Customer Reviews

Annie's Homegrown Gluten-Free Rice Pasta & Cheddar Mac & Cheese, 6-Ounce Boxes (Pack of 12)

5 star:		(71)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

This may not be "Kraft," but in my opinion it is better than the other gluten free mac 'n cheese mixes out there. It isn't terribly appropriate to compare it to a gluten box mix as those who buy this product do so because they CAN'T eat the gluten box mix. I like this product for a fast, tasty gluten free meal- I add coarse ground black pepper and vietnamese hot sauce, sometimes sprinkling chopped tomatoes and/or red peppers on top as a garnish. Of course homemade mac 'n cheese tastes better, but for a night when there's no time to do anything but turn on a burner and wait, this is a great product. (Amy's frozen mac n' cheese is also a winner- but avoid frozen glutino at all costs, yech.)

I usually let the noodles cook a bit longer, since rice noodles can be kind of tough. I add the two tablespoons of butter (or a bit more), a smidgen more than 1/4 cup milk, and about a 1/2 to 3/4 cup of shredded cheddar cheese. I put some salt and pepper on it and it is much better than the original mix and takes about the same amount of time.

I like the idea of adding a bit of spice to it as well and will try that next time.

This cannot be compared to the Kraft mix (and I loved that as much as anybody), but if you have to eat gluten free, this is a good substitute when you add some more flavor to it.

I have reviewed several gluten free products and this is the best gluten free mac & cheese I have found. I found this at my local health food store, about the only place I shop now that I have to eat gluten free, and loved it. When I saw it on Amazon by the case (and $10 off to boot) I was excited. Annie's also makes frozen, microwaveable mac & cheese that is *very* good...it really just depends on whether you are used to the frozen/baked kind or the kind out of a box. It seems that Annie's makes a great line of products and I would try any of them.

Great product and I appreciate Amazon stocking quality, good tasting gluten free items like this.

At 33, I was hit with a sudden-onset (over the course of a month) wheat intolerance. I've always loved good food, have become an accomplished cook, and mostly cook from scratch. But...good ol' Kraft Mac & Cheese has been a childhood favourite that I've never stopped loving. When the wheat intolerance came along, I thought I'd never get to enjoy my occasional Mac fix again, but then I stumbled across this! It's received some criticism in other reviews here, but my guess they come mostly from people who don't have to eat wheat-free and either (a) aren't used to the slightly different flavour of the foods or (b) don't know how to prepare these foods properly (ie the cooking times/what to look for when preparing rice pasta), with the necessary tweaking. I thought this was delicious, worked well without a lot of doctoring, and was as close to my childhood favourite as I ever thought I'd get again. If you're like me, & thought you'd never get to enjoy that old Mac & Cheese standby, you'll love this!

I don't have a gluten intolerance - just trying to cut back on the intake of wheat/gluten...and sugar, but that's another story;) so my body feels less bloated, unhealthy and lethargic due to wheat. With that said, I do know the differences in taste between wheat pastas, rice, quinoa, corn...etc. Personally, I have come to love the taste of non-wheat pastas over wheat, with the exception of corn flour, which isn't similar enough to wheat to fool my taste buds. Annie's does a fantastic job with this rice flour product, giving it a consistency and flavor akin to Kraft mac and cheese. What makes this better is the cheese, which tastes far yummier than any boxed mac & cheese I have ever had. Also, it's real cheese, with as few bizarre ingredients as possible.

For those who like to see ingredients, here is a comparison (and please note I am not a nutritionist - just writing a friendly review:):

Kraft Mac & Cheese:
Cheese sauce mix ingredients: whey (milk protein), milk protein concentrate, milk, milkfat and cheese culture, salt, sodium tripolyphosphate, sodium phosphate and calcium phosphate, Yellow 5 and Yellow 6, citric acid, lactic acid and enzymes.

Annie's Rice Pasta & Cheddar: cheddar cheese (cultured pasturized milk, salt, non-animal enzymes), whey, buttermilk, salt, cream, natural flavor, natural sodium phosphate, annatto extract for natural color.

*wiki annatto extract: Annatto coloring is produced from the reddish pericarp or pulp which surrounds the seed of the achiote (Bixa orellana L.). It is used in many natural cheeses (e.g., Cheddar, Red Leicester, Gouda (cheese) and Brie), margarine, butter, rice, smoked fish, and custard powder.


Annie's also has less sodium and sugars, which I am grateful for.

Also, Annie's does make another rice pasta mac and cheese - it's a deluxe box. This is what I would compare to Velveeta - for you lovers out there. It's the ooey gooey cheese that is thicker. Personally, I detest Velveeta, so the deluxe isn't as awesome as the simple Rice Pasta & Cheddar. But the deluxe IS better than macaroni with Velveeta because the consistency of the cheese isn't ridiculous overbearing and throat-clogging as Velveeta. I swear, I always felt like I would suffocate eating that stuff!

I definitely recommend this product to those with allergies, and intolerance, or those like myself who are looking for ways to significantly reduce heat intake. My entire family has now switched from Kraft over to this product (and they didn't do it for health reasons - they simply prefer the taste!)

It's a bit more pricey, I'll give you that. But for a hint - do check Target occasionally. They sell Annie's pastas and some amazing organic bunny fruit snacks - all of which go on sale quite often (I just purchased Rice Pasta & Cheddar for $1 a box!) If only the prices were always so kind;)

This is the perfect comfort food for those of us who cannot eat gluten. I let the water (along with olive oil and salt) come to a rolling boil, dropped in the noodles, stirred until it came back to a rolling boil, and let it go for ten minutes stirring occasionally. I drained the noodles. While they were draining, I mixed 1/4 cup water, some butter, and the sauce packet in the pan until blended. I then tossed the noodles into the sauce and mixed. Perfection. It was just like Kraft, only way better. In fact, it was so good, I ate the entire box in one sitting. I ate it again the next day. This is becoming an addiction.

My son developed gluten intolerance at 16. He knows what food is supposed to taste like. This is his favorite pasta. I'm very happy Amazon makes it easy for families with celiacs to find "normal" tasting food.

Before going gluten-free, I would occasionally rely on instant dinner type products where you just add hamburger or a can of tuna. Sure, I prefer a meal from scratch with fresh meats and veggies, but if I'm in a hurry, I enjoy the convenience of a meal in a box. The gluten-free products in that category are few and overpriced, in my opinion. That's why I was very happy to discover Annie's GF mac & cheese at quite a reasonable price at Amazon, especially when you do the subscription option.

This mac & cheese is pretty good when prepared as directed, but a little bland for me. I can't remember if the box suggests this or not, but I prefer to use plain yogurt instead of milk for some extra tanginess. However, it's the potential variations that make this a product I eat consistently. Here are some examples:

Italian--add cooked sausage, diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and parmesan cheese
Mexican--add cooked hamburger, salsa, diced chiles, and Mexican cheese blend
Tuna--add tuna, GF mushroom soup, garlic, frozen peas, and extra cheddar
Tex-Mex--add cooked hamburger, canned baked beans, GF taco seasoning, salsa, and extra cheddar
Salmon--add cooked salmon, canned green beans, onion powder, and cream cheese
Mediterranean--add cooked chicken, cooked bacon, dieced tomatoes, and feta cheese

You get the idea. I've made lots of different quickie casseroles that start with a box of Annie's end with whatever I have on hand. If you are gluten-free and haven't yet tried Annie's Mac & Cheese, I highly recommend it.

This mac & cheese isn't terrific following the box instructions. HOWEVER, if you follow these simple instructions I promise you will LOVE it and you and your kids will gobble it up! Cook noodles according to package instructions and set aside. Melt 2 tbs butter in the still warm pot then add boxed cheese powder mix, 1/2 cup shredded mild chedder cheese, and the milk (keep the milk out because you may want to add more). Stir these all together over very low heat until they've combined and have the consistency of creamy velveeta cheese. Add the noodles and stir. If it seems dry at all just add a little more milk (not too much or it will get soupy). ENJOY!

My daughter has a wheat allergy so to satisfy her mac and cheese craving I simply boil some brown rice elbow macaroni and use the cheese package mix out of the Kraft mac and cheese box, discarding the noodles. You can't taste a difference. According to the cheese sauce ingredients supplied by Kraft, the sauce mixture itself does not contain wheat, just the noodles.