There are more GF brands than ever at the grocery store, but how to cook gluten-free pasta properly at home remains a pain point for many of my readers on a gluten-free or low FODMAP diet. Fear not! This fan favorite post contains tips for how to avoid any missteps and cook perfect gluten-free pasta every time. Plus I have plenty of gluten-free dinner ideas to put your noodles to use!
Allow me to briefly throw my significant other under the bus.
My husband, Charlie, and I eat a lot of gluten-free pasta as a quick (semi-lazy) weeknight meal. But when he cooks it, the end result never tastes as good as when I do. This is not simply a matter of my day job versus his. Steak and fried eggs? No problem. But something as simple as pasta foils him Monday after Monday.
I can see this frustrates him. And secretly, it frustrates me. Because even from the other room—where I try to sequester myself during my other half’s cooking ventures, so as to not become a backseat chef—I can see where Charlie goes wrong.
Seeing how other people cook is a secret weapon for those of us who develop recipes for a living. It’s why Ina Garten has an assistant with minimal cooking experience who tests her recipes right in front of her. It’s also one of the reasons why I like teaching cooking classes so much. My students constantly remind me of the intuitive kitchen tasks that I take for granted. And as I’ve witnessed during my own casual at-home case study, cooking gluten-free pasta is not as easily as boiling water.
Store bought gluten-free pasta brands have come a long way from the disintegrating fusilli of yore. But no matter which box you’re using, if you cook the gluten-free noodles wrong, the results can be just as soggy and sad.
Without a classroom to offer a “safe space” for feedback, I’m going tackle some of my significant other’s pasta faux pas right here, in hopes that I can save all of us from consuming the aftermath of similar missteps.
Read on for some frequently asked questions about GF pasta, how to cook gluten-free pasta perfectly every time, and some gluten-free dinner ideas for using up your noodles. Also make sure to pop by the comments section if you have some tales and tips of your own!
With health and hedonism,
Phoebe
Frequently Asked Questions About How To Cook Gluten-Free Pasta
What is Gluten-Free Pasta Made From?
While traditional pasta is made from wheat derivatives, gluten-free pasta uses other types of grains. In Italy, gluten-free pasta tends to be made from a combination of white rice flour and corn flour. There are also higher protein varieties on US supermarket shelves that are made from quinoa, lentils, or chickpeas.
Does Gluten Free Pasta Taste Different?
When it comes to what gluten free pasta tastes like, brands have come a long way in the last decade to mimic the flavor profile of traditional noodles. In particular, pastas made from white or brown rice, quinoa and corn tends to be the mildest and easiest to pass as regular pasta. Sometimes the corn flour can add a very slight sweetness.
Legume-based pastas tend to taste a bit richer and buttery—chickpea pasta has its own base flavor that is harder to mask with a sauce, though not unpleasant.
If you want to learn how to make gluten free pasta taste better, read on for the tips for cooking gluten-free pasta better below.
7 Mistakes People Make When Cooking Gluten-Free Pasta
1. They substitute ounce for ounce.
Gluten-free flours have a different density than regular all-purpose white flour. This is one of the reasons why gluten-free baking is not as simple as subbing cup-for-cup (and why Thomas Keller is a genius for figuring out a special blend where you can). The same is true for gluten-free pasta. If a recipe calls for 1 pound of regular pasta, the cooking the gluten-free equivalent is going to be far too much. And that means all the other quantities—sauces, add-ins–will be off as well.
For example, Bionaturae’s GF pasta weighs 12 ounces, while the same bag of regular pasta is 16 ounces. This ratio varies depending on the brand and what gluten-free pasta is made from (usually rice, corn, quinoa, or a combination), but gluten-free pasta brands tend to be around 12 ounces.
The best rule of thumb I can offer is to go by servings. One package of pasta is usually 4 servings, regardless of whether it’s gluten-free. Most recipes are also scaled for 4 people. So using the entire package of gluten-free pasta tends to be the correct amount to use in the dish regardless of weight.
2. They overfill the pot.
Gluten-free pasta tends to be starchier than regular pasta, which sometimes creates a lot of foam on the top of the pot. This can easily boil over and create an annoying mess on your stovetop. Also, as we discussed above, gluten-free pasta tends to expand more than regular pasta. The solution to both problems: when cooking gluten-free pasta use a big pot and only fill it 2/3 of the way with water to give you more wiggle room.
3. They under-salt the water.
Your pasta water should taste like the ocean. This is a general rule of thumb for all pasta making: if you don’t salt the cooking water, it’s hard for the end result to ever taste properly seasoned. But gluten-free pasta can be particularly dull without salt. If you’re wondering, does gluten free pasta taste different? It commonly does as a result of under-seasoning the water.
This is a violation I often experience at the hands of my significant other, who maintains that he always salts the water. Guys, you want to use at least two tablespoons for every box of gluten-free pasta. Otherwise, it’s not enough.
4. They don’t stir.
Because of the starch, gluten-free pasta noodles tend to cling together. Add a glug of olive oil to the water and make sure to run a spoon through it to redistribute every 30 seconds during the first few minutes of cooking. Once the pasta has begun to plump you don’t have to worry about it as much. Again, this is an important pointer for cooking any pasta, but ignoring core techniques tends to make the end result even worse when you’re starting with gluten-free pasta.
5. They overcook the noodles until mushy.
This is the gravest mistake of all fettuccine fails. Gluten-free pasta tends to be less forgiving than regular pasta and can go from hard in the center to mushy in a matter of minutes.
The cook time on the back of the package isn’t always accurate. To cover your bases, set a timer for 2 minutes shy of the time called for. Taste a few noodles at this time. You want to drain them at the point that they’re al dente—the pasta should have a slight bite but not be overly stiff. Remember that the pasta will continue to steam slightly as it cools, and especially if you’re throwing it back in a pot with some sauce, you’ll want to air on the side of caution, i.e. undercooked.
6. They let the pasta hang out in the colander.
Not only does letting the pasta sit in a colander put you at risk for continued cooking and eventual Mushtown, USA, but it’s also the second stage when your pasta is most likely to stick together. Transfer it immediately back to the pot (or, preferably, a mixing bowl), and add the sauce. At the very least, toss it with a tablespoon of olive oil if your sauce isn’t ready yet.
7. They don’t use enough sauce.
Starch is a natural thickener. If you notice when cooking gluten-free pasta that your finished dish always seems dry (and you haven’t committed the ounce-age offense above), it could be because you’re not using enough sauce.
As the noodles cool, they’ll absorb some of the gluten-free sauces. But the starch will also cause the remaining sauce to thicken. To combat this, you can either a) reserve a little cooking liquid before draining, b) try not to shake out too much of the cooking water from the colander (dump, then immediately transfer to a bowl) or c) have extra sauce at the ready and potentially add more right before you serve–ideally, I advise all of the above.
When cooking gluten-free pasta, I’ll often wait until the noodles have cooled slightly before adding the sauce and try to eat it right away. Here is one of my favorite low FODMAP pasta sauce recipes.
8. (BONUS) They eat it cold as pasta salad.
You might salt your water and cook your noodles perfectly, but believe it or not, your gluten-free pasta could still taste like cardboard…if you eat it cold. Brands have come a long way in engineering flour combinations that cook just like the real thing. But these noodles reveal their true gluten-free nature after a trip to the fridge.
For whatever reason, gluten-free pasta needs to be actually cooked to become edible again, even if you don’t end up enjoying it warm. If you’re making gluten-free pasta salad, simply let the pasta come down to room temperature on its own. If you’re brown bagging some leftovers, make sure you give it a little nuke before packing them away if you won’t have the opportunity to do so at your destination. There is no one brand that is the best gluten free pasta for pasta salad, the trick is not to refrigerate your dish once cooked.
The Best Gluten-Free Pasta Recipes
Now that you know the do’s and don’t for how to cook gluten-free pasta, I hope you’ll put your new skills to work! Here are some fabulous recipe ideas to get you started. You can find the best gluten-free pasta brands here.
Have you made any of these mistakes? Or had any other unpleasant results with gluten-free pasta? Got any more tips to share? Let me know in the comments section!
For those of you who are okay with corn, I have found an Italian pasta (not GMO to my knowledge) that will rock your world – seriously, this stuff is on equal footing with regular pasta, doesn’t need special handling, can be eaten cold, it’s just fabulous. The brand is La Veneziane and its available through Amazon. The tagliatelle is my favourite.
Trudie, at last! I gave up on corn pasta because it was gritty and there seemed to be no way to keep it from breaking into shards once it had sat in the sauce for a bit. So I will give this a try.
Thanks Much! I’m going to try this! When I first went GF I found that I liked the corn variety best! Now I’m having a difficult time finding just corn varieties for GF pasta. They all seem to have rice in them & I don’t like the texture of rice in my pastas! Thanks Again!
pjt
I agree with all points EXCEPT #1 – the example you gave to go by servings to account for differences in weight (Bionaturae) doesn’t work – the package for the “regular” pasta (16 oz) states it contains 8 (2-oz) servings, while the GF package of 12 oz states it contains 6 (2 oz) servings. Both are correct, and I’ve never noticed a huge variance in volume between the two when weighing out portions. I cook GF for myself and “regular” for everyone else so do a fair amount of portioning!
That said, this is a FANTASTIC resource for those needing to go GF who love their noodles! Thanks!
Thanks for the feedback Sarah! I’m pretty sure the nutritional info on the back just goes by the dried weight. And I’m not sure the 2 oz serving size really takes into account how much someone would eat for a full meal. I think about it more in terms of the package itself. One package of regular pasta (16oz) usually feeds 4 people in a recipe. If you look at pasta recipes across the web, 1 pound is the usual measurement for a recipe that feeds 4. But I find that the bionaturae 12 ounce package ends up producing a similar amount. I’ve swapped it in for recipes that call for a full pound of regular pasta. Perhaps though my appetite has just changed 🙂 Do you usually use more than one package when you’re subbing in GF in a regular pasta recipe (ounce for ounce)? Have you tried this with multiple brands? Curious! Thanks for comparing notes with me!
Phoebe…do you ever rinse your cooked pasta (if it seems extra starchy) with hot water?
Hi Kim! I usually don’t. But I do add extra sauce/liquid if it seems very starchy since I know it will thicken whatever I add. Some brands recommend that rinse, but I usually just toss mine with some liquid, sauce or olive oil right away to avoid the clumping. Hope this helps!
Yea, I definately agree with overcooking the GF pasta. My first ever experience was with a brown rice GF spaghetti and oh my, it was so horrible. At first it was wayy undercooked (I like my pasta al dente and it seems the rice pasta takes a bit longer than it’s gluten-filled counterpart) and then it was overcooked. It turned into a messy blob of boiled starch and I was so discouraged from cooking any more GF varieties. Eventually I tried my hand at it again, but this time I was more aware of the properties of how the pasta cooks, so I managed to make a decent GF ziti (Still a bit too soft for my liking, but decent enough to eat). I hope in the future, my attempts are more edible than the first few, but these tips are definitely something I’ll keep in mind to help me next time!
hahah I hear you Greenie! What brands have you been using? There have been some much better ones coming to market in the last 5 years. Try Bionaturae!
We had the veneziane gf corn noodles tonight. Delicious! They didn’t fall apart but I might have left them a bit too long in the hot water as they did break up in smaller strips at the end. But we’ll worth it!
glad you enjoyed!
I’m a chef for a catering firm and we just did an event for 300 people who asked for GF pasta. What a disaster! When holding pasta for service, we cover with cling film and set in a warming cart (sauced, of course). It took little time for the pasta to break down into shards with a goo-like texture! The brand name was Barilla. Any counsel for GF pasta for banquet service?
oh no!!! it’s a totally understandable mistake though. I’ve never made GF pasta for a crowd for this reason. But I would guess that pre-cooking to al dente and then warming in the sauce would be the best way to go. I would just use a more forgiving brand. You can see my other post here:
https://feedmephoebe.com/the-best-gluten-free-pasta-brands-and-recipes/
I think Bionaturae is the best all-around for any shape.
Hi phoebe and thanks so much…I’m not even gluten free but recently did some experiments on the stovetop with some gf spaghetti….ok so the residual water which I was hoping to reuse for stock for the dogs…looks like custard…um I’m not so sure that gf is all that important.
sometimes the corn based pasta will do that. don’t give up but no need to be gf unless it makes you feel better.
I’m trying to meal prep some vegan bolognese with gf pasta. Do you have any experience with freezing gf pasta dishes? I’m hoping that if it’s stored correctly, I’ll be able to defrost servings in the fridge overnight then reheat for lunch. Any tips or suggestions would be appreciated!
I’ve actually never frozen any type of pasta except lasagna. I think it should be fine so long as you have a high ratio of sauce. Maybe add a little extra water before reheating. Short shapes (like penne) will probably keep better. But definitely report back.
I’m eager to try a slow cooker lasagna recipe with gf lasagna noodles. Any tips on this? Will it be freezable? Should I cut the cooking time at all (from the original recipe that calls for non-gf noodles)?
Hey Debbie! sorry for the delayed response. I’ve never made slow cooker pasta before so not sure about my advice here! GF noodles hold up pretty well for lasagna so I would just compare package instructions to what other slow cooker lasagna experts say about the technique. It should freeze well!! xo
I find that adding oil to the cooking water or to the pasta after draining means the sauce won’t stuck to the pasta. The sauce just slides right off the oiled pasta. Any other suggestions to prevent sticking? Can you toughen the pasta by over-stirring in an attempt to prevent sticking?
this is true! better to be at the ready with your sauce. using a big pot so you can stir frequently and it doesn’t clump in the post is the first best practice.
All great and much needed info. The one piece I do not understand is how to reheat gf pasta, say, for folks who need to eat later (this happens a lot in my family.) Maybe another way to ask is: how to best cool it down and how to best reheat? Thanks!
Great article, Phoebe.
I have a very specific issue with GF macaroni for mac & cheese: i can make the tangiest, most wonderful sauce- a cheesy white sauce with four kinds if cheese- (I even had my celiac significant other try, and LOVE the sauce, before the combine and bake.) I have made delicious, tangy mac and cheese for many years (not gluten free) – never an issue.
I combined it all, topped w crunchies and shredded cheese, baked and… it tasted like a clump of gf noodles. No cheese taste, whatsoever. Like the gf noodles absorbed all of the flavor. Soo frustrating.
What is going on?? I am tired of this happening. I am about to scrap the gf mac & cheese making for good.
Any clues? (Base white sauce roux was made with gf flour and butter, if that matters….)
Leave out the flour maybe? Too much starch can mute flavors. Maybe have to skip the baking, serve with some tater tots for crunchies or cheesy garlic bread? Sounds delicious though.
I second what Bentspork had to say about the baking. You can serve the sauce and pasta simply mixed together. If you want some sort of crust, use the broiler for 3 minutes or so, which won’t really cook the pasta much further. And make sure to cook the pasta until slightly al dente, not all the way through before mixing it with the sauce.
The best so far I have tried, cooked and tasted very good is the Target brand GF pasta. I cook them like regular pasta. Edamame GF pasta tastes good with normal cooking method. Worst GF pasta is the Ralph Simple Truth Organic GF pasta, taste so nasty no matter how you prep them.
very good to know!! thanks for sharing. will have to try now that there’s a target around the corner!
I need help……cooked 8 min. per directions, Italian made GF Penne( ‘La Fabbrica Della Pasta’, Corn Flour, Rice Flour, Water)…used huge pot, lots of salt, no oil but even after 8 minutes it was ‘tough’..checked at six first. Kept cooking but no change so quickly drained, used ice water arrest any more cooking. Was planning to freeze with a little drizzled EVOO so when kids, grand-kids came would not have to hang over the boiling pot in the heat of summer…am thinking of defrosting a small portion, mix with my sauce to see if texture improves….any tips out there?? Would surely appreciate as one in our family has violent reaction to wheat…many thanks!
It will definitely cook more when you reheat. Make sure to add a little more sauce and some water if needed to defrost in the micro. Report back!
My husband has celiac disease. So gluten free pasta is necessary when cooking any pasta dish – hot or cold. My problem is left overs – any time I’ve made any pasta salads it seems that the next day the noodles/elbows, etc are hard. I have tried cooking the pasta longer so that it is very soft when first made, but even that does not help. Do you have any recommendations to help? Thank you so much.
that’s a tall order evelyn! the noodles seize up when they cool in the fridge. I would try to serve it room temp or heat in the microwave before serving again.
Remember that most GF pastas are made of rice flour, so you have to think of them like rice. When rice is cooked, the proteins spread out and move around, making it fluffy. In the same vein, when rice is refrigerated, the proteins realign, which is why cold rice is dense and chewy (or even crunchy).
My best experiences reheating cold GF pasta used the microwave. Add a bit of water (or milk for cream sauces) to the pasta and microwave for 30 seconds at a time, stirring between cycles. Go slow so you can pull the dish out the instant the noodles are the right consistency, or you can mush your pasta.
great advice thanks!!
Jim, what brand of pasta do you use? Cooking fettuccini noodles.
I made gf Rice based pasta for the first time. I didn’t use enough water and have a bowl of very thick pudding like stuff minus the noodles. I hate to throw it out. Are there any ideas as to how to use this stuff. Another food dish?
feed it to the dog! sorry 🙂 or put it in a soup!
My wife was diagnosed celiac a few years ago, and since I do most of the cooking, I had to learn this stuff all over again. Some of my best dishes are pastas, which meant learning a lot of hard lessons about how GF pasta cooks. I have to say that my experiences with GF pasta don’t mesh with your points #1 and #2 (with the important caveat that I haven’t tried the pasta you mention; our favorite pastas come from Tinkyada cooked ~2 minutes less than the package instructions).
In my experience, GF pasta doesn’t swell nearly as much as wheat-based pasta when cooked al dente. Once GF pasta swells, it’s already overcooked to mush. This means that 16 oz of GF pasta needs less sauce than 16 oz of wheat pasta. I spent months trying to figure out why my GF pasta dishes were absolutely swimming in sauce when I cooked the same amount (by weight) as I used to.
Other than that, thank you for this great resource! I can’t overstate the value of having this kind of information available for people having to re-learn how to cook. It can be heartbreaking trying to cook a “comfort food” meal after a bad day and seeing it fall apart in front of you. Anything to show people that life after a diagnosis can still be yummy is worth its (metaphorical) weight in gold!
Yesterday I was testing a new gluten-free pasta brand (made with lentils, beans, and rice) and apparently I let it boil a few minutes too long, because I came back and the pot was filled with opaque yellow liquid and the pasta was totally … gone! It completely dissolved! I have never seen that happen before. Is that a common hazard of gluten-free pasta?
yikes! it used to be! most are much better now but it used to happen often
Hey, Instead of boiling the pasta first for baked ziti, has anyone ever heard of baking the dish of baked ziti with uncooked pasta? I’ve heard this may reduce the chance of soggy pasta.
I made baked rigatoni earlier this week. I wasn’t quite brave enough to do it with uncooked pasta, but I did it with barely cooked pasta (3 minutes when the box said 11), and added a cup of the cooking liquid to the baking dish, and it came out great!
yes! I’ve found baked GF pastas work well
Thanks I was wondering how to make a freezer meal like baked Ziti with GF pasta. It seemed like it would turn to mush.
just undercook the pasta
I want To make cold macaroni salad with gluten free pasta. Is that possible? Or should any leftovers be thrown away. Thanks!
I have read (although I haven’t tried it yet) that slightly overcooking the pasta will allow it to “retrograde” back to a pretty decent al dente texture in the fridge. Worth a shot!
So my only hope for gluten-free pasta salad is to eat it warm. Well, that’s disappointing – and disgusting.
I am new to this. However, I found a recipe on Taste of Home for a Macaroni Coleslaw. I used Le Veneziane corn pasta. I used Ditalini pasta. It said to drain and rinse in cold water. Then I added it immediately to the Coleslaw part of the recipe. I was making this for a potluck the next day at church. I covered the container and put it in the fridge overnight. This worked great. It was a big hit and no one knew it was GF. I am asked to bring it every time.
So my suggestion is, if you are still open to suggestions, experiment with small amounts of pasta adding to something moist as a salad base and see what happens. I have only tried this one recipe so far but am looking for make ahead pasta ideas for the potluck dinners.
Thanks to this blog I am learning more.
Thank you for your blog. I have learned so much. I am attempting to make a noodle pudding with GF Pasta for the first time. I have made this dish so many times with regular noodles. I can not find GF noodles so I am using GF spaghetti made by Edlallo. The GF Pasta is delicious.
yay!
I’m unfamiliar with all of the GF pastas you mentioned in your post. I was able to find Barilla Chickpea pasta at my local Randall’s grocer. I’ve tried using it twice, but my daughter complained of the pasta bring hard. I cooked and taste tested it for doneness and initially it was soft and fork tender. I cooked it a day in advance. After being refrigerated overnight and eating the next day is when she complained about them being hard. Any suggestions anyone?
It is really hard to make it in advance. You would need to reheat it with plenty of liquid. It’s best cooked to order.
I have to say I don’t care for the Taylor comment. Women should be building each other up. I don’t like to call out our sisters on social but I think it needs to be said. Thanks for considering. Xo
I have tried almost every brand of gf pasta on the market. I have to say that Jovial brand most closely resembles regular pasta and holds up well to refrigeration and leftovers. Good luck everyone!
I have the added challenge of serving gf pasta to several people who have more than a wheat allergy or celiac disease. Some have issues like dairy and nightshades–no cheese, tomatoes or spices from peppers. So mixing sauce with the pasta is out. Some can handle tomatoes, others cannot and the same with dairy. I guess my only solution is serving naked pasta, maybe with a little oil, and having everyone top it the way they want. Has anyone else had to deal with this?