Do you love mac and cheese, but can’t do dairy? Me too!
After LOTS of experimenting over the years this is my all-time favorite way to make dairy-free mac and cheese. I hope you love it too!
If you eat gluten-free and dairy-free or vegan, it can be hard to find delicious vegan mac and cheese — which is why I developed this amazing gluten-free, dairy-free recipe!
This is truly the BEST vegan mac out there, all thanks to creamy cashew sauce, cheesy nutritional yeast, and a crispy bread crumbs topping.
The al dente pasta tastes perfect with this bubbly cashew sauce, vegan cheese shreds, and breadcrumbs. It’s comfort food at its finest!
Serve this baked mac and cheese with grilled chicken or another protein, broccoli, green beans, or a salad, and you have a well-rounded meal. Or serve it on its own — I’m sure no one will be complaining!
I use this delicious sauce in many of my dairy-free recipes. It’s SO good, it will satisfy all of your cheese cravings! Trust me…the whole family will love it!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Rich and creamy sauce
- Crispy breadcrumb topping
- Gluten-free and dairy-free
- Ultimate comfort food
For more dairy-free recipes, check out dairy-free artichoke dip, dairy-free buffalo chicken dip and cauliflower alfredo sauce.
You also might like these recipes for dairy-free lasagna, dairy-free mashed potatoes and dairy-free potato soup.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here’s what you’ll need to make this baked mac n cheese recipe.
- Pasta: Be sure to use gluten free macaroni if you want to make this recipe gluten-free! I like Jovial Foods brand elbow macaroni, but you can use your favorite gluten-free pasta!
- Dairy-free cheese: Any brand of dairy-free shredded cheese will work. My favorite cheese to use is Violife Mozzarella shreds! You could also use dairy-free cheddar cheese shreds, if you prefer.
- Dairy-free butter: Choose your favorite vegan/dairy-free butter for this recipe. You’ll be melting it into the pasta to create extra rich and creamy mac and cheese.
For the Sauce
- Water: Soaking cashews in warm water helps them become soft and create a “creamy” sauce without the cream!
- Cashews: Be sure to use raw, unsalted cashews in this recipe for best results.
- Seasonings: Onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper help create depth of flavor with this mac and cheese.
- Nutritional yeast: Nutritional yeast is a staple ingredient in dairy-free cooking! It added a cheesy flavor without actually needing any cheese.
For the Breadcrumb Topping
- Breadcrumbs: Be sure to buy gluten-free breadcrumbs if you want this recipe to be gluten-free and dairy-free. You could also make these homemade gluten-free breadcrumbs!
- Dairy-free butter: You’ll use a bit more melted dairy-free butter to create a crisp and crunchy mac and cheese topping.
- Salt: I like to use fine sea salt to enhance the flavor of the breadcrumb topping.
How to Make This Recipe
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease a large 3 qt or 4 qt baking dish and set aside.
- Cook pasta in a large pot of salted water, according to package instructions.
- While the pasta is cooking, make the cashew cream sauce. In a small bowl, cover the cashews with 2-3 cups of water. Microwave on high for 3 minutes to soften.
- Drain and rinse the softened cashews. Place the cashews, 1 ½ cups fresh water, nutritional yeast, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, pepper and paprika in a blender. Blend on high, until very smooth and creamy. The consistency should be that of heavy cream, add a little more water if needed.
- Once the cooked pasta is drained, pour it back into the cooking pot. Pour in the vegan cheese sauce, melted vegan butter and dairy-free cheese. Mix to combine.
- Pour the pasta mixture into the prepared casserole dish.
- In a small bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs, melted vegan butter, and salt.
- Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the pasta.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown and bubbly. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Storage Instructions
Store leftover vegan macaroni in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.
FAQs
There are many milk substitutes you can use in mac and cheese. If you want to make dairy free mac and cheese, use non-dairy milk, such as homemade cashew milk or unsweetened almond milk. Dairy substitutes for milk include cream, sour cream, butter, or cheese. You can also use pasta water or olive oil as a substitute for milk in boxed mac and cheese.
Yes, there are a few brands making dairy free and mac and cheese or vegan boxed mac and cheese. Some of the most popular options include Pastabilities Vegan Organic Mac ‘N Cheese, Annie’s Organic Vegan Mac Shell Pasta, and Modern Table Vegan Mac Classic Cheddar Style.
No, Velveeta cheese is not dairy-free. It’s made with milk, whey, milk protein concentrate, and milk fat, which all contain dairy. If you’re looking for a non-dairy alternative, try Wayfare Dairy-Free Cheese, which can be spread, melted, or used as a dip. You can also make your own cashew “cheese” for a dairy-free version of mac and cheese.
Expert Tips & Tricks
- Feel free to sprinkle some dairy-free parmesan cheese over the topping for extra flavor and cheesy texture!
- To make ahead, prepare the recipe up until the baking point and then cover with foil. Store in the fridge until you’re ready to bake, up to one day ahead.
- I love to serve this mac and cheese with green beans or steamed vegetables. For a truly classic Southern meal, serve with fried chicken, pulled pork, or ribs!
MORE Dairy-free RECIPES TO TRY
I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! If you try this dairy-free mac and cheese, be sure to leave me a comment/rating below. I’d love to hear from you!
Dairy-Free Mac & Cheese (BEST EVER!)
Ingredients
FOR THE CASHEW CREAM SAUCE
- 2 cups raw unsalted cashews
- 1 ½ cups water
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
FOR THE MAC & CHEESE
- 12 oz elbow pasta gluten-free if needed
- 4 tablespoons vegan butter melted
- 8 oz vegan cheese I use Violife Mozzarella Shreds
FOR THE TOPPING
- 1 cup bread crumbs gluten-free if needed
- 4 tablespoons vegan butter melted
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease a large 3 qt or 4 qt baking dish and set aside.
- Cook pasta according to package instructions.
- While the pasta is cooking, make the cashew cream sauce. In a small bowl, cover the cashews with 2-3 cups of water. Microwave on high for 3 minutes to soften.
- Drain and rinse the softened cashews. Place the cashews, 1 ½ cups fresh water, nutritional yeast, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, pepper and paprika in a blender. Blend on high, until very smooth and creamy. The consistency should be that of heavy cream, add a little more water if needed.
- Once the pasta is cooked and drained, pour it back into the cooking pot. Pour in the cashew cream sauce, melted vegan butter and dairy-free cheese. Mix to combine.
- Pour the pasta mixture into the prepared baking dish.
- In a small bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs, melted vegan butter and salt. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the pasta. (NOTE: You don't have to use all the breadcrumbs, just as much as you like!)
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden and bubbly. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
- DAIRY-FREE CHEESE: Any brand of dairy-free shredded cheese will work. My favorite cheese to use is Violife Mozzarella shreds! You could also use dairy-free cheddar cheese shreds, if you prefer.
- CASHEWS: Be sure to use raw, unsalted cashews in this recipe for best results.
- Feel free to sprinkle some dairy-free parmesan cheese over the topping for extra flavor and cheesy texture!
- MAKE AHEAD: prepare the recipe up until the baking point and then cover with foil. Store in the fridge until you’re ready to bake, up to one day ahead.
I can’t decide which I like more: the deliciously creamy sauce or the crunchy bread crumbs! This mac and cheese is fantastic!
This is my new favorite Mac N Cheese!!! Wow it turned out so good!! My husband doesn’t like dairy free anything usually, but with this recipe he didn’t even notice!
Can’t believe this was dairy free mac n cheese! We all loved it! The crumbs on top added were delicious!!