sauce.
- Combine cooked macaroni and sauce.
- Smoke on a pellet grill.
- Serve.
Step by step instructions
Step 1: Cook pasta according to package directions. (Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add macaroni noodles. Turn it down to medium heat and cook until the noodles are al dente). Drain the water from the pasta and add it to a large bowl.
Step 2: While the pasta cooks, prepare the cheese sauce. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add flour while whisking. Continue to whisk until the roux is smooth. Add half-and-half and whole milk. Continue to whisk.
Step 3: Heat the sauce over medium heat until it thickens. Then, remove the saucepan from the heat. Cut the cream cheese into cubes and add it to the sauce, along with mustard powder, garlic powder, paprika, and black pepper.
Step 4: Add the shredded gouda cheese. Stir until everything is completely melted and creamy.
Step 5: Pour the cheese mixture over the cooked pasta. Stir until everything is well combined. At this point, it may look like you have too much cheese sauce and not enough pasta. Don't worry, the sauce will thicken and become the perfect consistency.
Step 6: Transfer the mac and cheese into a large cast-iron skillet seasoned with olive oil or a disposable aluminum pan sprayed with cooking spray.
Step 7: Preheat the smoker to 225 degrees F. Mix the ingredients for the crunchy topping (Panko breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, and butter) in a small bowl. Spoon the bread crumb topping evenly over the macaroni and cheese.
Step 8: Place the cast iron pan with the mac n cheese on the smoker grate. Close the lid and smoke for 1 to 2 hours. The longer it smokes, the stronger the smoky flavor will be. For us, 2 hours is perfect. The top of the mac will be light golden brown, and the cheese will be bubbling. Serve immediately.
Substitutions
- Macaroni. Use any type of dried pasta.
- Butter. Use margarine instead
- Flour. I used unbleached all-purpose flour, but you can use any type of flour.
- Cream cheese. I used full-fat cream cheese, but you can use reduced-fat cream cheese.
- Gouda. Substitute Monterey Jack, sharp cheddar cheese, Gruyere cheese, or Havarti.
- Half-and-half. For a richer sauce, substitute with heavy whipping cream.
🥗 Serving suggestions
There are SO many dishes that go great with this ridiculously good smoked mac and cheese; some of my favorites are:
💭 Top tips
- Make sure you add your wood pellets before you start the grill.
- Use a disposable aluminum pan to make cleanup a breeze.
- If the temperature is higher than 225 degrees F, the pasta may dry out, so make sure it is only cooked at 225 degrees F, or reduce the cooking time if cooking at a higher temperature.
- Most of my meat recipes on the smoker cook at 225 degrees F, so you can easily make this mac and cheese simultaneously on the pellet grill with another dish.
🌡️ Storage
Refrigerator: Leftover smoked mac and cheese can be kept in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Freezer: Freeze for up to 3 months in an airtight container, Ziploc bag, or disposable aluminum pan. Cover the top with plastic wrap and push it down so it is directly on the macaroni with no gap. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and place in the freezer.
📖 Additions & Variations
- Meat: Add cooked crab, lobster, or shrimp.
- Spicy: Add chili pepper flakes or sliced jalapenos to the cheese sauce or serve it with hot sauce.
- Bacon - add cooked, crumbled bacon for delicious smoked mac and cheese with bacon.
- Kid-friendly - add crushed plain potato chips to the top.
❓ Recipe FAQ's
It takes anywhere from 1 to 2 hours to make smoked macaroni and cheese, depending on how strong you want the smoke flavor to be.
Yes. Prepare the ingredients as described above, but instead of placing the macaroni on the smoker, place it in the fridge, covered, for 1-2 days. When ready, place the dish on the smoker and follow the instructions above.
Because pasta and cheese really take in the smoke flavor, you will want to use a type of wood that doesn't have a strong flavor. Some great options are mild wood, such as maple, cherry, apple, or pecan.
Here's what readers have to say about this smoked mac and cheese:
Reader Reviews ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"I made this tonight, I added 1 pound of Dungeness crab. It was absolutely amazing, everyone who tried it said it was the best macaroni and cheese they had ever had. And I agree, I think it would've been fabulous without the crab, but the crab just added to it." - Greg
"We used cheddar and it was a hit!" - Jean
👩🏻🍳 More Pellet Grill Recipes
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- Jeri
Printable Recipe
Smoked Mac and Cheese On Pellet Grill
Equipment
- Pellet grill
Ingredients
- 1 pound elbow macaroni 16 ounces
- ½ cup butter
- 6 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 cups half-and-half
- 1 cup milk
- 8 oz cream cheese
- ½ tablespoon mustard powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper or to taste
- 3 cups Gouda cheese shredded
Crunchy Topping
- 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
- 2 tablespoon butter softened
- ½ cup parmesan cheese
Instructions
Cook the macaroni
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Cook the noodles until they are al dente.
Prepare the cheese sauce
- While the pasta cooks, prepare the cheese sauce. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add flour while whisking. Continue to whisk until the roux is smooth.
- Pour in the half-and-half and whole milk. Continue to whisk. Continue to heat the sauce over medium heat until it starts to thicken. Then, remove the saucepan from the heat.
- Cut the cream cheese into cubes and add to the sauce. Add mustard powder, garlic powder, paprika, and black pepper. Add the shredded gouda cheese. Stir until everything is completely melted and creamy.
- Drain the water from the pasta and add it back to the large saucepan or bowl. Pour the cheese mixture over the cooked pasta. Stir until everything is well combined. (At this point, it may look like you have too much cheese sauce and not enough pasta. Don't worry, the sauce will thicken and it will turn out to be a perfect consistency).
- Pour the mac and cheese into a large cast-iron skillet seasoned with olive oil or a disposable aluminum pan sprayed with cooking spray.
Smoke the Mac and Cheese
- Preheat the smoker to 225℉.
- In a small bowl, mix together the ingredients for the crunchy topping (Panko breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, and butter). Spoon the bread crumb topping evenly over the macaroni and cheese.
- Place the cast iron pan with the mac n cheese on the smoker grate.
- Close the lid and smoke for 1 to 2 hours. The longer it smokes the stronger the smoky flavor will be. For us, 2 hours is perfect. The top of the mac will be light golden brown and the cheese will be bubbling. Serve immediately.
Video
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Notes
- Add 1-2 tablespoon of margarine to the water in the pot the macaroni is cooked in to prevent it from boiling over and making a mess.
- Make sure you add your wood pellets before you start the grill.
- Use a disposable aluminum pan to make cleanup a breeze.
- If the temperature is higher than 225 degrees F, the pasta may dry out, so make sure it is only cooked at 225 degrees F, or reduce the cooking time if cooking at a higher temperature.
- Most of my meat recipes on the smoker cook at 225 degrees F, so you can easily make this mac and cheese simultaneously on the pellet grill with another dish.
Nutrition
The provided nutrition information is automatically calculated. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Greg Olson says
I made this tonight, I added 1 pound of Dungeness crab. It was absolutely amazing, everyone that tried it said it was the best, macaroni and cheese they have ever had. And I agree, I think it would’ve been fabulous without the crab, but the crab just added to it.
Jeri Walker says
Thank you so much, Greg, for trying out my smoked mac and cheese recipe! I'm glad everyone loved it - and the addition of Dungeness crab sounds amazing! What a fantastic combination! Thank you so much for coming back to leave a comment - your kind words mean so much to me! 😊🧀🦀
Jean says
we use cheddar and it was a hit!
dave says
my DD lots mac and cheese and smoked cheese - this will be such a treat for her!
nancy says
we love this smoked gouda mac and cheese!
Audrey says
Turned out so amazing!