There is no better comfort food than a piping hot bowl of Smoked Mac and Cheese. Creamy macaroni in a cheesy sauce is the perfect side dish or main dish! This homemade mac is full of delicious smoky flavor and aroma from the pellet smoker that will satisfy your taste buds and have you wanting more. The crunchy top layer goes perfectly with the smoked cheese (Gouda or cheddar); such an incredible flavor! It is just as good served on a cold winter day as it is in the middle of summer. Let's get grilling!
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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 that will send your taste buds on an adventure they'll never forget.
This mac and cheese is so perfect for those who want something different but still crave comfort food.
The best thing about this recipe? No liquid smoke is required. Instead, the smoke flavor is infused into each bite just by cooking the dish on an electric smoker. So whether you have a Pit Boss, Traeger, or something else, you will love this recipe.
Try Smoked Chicken Breasts, Crispy Smoked Chicken Wings, Smoked Pork Tenderloin, How To Make Perfect Smash Burgers, and Easy Smoked Chili for more mouth-watering recipes.
👩🏻🍳 More Smoker Recipes
Jump to:
- 👩🏻🍳 More Smoker Recipes
- ❤️ Why you will love smoked gouda mac n cheese
- 🪵 What are the best wood pellets to smoke macaroni and cheese?
- 🥘 Ingredient notes and substitutions
- 🧾 Instructions
- 💨 How to smoke mac and cheese
- ✔️ Can this be made ahead?
- 📖 Variations
- 🍽 Equipment
- 🌡️ Storage
- 💭 Top tips
- ❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- 🥗 What to serve with the best smoked mac and cheese
- 📋 Recipe
- 📑 Food safety
- 🧾 More Delicious Recipes
- 💬 Comments
❤️ Why you will love smoked gouda mac n cheese
EASY: The whole smoking process is so easy. It is almost hands-off cooking. No turning, mixing, or flipping is required. Once it goes on the smoker, the smoker does all the work.
MAKES A LARGE BATCH: This recipe makes a huge batch, perfect if you have company. I like to have lots of leftovers as it tastes even better the next day!
DELICIOUS: The delicate smoke flavor is infused in each incredibly tender bite of pasta. Smoking mac and cheese adds great flavor to this dish; it takes mac n cheese to a whole new level!
FANTASTIC TOPPING: The crispy topping on this homemade mac and cheese is so good! It has just the right amount of crunch! I do not recommend skipping this part!
ULTIMATE COMFORT FOOD: This dish is the ultimate comfort food. It is ridiculously good and gives you that great comfort feeling.
VERSATILE: This mac and cheese can be made with your favorite kind of cheese, or whatever kind you have on hand!
🪵 What are the best wood pellets to smoke macaroni and cheese?
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 wood, cherry wood, applewood, or pecan wood.
🥘 Ingredient notes and substitutions
Pellet grill mac and cheese is an easy recipe to make, don't let the long line of ingredients scare you off. Honest, it's really not hard, and the flavor will be so worth it!
- Elbow macaroni. This tubular-shaped macaroni is a staple in macaroni and cheese.
- Butter. This is the base for the cheese sauce. You could also use margarine.
- All-purpose flour. I used unbleached all-purpose flour. Use whatever flour you have on hand. It is used as a thickener for the sauce.
- Dry mustard powder. Adds a distinct tangy flavor that adds a fantastic taste to the cheese sauce.
- Garlic powder. Adds a mild garlic flavor to the dish.
- Paprika. This adds great flavor and a gorgeous color to the mac n cheese.
- Cream cheese. I used full-fat cream cheese. You could also use reduced-fat cream cheese if you want to watch calories.
- Gouda cheese. Gouda is a good melting cheese that results in a creamy texture, perfect for mac and cheese. If you do not have gouda, you can easily substitute Monterey jack or sharp cheddar cheese. Some other great choices are Gruyere cheese as it melts easily, and also Havarti.
- Black pepper. This adds some depth to the cheesy sauce.
- Half-and-half. If you want a richer sauce you could use heavy whipping cream instead.
- Whole milk. You could also use any milk you have on hand.
CRUNCHY TOPPING:
- Panko bread crumbs. These are used for the crunchy topping on the mac n cheese. I do not recommend omitting this ingredient.
- Butter. You could also use margarine instead.
- Parmesan cheese. This cheese pairs well with the gouda cheese in this dish.
See the recipe card for quantities.
🧾 Instructions
First things first, 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 continue to cook until the noodles are al dente. )
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 up the cream cheese into cubes and add it to the sauce. Next, add mustard powder, garlic powder, paprika, and black pepper.
Next, add in 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.
💨 How to smoke mac and cheese
Preheat the smoker to 225 degrees F.
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. Enjoy!
✔️ Can this be made ahead?
Yes, definitely! Prepare the ingredients as described above, then instead of placing the macaroni on the smoker, place it in the fridge, where it will keep, covered, for 1-2 days. When you are ready, place the dish on the smoker and follow the instructions above.
📖 Variations
- Spicy - add chili pepper flakes or sliced jalapenos to the cheese sauce to imbue heat into the dish, 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 for extra crunch!
🍽 Equipment
Smoker: Our smoker is an electric smoker, a Pit Boss smoker 8-1 grill that uses 100% wood pellets as fuel instead of gas or propane.
Wood pellets: We like the Applewood Blend, maple wood, cherry wood, or pecan wood.
🌡️ Storage
Room temperature: Do not leave this dish sitting out at room temperature for over 2 hours.
Fridge: Leftover smoked mac and cheese can be kept in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Freezer: Leftover macaroni can be frozen for up to 3 months in an airtight container or Ziploc bag. The disposable aluminum pans work great for freezing! First, cover the top with plastic wrap and push it down so it is directly on the macaroni with no gap. I like to use a couple of layers. Then cover with aluminum foil and place in the freezer.
💭 Top tips
- Make sure you add your wood pellets before you start the grill. Check during the cooking time to make sure you don't run out.
- 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, or else reduce the cook time if you are cooking at a higher temperature.
- Most of my meat recipes made on the smoker cook at 225 degrees F, so you can easily make this mac and cheese at the same time on the pellet grill as another dish.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Many different types of cheese can be used to make macaroni and cheese. Some great choices include sharp cheddar, Colby, gouda, or brie.
The time it takes to make macaroni and cheese depend on how much smoky flavor you want. For example, if you want a more smoky macaroni and cheese, it would take longer to cook than if you were making a less smoky macaroni and cheese. I find anywhere from 1 to 2 hours on the smoker gives fantastic flavor without drying the macaroni out.
Smoked mac n cheese is not healthy, but it is delicious; the ultimate comfort food.
🥗 What to serve with the best smoked mac and cheese
There are SO many dishes that go great with this ridiculously good smoked mac and cheese; some of my favorites are:
- Smoked Chuck Roast
- Smoked Pork Roast
- Quick and Easy Classic Meatloaf
- Smoked Pork Tenderloin
- Coleslaw
- Smoked Chicken Breast
- Smoked Burgers
I hope you enjoyed this recipe for Best Smoked Mac and Cheese Recipe on a Pellet Grill. If you try it out and like it, I would appreciate it if you could take a moment to leave a star rating below. Also, please leave a comment below saying how much you enjoyed it and what other types of recipes/ingredients would be interesting for me to write about in the future.
You can also Follow Me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Don't forget to tag me in your photos @windingcreek_ranch!
📋 Recipe
Best Smoked Mac and Cheese on a Pellet Grill
Equipment
- Electric 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 up the cream cheese into cubes and add to the sauce. Next, add mustard powder, garlic powder, paprika, and black pepper.
- Add in 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 degrees F.
- 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. Enjoy!
Video
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. Check during the cooking time to make sure you don't run out.
- 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, or else reduce the cook time if you are cooking at a higher temperature.
- Most of my meat recipes made on the smoker cook at 225 degrees F, so you can easily make this mac and cheese at the same time on the pellet grill as another dish.
- Room temperature: Do not leave this dish sitting out at room temperature for over 2 hours.
- Fridge: Leftover smoked mac and cheese can be kept in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: Leftover macaroni can be frozen for up to 3 months in an airtight container or Ziploc bag. The disposable aluminum pans work great for freezing! First, cover the top with plastic wrap and push it down so it is directly on the macaroni with no gap. I like to use a couple of layers. Then cover with aluminum foil and place in the freezer.
Nutrition
📑 Food safety
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
Greg Olson
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
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
we use cheddar and it was a hit!
dave
my DD lots mac and cheese and smoked cheese - this will be such a treat for her!
nancy
we love this smoked gouda mac and cheese!
Audrey
Turned out so amazing!