This is the best dairy-free mac and cheese recipe! It's so rich and creamy, and the sauce is ready in just 5 minutes. This healthy macaroni and cheese is made with carrots, cashews, coconut milk and nutritional yeast to give it the best cheesy flavour, without any cheese!
I love adding sneaky veggies to recipes like my cauliflower Alfredo sauce and cauliflower cheese sauce, and today I am sharing a Mac and cheese recipe that is also filled with veggies. I can't wait for you to try it!
Table of Contents
Why you will love this mac n cheese recipe:
- The taste! This vegan mac and cheese is so rich and creamy with the most amazing cheesy flavour.
- It's quick and easy to make and the sauce is ready in less than 5 minutes!
- Not only is this homemade Mac and cheese dairy-free but it's also vegan, gluten-free, lactose free, paleo, plant based, and Whole30 compliant.
- You can't taste the hidden vegetables so it's a great way to get those picky eaters to eat more veggies.
Ingredients:
For the exact measurements refer to the recipe card later in this post.
Jump to Recipe- Wet ingredients: full fat coconut milk, lemon juice and water.
- Vegetables: carrots and garlic.
- Dry ingredients: raw cashews and nutritional yeast.
- Seasonings: sea salt and mustard powder.
Recipe variations and add ins:
- To make the sauce even creamier you can add a couple tablespoons of olive oil or vegan butter.
- For gluten-free: serve with gluten-free pasta noodles.
- If you can't have coconut milk I would try substituting with unsweetened cashew milk or almond milk instead.
- To make this Mac and cheese paleo: use noodles that are grain free. Some options include zucchini noodles, carrot noodles, sweet potato noodles or heart of palm noodles.
- To make this into Whole30 Mac and cheese: use vegetable noodles. Options include carrot noodles, sweet potato noodles, parsnip noodles or zucchini noodles. Noodles made from heart of palm would also work.
How to make dairy-free Mac and cheese:
- Step 1: Cook the pasta according to the package directions.
- Step 2: While the pasta is cooking make the cheese sauce by placing all the ingredients into your high-speed blender.
- Step 3: Then blend the ingredients until you have a smooth sauce.
- Step 4: Once the pasta is done cooking, drain and rinse it and put it back into the pot. Then pour the cheese sauce over the noodles and stir it all well to coat the noodles in the sauce. Then serve and enjoy!
Top Tips:
- Be sure to use raw cashews and not roasted cashews.
- Make sure you use full fat coconut milk and not low fat (it is more watery).
- If you don't have a Vitamix blender or high speed blender you will likely need to soak the cashews for a few hours before blending.
- If you like a thinner sauce, add a bit more water or coconut milk to the recipe.
- Serving ideas: it's great as is but you could also top it with your favourite sauce such as ketchup, dairy-free sour cream, or even hot sauce. To make it even more cheesy you could also top it with vegan parmesan cheese.
- Storage: store any leftover sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days.
Dairy-free Mac and cheese FAQs:
No. Velveeta cheese is made with modified milk ingredients as well as cheese so it is not dairy free or lactose free. It is also not vegan as it contains animal products.
No. Kraft Mac and cheese contains whey and milk fat so it is not dairy free or lactose free. Because it contains animals products it is also not vegan.
No. Annie's Mac and cheese contains cheese, milk, whey, butter and cream meaning it is not dairy free or lactose free. It is also not vegan as it is made with animal products.
Yes, as long as you serve it over gluten-free noodles this Mac n cheese recipe is gluten-free and dairy-free.
Yes, this dairy-free macaroni and cheese also freezes really well for up to 3 months. After freezing, let it thaw completely in the fridge before reheating.
Other dairy-free recipes you will love:
Recipe
Dairy-Free Mac and Cheese
Equipment
Ingredients
Pasta Ingredients
- 16 oz pasta of choice
Dairy Free Cheese Sauce Ingredients
- 2 cups raw cashews
- 1 cup full fat coconut milk
- 3/4 cup water
- 3 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 1/2 cup chopped carrots
- 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- 1 clove garlic, minced
Instructions
Pasta Instructions
- Prepare the pasta as per the instructions on the package (while the pasta is cooking make the cheese sauce).
Cheese Sauce Instructions
- Place all the ingredients into your high speed blender.
- Blend well until smooth.
Assembly Instructions
- Pour the sauce over the cooked pasta and stir well to combine and coat all the noodles.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- If you like a thinner sauce feel free to add extra water or coconut milk.
- You can substitute cashew milk or almond milk for the coconut milk.
- Nutritional values are an estimate and will vary depending on the exact ingredients used.
Rebecca
Do you soak the cashews ?
Dr. Erin Carter
I don't but I do have a Vitamix blender so it can blend the raw nuts fine. If you don't have a high powdered blender it's probably a good idea to soak them first.