Dairy Free Mac and Cheese
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Best dairy free mac and cheese recipe made from scratch with cashews and nutritional yeast. Creamy and cheesy and topped with crispy breadcrumbs, this favorite classic is simple to make on the stovetop and can be served straight out of the skillet or baked in a casserole.
Dairy Free Mac and Cheese
Nothing beats an easy comforting pasta casserole that is also good for you. It tastes so delicious that you can serve it at a festive holiday dinner but it’s also easy and quick to throw together for the entire family to enjoy any day of the week.
It’s particularly nice alongside roasted carrots, crispy broccoli, sweet potato rounds, a pesto drizzle, cauliflower steaks and a tomato salad.
Dairy Free Cheese Sauce
It’s a classic béchamel style sauce but made vegan and gluten free. The hight fat content of the cashews makes this the creamiest, silkiest, most delicious sauce and the best alternative to milk. No need for store bought processed cheese of any kind, you can feel good about feeding this lactose free healthy comfort food to your family.
About the Macaroni
Instead of elbow pasta go for a short pasta with ridges or Rigate which really helps hold a lot of that cheesy sauce in every bite. Italian bronze died durum wheat semolina pasta is the absolute best in my honest opinion, no matter what anyone tells you. I said what I said! Because trust me, I’m pretty sure I’ve tried them all by now. By all means use your favorite gluten-free pasta if you must, I love the lentil elbows by Bentillia.
Recipe Tips + FAQ
- Bake it – If you prefer the oven method simply transfer the macaroni to a baking dish or portion into ramekins, sprinkle with breadcrumbs and bake @375″F until golden brown on top.
- Color – Want a yellow cheese sauce instead of white? Just add 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric when blending the sauce and voila!
- Make it smoky – If you fancy a little smoked flavor all you need to do is mix in a couple of teaspoons of liquid smoke. Taste and add more as you go but try not to overdo it. Works like a charm!
- Can I make it without nutritional yeast? – Technically yes but it gives the sauce a really nice deep flavor so please use it if you have it. Otherwise you could add a tablespoon of white miso to make up for that umami flavor.
- Crispy Seasoned Bread Crumbs – Pan toasted panko bread crumbs in a little olive oil are fabulous here. I usually like to add a couple of teaspoons of fennel seeds as well and store it in a ramekin on the kitchen counter until ready to serve.
- Storage – Keeps well in the fridge for up to 5 days and you could even freeze it if you wanted to.
Pasta Recipes
- Fregola
- Roasted red pepper pasta sauce
- Capellini pomodoro
- Orecchiette pasta salad
- Artichoke pasta
- Aglio e olio
- Pasta e Ceci.
how to make dairy free mac and cheese
Dairy Free Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 2.5 cups cashews raw pieces
- 2.75 cups water
- 1/2 lemon juiced
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 ts dijon mustard
- 1 ts smoked paprika
- 3 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
- 1.5 tsp sea salt
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 3/4 lb short shape pasta rigate pipe, cavatappi, shells, orrechiette, penne
Topping
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- Sea salt flakes to taste
Instructions
- Start by soaking the cashews in hot water for 20 minutes then drain. (If you have a really powerful blender you can skip this step).2.5 cups cashews
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season with a few heavy pinches of salt, it should taste like the sea. Boil the pasta until al dente following the package direction the drain in a collander.3/4 lb short shape pasta rigate
- Meanwhile peel and dice the onion into large chunks. Preheat a sauce pan over medium heat with a light drizzle of olive oil and sautée the onion with a pinch of salt until softened and starts to get a golden color around the edges.1 yellow onion
- Transfer the onion to the blender bowl together with the cashews, water, lemon juice, mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, nutritional yeast and salt. Process until smooth and creamy.2.5 cups cashews, 2.75 cups water, 1/2 lemon, 1 ts dijon mustard, 1 ts smoked paprika, 3 tsp onion powder, 1/2 cup nutritional yeast, 1.5 tsp sea salt, 1 yellow onion, 1 tsp garlic powder
- Transfer the sauce to a large deep skillet and bring to a simmer. Cook for a few minutes until it starts to thicken. Remove from heat and add the cooked pasta to the sauce. Toss to coat well all over. Taste and adjust seasonings with salt and freshly cracked pepper to your taste.3/4 lb short shape pasta rigate
Make the Bread Crumb Topping
- Preheat a skillet over medium heat with the olive oil. Add the panko bread crumbs and toss to coat well. Toast for a few minutes until golden brown to your liking. Season with sea salt flakes and sprinkle over the mac and cheese.1 cup panko bread crumbs, 2 Tbsp olive oil, Sea salt flakes to taste
Video
Notes
- Bake it - If you prefer the oven method simply transfer the macaroni to a baking dish or portion into ramekins, sprinkle with breadcrumbs and bake @375"F until golden brown on top.
- Color - Want a yellow cheese sauce instead of white? Just add 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric when blending the sauce and voila!
- Make it smoky - If you fancy a little smoked flavor all you need to do is mix in a couple of teaspoons of liquid smoke. Taste and add more as you go but try not to overdo it. Works like a charm!
- Can I make it without nutritional yeast? - Technically yes but it gives the sauce a really nice deep flavor so please use it if you have it. Otherwise you could add a tablespoon of white miso to make up for that umami flavor.
- Crispy Bread Crumbs - Pan toasted panko bread crumbs in a little olive oil are fabulous here. I usually like to add a couple of teaspoons of fennel seeds as well and store it in a ramekin on the kitchen counter until ready to serve.
- Storage - Keeps well in the fridge for up to 5 days and you could even freeze it if you wanted to.
Ciao. I love your easy fresh and clean recipes for authentic pasta that is simple yet delicious. thanks for sharing.
Outstanding sauce for my lactose intolerant family, an incredibly delicious recipe! Thank you for sharing florentina!