Making Creamy Smoked Mac & Cheese on the Traeger has never been easier! This Traeger Mac & Cheese really soaks up all that smoky deliciousness. Loaded with four different kinds of cheese, this will be the creamiest mac & cheese you’ve ever had.
What You Will Love About Smoked Mac & Cheese
I tweaked my creamy stove-top macaroni & cheese by adding more “real” cheese and putting it on the Traeger Smoker to make a delicious smoked macaroni & cheese. If you like that smoky flavor – you’ll love this! Sometimes, the flavor doesn’t soak in but that is not the case here – the smoke flavor is definitely there – but it’s not overwhelming! It’s a perfect side dish to any summer grill out!
Creamy Mac & Cheese Ingredients
Baked Macaroni & Cheese usually isn’t creamy – but this recipe is the creamiest you’ll ever have! And it’s loaded with four kinds of cheese! Here’s what you’ll need:
- 7 cups water – be sure to MEASURE your water – you don’t drain the pasta here so it’s important to measure so you don’t have too much or not enough
- pasta – I’ve made this with elbow macaroni noodles but this time I used a fancier pasta shape that I found at Aldi – just be sure to use something that will capture and hold some of the deliciously creamy sauce
- Velveeta – so every CREAMY mac & cheese has Velveeta – it just does!
- American cheese – I had some slices of American in the fridge and diced them up and threw them in!
- sharp cheddar cheese – I also wanted to add in “real” cheese – it’s a great combination!
- butter – I used salted butter but you can use unsalted butter if you like – you may just need to add salt
- cream cheese – this adds a little extra creamy right at the end
How to Make Smoked Mac & Cheese on the Traeger
This recipe is really easy too! You start on the stove – just for about 10 minutes – then TO THE SMOKER! Don’t smoke this too long – 90 minutes was plenty. You don’t want to overcook the noodles as they will continue to soak up the liquid.
- Set Traeger to 225ºF
- On the stove, bring 7 cups water to boil in large pot – BE SURE TO MEASURE THE WATER!!!
- You can use a Dutch Oven for the entire process – I just like transferring to a disposable aluminum pan for ease of cleanup
- When boiling, add in pasta and boil 1/2 way (approx 5 min)
- After pasta boils for five min, add cheese mixture and butter to pot (no draining) and stir
- Spray disposable aluminum pan with nonstick spray
- Transfer macaroni mixture (with all of the water) to aluminum pan
- Carefully place pan onto Traeger – do not cover
- Smoke for 60 minutes – stirring every 30 min
- Add cream cheese and stir. Smoke 30 minutes more
- Remove Mac & Cheese from Traeger and let rest for at least 15 minutes. Sauce will thicken up after it stands – or is even better the next day!
Tips, Tricks & FAQs
There are many flavors of pellets that work in your Traeger pellet grill. I keep it simple and always use the Traeger Signature Blend which is a blend of Maple and Cherry. That said if you’re looking for something specific for pasta – you should go with something mild like Pecan, Apple and Cherry. Avoid strong pellets like hickory or mesquite.
Smoked sausage or bacon are delicious proteins to add and I love vegetables as well – like bell peppers and onions.
Mix up the cheeses! Add different shredded cheeses to add a punch to your macaroni and cheese.
The mac & cheese makes enough for 10-12 people. That said – you might have leftovers! Store in airtight glass containers and refrigerate up to a week – or freeze up to three months. Reheat in the microwave for 2-3 minutes.
If you’re worried the smoky flavor might be too much, when you add the cream cheese, top the dish with foil for the last 30 minutes.
Variations
- Cheeses – I would always say to keep the Velveeta in – it just adds that creamy texture. But swap out the cheddar or add other cheeses like gouda cheese or Parmesan cheese.
- Bacon – You could definitely par-cook bacon about half way and then dice and add to the top of the mac & cheese for an extra flavor bomb
- Smoked Sausage – Want to make this an all-in-one meal? Slice up kielbasa or smoked sausage and stir into the mac and cheese when you put on the Traeger
- Vegetables – This would be great with green pepper and onion as well. Dice them and put them in raw when you put onto the Traeger. They’ll cook up nicely and add a little texture to the dish.
More Traeger Side Dish Recipes
What to serve with Traeger Mac & Cheese
More Mac & Cheese Recipes
Traeger Mac & Cheese
Equipment
Ingredients
- 7 cups water
- 1 lb pasta
- 2 cups cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 cup Velveeta diced
- 3/4 cup American cheese diced, 4-5 slices
- 6 tbsp butter sliced
- 1/2 block cream cheese diced
Instructions
- Set Traeger to 225
- On the stove, bring water to boil in large pot – BE SURE TO MEASURE THE WATER!!!7 cups water
- When boiling, add in macaroni and boil 1/2 way (approx 5 min)1 lb pasta
- After macaroni boils for five min, add cheeses and butter to pot (no draining) and stir2 cups cheddar cheese, 1 cup Velveeta, 3/4 cup American cheese, 6 tbsp butter
- Spray disposable aluminum pan with nonstick spray (you could also use a Dutch oven for the entire process from stove to Traeger)
- Transfer macaroni mixture to aluminum pan
- Carefully place pan onto Traeger
- Smoke for 60 minutes – stirring every 30 min
- Add cream cheese and smoke 30 minutes more1/2 block cream cheese
- Let Mac & cheese rest for at least 15 minutes. Sauce will thicken up after it stands – or is even better the next day!
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