Kraft Releases New Smoky Barbecue Mac and Cheese

Backyard barbecue season is almost upon us. Before you know it, we’ll be setting up the folding tables and firing up the grill — and one nostalgic brand is vying for an invite to your next cookout. 

Kraft Mac & Cheese is bringing a brand-new flavor to shelves, and it’s perfect for anyone who’s yearning for the smoky-sweet notes of summer. The offering is dubbed Smoky Barbecue, and the limited-edition boxed mac and cheese flavor tastes exactly like you’d imagine, cheesy and smoky with the subtle sweetness of barbecue sauce.

A batch of mac and cheese and creamy pasta salad are classic side dishes at summer cookouts, so this product is a natural step for the brand.

“Kraft Mac & Cheese has always been the ultimate dish to accompany the barbecue experience because our creamy, cheesy flavor perfectly complements the tangy, smoky tastes of barbecue seasonings and sauce,”  brand innovation manager Carolina Alfero tells Food & Wine. “Kraft Mac & Cheese has brought comfort to our fans for almost 90 years, and with this new, limited-edition flavor, we’re giving them a fresh way to enjoy a nostalgic favorite.” 

If this summery flavor piques your interest, you’ll be pleased to know the brand announced today that Kraft Mac & Cheese Smoky Barbecue is rolling out to major retailers nationwide.

Kraft calls the innovation a “bold, smoky comfort,” which aligns with what it says consumers are hungry for. If you’ve been perusing the cooking communities of Reddit, the new iteration of the classic comfort food might not surprise you. Folks online have been trying to hack this flavor combination for years, with one thread posing the question: “Has anyone tried smoking Kraft? If so, did you follow the directions on the box then smoke it? How long and what temperature?” 

We can’t blame Kraft fans for seeking out this combo, considering that sweet-savory barbecue sauce and sharp cheese are a match made in heaven.

The barbecue-inspired pack of pasta is a limited-edition product, and it’s only slated to stick around through mid-summer, so you should stock up while you can.

Not a fan of smoky barbecue notes? Two separate snack-sized flavors, Jalapeño and Ranch, are arriving on shelves as mac and cheese cups. These flavors already have a successful precedent with Kraft fans, so it’s no surprise they’re returning. Last August, the brand introduced full-sized boxes of both options to satisfy customers’ hunger for an elevated mac. 

At the time, Kraft told Food & Wine that techniques to make these two flavors at home were among the most common customer hacks it spotted on social media. The flavor-packed boxes were beloved by fans, as evidenced by their return in a new format.

Also making a welcome reappearance is the Everything Bagel mac and cheese flavor, which Kraft says sold out in mere hours when it launched last autumn. Although the Everything Bagel flavor was available as a full-size box during its first release, this time around you can snag it in single-serving microwavable cups.

All mac and cheese cups of these three returning flavors will be available exclusively at Walmart, starting this summer.

Similar to previous launches, Kraft says it’s listening to Gen Z’s tastes to inform these latest product ideations. The brand cites the younger generation’s propensity for snacking and simultaneous demand for big, bold flavor variety — two things it intends to deliver in these single-serving snack cups — as inspiration for the offerings.

Whether it’s Smoky Barbecue, Jalapeño, Ranch, or Everything Bagel, one thing is certain: We’ll never turn down the chance to try a new spin on a fan-favorite staple.