Have you ever wondered, “What is the best gluten-free pasta?” Most of us who are on a gluten-free diet wondered that when we were starting out. Sometimes I still wonder. I’ve gotten in the habit of eating one brand and haven’t tried new ones very often.
Of course there is no definitive answer to the question because what is best is a matter of opinion, but it’s nice to have some opinions when you have no idea where to start. So this week I took a poll on my Facebook page and received over 150 replies. I’m giving you the top five rankings, but two of those places were a tie.
And forget the countdown. I’m going to start with #1. 🙂
Best Gluten-Free Pasta
1st Place – Tinkyada
Tinkyada
was the clear winner. It is a rice based pasta and is widely available in health food stores, regular grocery stores, and online. I’m sure that its availability contributed in part to the fact that it was the most popular. Tinkyada is what I use and my family enjoys it, as well as other people who have eaten with us.
2nd Place – Quinoa
Most people did not specify a brand, but I believe most of them are referring to Ancient Harvest Quinoa pasta which is actually made from corn and quinoa.
3rd Place – Schar & Heartland
Schar makes a variety of pasta shapes that are made from corn, rice, and pea protein. The ingredients are non-GMO and the products are produced in a gluten-free facility.
Heartland pasta is made from corn and rice and is available at Walmart. It is not produced on dedicated equipment, but they do have protocol to prevent cross contamination.
4th Place – Jovial & Bionaturae
These two brands received only one vote less than the third place brands.
Jovial is a brown rice pasta which I reviewed here. I think it’s an excellent pasta and is better than Tinkyada, but it’s not as widely available. I think if it was easier for people to find in stores it would be more popular.
Bionaturae pasta is made from rice, potato, and soy. It’s organic and produced in a gluten-free facility. Those who use it really love it.
5th Place – Trader Joe’s
Trader Joe’s makes brown rice and corn pastas. Only a couple of people specified which one they liked. I have tried the rice pasta and did not like it as well as Tinkyada, but it is cheaper.
Honorable Mentions
Wegman’s and Sam Mills are both corn pastas that received a handful of votes.
Cappello’s is a grain free fresh pasta (not dried). I’d love to give it a try, but it’s not cheap. The comments and one review I read all say it is very good.
What’s your favorite gluten-free pasta?
I really like Kroger brand gluten free spaghetti corn & rice pasta blend. I pay $2.99 which is super affordable & it tastes great ~ easy to cook ~ no need to worry about exact cooking times.
I believe the best GF pasta we’ve ever eaten is made from Mueller’s. It is so popular at our Publix that they are currently out of it because of high demand as well as they were running a BOGO on it. We’ve tried different types of pastas and hands down, this is the best one we’ve ever eaten. It’s sooo close to regular pasta.
Cappello’s is by far the best pasta I have ever eaten, they have a lasagna that was equally as good.
Corn pasta is my preferred choice. I would recommend San Zenone brand.
My favorite pasta is Pastariso. I buy the elbows and the rotini. We think it’s the best brand we have tried. I do buy the brown rice variety, but it is also available in white rice. I buy Wegman’s spaghetti noodles because theirs is cheaper than Pastariso. I generally use Amazon’s Subscribe And Save program for the convenience, and the price break. Haven’t tried any noodles from Trader Joe’s. Our particular store carries very few gluten free products, and we are in the suburban D.C. area. My go to sources for gluten free anything are Amazon and Wegman’s, followed by Whole Foods.
Delallo – I just bought some at Whole Foods. Oh my goodness, it was delicious. Closest to the “real” thing yet!
I meant to write Wegman’s. I lost my train of thought thinking of all that pasta goodness I had missing for 12 1/2 years.
I recently tried the Mueller’s GF pasta and it is the best and tastes just as good as their regular spagetti (BGF)..before gluten free….I am campaigning our one and only local grocery chain to carry this product…no luck yet..so I am asking anyone to please contact their local INGLES and ask that they add this GF pasta to their stores….
Are any of these pastas good cold? I can’t find one that stays soft when used in a cold salad. Any suggestions?
Jovial is better than Tinkyada when cold. I haven’t tried it in a cold pasta salad, but it might work well.
You forgot about Hodgson Mill hodgsonmill.com
My favorite is Cappello’s. It’s made with almond flour so it’s high in protein. Plus they’re local for me and they are at the farmer’s markets. They’re great.
Linda I agree with you – I prefer Tinkyada. I’ve never heard of most of the ones these other readers have mentioned… Must be because we live way out west in the sticks!
Tru Roots is The Best gluten free pasta I have ever tried. I tell everyone I know who is gluten free. It is the best. They sell it at Stop and Shop and Shaws here on Cape Cod so it’s not too expensive. It’s available on line too. Once you try it you will never eat another brand again ????
I think if you had tried (Luigi Vitelli gluten free corn pasta) your choices would be different , the ingredients are simple 100% corn flour and water and the taste and texture are amazing. Please check them out you won’t be disappointed
If anyone is interested here is a list of Gluten-Free Pasta Brands Analysis. Not all of the brands of pasta are listed but many are.
Can’t Wait To Try!! 😉
RP’s Pasta in Madison WI makes awesome, fresh GF pasta.
My favorites are Barilla and Ronzoni brands of pasta. I buy them in the regular pasta section and they cost about the same as regular pasta.
My favorite is actually the Live G Free from Aldi! There’s three varieties on a regular basis, all under $2 a pack, and they taste great! I only have up gluten a year ago and found these right away, they are so much like the regular kind. There’s also a boxed Mac n Cheese that is really good. I love that for quick lunches. And, just in case you didn’t know, they have an entire gluten free line, I’ve tried lots of stuff and most of it is excellent, but a few are just okay.
Hi Alicia. Yes, we have tried the ALDI products and I have posted about them here. I buy their rice based pasta but not the corn ones. They recently came out with even more gluten-free products and my husband loves the cheesecake!
I would like to ‘weigh in.’ As a person coming to GF eating (mine due to alkaline/acid/kidney issues) I was surprised on not seeing anyone stating that they liked making their own pasta… by hand!
The cost (in a bunch of different cities- we’ve moved three times in as many years) for most GF pasta- especially Tinkyada – is ridiculous. Where we live now, there is neither a TJ’s or a WF’s – we are left with second rate food chains, and the occasional ‘health food store’ an hour away, on a local college campus. And what GF pasta there is, most likely is made with GMO corn- because it DOESN’T say ‘organic’. Just my observation…. And, as we all know, it’s VARIETY that led us to GF eating, in the first place. Why replace wheat, with corn, just to gain an allergy to that as well? Why not ‘spread the wealth’ in our flour choices for pasta?
So, because I am trying to avoid more acidic foods (and wheat is acidic) and aim for less acidic/neutral foods) I’d like options other than ‘corn&rice, rice&corn.’ In addition, both Bette Hagman [Gluten-Free Gourmet Cooks Comfort Food] and Carol Fenster [1,000 Gluten-Free Recipes] have recipes for home-made pasta that uses more alkaline grains, like garfava, tapioca, and sorghum, and those recipes also include the resistant starch, potato starch!
https://potatohack.com/2018/04/17/resistant-starch-2018/ and https://www.thepaleomom.com/resistant-starch-its-not-all-sunshine-and-roses/
While I am NOT saying eat potato starch alone, when combined in GF cooking, it may be good for those of us battling cancer/kidney issues. “It’s likely that all of the negative effects of resistant starch supplementation discussed here are non-issues when potato starch is added to a diet already rich in a variety of vegetables and fruits (although, if you are eating a diet rich in a variety of vegetables and fruits, chances are good that your microbiome is doing well without additional supplementation).” – from Ballantyne’s article, under ‘Paleomom’
SO, pursuant to this, I also was surprised that four years ago was your last entry in ‘stand mixers.’ It was also not mentioned that the two most obvious choices for stand mixers for GF breads, biscuits, cakes, etc. also should take into consideration… pasta attachments!- like the Ankarsrum “Assistant” and the KitchenAId models (like the Artisan).
Personally, I want to know which one is better for GF pasta making! LOL Maybe a new post/series is in order? Thanks for listening, and posting all these recipes, which I intend to try.