Creamiest Cheesiest Gluten-Free Macaroni Cheese

This is a simple classic recipe which you might have found in the past can go wrong when you switch to gluten-free ingredients.

The key to a great gluten-free mac and cheese is the right choice of ingredients, meaning you won’t be saddled with mushy pasta or a watery grainy cheese sauce.

We’ll go through how to choose the right supermarket pasta and which flour to use to make a velvety smooth creamy cheese sauce.

If you want to make your macaroni cheese ahead to cut down on kitchen time mid-week then I’ve got lots of tips to make sure it comes out perfectly every time.

Watch the Video

Sometimes it helps to see a visual of what I'm talking about. So watch the video to see what it looks like to make your Gluten-Free Mac n'Cheese.

What Makes Macaroni Cheese Gluten-Free?

There are three major swaps you need to do when making a gluten-free version of mac and cheese:

1. Pasta. This is obvious (hopefully!) but you need to make sure to use a certified gluten-free macaroni pasta. You don’t have to use macaroni but most major supermarkets do stock it and if you can’t get it then any pasta will do (although cooking times will increase for larger pasta).
2. Flour. This recipe uses a gluten-free roux based sauce with flour and butter to thicken the sauce. Some recipes may choose to use cornflour at the end to thicken (in fact I use that quick and easy method for my Cauliflower Cheese) which I certainly don’t decry. However making a roux builds into the sauce a richer more buttery layered flavour. The key here though is choosing the right flour – using a regular shop bought gluten-free flour isn’t the best method (see below for my recommendation).
3. Breadcrumbs. Maybe you don’t use breadcrumbs to create that golden crisp topping but I really appreciate the texture contrast here to the unctuous pasta blanketed underneath. So if you do like a crisp topping then you will need to use gluten-free breadcrumbs.

The Best Gluten-Free Pasta for Macaroni Cheese

Of course we may not be so lucky as to have a choice when selecting our gluten-free pasta, some supermarkets have more choice than others. However, if you have your pick of the bunch then I recommend to read the ingredients list so you know which flours your pasta includes.

Rice vs Corn vs Lentil Pasta

I approach choosing gluten-free pasta in the same way I approach making gluten-free flour blends in my baking recipes. It’s all about the balance of flours in the blend. Let's go through the flours that seem to appear the most often in a gluten-free pasta ingredients list:

• Lentil flour. This is a protein packed flour which is great for the structure of the pasta but using just lentil flour can be an overpowering flavour.
• Rice flour. This is a great economical wholegrain flour (which is why it appears in a lot of supermarket blends) and has a subtle flavour but it can lead to soggy pasta which loses its shape.
• Corn flour. Another economical flour which is often paired with rice flour in pasta blends to help with the structure. However, I still think this pairing isn’t enough for perfect al dente pasta. If you can be more discerning about your choice then using a combination of all three of these flours (or flours that do similar roles) will give you a better balance.

If you can find a brand that includes a protein packed flour as part of the blend (rather than being the sole flour) then this is the real treasure: Rice, corn and lentil or rice, corn and quinoa work very well.

UK Gluten-Free Pasta Brand Recommendations

M&S Made Without, Tesco Free From, Waitrose Free From, Aldi Free From, Lidl Just Free all use just a blend of rice flour and corn in their pastas. I think we need more balance and more protein.

For a supermarket choice I personally recommend Sainsburys Free From Macaroni, which I used to recipe test in this macaroni cheese, and includes rice, corn and also quinoa in the blend. Including quinoa which is protein packed flour gives the end result more stability.

The Best Flour for making the Cheese Sauce

I use my Best Gluten-Free Cheese Sauce for this recipe which is a roux-based sauce.

Making a gluten-free roux requires a starchy flour for ultra smooth and foolproof thickening.

I don’t recommend using a wholegrain flour or a gluten-free flour blend which includes wholegrain flours as it can produce a thin grainy result.

The best starch choices are either cassava flour or sweet rice flour (glutinous rice flour). These can be used interchangeably in a 1:1 roux recipe. You can use either but here I have used cassava flour.

Cornflour or tapioca flour are not good choices here as they are best used to thicken sauces at the end of the process and don’t work for roux. If you are interested in this method I use a cornflour based cheese sauce for my Cauliflower Cheese recipe.

Ingredients Needed

Butter. If you can use unsalted butter here then you can control the salt content of the sauce but if you only have salted butter then you can omit the salt – and taste for seasoning.

Cassava flour. This is such a versatile naturally gluten-free flour which a neutral flavour and gives a gorgeously smooth and creamy result to our sauce, similar to that of regular wheat flour. Sweet rice flour can be used instead (not regular rice flour).

I don’t recommend using cornflour or an all-purpose gluten-free flour for this particular recipe. Cornflour needs to be used in a slurry which works very well in my alternative quick method sauce. All-purpose gluten-free flour or rice flour can be too gritty and won’t create a smooth velvety result.

Milk. Use whole milk over semi-skimmed. You need the richness to give the sauce body and flavour. If you want to use dairy-free milk then I like oat milk or almond milk the best. Oat milk gives a richer result but obviously oats are not suitable for everyone so almond milk is a sound swap.

Gruyère. I love using super melty gruyère which has a great depth of flavour. Teaming it with cheddar, which we usually have in our fridge and a little parmesan helps give flavour layers to the cheese sauce.

Cheddar cheese. Use your favourite mature cheddar cheese and grate it fresh rather than anything pre-grated.

Parmesan. We just use a little parmesan in the sauce and in the topping for a greater depth of flavour. Freshly grated parmesan does have more flavour than the pre-grated.

Dijon mustard. This deepens the cheese flavour and adds dimension. You can swap for English mustard powder for a stronger flavour (English mustard in its liquid form is often not gluten-free).

Bay leaves. I do like the flavour of bay in our cheese sauce to give a little herbal element.

Seasoning. We season our cheese sauce with white pepper (you can use black pepper), salt and ground nutmeg.

Gluten-free macaroni pasta. You might need to shop at a larger UK supermarket for gluten-free macaroni, or purchase online. You can substitute for any kind of gluten-free pasta but then you will need to increase the initial pre-boiling time for the pasta. A larger pasta shape needs to be cooked for 3 minutes less time than the packet states.

Breadcrumbs. I always use homemade gluten-free breadcrumbs as I keep a huge batch in my freezer at all times which I always top up with the whizzed up ends of my stale loaves of gluten-free bread hanging around. My breadcrumb topping here looks especially golden brown as I used the whizzed up crumbs of my leftover yeast-free bread rolls.

How To Make Gluten-Free Macaroni Cheese

For full recipe instructions go to the recipe card at the end of this post.

Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the cassava flour. Mix together until a smooth roux has formed.

Gradually pour the whole milk into the roux, stirring all the time until all the milk has been added and the sauce is thick and smooth.

Add the bay leaves, white pepper, salt, nutmeg and Dijon mustard. Stir these ingredients in then keep on stirring until the sauce gently starts to bubble.

Finally add in the gruyere and cheddar, followed by the parmesan and stir in until melted, thick, very smooth and gently bubbling. Remove from the heat.

Boil a large pan of salted water then add the macaroni. Allow it to come to a boil again and simmer for 1 minute. Remove from the heat, drain, then pour into a large mixing bowl.

Pour the cheese sauce over the macaroni pasta and stir to combine them. Pour the macaroni cheese into a large baking dish.

In a small bowl combine the gluten-free breadcrumbs, melted butter, salt and pepper until the butter has coated the breadcrumbs evenly.

Sprinkle the extra grated cheese topping over the macaroni cheese. Sprinkle the buttery breadcrumbs evenly over the top of the macaroni cheese. Place in the oven and bake for 25 minutes. Finish under a grill for a final 5-10 minutes for ultra golden topping.

Make Ahead

I don’t actually recommend making this whole dish as written ahead of time. This is because the longer the pasta sits in the sauce the more it takes on and the soggier the pasta gets and the drier the sauce.

If you wanted to do it this way then reduce the amount of pasta so that there is a lot more sauce than

Here’s my alternate advice:

Make all the components of the dish ahead of time and keep separate until the day of cooking and serving. However, since the tiny pasta tubes only take a couple of minutes to cook I normally only bother making the cheese sauce ahead of time. The rest is a pretty simple assembly job.

The cheese sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead of time, stored in an airtight container in the fridge with baking parchment or cling film pressed to the surface of the sauce.

Freezing

This recipe can be frozen (for instance if you have leftovers) but I don’t recommend making it to freeze as the results will be inferior.

If you want to freeze leftovers then freeze in portions in an airtight container. Allow to thaw overnight in the fridge and you can either re-heat in the microwave (for 4 minutes) or in the air-fryer (for 7 minutes in a small baking dish).

To avoid the dish from drying out you can add a splash of milk to the macaroni cheese before re-heating which makes it more saucy. I will often add 1-2 tablespoons per portion.

Recipe Variations

Seasoned topping. Add 1 teaspoon Everyday Seasoning to the buttery breadcrumb topping.

Chorizo or bacon. Dice a handful of chorizo or bacon and fry off in a small saucepan before adding in.

Egg slices. I have it on good authority (my mum) that my cousin layers slices of boiled egg within the macaroni cheese before baking.

Serving Suggestions

Accompaniments

• Garlic bread
• Simple green salad
• Roasted broccoli
• Grilled tomatoes
• Brown sauce. I wonder if this is an ‘our household’ kind of thing but I grew up with having an accompaniment of deeply flavoured and slightly spicy brown sauce slathered over the pasta.
• Serving the macaroni cheese with a drizzle of hot sauce or crispy chilli oil is also essential for some of the adults in our household.

Macaroni Cheese as a Side Dish

The great thing about mac and cheese is that it works as a main meal with the above possible sides. Or the pasta can be the side itself. I often serve it alongside:

• Sausages
• Homemade Chicken Nuggets
• BBQ Spare Ribs
• Oven Baked Pulled Pork
• Chicken Schnitzel
• Juiciest Burgers
• Chilli Con Carne

More Gluten-Free Comfort Food Dinners You’ll Love

This Creamy Tuna Pasta Bake is an easy family recipe which is perfect for midweek meals. I’ll show you how to make perfect al dente gluten-free pasta smothered in a flavourful cheesy tuna tomato sauce

Gluten-Free Shepherd’s Pie is a deeply flavourful homely recipe that is a favourite with the whole family. Delicious lamb mince cooked in a rich gravy with plenty of vegetables and a crisp buttery potato topping

Meatloaf is a great economical alternative to a joint of meat for your Sunday roast dinner and happily serves a huge crowd. This juicy gluten-free meatloaf is moist and incredibly flavourful whilst being packed with vegetables.