Goat Cheese Mac & Cheese
This goat cheese mac and cheese is the perfect creamy and decadent dish! This version is gluten-free and made with only goat cheese.
I’ve shared several mac & cheese alternatives through the years, like my pumpkin mac & cheese, paleo mac & cheese, and more. Personally, I don’t consume cow dairy cheese and only consume goat cheese within moderation and with a lactose enzyme like hilma. But I thought the holiday season was the best time to share this mac & cheese made entirely with goat cheese!
Goat cheese mac & cheese is cheesy, creamy, and lower lactose option of your dreams! Make it for the holidays, and you’ll keep coming back to it year-round.
Table of contents
Why you’ll love goat cheese mac & cheese
- Goat cheese is lower in lactose. Goat cheese is not lactose-free, but goat cheese is lower in lactose than regular cheese. It truly depends on the person, but as someone who is on the moderate side of lactose intolerance, I find myself able to tolerate goat cheese in moderation with a lactose enzyme like Hilma. I don’t eat it daily, but the holidays are the perfect time to indulge a bit!
- Next level cheesey goodness! This mac and cheese features three different kinds of cheeses that make a cheese sauce, and a crispy cheese topping. Prepare yourself for an epic cheesepull.
- It’s gluten-free. I developed this recipe with gluten-free pasta, so you don’t have to worry about a flour roux!
- It’s made without a roux altogether. Since I developed this recipe to be made without a roux, I didn’t want to make you buy GF flour just for a few tablespoons. This mac and cheese is still thick and creamy without the roux.
- It’s totally kid-approved. My son loves this mac and cheese, and he calls it mommy mac & cheese 😭 I batched my most recent recipe and froze it so we could always have it on hand.
Recipe Ingredients
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
- Goat cheese. I use a blend of soft goat cheese, goat cheddar cheese, and goat mozzarella.
- Gluten-free pasta. I love to use jovial rice elbow pasta.
- Arrowroot starch. This is used to thicken the cheese sauce.
Substitutions and modifications
- Regular pasta, cassava pasta or chickpea pasta. I have a lot of gluten-free baked pasta recipes, like this no-boil gluten-free pasta bake and I’ve picked my personal favorite with jovial! But I find that you can be flexible as long as you just make sure you cook it al dente so it doesn’t overcook in the oven.
- Butter or coconut oil. You can swap a goat butter or coconut oil instead of ghee.
- Oat or cashew milk. This recipe uses coconut milk, but you can swap out oat or cashew milk. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend almond milk as it’s a lot thinner.
- Other cheese options. Mac and cheese is also great with jack cheese or pepper jack if you want some spice! I have found options for jack goat cheese at Sprouts. I’ve also tested with recipe with smoked goat gouda and it was perfect.
- Paprika. I don’t personally tolerate nightshades, but if you can add smoked paprika, that would be a great addition to the seasonings.
How to make Goat Cheese Mac and Cheese
Here are the simple steps, with photos, to make this recipe. Find full instructions in the recipe card.
Step one. Whisk the coconut milk and arrowroot starch with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
Step two. Whisk the goat cheese into the coconut milk mixture and allow to simmer.
Step three. Add the shredded cheese in small amounts, whisking in.
Step four. Continue to stir to melt all the cheese
Step five. Add the cooked pasta to the sauce.
Step six. Toss until pasta is totally coated in sauce
Step seven. Top with the remainder of the cheese and bake.
Step eight. Serve fresh topped with chives.
Tips & Tricks
- Shred your own cheese. Using a block of cheese is key, as pre-shredded cheese contains caking agents that prevent it from melting well. I shred cheese quickly with a food processor, but you can also use a rotary grater.
What main dishes pair well with mac and cheese?
This mac & cheese pairs wonderfully with recipes like…
Storage Instructions
This recipe will stay fresh in the fridge for 2-3 days. I would reheat it in the oven under the broiler for a few minutes!
Recipe FAQS
Soft goat cheese has a similar consistency to cream cheese, so it won’t give a cheese pull, but it will melt well when melted slowly into milk. Goat mozzarella and cheddar and both great for melting!
I use a blend of soft goat cheese, cheddar, and mozzarella, and I find it to be the perfect creamy and melty blend for mac and cheese!
While they’re very different flavors that don’t usually get paired together, it’s the perfect combination of creamy and tangy!
A roux is a blend of flour and butter use to thicken stews and sauces, but I developed this recipe without a roux, and it still works great!
Egg is an ingredient often used to add an extra layer of richness to mac and cheese. You don’t need it, but if you want to add it to the cheese sauce, just make sure you temper the egg with warm liquid so it doesn’t scramble.
Soft goat cheese is easy to find at most major grocery stores. I personally found the cheddar and mozzarella at Natural Grocers, but other specialty stores will have a myriad of goat cheeses.
Other related gluten-free mac & cheese recipes
If you tried this Goat Cheese Mac & Cheese or any other recipe on my blog please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
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Goat Cheese Mac & Cheese
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 40
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Sides
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This goat cheese mac and cheese is the perfect creamy and decadent dish! This version is gluten-free and made with only goat cheese.
Ingredients
- 8 oz goat mozarella
- 8 oz goat cheddar
- 12 oz gluten-free elbow pasta
- 2 cups full-fat coconut milk
- 2 tbsp arrowroot starch
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/3 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tbsp ghee
- 4 oz soft goat cheese
- 1 tbsp fresh chives, chopped
Instructions
- Shred the goat cheddar and mozzarella and toss to combine. Divide in half between two bowls, one half will go into the sauce, and the other half will top the mac and cheese.
- Preheat the oven to 400 F and lightly grease a 9×13” baking pan.
- Bring a pot filled with ¾ cup water (or half water, half chicken broth) to boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Strain, rinse, and set aside.
- Whisk the coconut milk with the arrowroot starch and add the salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Using a large, deep pan set over medium heat, add the ghee and allow to melt. Add the coconut milk mixture and chevre cheese and whisk well. Bring to a low simmer until the mixture is thick. Add half the cheese in small handfuls at a time, whisking well. Turn off the heat and continue to stir to melt the cheese.
- Once the sauce is melted, add the pasta and toss to coat until the pasta is totally coated in the sauce.
- Pour the mac and cheese into the baking pan and top with the remainder of the cheese. Cover the baking pan and transfer it to the oven. Bake for 15 minutes, covered. Remove the cover and broil for 3-4 minutes, or until the top is crisp.
- Serve the mac and cheese fresh, topped with chives.
Notes
Using a block of cheese is key, as pre-shredded cheese contains caking agents that prevent it from melting well.
The goat cheese I get is usually from sprouts and natural grocers, but Whole Foods can also have them.
Tools used: Food processor and baking dish.
This mac & cheese is SO rich and comforting!