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!
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!) tossed in 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. 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 Pasta Recipes
- Cheesy Gnocchi Florentine
- Creamy Mushroom Parmesan Pasta
- Angel Hair Pasta with Garlic and Herbs
- Pink Sauce Pasta
- Gluten Free Baked Ziti
free email bonus
Dinner Made EASY
5 days of simple yet flavorful recipes that take the stress out of dinnertime!
Gluten Free Mac and Cheese
Description
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.
Ingredients
- 6oz dry gluten free elbow noodles or other short cut pasta
- 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.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
Video
Photos by Ashley McLaughlin
Rebecca 11.19.2018
Made this for lunch today, in preparation for Thanksgiving. My son loved it! He’s newly diagnosed with Celiac disease (got it from me sadly) and absolutely loved this reciped!
Kristin 11.20.2018
I’m so glad to hear it, Rebecca! Made my day!
Dawn 11.18.2018
Love it. Used Aldi elbow macaroni, bag of shredded cheese and 2% milk. It took longer than expected, but totally worth it.
Disna 10.22.2018
Found this recipe whe looking for GF Mac n cheese and it came out great! I think the trick is to use the right pasta, definitely rinse w cold water, use lower fat milk (1% or skim) and to stop cooking before pasta is completely done. I used Barilla GF elbows (corn and rice pasta) which worked perfectly. If I had made it with Aldis GF pasta rice and quinoa it would have likely been a gooey mess. I appreciated that this recipe had only a few simple ingredients! Well done!
Kristin 10.30.2018
So glad you enjoyed it, Disna!
Lorraine 10.09.2018
I don’t usually take the time to comment on recipes (sorry!) but I just had to thank you for this one! I had been looking for a grain-free mac and cheese recipe, or some technique I could use to make the cheese sauce without a thickener. I’m so impressed with the technique of cooking the pasta in the milk–it worked beautifully! I used red lentil pasta, making a delicious grain-free mac and cheese. Thanks!!
Lydia 05.16.2018
this was so good damn i was tryna use up some questionable noodle purchases (like these 100% green pea rotini noodles…) so i tossed a few different kinds of noodles in there — i also added some red lentil penne and brown rice spirals– and all 3 cooked really well… just like really crazy tender and cheesy 10/10 would recommend n u can be darn sure ill be makin it againthe first time i tried it tho i used ancient harvest corn/quinoa pasta and it was the worst thing that has ever happened to me would nOt recommend so maybe try some different noodle varieties when you make it just in case some are terrible and dont cook right… unfortunately had to waste a whole pot of delicious cheese bcause the noodles were so hard and inedible
Amy 03.01.2018
Thank you! I had never considered cooking pasta in milk but this was very tasty. I miss Mac and cheese and this worked perfectly.
Kristin 03.06.2018
Oh I’m so glad to hear it, Amy! Thanks for your great review and star rating!
Tara 01.28.2018
Thanks! Was looking for something that didn’t need to go in the oven. Used lentil elbows (an entire package), the two cups of milk, some garlic powder and three different types of cheese. Smoked Gouda, extra sharp cheddar (white) and an organic regular cheddar. Since cheddar tends to run ‘saltier’ the sharper it gets I waited until after to salt and it only required 1/8th tsp to get where it needed to be. Turned out amazing! For those that are lazy like me, I just sliced off a 1TBS sized hunk of each cheese type and threw it in the pot. Just stay on top of it and stir it constantly and it will turn out great.
Linda 12.30.2017
Sorry but this is the worst mac & cheese recipe I have ever tried. Not only did it ruin our supper but it was a waste of good ingredients.
Jessica Seiter Williams 10.10.2017
Oh MAN! This is terrific! I did half smoked Gouda and half sharp cheddar. Aldi’s GF elbows work wonderfully. I love the cooking method!
Kristin 10.10.2017
Yeah!! So glad you loved it – thanks for your feedback, Jessica!
11 Easy Gluten Free Dinner Ideas for Busy People - Gluten Bee 07.31.2017
[…] Creamiest Mac and Cheese –Â https://iowagirleats.com/2015/05/27/one-pot-gluten-free-mac-and-cheese/ […]
Mary 06.17.2017
Can you use a milk alternative like Almond Milk? This recipe sounds yummy and very easy. Thanks for sharing.
Kristin 06.20.2017
I’ve never tried it because I use cow milk’s cheese vs vegan cheese. Might be worth a try though!
Deborah 03.27.2017
I just made this and it was a huge fail. The only “variation” is that I used the TJ’s brown rice spirals I had on hand. It turned into a thick, gummy mess that was bland, chalky and over-salted. I can’t figure out if I did something wrong or if this recipe just isn’t for me.
Ntierheimer 12.27.2016
Don’t give up if you live in altitude. I live at 5300 ft and had to add milk little by little and cook for extra time
Kelly 12.19.2016
I’ll be honest, I didn’t have high hopes for this recipe. I’ve been gluten free for 5 years and mac n cheese has been a challenge to say the least. I kinda gave up until a craving hit me this week and OMG this is THE BEST. How simple to cook the pasta in the milk to make the sauce. DUH! lol Next time I think I’ll try topping this with GF bread crumbs and stick it under the broiler for a few minutes. Thanks for a great recipe! BTW, for those who are GF, I buy my GF pastas at the Asian grocery store. For whatever reason, their rice pasta is better than any special GF pastas in regular grocery stores.
Kristin 12.20.2016
Wohoo!! So glad you loved it, Kelly, and thanks for the pasta tip! :)
Imnochefnatasha 12.11.2016
Hi!
I tried out your recipe on my youtube channel and gave it a review!
Super yummy!
Feel free to check it out :)
Dtang 10.16.2016
How many servings will this make.
Kristin 10.17.2016
This recipe makes enough for 2 big or 3 regular sized servings.
Debby 10.16.2016
Never thought of rinsing the pasta. Sounds delish. Will be making this in the next few days for sure.
Debby 10.16.2016
Never thought of rinsing the pasta, sounds delish! Will be trying this in the next few days for sure.
Jeskajoy 09.18.2016
I hate to say it, but this recipe didn’t really work for me. I ended up with way too much milk in the pan, but I didn’t want to keep cooking it because I didn’t want the pasta to overcook and become mushy. I ended up cooking more pasta separately, and added it in. This helped, and made it edible, but I’ll probably choose a different recipe next time. Just too runny for me. That might just be my preference though, as so many others seemed to like it. Thanks for sharing!
Modish | One Pot Gluten-Free Mac and Cheese – Iowa Girl Eats 09.16.2016
[…] One Pot Gluten-Free Mac and Cheese is as creamy and decadent of a mac and cheese recipe as they come! So easy to make and you’d never know it’s gluten-free. […]