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
I have never tried to cook homemade mac and cheese. I am never going back to boxes of GF Mac again!! Thank you!
i don’t have skim milk what else could i use?
Any unsweetened milk you’ve got on hand – 2%, whole, almond milk, etc.
I am so impressed with this recipe! It is delicious and so quick. I will NEVER make mac and cheese any other way again. Thank you! I used a quinoa and brown rice fusilli pasta and added a little dried mustard and nutmeg to the pinch of cayenne and salt. finished with white pepper. Scrumptious and SO easy!
I love this one pot recipe. This gluten free mac n cheese looks so creamy and delicious! Can’t wait to try it.
Can I use whole milk instead of skim?
Just wondering why skim milk? I never use skim milk because of the processing it undergoes. Will 2% milk affect the outcome?
I’ve done a GF ‘in one pot’ type of pasta dish before, goulash, and it turns out great, so I was wondering why waste the time with boiling and draining GF pasta for mac and cheese just to have to add a thickener back in. I began searching and found this recipe. Short version: I added pepper, onion and garlic powder because that’s how we like ours, and it turned out fabulous! I was concerned with how creamy the sauce would be and how mushy the pasta would be rather than the flavors because, as I said, we season ours up beyond any basic recipe anyway. This got raves from the family for texture and sauciness. Even the leftovers (all of about a cup, lol) seem to have held their shape. One less step, one less chance to mush up GF pasta. Love it!! Thanks!!
Surprising easy!! Simply delicious.
Used chick pea shells. Worked perfectly.
Thankyou.
Absolutely the best Mac and Cheese I have ever made! So simple and so delicious. Thank you for posting it!
Oh I’m so glad to hear that, Tara!! Thanks for your feedback and recipe review!
This was the best Gluten Mac and cheese I have ever made. Thank you!
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!
I’m so glad to hear it, Rebecca! Made my day!
Love it. Used Aldi elbow macaroni, bag of shredded cheese and 2% milk. It took longer than expected, but totally worth it.
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!
So glad you enjoyed it, Disna!