Since the boxed version of Rice A Roni is not gluten free, let’s make our own gluten free Rice A Roni style dish with all the right flavors. With or without chicken, you can make a great meal or side dish tonight in 20 minutes, start to finish.
I always make the dry seasoning ahead of time, then add the raw rice and broken pasta, and make it in one pot. It's the perfect quick, savory meal that can be made in stages ahead of time, then assembled, boiled and served in minutes. A satisfying dinner the whole family will love is only minutes away, any day!
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A homemade Rice A Roni recipe | when you’re tired of plain rice
I guess because I write a food blog, you might assume that I am always magically ready with a hot meal on the table at dinnertime. Hahahahahahahahaha. I dread dinnertime just like everyone else does. And I'm not much of a strict planner, either, like I know some of you are.
Whether you're a last minute dinner rustler like I am or a planner with a schedule, you know the value of a really good homemade dinner that everyone loves—and comes together in mere minutes. Since I'm often serving different members of the family dinner at various times throughout the evening, anything that I can make in stages is truly a gem.
This homemade gluten free Rice A Roni style dinner ticks all the boxes. It's super easy, uses regular pantry ingredients, can be made in stages (the spice mix can even be made weeks ahead of time and stored in a sealed container in your pantry), can be built up with protein or left plain, and everyone loves it.
My gluten free son is probably the only celiac who doesn't really care for plain rice, but he, too, loves this dish. It's always in the back of my mind as a go-to dish, especially if I'm caught out on time and already made my last-minute gluten free pizza that week.
Is rice gluten free?
In case you were wondering, all rice is gluten free. In fact, it's one of the most useful, versatile gluten free grains. That means that brown rice, wild rice, white rice, short grain, long grain and medium grain rice are all gluten free. Even so-called “glutinous rice” is gluten free, as its name refers to the sticky, starchy aspect of the rice itself.
When dry long grain white rice is ground super fine, it is the base for every all purpose gluten free flour blend I use. You can even grind it into a pretty fine flour yourself at home.
Cooked rice also makes the perfect side dish for almost any meal. It's perfect to serve with gluten free orange chicken, lemon chicken or sesame chicken. And if you're looking for dessert, you can turn almost any type of rice into rice pudding (as long as your rice wasn't cooked in chicken stock or something else savory!).
How about the boxed stuff? Is Rice A Roni gluten free?
Even though rice itself is safely gluten free, Rice a Roni in the box is not gluten free. It's made with rice and spices, but it also contains conventional wheat-based pastas like spaghetti and orzo.
If you're just getting started on a gluten free diet and would like to know the basic rules, maybe you'd like to see my Ultimate Guide to the Basic Rules of a Gluten Free Diet. Everything you need to know is in that guide, along with plenty of links for a deeper dive into some important information.
Why make a homemade version of Rice a Roni?
Some nights we have rice for dinner; others we have gluten free pasta. Here, we use a combination of both gluten free pasta and rice, but with the perfect blend of savory spices that makes the whole dish taste just like the box.
To make it most like Rice a Roni in the package, we use gluten free spaghetti noodles and break them into pieces. That also ensures that everything cooks together at the same rate and nothing gets mushy.
My whole family absolutely loves this side-dish-that-can-be-a-main-dish. It's also ridiculously easy to assemble the fragrant, flavorful dry mixes (and even dice the chicken ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator), so everybody wins.
Serving homemade gluten free Rice a Roni
If you've ever made the actual boxed, gluteny Rice-A-Roni, you know how this works. My method is a teeny tiny bit different than the method on the box. I just find that this way works best for this particular copycat recipe.
When the Rice-A-Roni people tell you how to add chicken to the ingredients in the box, they tell you to cook it with the rice and pasta. But it only takes a few moments to sauté it separately, and it results in much more flavorful chicken that is never, ever overcooked.
Tips for making the best gluten free rice pilaf (Rice a Roni copycat)
Break up the gf pasta
To make it most like Rice a Roni in the package, we use gluten free spaghetti noodles and break them into pieces. That also ensures that everything cooks together at the same rate and nothing gets mushy.
Choose long grain rice over short grain
I used Lundberg brand long grain brown rice. They also make long grain white rice, but my kids are used to brown rice and I prefer using a complex carb to a simple one. You can’t use short grain rice as it takes much longer to cook.
And yes, the brown rice does cook completely during the 20 minutes that the pan is covered. It really helps to use a large round skillet with a tight-fitting cover, and measure your water carefully.
I have also used this general recipe to make spaetzle-a-roni, believe it or not. And it was excellent!
Use gluten free pasta (or don't!)
I used Barilla dried gluten free spaghetti in this dish. I wanted to make this recipe as simple and accessible as possible and gluten free spaghetti is readily available.
There are a number of companies that make gluten free vermicelli, though, and gluten free angel hair pasta. If you’d like, you can use GF angel hair pasta For a slightly more authentic feel.
I’ve also made this only rice, no pasta. I’ve even made it with leftover white rice from another dish.
Dried spices are much more convenient
Making this dish with dried spices allows you to make the seasoning entirely ahead of time. In fact, I always keep a small jar with at least a double recipe in the spice cabinet and use it to make so many savory dishes.
FAQs
Why isn't boxed Rice a Roni gluten free?
Boxed Rice a Roni contains wheat-based ingredients, like conventional pasta. It is not gluten free in any way.
How do I store leftover gluten free rice pilaf?
If you have leftovers (that you don't think your hungry teenager is going to eat at 10:00 pm, like mine), place the leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator. The leftovers will dry out a bit, so just add a few pats of butter or a turn or two of olive oil on top, stir, and warm in the microwave.
Can I freeze gluten free Rice A Roni?
Sure, you can freeze the leftovers in a sealed, freezer-safe container. I would defrost in the refrigerator, then warm in the same manner as the refrigerated leftovers above.
What's the best way to reheat gluten free rice recipes?
I like to reheat rice in the microwave, at least loosely covered. It allows your rice to retain any moisture it still has after being refrigerated. The oven dries food out.
What are the ingredients for a homemade Rice A Roni seasoning recipe?
The ingredients in the seasoning are so simple, but you won't believe how amazing they all taste together. They are nutritional yeast, dried onion flakes, garlic powder, dried parsley, dried thyme, salt, and a bit of turmeric. There are similarities between this spice mix and our gluten free onion soup mix, but this is a much more robust mixture, particularly with the nutritional yeast.
Can I mix homemade Rice a Roni ingredients for use later?
Yes! In fact, to mimic the experience of the boxed mix, I describe how to make the dry mix ahead of time. Store it in a sealed glass container in a dark pantry until you're ready to use it.
Homemade Rice A Roni ingredient substitutions and variations
The flavor profile doesn't lend itself to using beef in place of the optional chicken, but I think that turkey would work fine. Here are a few words about the other ingredients and potential substitutions:
Dairy free gluten free homemade Rice a Roni
If you use a vegan butter substitute (my favorite is Melt brand VeganButter, but I've also used virgin coconut oil and Earth Balance with success), this recipe is entirely dairy-free. I'd recommend cutting down on the salt a bit, though, if you use a vegan butter substitute as they tend to be quite salty.
Long Grain Rice
I used Lundberg brand long grain brown rice. They also make long grain white rice, but my kids are used to brown rice and I prefer using a complex carb to a simple one. You can't use short grain rice as it takes much longer to cook.
And yes, the brown rice does cook completely during the 20 minutes that the pan is covered. It really helps to use a large round skillet with a tight-fitting cover, and measure your water carefully. I have also used this general recipe to make spaetzle-a-roni, believe it or not. And it was excellent!
Gluten Free Spaghetti
I used Barilla dried gluten free spaghetti in this dish. I wanted to make this recipe as simple and accessible as possible and gluten free spaghetti is readily available.
There are a number of companies that make gluten free vermicelli, though, and gluten free angel hair pasta. If you'd like, you can use GF angel hair pasta For a slightly more authentic feel.
I've also made this only rice, no pasta. I've even made it with leftover white rice from another dish.
Nutritional Yeast
I used Bragg brand “Nutritional Yeast Seasoning,” and I find it online, in my local health food store and in Whole Foods. Bob’s Red Mill also makes a gluten free “Nutritional Food Yeast,” but I haven’t tried it.
Nutritional yeast is an inactive form of yeast and has a mild nutty and cheesy flavor. And strangely, it sort of tastes like chicken. These are life's little mysteries. Embrace them.
I don't know of any substitute for the nutritional yeast—especially since it's often used as a substitute for cheese. I imagine the dish would be quite good with finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, though.
Veggies
Like you can add chicken to this homemade gluten free rice dish, you can also add any cooked vegetables you like. I love serving this dish with steamed broccoli, tossed with a bit more of the seasoning mix.
You can also defrost mixed frozen vegetables and toss them in, like we do with our cauliflower fried rice. In fact, you could even add some riced cauliflower in place of some of the rice in this dish.
Broth
Most recipes for homemade Rice a Roni call for a premade liquid broth as an ingredient. This recipe doesn't call for any sort of broth, and instead relies on dried seasoning that mimics the taste of broth without the expense or bother.
If you'd like to add some broth to this dish, you can replace some or even all of the water with vegetable or chicken broth. I wouldn't use beef broth, as that's a different flavor profile.
Spices
This recipe has what I consider to be the perfect blend of mild but flavorful spices. If you'd like to experiment with replacing one or the other, you certainly can but I can't promise how it will taste!
How to make Rice a Roni from scratch, step by step
Gluten Free Rice A Roni Recipe
Ingredients
For the dry mixes
- 1 ½ cups (270 g) long grain rice (brown or white)
- 3 ounces gluten free spaghetti (or gluten free vermicelli noodles) broken into 1-inch pieces
- 3 tablespoons (15 g) nutritional yeast flakes
- 2 teaspoons dried onion flakes can substitute 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon turmeric
For cooking
- 2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon (14 g) extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound skinless boneless chicken breasts cut into 1-inch square pieces (optional)
- 3 ½ cups (28 fluid ounces) water or less, depending on the type of rice used
Instructions
Make the dry mixes.
- In a medium-size bowl, place the rice and spaghetti or vermicelli and mix to combine. Set the bowl aside or place in a 4-cup glass or plastic container with a lid, then set it aside.
- In a small bowl, place the rest of the dry mix ingredients and mix to combine well. Set the bowl aside or place its contents in a small, zip-top bag, squeeze out all the air and seal, then place in the lidded container with the rice and pasta and seal the container for later use.
To cook the dish.
- In a 12-inch skillet with a lid, place the butter and olive oil and melt the butter over medium heat.
If adding the optional chicken.
- Place the chicken in the skillet at this point, and sauté in the butter and oil for about 5 minutes total or until cooked through.
- Transfer the cooked chicken to a separate bowl, draining it of all liquid as you remove it from the skillet. Continue with the recipe as written, and add the chicken before serving.
To cook the rice and pasta mixture.
- Add the rice and pasta mixture to the skillet and stir to coat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the dried pasta and rice begin to smell nutty (about 3 minutes). Add the entire spice mixture, and mix to coat the grains evenly in the spices.
- Add the water (3 cups if using white long grain rice, 3 1/2 cups if using brown), and mix to combine. With the skillet still uncovered, bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Lower the heat to medium-low and cover the skillet. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until most of the liquid has been absorbed, and the grains are tender. Allow to sit, covered, for 3 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
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Hi, I’m Nicole. I create gluten free recipes that really work and taste as good as you remember. No more making separate meals when someone is GF, or buying packaged foods that aren’t good enough to justify the price. At Gluten Free on a Shoestring, “good, for gluten free” just isn’t good enough! Come visit my bio!
Suzanne R says
This sounds wonderful. I have been envious when my hubby just adds water to a single serve rice-a-roni and eats it with his dinner, and now I don’t have to be. On an unrelated note, I just love that almost every single recipe of yours that I’ve ever printed fits on ONE page. Thank you so much for that.
Kay says
Thanks for the great recipes! Where can I find the videos?
Nicole Hunn says
There’s a video associated with this recipe, Kay, that begins to play on desktop on its own (without sound). On mobile, you need to click the ▶️play button. If you don’t see a video, I suggest trying another browser. Some browsers block videos!
Tanya Donahue says
A lot of recipes use nutritional yeast because it’s flavor profile is cheesy so I’m sure you could use cheese to sub for the yeast with not much of a taste change.
Nicole Hunn says
Yes, I mention in the ingredients and substitutions section that I think finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese would work as a substitute for nutritional yeast flakes.
Jennifer S. says
I made this tonight but mine took twice as long to make. I had to add a whole can of chicken broth to get the pasta and rice to cook completely. I followed the directions, so I am not sure what went wrong. It was sticky also, not flaky. I used medium low heat as instructed, but not sure if my burner was too big??? HELP!!!
Nicole Hunn says
I understand that it can be frustrating when a recipe doesn’t turn out as you expected, Jennifer, but at this point I have made this very recipe 10 times (the last time being last night) and it works when made as instructed. My first thought is that your measurements were off (did you measure by weight? is your liquid measure accurate?), and my second is to ask if you either doubled the recipe (not advisable) or didn’t make it in the proper size skillet.
Jennifer S. says
I did use the correct size skillet, and weighed the rice and pasta. I used a glass measuring cup for the water. I did not double the recipe.
Karla says
Just made this tonight and it was really good! I followed the recipe pretty much exactly, maybe using a bit more spice. I, too, wondered if the pasta would be mushy, but it turned out great. I cooked ground turkey with onions, garlic, peas, and carrots in another pan and topped the finished rice mix with it. Gotta go make up some of the dry mixes now!
Nicole Hunn says
That’s awesome, Karla. Thanks so much for telling everyone about your additions. Sounds delish!
Carol says
Instead of using the nutritional yeast, couldn’t you make it using the other spices and, when adding liquid, use chicken broth instead? Would that give it enough of the chicken flavor without using yeast or a bouillion (gf)? I made a diy rice a roni mix that used the boullion but that was before our gf days. Thanks for giving us this option.. a great way to use leftovers or to create a special dish!
Nicole Hunn says
Carol, that really is quite a different recipe you are describing. Feel free to experiment!
Maggie J says
Tell your publisher corporate person that it is wrong! I would love a book of copy-cat recipes made gluten free! Is it possible to make the beef version of rice-aroni? I used to make porcupine meatballs out of it all the time before we discovered my wheat allergy. Oh, and San Francisco treat? It was originally made there, before it was sold to whoever makes it now.
Nicole Hunn says
Maggie, I have a book of copycat recipes coming out in 2 months! It’s called Gluten Free Classic Snacks. But they won’t go for another book of copycat recipes, with savory recipes and restaurant favorites. Classic Snacks is cookies, snack cakes, candy and crackers.
Lucy says
I think we need a blog vote, yay or nay, for the ” savory copycat and restaurant favorites cookbook”
Publishers have been known to be wrong :)
Nicole Hunn says
I hear you, Lucy, but we’ve already settled on a next next book, and I’ve already started work on it. :)
Judy says
How can the long grain white and brown rice cook for the same time? When I cook brown rice it takes 45 min at a full boil.
Sandy Dell says
Yes, I agree with Judy. Nicole, can you address this for us? Thanks!!
Nicole Hunn says
As I explain in the recipe instructions, for brown rice, you use more water. You will also cook it on the longer end of the 15 to 20 minute range. Cooking the rice in a large skillet, mixed with pasta, allows it cook much more quickly. But I have never cooked even short grain brown rice for more than 40 minutes!
Brenda says
Nicole, this sounds absolutely amazing!! Thank you so much for making this without a lot of salt. Any good online sources for the nutritional yeast? Still laid up with the bum knee. And can we pretty please add to the list of requests for g/f makeovers the Uncle Ben’s Quick Cooking Wild Rice blend? :-) That was a staple in our household for years…. and I’m craving it something awful. LOL
Nicole Hunn says
Just do a google search, Brenda! I’m sure you can find the brand of nutritional yeast I recommend pretty easily, probably even on amazon.com. I’m afraid I don’t know that rice blend, but it sounds like it’s just a blend of different rice, not flavored. Not really my speed! Sorry!
Carole says
Oh, thank you. I used to use it as a take off to use up leftovers. One of the take offs is my daughters favorite comfort food.
Mel Bee says
Can I just say I love you? I DID grow up on Rice-a-Roni as a kid (it was the first thing I learned to “cook”) and this recipe makes my heart happy. I’m sure it will make my tummy happy, too! Thank you!!!!
Nicole Hunn says
You bet, Mel! Love you, too. *mwah*
So funny you mentioned it was the first thing you learned to cook (no quotes! it is too cooking). I was thinking that, especially if I mix up the dry ingredients, my oldest could easily whip this up on her own. Not that she’ll want to, but still….
beth says
Do you know of a “second best” ingredient when it comes to the yeast. I am allergic but would still love a way to make a version of this.
Nicole Hunn says
I’m afraid not, Beth. Sorry!
Betsy says
how about adding some miso? mellow miso made from chickpeas for example?
Linda says
Doesn’t that seem like a long time to cook the noodle? Wouldn’t it come out too soggy?
Nicole Hunn says
Linda, 15 minutes is comparable to the amount of time as directed on the box of Rice A Roni, and I have made this 5 times, start to finish and never had a “soggy” noodle. Feel free to experiment, as always!
Mare Masterson says
I did not grow up with Rice a Roni as a staple in the house. We had it a couple of times. It was okay. So, I didn’t know I even needed this recipe until now! I know your DIY one is marvelous, because it is made with quality ingredients, not a lot of salt, and because all your recipes are amazing!
Nicole Hunn says
Thanks, Mare!
Beth says
Nicole, my jaw hit the floor and I may have said a Hallelujah in my head when I saw this recipe. I’ve missed the easiness of Rice-A-Roni and other rice mixtures. Thank you, thank you, thank you for this! I am a lifelong fan, have all three cookbooks and looking forward to the fourth. You are the best!!!! (oh and could I use this as a basis for a cheddar broccoli mix, like they sell in the stores? You’ve given me such hope!…..)
Nicole Hunn says
Seriously, this is so, so easy. Once I have the dry mix assembled (or frankly even if I don’t), I am able to have this on the table in no more than 20 minutes flat. And others on Facebook proclaimed their love of the cheddar broccoli mix, so you’re not alone!
Melody says
Oh I love this! I’ve missed my boxed rice flavors! Thank you so much for sharing this Nicole! I’m going to try it very soon! (And I can even do it DF for my dairy allergic kiddos if I sub the butter with DF butter! Hooray!) I’m so stoked!
Nicole Hunn says
This one is super easy to make dairy free for sure, Melody!