This gluten-free baked macaroni and cheese recipe is a rich and creamy three-cheese macaroni and cheese recipe perfect easy dinner and gluten-free side dish recipe.
Gluten-free baked macaroni and cheese is a classic and staple recipe perfect for an easy kid-friendly dinner and a delicious gluten-free side dish.
Our homemade mac 'n cheese is made with gluten-free noodles baked in a creamy cheese sauce made with a combination of 3 cheeses.This recipe is one of our favorites because it can be served as a side or an entire meal.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Kid-Friendly Meal
- Easy Dinner
- Crowd-Pleasing Side Dish
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Gluten-Free Noodles - We use brown rice noodles in this recipe because the texture is the most similar to regular pasta. You can use whatever gluten-free noodles you prefer, but we recommend slightly under-boiling the noodles to avoid soggy and mushy mac n cheese.
- Butter - Butter helps create a roux that thickens the cheese sauce.
- Gluten-Free Flour - Gluten-free flour is whisked together with the butter to make a roux.
- Milk - Milk makes the cheese sauce creamy and smooth.
- Cheese - This recipe uses a blend of freshly grated cheddar cheese, Colby jack cheese, and gouda cheese. The sharp, distinct flavor of cheddar paired with the mild flavor of Colby jack and semi-sweet nutty flavor of gouda cheese makes for the perfect flavorful, creamy cheese sauce.
- Spices - Garlic powder, paprika and salt enhance the flavors of this dish.
Complete list of ingredients and amounts is located on the recipe card below.
Kitchen Tools & Equipment
- Large Pot or Dutch Oven - A large pot or Dutch oven is necessary to boil the noodles and make the cheese sauce.
- Cheese Grater - A cheese grater is necessary to shred cheese.
- Colander - A colander is needed to drain the noodle after boiling them.
- 9x13 Baking Dish - A large 9x13 ceramic baking dish is perfect for spreading the macaroni and cheese out in to bake in the oven.
How to Make Gluten-Free Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Step 1. Add water to a pot, bring to a boil and boil the noodles.
Step 2. Drain the noodles from the pot into a colander.
Step 3. Place the pot back on the burner and add butter to the bottom to melt.
Step 4. Whisk gluten-free flour into the butter.
Step 5. Pour the milk into the pot and whisk together with the butter and flour roux.
Step 6. Whisk the garlic powder, salt and paprika into the sauce.
Step 7. Add the shredded cheddar, Colby jack and gouda cheeses to the pot.
Step 8. Stir the cheese to melt into a creamy sauce.
Step 9. Fold the noodles into the cheese sauce until they are well combined.
Step 10. Transfer the macaroni and cheese to a 9x13 baking dish.
Step 11. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the dish, cover with foil and bake in the oven.
Step 12. Remove the dish from the oven after 10-15 minutes or when the cheese on top is melted.
Recipe Serving Suggestions
This homemade gluten-free macaroni and cheese recipe is the perfect easy kid-friendly dinner recipe and a great side dish.
We love serving this recipe as a gluten-free side dish for large family dinners and holidays. It is one of our favorite Easter dinner side dish recipes and is also great for serving at Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas dinner.
If you love easy gluten-free side dishes like this one, you will also love our other side dish recipes.
Expert Tips & Variations
- Kid-Friendly Dinner - Serve this dish with gluten-free hot dogs or BBQ chicken on top or an easy dinner. You can also add vegetables like broccoli to the mac 'n cheese for an easy dinner.
- Holiday Side Dish - This dish is the side dish for any holiday meal including Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas because it is super easy to make and can be prepared ahead of time.
- 5-Cheese Mac 'N Cheese - Elevate this dish even more by adding more cheese. If you want to make this into a 5-cheese recipe, we recommend adding Monterey jack and mozzarella.
- Summer Cookout Side - This dish is also perfect for a Fourth of July or summer cookout. It is our favorite gluten-free side dish to serve with smoked ribs.
How to Store Macaroni and Cheese
- Refrigerator - 3-4 days in an airtight container
- Freezer - 2 months in an airtight container. To reheat, remove the dish from the freezer, transfer to an oven-safe dish and bake in the oven at 350 until heated throughout.
Shred your own cheese!
Shredding your own cheese is our top tip for this recipe because store-bought shredded cheese does not melt as good as freshly grated. The reason is that shredded cheese from the store is coated in starch that helps preserve the cheese and keeps it shelf-stable for longer. The starch prevents the cheese from melting properly. When you shred your own cheese at home, it melts much better and creates a creamier cheese sauce.
FAQ
We prefer to use brown rice elbow noodles for this recipe. The noodles have a mild flavor and chewy texture making them a great gluten-free noodle to use in most recipes.
The best macaroni and cheese recipes have a variety of at least three cheeses in the recipe. Our go-to cheeses for mac 'n cheese are Cheddar, Colby jack, and Gouda.
More Side Dish Recipes
Gluten-Free Baked Macaroni and Cheese
This gluten-free baked macaroni and cheese recipe is a rich and creamy three-cheese macaroni and cheese recipe perfect easy dinner and gluten-free side dish recipe.
Ingredients
- 16 oz gluten-free noodles
- 3 tablespoons butter
- ⅓ cup gluten-free flour
- 2 cups milk
- 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1.5 cups Colby jack cheese, shredded
- 1 cup gouda cheese, shredded
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Fill a large pot halfway with water and place on the stovetop. Turn the burner on to medium to high heat to bring the water in the pot to a boil.
- Once the water is boiling, pour the gluten-free noodles into the water. Turn the heat down to medium and allow the noodles to cook for 1-2 minutes less than the package instructions. Remove the pot from the heat when the noodles are just slightly undercooked.
- Drain the cooked noodles into a colander and place the empty pot back on the stovetop to make the cheese sauce
- Turn the burner on to medium and place 3 Tablespoons of butter in the pot.
- Allow the butter to melt then add ⅓ cup gluten-free flour to the pot.
- Whisk the butter and flour together.
- Pour in the milk into the pot and whisk together with the roux.
- Add the salt, and garlic powder into the pot and whisk together.
- Before adding the cheese to the pot, reserve 1-1.5 cups of cheese in a small bowl.
- Add the remaining cheese to the pot and use a spatula to mix everything together.
- Stir occasionally as the cheese melts into a creamy sauce.
- When the cheese is melted into a sauce, turn the burner off and remove the pot from the heat.
- Add the cooked noodles back into the pot and use the spatula or a spoon to stir and coat the noodles in the cheese sauce.
- Transfer the macaroni and cheese to a 9x13 baking dish.
- Sprinkle the 1 cup of reserved cheese over the dish.
- Place aluminum foil over the baking dish.
- Place the dish in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese on top is melted.
- Remove the baked macaroni and cheese from the oven and allow it to cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 437Total Fat: 27gSaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 79mgSodium: 611mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 1gSugar: 4gProtein: 21g
