Gluten Free Mac and Cheese is as creamy and decadent as it comes! This one pot recipe is made from fridge and pantry staples in minutes.
It’s a good day to talk mac and cheese (aka any day). Gluten Free Mac and Cheese, to be exact. Get. Ready!
Watch How to Make It!
No Roux Gluten Free Mac and Cheese
Mac and cheese is one of those meals that’s not inherently gluten free but is a cinch to adapt, especially because my version has no flour roux.
Just 5 ingredients — including salt! — are tossed into a pot then stirred to create the creamiest gluten free mac and cheese that tastes like it has loads of cream and butter but is actually made with, get ready for it…
SKIM MILK.
If you don’t have or like skim milk — no problem. Use whatever you’ve got in the fridge. This recipe is pretty fool proof!
How to Make This Recipe
Start by adding 6oz dry gluten free elbow pasta into a pot with milk and salt. I recommend using a corn/rice blend gluten free pasta vs brown rice pasta, which takes longer to cook, aka you’ll need more liquid.
Again, you can use whatever you’ve got on hand. I’ve used skim, 2%, and whole milk with fantastic results. At this point you can also add a dash of cayenne pepper for a hint of warmth, if you please.
Turn the heat to medium then stir slowly yet constantly with a spatula until the milk comes to a simmer — NOT a boil — 10-12 minutes. Turn the heat down to low then stir slowly yet constantly until the pasta is tender, another 5-7 minutes or so.
Before your very eyes the milk will thicken from the starches released from the pasta. SO creamy!
Once the pasta is tender add freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese then stir until the sauce is smooth, adding in an extra splash of milk if needed.
This is the fun part of the recipe because you can play around with the cheeses you like and/or have in the fridge – you really can’t go wrong! If you want to stick with a more classic sauce though, choose medium-hard cheeses like sharp cheddar, gouda, and fontina.
Let the mac and cheese thicken for a few minutes with the lid on the pan, then scoop and serve.
Make this once and you’ll be whipping it up from memory at least once a week — it’s a keeper. And you can, of course, use regular pasta in place of gluten free pasta, too. Mac and Cheese for all!
More Easy Cheesy Recipes
- Creamy Ham Peas and Pasta
- Cheesy Ham and Hash Brown Casserole
- Cheesy Gnocchi Florentine
- Creamy Mushroom Parmesan Pasta
- Angel Hair Pasta with Garlic and Herbs
- Pink Sauce Pasta
- Gluten Free Baked Ziti
Ingredients
- 6 oz dry gluten free elbow noodles, or other short cut pasta, rice/corn blend recommended
- 2-1/4 cups milk, any kind, divided
- 1 teaspoon salt
- pinch cayenne pepper
- 1 cup freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Directions
- Add the pasta, milk, salt, and cayenne pepper (if using) to a medium-size saucepan. Turn the heat to medium then stir slowly and constantly until milk comes to a simmer — NOT a boil — 10-12 minutes. Turn the heat down to low then stir slowly and constantly until the noodles are tender, adding up to an additional 1/4 cup milk if the noodles have absorbed all the liquid but aren’t tender yet. There should be a bit of milk left in the saucepan to create the cheese sauce.
- Turn off the heat then add half the shredded cheese and stir until smooth. Add the remaining shredded cheese then stir until smooth. Scoop the mac and cheese into bowls then serve.
Notes
- I have used skim, 2% and whole milk for this recipe with great results.
- Adapted from White on Rice Couple
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
Photos by Ashley McLaughlin
Hi! How was this heated up? Plan on making this for thanksgiving but pre assembling it on Wednesday and heating it on thanksgiving. Any suggestions? Thanks!
THANK YOU for an easy mac n cheese!! Without butter, flour, and breadcrumbs! Awesome! :)
Brilliant! Why pour starch down the drain just to add it again?
She said it was so the noodle did not stick while cooking…. Hope that helps!
This looks perfect. I am having a BBQ and would like to at least quadruple the recipe. Any tips? How big of a pan do you need for just the 3 servings? (i am not a great cook)
Hi Dani! I’m not sure this recipe would work to quadruple, unfortunately! I think you could double with success, but maybe not quadruple.
Hi. Have you tried making these into muffins and freezing for Lincoln? Tips?
Hey Sarah! I haven’t only because Lincoln is allergic to dairy. I think if you undercook the noodles a bit then finish the dish in the oven it could work!
You just saved my dinner, I went to make a box of GF mac and cheese and realized we didn’t have any boxes left. I didn’t have any other supper plans so I made this recipe and it turned out fantastic. I like this method and appreciated the lack of powdered cheese product in our dinner:)
I made this the other night exactly as written (except for using regular pasta) and it was delicious!
Thanks for the great, easy recipe!
I love most of your recipes. I did make this but didn’t like the skim milk I will make it again using 2%. Love all your posts.
This is healthy hedonism at its finest! Looks absolutely delicious!
Do you have a particular brand of GF pasta you recommend? This looks delicious and I am always looking for good mac and cheese recipes!
Is there a difference between table salt and Sea Salt? I doubled the recipe last night so I used 2 teaspoons of salt (mine is Sea Salt from Penzy’s spice store), but it was way too salty. And I really like salt, so usually I’m not sensitive to it. I used colby jack cheese, too, so maybe the salt content of the cheese was higher? Next time I would use half the salt, but the cooking noodles in milk was GENIUS! Thanks for the great recipe!
Yes, Sea Salt is saltier in flavor compared to table salt. I’d suggest useing about half of what the recepie calls for, then adjust to taste.
Hope this helps!
I have Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, and gluten intolerance/CD can go hand-in-hand with it. I tested negative for CD, but my doc said that doesn’t mean I don’t have a gluten intolerance. So I’ve been going back and forth with trying to go gluten-free; I’ve read a lot of people with Hashi’s have and have felt so much better without gluten. So I think I’m going to give it a go and see if this icky bloated-all-the-time feeling gets any better. And I’m starting with this mac and cheese. Dear lord.
I’ve been a reader of your blog from the beginning, and I know I will pretty much be using your website as my personal cookbook. I know I’ll get delicious GF recipes that won’t make me feel like I’m missing out on anything. (Don’t mean to go all fangirl on you but your blog is really one of the only ones I read anymore. I just love it.)
Good luck, Noelle – you’ll do great! Not trying to tell you to do anything you’re not comfortable with but I know several women with Hashis that have found great relief eating GF!
Noelle, I also have Hashi’s and tried to go GF, but it I didn’t notice at difference at all, so after 2 months, I went back to gluten. However, I’ve been taking “Align” probiotic and it has definitely helped with the bloating. Just thought I’d pass that along!
Noelle, I have Hashis and skipping gluten is very important for your thyroid. The gluten protein is very similar to thyroid tissue and so your body attacks both. It takes years to heal and get the gluten out of your system so skipping it for a couple months won’t make a difference. Good luck on your road to better health! I’m about 5 months gluten free, maybe a bit more. I’ve lost some weight and am not as bloated but I’ve made a couple mistakes along the way, gluten hides in the weirdest places! It’s all worth it for better health though and you’ll find it’s not so hard to go gluten free, you just have to cook more often. If you have an Aldi, their gluten free options for pasta and tortillas are very good and affordable. And for a thickener I use arrowroot powder. Turns out corn makes me sick too, which is pretty common, so watch out for that.
I made this last night with regular pasta (because we aren’t gluten free) and it was perfect! My family loved it. Seriously easy and very good.
This is great, thank you. What a genius idea !