Gluten Free Crock Pot Mac and Cheese

This recipe for gluten free crock pot mac and cheese is the perfect dish for parties, holiday meals that require a kid-friendly option, or busy weeknight meals when you need a great side dish.

The gluten free noodles are drenched in a cheesy sauce and cooked in a crockpot while you run around doing a million other things! It doesn’t take up space on the stovetop or the oven. 

We tried eight different versions to come up with this final recipe! With a few tweaks and modifications, homemade mac and cheese is for the win! My daughter claimed it to be the best, and I agree.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Kid-Friendly Side Dish
• Minimal Prep Time
• Save Oven and Stovetop Space

Featured Ingredients

• Gluten Free Elbow Macaroni Noodles - We love the Barilla gluten free brand which is mostly made with rice and corn. 
• Evaporated Milk - Helps keep the milk from curdling in the slow cooker.
• Milk- use any percentage but not skim milk. Skim doesn't have enough fat to make a creamy result.
• Kosher Salt - My favorite salt for all cooking. 
• Egg - Helps add structure to the sauce.
• American Cheese - The king of melty cheeses. I order it from the deli department. 
• Block of Cheddar Cheese - Also another classic cheese for mac n cheese. Pre-shredded cheese is coated in starch that prevents a creamy sauce.

See the recipe card for the exact measurements and complete instructions. Selected ingredients are based on guidance on current serving sizes measured by the Monash University Food App and FODMAP Friendly App at the time of publishing. As always, follow your gut and modify as needed.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Add the evaporated milk, milk, salt, and egg into the greased 6-quart slow cooker liner. Whisk it together until the egg is fully combined.

Add the cubed cheeses. Place the cover on the crock pot and cook the cheese sauce on low heat for an hour and a half.

After the cheese sauce has cooked for 90 minutes, boil the gluten free noodles according to the directions on the package minus two minutes. This will cook the noodles al dente.  

Drain the noodles, collecting the starchy liquid in a bowl under the colander.

Add the cooked noodles to the cheese sauce. Stir the noodles to combine fully. Cook on the low setting for another fifteen minutes or until the noodles absorb more liquid. It is ok if it looks like there is too much sauce. The noodles will absorb it and create a creamy, rich sauce. Check on the crock pot every fifteen minutes until there is a creamy cheese sauce.

Turn the crockpot to the warm setting. Serve immediately. Do not allow the crockpot to warm the macaroni and cheese for too long. The cooked macaroni noodles will break apart and turn to mush.

Tips and Tricks

Not enough liquid to create a cheesy sauce?  If the noodles absorb too much cheese sauce, add ¼ cup of the starchy noodle liquid at a time to the mac and cheese. Keep adding until there is a beautiful creamy cheese sauce again. 

Stop the cooking process. Do not let the mac and cheese sit in the crock pot on low for too long. This will cause the noodles to overcook and turn to mush.

Ingredient Swaps

• Milk Options - Swap out traditional dairy milk for lactose-free milk.
• Cheese Options - Great options include Monterey Jack, sharp cheddar, and parmesan cheese. Use whatever variety or combinations of cheeses you love. Just keep the amounts the same. 
• Regular Pasta - If you do not need to eat gluten free pasta, feel free to sub in any regular type of pasta. Elbow noodles or shells are a great choice. 

Variations

Mac and Cheese With Broccoli: Increase the veggies in your life by adding a frozen bag of broccoli florets or fresh broccoli when there are thirty minutes left of the cooking time for the cheese sauce. 

Mac and Cheese with Ham: Add diced ham or leftover oven baked ham steaks when adding the cooked noodles.

Classic Mac and Cheese with Hot Dogs: Add sliced hot dogs to the cheese sauce to make the kids happy and increase their protein! 

Spicy Mac and Cheese: Use a block of pepper jack cheese instead of cheddar. It will add a hint of spice.

Storing and Reheating

Store: After serving, immediately store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. 

Reheat: To reheat leftovers the next day, add a splash of milk before heating them in the microwave. Give it a good stir before serving.  

Freeze: I recommend not freezing mac and cheese. The noodles will not hold up to the freezing and defrosting process.

FAQs

Meal Planning

This gluten free mac and cheese is the best comfort food all by itself. However, if you want to add a main dish to this crock pot side dish, BBQ bacon chicken or glazed oven baked ham steaks would be a great options to add to the meal.

This mac and cheese is great to serve at family gatherings or parties, especially if you have someone in your family who needs a gluten free option. Create a mac and cheese bar with toppings! We used crumbled bacon, broccoli florets, cut-up hot dogs, diced ham, peas, or whatever combo you love! We loved to serve it at our kids' birthday parties. It is requested over and over! 

Additional Crock Pot Side Dishes

• Crock Pot Mexican Street Corn Dip
• Crock Pot Corn Casserole Without Jiffy Mix
• Dairy Free Rice Pudding

Recipe

Gluten Free Crock Pot Mac and Cheese

4.67 from 9 votes

Crock pot gluten free mac and cheese recipe is perfect for parties, holiday meals that require a kid-friendly option, or busy weeknight meals when you need to feed the whole family quickly!

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 Servings

Author: Venessa Mandelkow

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Equipment

• 6 Quart Slow Cooker

Ingredients

• 12 ounces gluten free elbow noodles
• 12 ounces evaporated milk
• 3 cups milk (Note 1)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 large egg
• ½ pound American cheese from deli counter (Note 2)
• 8 ounces cheddar cheese Note 3

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Instructions

• Grease a 6-quart crock pot liner with nonstick cooking spray.
• On a large cutting board with a sharp knife, cut the American cheese and the cheddar cheese into small cubes.
• To the crock pot liner, add evaporated milk, milk, salt, and egg. Whisk it together until the egg is fully combined.
• Next, add the American cheese and cubed cheddar cheese. Set the heat to low and cook cheese sauce for an hour and a half.
• After an hour and a half, boil the gluten free noodles based on the package directions, minus two minutes of the total cooking time. This will cook the noodles al dente. Drain the noodles, collecting the starchy liquid by placing a bowl under the colander.
• Add the cooked noodles to the cheese sauce. Stir the noodles into the cheese sauce to fully combine.
• Cook the mac and cheese on the low setting for another fifteen minutes or until the noodles absorb more liquid. If the noodles absorb too much cheese sauce, add ¼ cup of the starchy noodle liquid at a time into the mac and cheese. Keep adding until there is a beautiful creamy cheese sauce again. If your cheese sauce looks great, discard the starchy liquid and do not use it.
• Turn the crockpot to the warm setting. Serve immediately. Do not allow the crockpot to warm the macaroni and cheese for too long. The cooked macaroni noodles will turn to mush and make any leftovers inedible.
• Once everyone is served, package any leftovers in an airtight container and place them in the refrigerator. Reheat leftovers with a splash of milk.

Notes

Note 1: Use whole, 2%, or 1% milk, but not skim. Skim does not have enough fat to create a rich, creamy sauce. 

Note 2: Use high-quality American cheese, not the individually wrapped kind. I found a great option at the deli counter. 

Note 3: Use a block of cheddar cheese. Do not use pre-shredded cheese because it has a coating that keeps it from clumping and from melting into a smooth sauce. 

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1 ServingCalories: 325kcalCarbohydrates: 25gProtein: 17gFat: 17gSugar: 2g

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