Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese
This flavor-loaded Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese is rich, creamy, and bold. You’ll love this reader-favorite mac and cheese that’s the perfect side dish for any occasion! Psst, the crumbled bacon topping takes it to a whole ‘notha level!
Have y’all ever had some smoked gouda cheese before? The origin of gouda traces back to the Netherlands and it is also commonly made from pasteurized or unpasteurized cow’s, goat’s, or sheep’s milk. In addition, gouda cheese has a yellow hue with an edible waxed outer rind.
Its aroma is wonderfully pungent and it has a creamy, nutty, and full-bodied taste. Gouda is one heck of a popular cheese as it’s commonly used on charcuterie boards, in sandwiches, as fondue, etc. So, how one could use gouda cheese is endless.
If you’re new here, I want you to know that I have an affinity for mac and cheese. Seriously, ya girl loves her some mac and cheese, this is exhibit one and exhibit two. It’s just a real kind of cozy comfort dish that I’m digging anytime but especially around those times when you’re in the mood for some delicious indulgence. And we all know that a good mac and cheese just hits way different, ha!
Friends, this smoked gouda mac and cheese is straight-up FIRE. Yeah, I’m tooting my own horn but for a very good reason. You see, it’s super creamy, decadent, flavorful and not to mention it has that bangin’ smoked gouda cheese flavor all throughout. It’s certainly a dish that I make for family/friend get-togethers and it’s on my holiday feast table for sure.
What You’ll Need For This Recipe:
(Note: the full ingredients list, including measurements, is provided in the recipe card directly below.)
- Pasta: I’d recommend using any kind of short pasta noodle such as elbow macaroni, cavatappi, shells, etc. In these photos specifically, we used a short pasta noodle called lumaconi. I love the shape of them and they have a wide noodle hole (umm, that doesn’t sound weird) that holds cheese sauce well!
- The cheeses: Smoked gouda cheese and sharp white cheddar cheese. While this recipe is all about the smoked gouda cheese, sharp cheddar comes in to provide balance and contrast in flavor against the sharpness of gouda.
- Butter: Listen, if you see a mac and cheese recipe that does not call for butter, run for the hills! Butter is an essential fat needed for richness, flavor, and to keep a level of moisture within the mac. >> #butterbeready 🧈
- Flour: To help thicken the cheese sauce.
- Heavy cream & milk: These are the two liquid components to build the cheese sauce. Both ingredients add a level of richness and creaminess.
- Spices: Smoked paprika, white pepper, ground mustard, garlic powder, ground nutmeg, and salt. Yes, even macaroni and cheese gets seasoned because bland mac is offensive. And a slight pinch of ground nutmeg enhances the overall flavor, trust me on this!
How To Make Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese:
(Note: the full ingredients list, including measurements, is provided in the recipe card directly below.)
- First, cook pasta according to package directions, al dente, and then set aside. In a large dutch oven or pot, heat butter over medium-low heat. Once butter has melted add in flour and stir until all flour has dissolved in butter.
- Next, add in heavy cream and milk and then stir to combine with butter/flour mixture. Let the mixture come up to a slight boil and then add in seasonings and stir.
- Lastly, add the cheeses and stir until all the cheese has melted, then add in al dente pasta. Stir together to make sure all pasta is coated in sauce and add salt to preference level.
- Then transfer into a lightly greased large baking dish and top with remaining smoked gouda cheese. Bake the dish for 25-30 minutes or until golden and bubbly.
A Few Notes On This Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese:
- It’s important to note that smoked gouda cheese has a very strong pungent taste on its own, so I’ve added some extra sharp white cheddar cheese to give it a slight balance. Even with it being added, the smoked gouda cheese flavor still rings through, trust me.
- As I always say when it comes to cheese, do NOT buy the pre-shredded kind. Buy your cheese in block form so that you can grate by hand using a handheld grater or shred it in a food processor. Pre-shredded cheese has a coating on it that prevents the cheese from getting ultra-creamy.
- This smoked gouda mac and cheese is best served baked in the oven with extra shredded cheese on top, however, you can enjoy it straight from the stovetop if you prefer.
This Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese recipe is a favorite for a reason. I can’t recommend this comforting dish enough. Be sure to tag @butterbeready in your BBR recipe creations, I sure love to see it when you do. Until next time! 🤟🏾
A few more cozy recipes for you:
- Red Wine Braised Short Ribs
- Creamy Shrimp and Grits
- Authentic Cajun Gumbo
- Pork Tenderloin w/ Dijon Cream Sauce
- Creamy Garlic Herb Chicken
- Wholesome Mini Meatloaf
Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 8-10
- Category: Side Dishes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This flavor-loaded Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese is rich, creamy, and bold. You’ll love this reader-favorite mac and cheese that’s the perfect side dish for any occasion! Psst, the crumbled bacon topping takes it to a whole ‘notha level!
Ingredients
- 1 lb short-cut pasta, elbow macaroni or shells
- 16 ounces (two 8-ounce blocks) smoked gouda cheese- grated by hand, divided
- 8-ounces extra sharp white cheddar cheese, grated by hand
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 2 cups whole milk
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground white pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground mustard
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Kosher salt, to taste
- 4 slices cooked bacon, crumbled- for topping/garnish– optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 9×13-inch (or similarly large) baking dish with nonstick spray and set aside.
- Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Then generously salt the water and cook your pasta according to package directions, al dente, and then set the pasta aside.
- In a large dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot, heat the butter over medium-low heat. Once the butter has melted, add the flour and whisk until all the flour disappears. Then slowly add the heavy cream and milk with one hand while stirring with the other hand. Let the mixture come up to a slight boil.
- Once achieved, stir in the spices: smoked paprika, white pepper, mustard, garlic powder, nutmeg, and salt- to taste. Then stir in 8 ounces of smoked gouda cheese and white cheddar cheese. Whisk until all cheese has melted through and turn off the heat.
- Next, add the cooked and drained pasta into the cheese mixture and stir well until fully incorporated, ensuring the pasta is coated in the sauce.
- Transfer the mac and cheese into the prepared baking dish, and top with remaining 8 ounces of smoked gouda cheese, covering the entire surface.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350°F or until the mac and cheese is golden and bubbly throughout.
- Allow the dish to cool for 15 minutes and serve warm. Garnish the mac and cheese with crumbled bacon, if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- Please read blog post in its entirety for more tips + tricks.
Recipe by: Quin Liburd- Butter Be Ready
Photography by: Ashley McLaughlin
110 Comments on “Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese”
Hi Quin,
Do you think it would be okay to use sharp white cheddar instead of extra sharp white cheddar? Would it still be balanced?
Hi there- Yes, you can def use sharp white cheddar here! 🙂
I bake mine in a large black cast iron skillet on my Green Egg @ 350F. This is most likely my favorite way to make Mac and Cheese. It is on the menu for our family thanksgiving 2022. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Hi Allen- Nice, love your cooking method of choice and so glad you enjoyed the recipe! 🙂
I made this for Thankgiving but without the bacon. It also made a lot more than I was expecting which was good because it was a hit. So creamy and delicious. I tasted it before I baked it to check for salt and it was perfect I could have eaten it all then. Will definitely be my go to recipe for macaroni and cheese from now on.
Absolutely amazing. Have you ever tried to add liquid smoke to increase the smoky taste?
Hi Duane- I haven’t tried that, but you’re giving me some inspo, sounds interesting! 🙂
My new, forever go to. Never again will I make “regular” MNC. This recipe is over the top amazing. Thank you for sharing it with us!
If I prepare the M&C on Tuesday, will it be ok to bake on Sunday?
Hi Cindy- I recommend preparing the mac only 1 day in advance, then baking on the following day 🙂
Best homemade recipe we have tried! My kids love Mac N Cheese and we are always looking for a recipe that has flavor, but most come out bland. We all voted that this recipe was a keeper and the best we have ever tried! Thank you!
I see someone mentioned about making ahead and baking the next day. Would you need to add any extra milk or anything so it isn’t dry before you put it in the oven. My fear would be the noodles would absorb a lot of the liquid? Or is that not a thing?
Hi Kelpal- I haven’t experienced the need to add more milk, but if you feel like the texture of your mac needs it, feel free to adjust according to personal preference 🙂
Quin! Wow!! My husband is from the South and thinks no one can make Mac and cheese like his momma. But this was the most perfect Mac and cheese ever! We’re literally obsessed. Thanks so much for this amazing recipe!!
This is by far THE best Mac and Cheese recipe ever! I actually buy some smoked Gouda with bacon and use that as part of the cheese mixture. Everything’s better with bacon. The flavors are spot on out of this world! I’ve made it multiple time and highly recommend you try it! Thanks a ton for this amazing recipe. I’ve actually used buttermilk in place of the cream!
I had a big hunk of Costco smoked Gouda that was really close to expiration. I had all other ingredients on hand, so this fit.
First, I am generally not a fan of Mac and cheese. We exist. Don’t judge. However, this recipe was very good. The last step before adding bacon crumbles, I broiled the cheese topping until it was a lovely brown. This was far and above the best part of this dish. Thankfully I made this in a shallow casserole dish, so the top was 50% of the serving.
Hubs was over the moon happy. “Best Mac-n-cheese ever”.
Hi Katherine- Haha LOVE this feedback…So happy to hear that everyone enjoyed this mac recipe. Thanks for taking the time to leave a review, I appreciate it! 🙂
I’ve made this twice now with no revisions or substitutions. Delicious both times. It was a hit at Friendsgiving this year. Received multiple compliments! Thank you.
Outstanding mac and cheese.
I will make many times again.Thanks
Hey Rob- Nice, glad you enjoyed! 🙂
This was absolutely delicious. I the only thing I didn’t add in was the nutmeg but it was great. Definitely will make again.
I made this today for dinner. It was a big hit, so we will definitely have it again. My husband is lactose intolerant so I only used two cups of 2% lactose free milk. After I made the roux I slowly added the milk on low heat and kept stirring as it thickened. Then I carefully added the spices and the cheese. It was perfect! Thank you for an awesome new recipe to add to our weekly dinners. And, leftover for lunch.
This is fantastic! My husband and I had Mac and Cheese at Hell’s Kitchen, and I was looking for a recipe for them. This is almost exactly the same!! We will never eat boxed Mac again.
Hey Izzy- Lol…oh how cool, so glad y’all enjoyed this recipe! 🙂
I want to make this as a side to a dinner we are hosting for around 25 people. Would you double or triple the recipe?
Hi there- I would triple the recipe! 🙂
Hi. I am from the south and you know how we are about Mac n cheese 😂 I have made this several times and get massive compliments on this recipe. This is hands down THE best Mac n cheese ever! Thank you for sharing!
Do you use a 9×13 baking dish for this recipe?
Hi Raven- Yes, I’d recommend a 9×13-inch baking dish or anything around that size, too! 🙂
H! Do you think this can be made in a crock pot? I’ve made it the traditional way but want to make it for a pot luck that doesn’t have access to an oven at work.
Hey Kendra- It’s possible, though I haven’t tested that particular method with this recipe so I can’t give you specific instructions. Lmk if you try! 🙂
Is it a good or bad idea to top this with smoked cheddar when baking it?
Hi Bob- If you want to add a bit of smoked cheddar on top of the smoked gouda topping, I don’t see why that would go wrong haha 🙂
Hello! I’m about to make this tomorrow! Wish me luck! But I’m tripling the recipe. Wow! Gouda is expensive! Should I adjust the baking time for triple the amount or leave it as is?
Hi Lauren- I would adjust the baking time as needed until the mac achieves that slightly crisp/bubbly texture. Hope you enjoy! 🙂
Every time I make this it’s a hit. Wondering though if it can be made a day ahead and baked the day you want to serve? Or will the noodles soak up too much of the sauces moisture?
Hi there- Love to hear it…I prefer to make on the day-of or at least like 2-3 hrs ahead. However, you could prepare the mac and refrigerate overnight then bake on the following day. Hope this helps! 🙂
I made many changes. Not for dislike, just went with what I had.
Used 2% and 18% for roux, worked fine.
Used Sriracha sauce for paprika and garlic.
Added onion powder cause I felt like it.
Black ground pepper instead of white.
Smoked white cheddar and marble.
I Added, corn and chicken to make it a once and done meal.
I Added panko crumbs on top as well as crispy shallots and cheese of course.
Bake as usual and omg it’s 👌 👍 🥰 perfection.
Served to hubby on date night as a “fancy mac + chz” he approves. Red lobster worthy was his review.
Thank you