You’re only minutes away from enjoying this Easy Gluten Free Stove Top One Pot Macaroni and Cheese. Throw all the ingredients in a pot, let it simmer, and before you know it, you will be enjoying the creamiest mac and cheese.
Growing up, a standard in Mom’s pantry was the blue and gold box of mac & cheese. Whether it was a quick weeknight meal, or a lazy Sunday lunch, that box came to her rescue many times. Even now, the grand kids all enjoy having a mac & cheese party at Grandma’s. But, there comes a time that even the kids know that real cheese doesn’t come in neon powder in a little packet.
Immediately after I was diagnosed with celiac disease, I thought I would continue to cook regular meals for my family, and gluten free for myself. That notion lasted one day. I was making spaghetti and meat sauce, and thought it wouldn’t be that difficult to prepare two meals. The effort that it look to prepare two meals, and keeping mine from being contaminated with gluten, was not worth it. I decided that night that my family, none of whom are diagnosed celiacs, would be eating gluten free suppers as well. It is so much easier to prepare one delicious supper, than to try to avoid the dangers of having gluten in your kitchen. So, this mac and cheese has my whole family’s approval, with the kids giving it two thumbs up.
This macaroni and cheese is extra creamy, because it is cooked in milk. You put all the ingredients into your pot, bring it to a simmer, and keep stirring it as the cheese melts, and the macaroni cooks. Of course, different macaroni will be cooked at different times – so that is where your watchful eye comes in. Start with the amount of milk in the recipe, and if your pasta still seems under-cooked, add another 1/4 cup milk and keep stirring until it is cooked to your likeness. It may even take an extra 1/2 cup, just use your judgement.
Another important tip to make this dish extra creamy, DON’T let the milk come to a boil. You want the milk to come to a simmer over medium heat, while you stir it frequently, then reduce the heat to low, putting a lid on the pot, and still stirring it regularly. This will help the cheese to melt evenly, keep the milk from boiling, and keep the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pot. If you become lazy and just let it come to a boil and expect creamy mac and cheese after 8 minutes, you’ll be in for a surprise. If the milk boils, it may curdle, which is not the type of macaroni and cheese you want.
I used Catelli’s gluten free macaroni for this dish. It is made from white rice, brown rice, corn and quinoa, and cooks to al dente in about 8 minutes.

Easy Gluten Free Stove Top One Pot Macaroni and Cheese
You’re only minutes away from enjoying this Easy Gluten Free Stove Top One Pot Macaroni and Cheese. Throw all the ingredients in a pot, let it simmer, and before you know it, you will be enjoying the creamiest mac and cheese.
Ingredients
- 3 cups (340 g) gluten free macaroni (I used Catelli's gluten-free macaroni
- 3 1/2 cups (875 ml) milk (I used 1%)
- 1 1/2 cups (170 g) grated cheese (see Note)
- 2 oz (55 g) cream cheese, softened
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) salt
- 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) mustard powder
- 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) onion powder
Instructions
- Stir together all the ingredients in a 4 quart sauce pan over medium heat.
- Continue stirring frequently. Once the milk is steaming, but before it has come to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and place the cover on the pan.
- Stir every few minutes, to help the cheese to melt properly, and to keep the pasta from clumping.
- Continue cooking and stirring until the cheese is melted, the sauce has thickened, and the pasta is cooked to your liking.
- If the sauce seems thick enough, but your pasta still isn't cooked properly, add another 1/4 cup milk and continue cooking. You may have to repeat this again, this is because cooking time varies depending on the pasta and the brand.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Choose your Cheese: You can use a blend of your favourite cheeses, or your favourite cheddar. For the best melt though, use a cheese that is higher in fat and moisture. Low fat cheeses don't melt as well. If purchasing pre-shredded cheese, be sure that it does not contain any gluten ingredients.
Other Pasta Dishes You May Enjoy (click to view):
Dick L. says
My wife and I mostly make mac and cheese as a freezer dish, something we can warm up when we don’t feel like cooking. Since I had to go GF, we have two batches going in the freezer all the time– hers with traditional pasta and mine with GF pasta. My current batch is made with Barilla elbows, but next time I’ll try something else– not because there’s anything wrong with the Barilla elbows, but more an issue with company policies that I found out about later. (Shouldn’t use a brand that someone in the family is boycotting. {G})
With gluten free pasta in general, I’ve found that it’s important to cook it just until it is (or for a baked pasta, is almost) done to one’s taste. I’ve tried several gluten free pastas and they vary a lot– the only thing is to cook each until it is done to taste or tooth, which may or may not be according to package directions.
Your very creamy version of mac and cheese sounds interesting– just the thing to try next.
Jeanine says
There are so many varieties of gluten-free pasta available now, and you’re right, each cooks up a little different from the next. Always have to cook by eye with them. 🙂
Tessa@TessaDomesticDiva says
I really love this idea Jeanine..homemade and quick!
Jeanine says
Thanks, Tessa!
Tessa@tessadomesticdiva says
This was yummy! I added some Greek yogurt for tang. I use tinkiyada brown rice spirals, and next time I would reduce the liquid by 1/2 cup. Easy and delicious! Oh and I only had cashew milk, so used that too in place of cow milk.
Jeanine says
So glad to hear that, Tessa! Thanks for sharing what you used too – since all the pastas will cook up differently.
Kyla says
Absolutely delicious! I added a pinch of ground garlic powder and a spinkle of grated parmesan cheese. So easy and quick to prepare and cook. Will definitely make again and again. I’ve been celiac my entire life, and your website thrills me to no end 🙂 Thanks for so many awesome recipes!
Jeanine says
I’m so thrilled to hear that, Kyla! Thank you so much for the great feedback!
JJ says
Omgoodness! This was delicious! I used half evaporated milk and half whole milk. I chose to use half Gouda and half smoked cheddar. Sooooo good! I’m so glad I found your recipe its exactly the method I was looking for. Thanks a million =)
Paige says
Very good! I made some subs with what I had on hand. I used Tinkyada Spiral Pasta, added minced garlic, jalapeño and a pinch of turmeric. Omitted cream cheese since I didn’t have it and subbed Greek yogurt. Oh and added Chicken! My pasta cook time was very long. Husband loved it. Thanks for the yummy recipe!
Annie says
This turned out really tasty. I was a little worried about it because it’s so different from other recipes, but I was completely won over when the pasta softened and the sauce thickened. It was so creamy! I used quinoa pasta and I think it was a little too grainy to be ideal for this recipe. I’ll try some other pastas until I find a favorite. I’m definitely be making it again. Thanks!
Paula says
This turned out great ! Easy and tasty, thanks for an awesome recipe.