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    Dairy Free Mac and Cheese

    Published on November 6, 2020. Last updated on November 3, 2022 by Gina Marie 5 Comments

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    This is the BEST Dairy Free Mac and Cheese EVER! No potatoes, carrots, cashews, or nutritional yeast! This vegan mac and cheese is the REAL DEAL; creamy, super satisfying, and can be served baked or stovetop!  

    creamy vegan mac and cheese in a pot with large spoon in it

    What's the Best Vegan Cheese to use for this Recipe?

    Through my experimentation here are my recommendations (none of these are sponsored):

    • Follow Your Heart Cheddar Shreds: This is what I mainly used. It’s my NUMBER ONE RECOMMENDATION. Follow Your Heart melts the BEST and is perfect for a vegan mac and cheese recipe. To me, it tastes the closest to real cheddar. 
    • Violife Cheddar Shreds: Violife has a great taste as well. I wouldn't recommend topping my mac and cheese with it as it gets kinda hard when baked and melted on top. (It might work better if covered when baked though I didn’t try it that way).
    • Daiya Cheddar Shreds Cutting Board Version: Daiya is an acquired taste. Some people HATE it and others LOVE it. I heard the cutting board version is 100x better than the old version tho I haven't personally tried it. I’ve seen others use this in recipes and it looks like it melts pretty well like this vegan mac and cheese recipe here. 

    How to Serve this Vegan Mac and Cheese?

    • On my Vegan Thanksgiving table with recipes like:
      • Vegan Lentil Loaf
      • Baked Candied Sweet Potatoes
      • Healthy Cranberry Sauce
      • Almond Green Beans
    • Vegan Sunday or Easter Dinner with recipes like:
      • Fried Oyster Mushrooms
      • vegan mashed potatoes
      • collard greens
      • Vegan Cornbread Recipe! 

    How to Make Dairy Free Mac and Cheese?

    *Please read detailed and printable recipe card below for full ingredients and instructions

    Season Pasta & Start Roux

    1. Season your warm cooked, drain elbow pasta with butter, salt, and garlic powder. Mix butter and seasonings fully coat your pasta (Photos 1 & 2)
    2. Start your roux by melting some vegan butter in a large pot. Then mix in your flour whisking together until fully combined. (Photos 3 & 4)
    step by step grid photos of seasoning elbow pasta and making a roux

    Make Cheese Sauce

    1. While whisking, add both coconut milk and almond milk to your roux. Simmer until it thickens. (Photos 1 & 2)
    2. Once sauce slightly thickens, add silken tofu, vegan cream cheese, seasonings, and vegan cheddar shreds. Mix until cheese is fully melted and the sauce turns orange. (Photos 3 & 4)
    tep by step grid photos of adding milk to roux, vegan cheese and mixing it until vegan cheese melts

    Add Seasoned Macaroni Pasta & Bake

    1. Add pasta to cheese sauce and mix in well. You can serve this as is as a stovetop version OR proceed with the next steps to bake. (Photos 1 & 2)
    2. Add mac and cheese to a greased 9 x 13-inch pan and topped with vegan cheddar cheese. Bake until cheese has melted on top and allow to cool before serving. (Photos 3 & 4)
    tep by step grid photos of pasta mixed in cheese sauce and baked

    Substitution, Cook, & Storage Tips:

    • You can substitute the unsweetened full-fat canned coconut milk with an equal amount of plant-based milk of your choice or vegan half and half (super pricey). You might lose some richness as canned coconut milk is high in saturated fat like cheese making this recipe creamy. 
    • If baking, try topping with breadcrumbs instead of extra vegan cheese! Mix ½ cup of bread crumbs with ¼ cup of butter. Sprinkle on top of your dairy-free mac and cheese and bake!  
    • Silken tofu acts as binder much like an egg would in a traditional Southern Baked Mac and Cheese. You could omit this if you like and substitute with ½ cup of vegan sour cream. 
    • Leftovers. This will keep very well in the fridge for 3-4 days. 
    • Freezer.  In theory yes you can freeze this tho it NEVER lasts this long in my home to be frozen. To freeze, wrap cooled, refrigerated mac and cheese in plastic wrap in individual portions. Add a layer of aluminum foil, and put it in a Ziploc freezer bag. Label and dated and keep for no more than 3 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator and reheat in the oven.

    How Does This Recipe Help With Vegan Weight Gain?

    This recipe is very high calorie with over 700 calories per serving! It's super-rich and dense so even though it is ideal for weight gain, I would still eat occasionally versus having it in your regular rotation.

    How Does This Recipe Help With Vegan Weight Loss?

    To make this more weight loss (waste/weight release friendly) you could:

    • This recipe is extremely rich and high in fat. You could make a more plant-based version like this one here! 
    • Omit the canned coconut milk and substitute for soy or almond milk. 
    • Omit the vegan cream cheese
    • Keep in mind that this is mac and cheese and it’s meant to be indulgent! Eat sparingly.
    baked vegan mac and cheese in a pan being scooped into

    What People Are Saying About This Recipe

    3 grid photo of recipe testimonials from readers

    MORE PASTA RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE

    • Alkaline Pasta
    • Vegan Spaghetti Sauce

    OTHER VEGAN CHEESE RECIPES

    • Vegan Nacho Cheese
    • Cashew Cheese Recipe

    WANT MORE? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and TWITTER for the latest updates!

    creamy vegan mac and cheese in a pot with large spoon in it

    Dairy Free Mac and Cheese

    This is the BEST Dairy Free Mac and Cheese EVER! No potatoes, carrots, cashews, or nutritional yeast! This vegan mac and cheese is the REAL DEAL; creamy, super satisfying, and can be served as baked or stovetop!
    4.75 from 20 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: American, Southern
    Keyword: dairy free mac and cheese, vegan mac and cheese
    Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 50 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes
    Servings: 8 servings
    Calories: 768kcal
    Author: Gina Marie

    Ingredients

    Pasta

    • 6-8 cups water to boil pasta
    • pinch salt
    • 12-16 ounce gluten free elbow macaroni pasta note 1
    • 2 tablespoon vegan butter
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • ½ teaspoon salt

    Cheese Sauce

    • ½ cup vegan butter (plus 1 teaspoon to grease pan )
    • 6 tablespoon chickpea flour (or your choice of flour)
    • 1 14 ounce canned unsweetened coconut milk note 2
    • 3 cups almond milk note 2
    • 2 bouillon cubes (or 1 tablespoon of seasoned vegetable base)
    • ½ cup vegan cream cheese
    • 12 oz silken tofu note 3
    • 6 cups shredded vegan cheese, divided (3 eight-ounce bags) note 4
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1 teaspoon onion powder
    • ½ teaspoon sea salt
    • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
    • ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder optional
    • ¼ teaspoon liquid smoke ( or ½ teaspoon smoked paprika) optional
    US Customary - Metric

    Equipment

    Cooking Pot

    Instructions

    Pasta

    • Bring water to a boil over high heat and add a pinch of salt. Once the water is boiling, add in uncooked elbow macaroni pasta, and boil pasta to al dente according to package instructions. Drain your pasta and place in a large mixing bowl.
    • OPTIONAL: Here we are going to season the pasta individually while still warm. You can skip this step if you like. I always seasoned my pasta individually before adding any sauce to maximize flavor. To your warm pasta add vegan butter, garlic powder, and ¼ teaspoon salt.
    • Mix together coating your pasta with the seasonings evenly. Taste one pasta shell making sure you can taste the seasonings on it. Set aside to begin making your cheese sauce.

    Cheese Sauce

    • Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C). Grab a 9x13 baking dish, and lightly greased with vegan butter. Set aside. (Do this only if you plan on baking your mac and cheese and not serving it as a stove top dish).
    • In the same pot used to boil your pasta, melt vegan butter completely and then add in chickpea flour. Stir it vigorously with the melted butter. This is how you make a roux.
    • Then pour in the canned coconut milk and almond milk. Whisk until smooth. (There should be no lumps). Keep whisking and reduce heat to medium for 7 to 10 minutes until it starts to slightly thicken. Don't worry if it's not super thick. The vegan cheese will help it become thicker.
    • Next add in vegetable bouillon cubes, vegan cream cheese, silken tofu, garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt, black pepper, turmeric powder (optional), and 4 cup vegan cheddar cheese. Stir on medium heat until vegan cheese melts and seasonings are fully incorporated into the sauce for 5 minutes until sauce thickens.
    • Remove sauce from heat (turn off your stove) and add the cooked & drained elbow macaroni into your cheese pot. Fold the macaroni and cheese sauce until everything is well incorporated. You can serve this as. If you want to bake it proceed to the next step.
    • Layer macaroni and cheese in greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish, then top with 2 cups of vegan cheddar cheese.
    • Bake in the oven, covered with aluminum foil for 10 minutes your cheese will start to melt on top and the aluminum foil will lock in the moisture. After 10 minutes, uncover your mac and cheese and bake for an additional 15 mins until cheese on top becomes golden brown.
    • Once done remove from oven and allow to cool. Your mac and cheese will be bubbly and sizzling. You might see a lot of oil. That is due to the fat content of this dish which makes it super indulgent. It will settle once cool and create this nice cheesy crusted topping.
    • Serve as a side dish along with Vegan Lentil Loaf, Baked Candied Sweet Potatoes, and Fried Oyster Mushrooms.
    • This will keep very well in the fridge for 3-4 days. To freeze, wrap cooled and refrigerated mac and cheese in plastic wrap in individual portions. Add a layer of aluminum foil, and put it in a Ziploc freezer bag keeping for no more than 3 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator and reheat in the oven.

    Video

    Notes

    1. PASTA: I use gluten free elbow pasta this brand here. But you can use whatever type of pasta you have on hand or desire. Seasoning the individual past itself is optional and if you choose not to do this, omit those steps and the extra measurement of ingredients.
    2. PLANT BASED MILK: You can substitute the unsweetened full fat canned coconut milk with an equal amount of plant based milk of your choice or vegan half and half (super pricey). You might lose some richness as canned coconut milk is high in saturated fat like cheese this recipe creamy. Make sure the milk you do use is unsweetened and not flavored (DO NOT use the coconut milk in a jug in the refrigerator section of your store).
    3. SILKEN TOFU: Silken tofu acts as binder much like an egg would in a traditional Southern Baked Mac and Cheese. You could omit this if you like and substitute with ½ cup of vegan sour cream. Be sure to get SOFT Silken Tofu as it melts better with cheese sauce. Lite Firm Silken Tofu will work too but it’s not as smooth and won’t blend all the way together with your cheese sauce.
    4. VEGAN CHEESE: Please refer to “What is the Best vegan Cheese to use for this” section in blog post to see what type of vegan cheeses to use. I use Follow Your Heart brand.
    5. STOVETOP: If you are not baking your mac and cheese, you will only need 4 cups of vegan cheese vs 6 cups. The last 2 cups are reserved for topping your vegan mac for baking. So buy 2 eight ounce packages of vegan cheese instead of 3.

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Facts
    Dairy Free Mac and Cheese
    Amount Per Serving (1 cup (app))
    Calories 768 Calories from Fat 477
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 53g82%
    Saturated Fat 23g144%
    Cholesterol 16mg5%
    Sodium 1615mg70%
    Potassium 293mg8%
    Carbohydrates 61g20%
    Fiber 6g25%
    Sugar 4g4%
    Protein 13g26%
    Vitamin A 324IU6%
    Vitamin C 1mg1%
    Calcium 211mg21%
    Iron 3mg17%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?Be sure to PIN IT on Pinterest, leave a comment below, rate it, and mention @_VeganWithCurves using #veganwithcurves hashtag on Instagram so I can see it!

    Update Notes: This post was originally published on December 13, 2016, but was republished with new photos, step by step instructions, tips, and a video on November 25, 2019.

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my full affiliate disclaimer HERE.

    © VEGAN WITH CURVES. UNLESS NOTED OTHERWISE, ALL IMAGES, RECIPES, & CONTENT ARE COPYRIGHT PROTECTED AND REGISTERED WITH THE U.S. COPYRIGHT OFFICE. MY IMAGES AND WRITTEN CONTENT ARE NOT TO BE USED WITHOUT PRIOR PERMISSION. IF YOU WANT TO REPUBLISH A RECIPE, PLEASE RE-WRITE THE RECIPE IN YOUR OWN WORDS, OR LINK BACK TO THE ORIGINAL POST FOR THE RECIPE. WHEN SHARING CONTENT FROM AN ARTICLE PLEASE LINK BACK TO THE ORIGINAL BLOG POST

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Christine

      November 18, 2023 at 9:56 am

      5 stars
      I am gluten and Diary-free and this recipe was amazing!!

      My family and friends (no dietary restrictions) LOVED IT!
      It was so creamy and delicious.

      I did use an immersion blender to smooth out the sauce after adding the tofu.
      Only addition I made was, I added dry mustard powder and 1 TBS Dijon mustard and 2 TBS of yellow mustard.
      The mustard enhances the flavors .

      Thank you!

      Reply
    2. Jordan

      November 29, 2021 at 9:50 am

      5 stars
      This Mac and Cheese was absolutely incredible! This was my first try and homemade vegan Mac and it was so mind blowing to non vegans as well. I was missing the liquid smoke and decided to sub the sour cream for the silken tofu because I didn't want to bake it. I also used oatly full fat oat milk instead of almond and gf all purpose flour instead of chickpea flour because thats all I had. amazing recipe give it a try!

      Reply
      • Gina Marie

        December 02, 2021 at 8:58 pm

        So glad you loved it!!!!

        Reply
    3. GinaMarie

      July 28, 2017 at 1:33 pm

      I knew I liked chao cheese and it's creamy texture. I have done vegan mac and cheese before without baking it using daiya and while that was ok it didn't give me that homestyle flavor I was use to having. This one surprise me lol I know every food blogger saids that but this truly is my FAVORITE vegan mac and cheese. Im glad you like the pictures I was thinking of trying knew ways to take the photo to really capture that creamu texture inside but these pictures will do for now lol

      Please report back and let me know if you liked it!

      Reply
    4. Erika

      July 26, 2017 at 3:59 am

      This looks seriously amazing and the ingredients sound devine. I've had cashew macs and I've had macs with potatoes and carrots, but not together, and not with chao. As a vegan who had a dairy cheese obsession before this ethical lifestyle and has had trouble finding that perfect mac, I must say I'm feeling pretty confident about this one. I'm making it tonight! ๐Ÿ˜€

      Reply
    4.75 from 20 votes (18 ratings without comment)

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