Best Gluten Free Pasta: 9 Best Gluten Free Pastas for Every Type of Pasta Eater

Gluten free pasta has come a long way. Sure, there’s GF pasta out there that instantly turns to mush and tastes nothing like traditional pasta. But the best gluten free pasta is practically indistinguishable from pasta made with wheat. 

You can make gluten free pasta out of anything. Alchemy is strong in the modern food world. Gums, stabilizers, diglycerides, and the like are all used to create magical emulsions that hold the familiar shape of our favorite foods. Browse the pasta aisle and you’ll see gluten free pasta made out of brown rice, chickpea flour, ancient grains, lentils, and white rice. But, are these pastas just mimics or do they actually taste good? How’s the texture? And will they hold sauce? Does gluten free pasta taste different? As we found out, it doesn’t have to. 

Over the course of two separate taste tests, we tried more than 20 different types of gluten free pasta, eaten both plain and dunked in sauce. What are we looking for in the best gluten free pasta? Well, we want some semblance of Italian pasta principles: We want springiness, chewiness, and bite. The pasta needs to hold its shape, as well. It shouldn’t be too brittle. It also shouldn’t be overly sturdy and grainy. Basically, you shouldn’t be eating it and think, “This is gluten free pasta.” If you’re going to imitate something as iconic as pasta, you damn well better do a good job.

So gather around, gluten free brethren, and behold our list of the best gluten free pastas!

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Best for Pasta Salad

Banza Rotini Made from Chickpeas

Banza is made from chickpeas, so it has a nice nutty, earthy flavor—although, it is a little grainy and firm. If you like your pasta al dente and with some added texture, Banza might be the best gluten free pasta for you. However, you might want to consider cooking this longer than the package directions instruct. While it wasn’t a great match with red sauce, it is a natural fit for pasta salad. Banza has a starkly red color to it, which will look bright and tasty in a big serving bowl. And cutting it with some vinegar and oil will do well to cut that earthy taste. Toss Banza rotini with some mozzarella and basil for a gorgeous looking, gluten free caprese pasta salad. — Danny Palumbo

Credit: Ryan Martin / Amazon

Rating:

5/10

Sporks

Zenb Pasta

Best for Mac and Cheese

ZENB Pasta

You can tell this gluten free pasta brand’s pastas are made with yellow peas—but that’s part of the appeal. It’s a nice, rich, veggie-forward flavor. I tried three different shapes: penne, rotini, and elbows. Personally, the elbows were my favorite. I think any of these shapes would make for the best gluten free pasta for mac and cheese—the old-school kind with Velveeta, not the fancy kind with breadcrumbs. — Justine Sterling  

Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon

Rating:

6/10

Sporks

Best Ancient Grain

Ancient Harvest Penne

This gluten free penne is made from quinoa, corn, and brown rice. It’s a bit on the slippery side. The flavor is quite subtle and plain, which is honestly what you want out of the best gluten free pasta. You don’t want pasta to taste like something else entirely. Try this GF penne with some briny feta cheese, a squeeze of lemon, and some fresh oregano for a nice Greek-style pasta salad. This pasta is also textured enough to handle baking. Think: baked penne with red sauce and mozzarella cheese. Ancient Harvest penne isn’t the best gluten free pasta to just stir together with a glug of red sauce. You need to dress it up, but if you get creative, it’ll do the job just fine. — Danny Palumbo

Credit: Ryan Martin / Amazon

Rating:

6/10

Sporks

Best for Pasta Primavera

Tinkyáda Brown Rice Fusilli

The package advertises: “Good texture. Not mushy. Al Dente.” Good news: They hold that promise. This fusilli isn’t as textured as Bionaturea; it has a smooth, almost oily feel to it, which doesn’t make it ideal for red sauce, but it’s still quite nice. There’s a nice balance of textures, too. The outside is quite firm, but the inside is soft and delicate.That’s why Tinkyáda is the best gluten free pasta for a pasta primavera. Some vegetables, garlic, and oil will do this brown rice pasta right. Also, the package says the cook time is 16 minutes, but I’d start checking it after eight minutes so you don’t end up with anything too mushy. Tinkyáda also sells spaghetti, shells, elbow macaroni, ziti, and lasagna sheets. Lots of variety here, and if the fusilli is any indication, this could be your new go-to gluten free pasta brand. — Danny Palumbo

Credit: Ryan Martin / Amazon

Rating:

7/10

Sporks

Le Veneziane Fettuccine

Best Fettuccine

Le Veneziane Fettuccine

First, let’s talk about the adorable nests in which this delicate gluten free fettuccine is packaged. So cute. Cooked according to the directions, it comes out with a wonderful al dente spring and bite. It doesn’t fall apart and it’s not crumbly when you eat it. It has a touch of sweetness (it’s made with corn), so I’d recommend pairing it with a sauce to cover that up a bit. It’s great in vodka sauce, but something as simple as ricotta—maybe with some fresh corn—is great as well. It’s also one of the best gluten free pasta for kids—I can say from experience this is baby- and toddler-approved. — Justine Sterling

Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon

Rating:

7.5/10

Sporks

Best Fusilli

Jovial Brown Rice Fusilli

I think fusilli is a great pasta shape.  It works both with sauce and in pasta salad very well, unlike a linguine or spaghetti, which is not (I repeat not) meant for pasta salad. The problem with a lot of gluten free pasta, though, is that it’s tough, almost granular. That’s not a problem with Jovial, though, one of the best gluten free fusilli pastas we tasted. It’s got a great chew and bounciness to it. It has a faint brown rice taste, which is great if you like that sort of thing and also not too obvious if you don’t. Jovial’s greatest achievement, though, is its texture. You can confidently drown this in red sauce, toss it with garlic and vegetables, or make it into a nice summer pasta salad. It’s quite useful. — Danny Palumbo

Credit: Ryan Martin / Amazon

Rating:

8/10

Sporks

Capello’s Gluten Free Fettuccine

Best Fresh

Capello’s Gluten Free Fettuccine

We ranked Capello’s almond flour ravioli as one of the best frozen raviolis on the market, so I came in with high hopes for this frozen gluten free fettuccine. Luckily, they were met. This is the best gluten free pasta if you’re looking for that fresh pasta experience. Cooked correctly, it really tastes like classic, fresh pasta with a good eggy flavor—but then there’s more. It honestly tastes like a carbonara sauce is cooked into the pasta. You don’t need to add anything to this gluten free pasta—maybe some asparagus or peas if you insist on getting some veg in the mix. — Justine Sterling 

Credit: Liv Averett / Safeway

Rating:

8/10

Sporks

Best of the Penne

Bionaturae Organic Gluten Free Penne Rigate

This gluten free penne pasta stood out above the rest in just about every category. It’s firm and sturdy, but still has a pleasant chewiness to it. The shape holds well, too. This penne is noticeably ridged (that’s what rigate means) and has a sharp cut end. Sauce will cling to a ribbed, angular type of pasta way better than a smooth shape. Plus, gluten free pasta is often a bit slick in general, so the extra texture here is a really smart move. 

This pasta is made from lentils and rice, but unlike a lot of the other lentil pastas, it isn’t grainy and tough. The rice flavor shows through as faint, sweet, and quite pleasant. Plus, Bionaturea penne rigate has eight grams of protein per serving. All in all, this is one of the best gluten free pastas. You aren’t really aware that it’s gluten free while you eat it, and that’s the biggest compliment we could possibly pay it. — Danny Palumbo

Credit: Ryan Martin / Amazon

Rating:

9/10

Sporks

Garofalo Casarecce

Best of the Best

Garofalo Casarecce

Made with a mix of corn, rice, and quinoa, Garofalo (not to be confused with comedian Janeane Garofalo or quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo) is the new best gluten free pasta on this list. It tastes so much like glutenous pasta. The only thing that gave it away to me was a touch of sweetness on the end—but if you’re not actively looking for a tell, I don’t think you’ll be able to notice a difference. It has a great al dente bite and springiness. And let’s talk about the shape. I’ve been seeing this casarecce shape everywhere lately and I get why. The short twists—they’re kinda like mini scrolls—hold just the right amount of sauce. It’s the best gluten free pasta for meat sauce, because the little chunks get caught up in the curl. —Justine Sterling

Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon

Rating:

9.5/10

Sporks

Other gluten free pastas we tried: Tolerant Red Lentil Galaxy, Cybeles Shells, Trader Joe’s Organic Yellow Lentil & Brown Rice Spaghetti, Barilla Red Lentil Penne Pasta, Explore Cuisine Organic Dry Red Lentil Penne Pasta, Rotini Ancient Harvest Organic Supergrain Pasta, Good & Gather Gluten Free, A Taste of Thai Gluten Free Rice Noodles, Simple Truth Gluten Free Fusilli Pasta, Ronzoni Gluten Free Rotini Pasta, Barilla Gluten Free Rotini Pasta, Great Value Gluten Free Organic Penne Pasta   


About the Author

Sporked Staff

The Sporked Staff tastes everything and anything. They are obsessive about groceries and finding the best of any type of food or drink, from frozen fried shrimp to Dijon mustard to gummy candy. And they're always on a hunt for the best new products. When they aren't eating professionally, they're eating recreationally. And often they're browsing grocery store aisles, just for fun.

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  • im surprised you guys dont have Le Veneziane pasta on the list which at least from all the ones ive tryed(ive tryed alot) is the best and closest to actual pasta it was also made before gluten free became a thing which means it was good enough to stand on its own.

    Reply
  • Banza is absolutely my favorite gluten free pasta, awesome protein content as well. Followed closely by Jovial!

    Reply
  • I was strictly eating only the Barilla GF pasta but a new contender entered — Rummo GF pasta hands down is the best. From someone who went to culinary school and was diagnosed with Celiac mid-year two, I’m picky. I refuse to eat something GF because it’s my only option if it’s bad. Rummo is a game changer.

    Reply
    • super helpful! when we update the rankings soon – I’ll add Rummo to the list of things to try

      Reply
  • Probably worth mentioning that Banza is the only one that actually has a pretty darn healthy profile, better than wheat pasta and other GF pastas. That helps make it worth it! But it’s a little tough to get past the earthiness if making their Mac and cheese…

    Reply
  • Barilla not on the list? Come on. Jovial is pretty good. Aldi’s has decent GF pasta also. Spaghetti or similar Barilla, hearty pasta stuff Jovial, and Tink or store brand for mac and cheese or macaroni salad. Tink shells seem to hold up the best of theirs.

    Reply
  • Thanks for this list! I can’t eat gluten, and buying a new brand of gluten-free anything is a gamble – some of it is terrible, but it’s all so expensive that I hate wasting my money on something that turns out to be gross. Ronzoni is my current go-to pasta brand, but I’m planning to try out some of these!

    Reply