This Gluten free Mac and Cheese is super cheesy, extra creamy and made with a thick béchamel sauce. This recipe is made in one-pan, in under 30-minutes, and is an easy gluten free weeknight dinner. Plus, my favorite part, it is made with minimal ingredients.
This is the BEST gluten free mac and cheese recipe. I’ve tried a lot…basically every gluten free boxed mac and cheese but this one is the BEST one I’ve had. It has that classic taste, and the thick cheesy texture. You can honestly eat it straight out of the pot if you’re like me, or bake it for crispier edges.
I love to use a rice-based pasta here! If you love easy gluten free dinners made with rice, you’ll love my one pan gluten free pasta bake and my One Pot Cheesy Taco Skillet.
why you’ll love this gluten free recipe
- This Gluten free Mac and Cheese recipe makes for the perfect comfort food dinner, and also makes for a great side dish! I love bringing this to a potluck because no one ever knows it is actually gluten free and I get to safely enjoy it!
- The best part about this recipe is that it is a one pan meal…which means only one pan to make it and only one pan to clean up! My ideal situation since I hate doing dishes.
- This recipe is allergy friendly. You can use gluten free pasta and gluten free flour like I did for a gluten free baked mac and cheese. You can use dairy free cheese, butter and milk for an easy dairy free option!
- This baked mac and cheese is an easy freezer friendly meal, which means it is a great option for a meal prep! You’ll have it ready to go when you need to just pull a dinner out of the freezer and heat it up quick.
ingredients & substitutions
Salted French Butter: Rich butter adds rich flavor to the Gluten free Mac and Cheese! Any butter will work here but the fancier the butter, the fancier the taste! If you are vegan or dairy free just use a vegan or dairy free butter, just make sure its salted! If it is unsalted, add a pinch of salt!
Gluten free flour: All-purpose flour is the classic choice. I like the trader joes all purpose gluten free flour.
Milk: Whole milk makes the creamiest sauce for the baked gluten free mac and cheese. But if you’re like me and need a dairy free option, I use a thick oat milk.
Salt, pepper, nutmeg: Seasoning to taste! Freshly ground pepper and nutmeg are best and classic option for a béchamel sauce.
4 cheese blend: Any shredded cheese you like will work. I like a combination of mozzarella, cheddar, gruyere! You can use dairy free or vegan cheese for a dairy free recipe or vegan recipe.
What gluten free pasta to use
Use any short pasta shape you have on hand, like penne, macaroni, or rotini will work. I like rotini because it holds more sauce than a penne shape. I prefer a gluten free pasta made with brown rice or lentins. That type of pasta holds up better in a thick sauce. You can use a cauliflower based pasta or chickpea based pasta but cook it al dente to make sure it is not mushty and overcooked.
directions for the Gluten Free Mac and Cheese with Béchamel Sauce
Step 1
Cook the pasta according to box directions. Cook for 1 minute less if you have a pasta that tends to be mushy like cauliflower or chickpea pasta.
Step 2
In a small ovensafe skillet, melt the butter on the stovetop. Warm over medium heat. When the butter is fully melted, add in the flour. Stir the butter and flour mixture forms a golden paste.
Step 3
Add the milk 1/4 cup at a time while whisking. Do not let stand still. Reduce to medium-low heat. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until sauce thickens.
Step 4
Add salt, pepper and pinch of nutmeg. Stir in the cheese. Add in the cooked pasta. The cheese you stir in here will be the main flavor of the baked gluten free mac and cheese so choose wisely!!
Step 5
Add extra cheese on top of the Gluten free Mac and Cheese. Move from stovetop to oven and bake on 350 for 10 minutes until top is golden brown.
expert tips & tricks
- Before you even start cooking the Gluten free Mac and Cheese, make sure to read the gluten free pasta package for the pasta cook time… and then subtract 1 minutes! At this 1 minute left mark I check the pasta and often remove it before it will cook a little longer in the cheesy sauce.
- Don’t overcook the pasta! I run this risk every single time if I don’t pay close attention. So if you do it too, know its easy to make this mistake and its super common! To avoid this, make sure to set a timer and check the pasta when there is only 1 minute left to make sure you’re good to go. Gluten-free pasta can get really soggy if it’s overcooked. The pasta will still cook a little bit in the baked gluten free mac and cheese so you can take it out of the water early if needed.
- Add salt to your pasta. Before I was a food blogger I would always skip this step. I thought it was unnecessary but guess what.. I learned really fast that it wasnt! Add that salt!!
serving, storing and meal prepping the Gluten Free Mac and Cheese with Béchamel Sauce
I serve this Gluten free Mac and Cheese hot right out of the oven. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge or in the baking dish covered with aluminum foil for up to 3 days. The are perfect for dinner the next day.
To freeze, I let the Gluten free Mac and Cheese cool completely, then cover tightly with plastic wrap and freeze for up to 2 months.
For meal prep, I portion the leftover Gluten free Mac and Cheese into single-serving containers before freezing. Reheat individual portions in the microwave on medium heat power until heated through, or thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat on medium heat on the stove or in the oven at 350°F (175°C) until warmed. Leftover baked gluten free mac and cheese makes dinners during the week SOOOO much easier!!
Looking for more allergy friendly easy recipe?
If you make this recipe and enjoyed it, I would really appreciate a review! You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok and Pinterest. Purchase my cookbook Easy Allergy Free Cooking. Join my exclusive weeknight meal plan group for 5 weekly 30-minute dinner recipes. The weeknight meal plan also has an accompanying podcast as well! I would love for you to follow along!
Gluten Free Mac and Cheese with Béchamel Sauce
Ingredients
- 6 Tbsp. salted French Butter or dairy free butter
- 6 Tbsp. gluten free flour
- 4 cup milk of choice or dairy free milk
- Salt, pepper, nutmeg to taste
- 2-3 cups shredded cheese – 4 cheese blend or dairy free cheese
- 3-4 cups gluten free pasta
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Cook the pasta according to box directions. Cook for 1 minute less if you have a pasta that tends to be mushy like cauliflower or chickpea pasta.
- In a small ovensafe skillet, melt the butter on the stovetop. Warm over medium heat. When the butter is fully melted, add in the flour.
- Stir the butter and flour mixture forms a golden paste.
- Add the milk 1/4 cup at a time while whisking. Do not let stand still.
- Reduce to medium-low heat. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until sauce thickens.
- Add salt, pepper and pinch of nutmeg.
- Stir in the cheese.
- Add in the cooked pasta.
- Add extra cheese on top. Move from stovetop to oven and bake on 350 for 10 minutes until top is golden brown.
Notes
- Before you even start cooking the pasta, make sure to read the package for the cooking time… and then subtract 1 minutes! At this 1 minute left mark I check the pasta and often remove it before it will cook a little longer in the cheesy sauce.
- Don’t overcook the pasta! I run this risk every single time if I don’t pay close attention. So if you do it too, know its easy to make this mistake and its super common! To avoid this, make sure to set a timer and check the pasta when there is only 1 minute left to make sure you’re good to go. Gluten-free pasta can get really soggy if it’s overcooked.
- Add salt to your pasta. Before I was a food blogger I would always skip this step. I thought it was unnecessary but guess what.. I learned really fast that it wasnt! Add that salt!!
Love this recipe? You can sign up here to receive easy meal plans, exclusive new recipes and updates!
Leave a Reply