I’m what you might call “a pasta person.”
In my Northern Italian family, spaghetti was a once per week affair, and at least one additional meal usually included pasta of some sort. So when I found out about my husband’s gluten intolerance, my hunt for the perfect gluten-free pastas for every scenario began.
The list below is the result of more than a decade of research – along the way, I’ve learned a lot and encountered some disappointing but very common problems with gluten-free pastas, including: mushiness, disintegration, cracking, graininess, lack of flavor, and the list goes on.
This was not a simple assignment: There’s no one-size-fits-all brand or formulation. For example, I’ve found that corn or quinoa-based pastas tend to hold up better in soups, while brown rice flour pastas – specifically those by Jovial Foods – cook up to al dente perfection as vehicles for various sauces.
Have a favorite gluten-free pasta brand I haven’t listed below? I’d love to know about it. Email me at liz@octofree.com and I’ll give your recommendation a try.
Cheers!
Please note: This post includes affiliate links to featured products for your convenience. If you make a purchase using one of the links, I may receive a small commission, at zero extra cost to you. Win-win!
Without further ado, the list:
- Best Spaghetti: Jovial Brown Rice Spaghetti
- Why I love it: Cooks up to al dente perfection every time, doesn’t crack when strained, twirls beautifully around a fork, great taste
- Ingredients: Organic brown rice flour, water
- Where to find it: Whole Foods Market or at the Amazon link above
- Octofree recipes featuring this product:
- Best Orzo: Andean Dream Organic Quinoa Orzo
- Why I love it: Its chewy texture mimics a conventional orzo, and I love that it’s made with protein-packed quinoa
- Ingredients: Organic white rice flour, organic quinoa flour
- Where to find it: In Pittsburgh, at Naturally Soergel’s, or at the Amazon link above
- Octofree recipe featuring this product:
- Best Rice Noodles: Mama Instant Rice Vermicelli Noodles:
- Why I love it: The thin, vermicelli noodles twirl perfectly on a fork unlike the more common flat rice noodle shape, and it cooks up in less than two minutes
- Ingredients: Rice, tapioca starch
- Where to find it: Whole Foods Market, or at the Amazon link above
- Octofree recipe featuring this product:
- Best Ditalini: Le Veneziane Gluten-Free Corn Ditalini:
- Why I love it: It’s the only gluten-free ditalini I’ve found that holds up well in a soup, it looks authentic, and kids love the cute shape
- Ingredients: Corn flour. Emulsifier: mono and diglycerides of fatty acids of vegetable origin
- Where to find it: In Pittsburgh, at Naturally Soergel’s or at the Amazon link above
- Octofree recipe featuring this product:
- Best Elbow Macaroni: Jovial Organic Brown Rice Gluten-Free Elbows:
- Why I love it: Like all Jovial products, it cooks up al dente and holds a sauce well
- Ingredients: Organic brown rice flour, water
- Where to find it: Whole Foods Market or at the Amazon link above
- Octofree recipe featuring this product:
