Easy Homemade Gluten Free Creamy Mac and Cheese

I stopped buying the boxed macaroni and cheese a long time ago, for a number of reasons. It didn’t take me long to learn, many years ago, that homemade usually ALWAYS tastes better. This gluten free creamy mac and cheese uses whole ingredients and is far better tasting than anything you can get in the grocery store. 

​Not only are you getting a better tasting product but you also are getting a healthier food with real ingredients plus you’re saving money. 

If I haven’t convinced you yet to give this gluten free creamy mac and cheese a try….. than let me try one more time.

This recipe is a SUPER easy recipe to make!

Are you on board yet? 

Great! Now let’s get started. 

What gluten-free pasta should I use?

The most important ingredients is the pasta.

There are some good gluten free pastas out there, but than there are definitely some bad ones.

The pasta will make or break this dish. It is the deciding factor on if you can feed it to the whole crowd without anyone knowing it’s gluten free, or if you need to make 2 dishes. 

Over the years I have made a lot of gluten free pasta dishes and learned which brands we like and which ones we don’t, through failed attempts. I’ll save you the learning curve and just tell you what I have learned. 

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I may earn a small commission on qualified purchases at no additional cost to you. 

There are two brands that I would recommend. The Barilla brand is the first one. You can widely find this at most grocery stores now, in the pasta aisle. Some grocery stores don’t have all the different varieties, but luckily you can find any shape on Amazon. I like to use the barilla gluten free elbow pasta in my mac and cheese.

However, the brand I use the most is Jovial brand. This brand is getting more popular in grocery stores but I would say you still can’t find it everywhere. 

I buy all the varieties of the Jovial foods brand on Azure Standard in bulk. I buy lots of boxes at a time so I don’t have to buy them for months. 

If you are unsure of what Azure Standard is, check out my post on how I grocery shop for a month at a time. 

Some tips when cooking gluten free pasta:

There are some simple steps to getting your gluten free pasta to turn out right. It is true that gluten free pasta has a reputation of turning mushy and falling apart but it doesn’t have to!

Follow these steps below when cooking your pasta to ensure success every time.

1. Do not over cook the pasta. Cook pasta according to package and just until al dente. Immediately drain and rinse with cold water. This will stop the cooking process and you will avoid your pasta getting mushy and falling apart.
2. Gluten free pasta typically doesn’t take as long to cook as regular, so plan accordingly.
3. Bring your water to a boil before adding pasta.
4. Make sure to stir pasta every 30 seconds or more during the first few minutes of cooking, to prevent the pasta from sticking together.

Ingredients:

• 3 TBSP butter
• 2 TBSP cream cheese
• 3 TBSP gluten free all purpose flour (or regular all purpose flour if you don’t need to be gluten free)
• 1.5 cups whole milk
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (feel free to use a combination of cheddar. Sharp cheddar cheese will give you a more powerful flavor)
• 12oz gluten free elbow pasta (or regular pasta if you don’t need to be gluten free)

How to make gluten free creamy mac and cheese:

1. Add butter and cream cheese to a medium pot. The cream cheese is the secret ingredient for a creamy sauce. For best results make sure your stove is turned onto medium low heat. I have an electric stove and turn my heat to 4.
2. Whisk together until completely melted. Your cream cheese won’t be completely smooth yet but will be melted and not in large clumps.
3. Add in gluten-free flour and whisk together to make a roux. 
4. Pour in milk and seasonings. Whisk together frequently until it starts to thicken. Do not raise your heat. In order for your cheese sauce to not be grainy it is best if you thicken your cheese sauce low and slow.
5. Once it has thickened, add in both cheeses. Whisk until melted and smooth. 
6. In a large pot, boil the gluten free pasta until al dente according to the package. 
7. Once you have cooked pasta, pour cheese sauce over them and stir to combine. Serve warm.
8. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. Will last for about a week. 

How to make it into a baked mac and cheese.

I make this creamy gluten free mac and cheese in all different ways. Sometimes I just make it to have just like the recipe above calls for. Other times I want to make a complete meal and will add a meat for protein to it.

Than there are times I want to turn it into a baked side dish. It makes a great side dish.

When I am looking to do that, I follow the steps above to get your mac and cheese. Then I will butter a baking dish and pour it right in.

Lastly, I’ll sprinkle some additional cheese on top and bake it at 300 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. Everything is made so you don’t want to go overboard on the baking, you just want the cheese on top to melt and get a little bubbly. 

If you over bake it, the top layer of your mac and cheese will get crispy and hard. So watch it closely!

If you want a crunchy topping, add some gluten-free breadcrumbs to the top before baking. This will give your gluten free creamy mac n cheese a nice little crunch!

Making the switch to whole foods.

Switching to whole foods can seem so overwhelming. Especially when you have to eat a gluten free diet. But it doesn’t have to be! Check out my post on 10 tips to cooking from scratch gluten free to get you started. 

What I always tell people is, if you go into cooking with these two things in mind you will succeed in cooking from scratch with whole foods.

1. Before buying something from the store ask yourself, “can I easily make this at home?”

2. When replacing ingredients in your kitchen, look for ingredients in their rawest form.

With these two things you are well on your way to making the switch to cooking from scratch with whole foods.

This homemade mac and cheese is a perfect one to get started with because, who doesn’t like mac and cheese? This is so easy to make, and uses simple ingredients. If you don’t need to be gluten free just simply use regular noodles and regular all-purpose flour.

I challenge you to ditch the box stuff and make your own gluten free creamy mac and cheese. I bet you’ll never go back to the store-bought boxed stuff again and your whole family will love it!