The ultimate comfort food just got a major upgrade in this Dairy-free Mac and Cheese!
Your eyes are not deceiving you, this really is Dairy-free Mac and Cheese
No, really. It is. There is absolutely ZERO cheese involved in this recipe which is partly why it’s so brilliant. The other reason is that is PACKED with vegetables. Um hmmmmm. Veggies!
And you’ll never know they’re in there. This Dairy-free Mac and Cheese is so silky, rich, creamy and cheesy that it fooled even my most discerning, veggie-sniffing daughter. Not kidding, this kid can smell a hidden veggie from miles away like a customs dog on the hunt for pineapples and cigars.
The day I developed this recipe was the first official ‘real snow’ of the season here in Boulder. The girls came running into the house just as I was pulling the bowl of mac and cheese off the table by the window where I’d been photographing it and they immediately started to inhale it. Still in jackets, hats and snow boots. And there may have been a fight over the last noodle, too.
Naturally, I asked: “Is it good?” They both nodded and smiled. Satisfied with their answer, I turned to walk into my office and heard my oldest say to my mom as I left the room: “That wasn’t REAL mac and cheese. I don’t know what it was but it was good.” YASSSSSSS!
Mom: 1, Veggie-sniffer-outer: 0
The secret is in the sauce
Okay, enough about my on-going endeavor to hide all the veggies – you came here to learn how to make the BEST Dairy-free Mac and Cheese, right?
Well, the secret (as you might imagine) is veggies. Taking a cue from an old vegan cookbook I leafed through at a thrift store this summer I combined butternut squash, cauliflower, onions and garlic to create a silky smooth puree in the perfect shade of orange. Then to make it tangy and savory like cheese I used nutritional yeast, lemon juice and a bit of dijon mustard (like we did here in this Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce) and voila!
Super creamy, non-dairy, nut-free cheesiness if now yours to pour all over your favorite gluten-free pasta (or roasted cauliflower if you’re looking for a grain-free and/or lower carb option).
A food-allergy sufferers dream come true
Whether it’s dairy, soy, gluten, eggs or corn that can’t tolerate, you can make this recipe work for you. Even our plant-based friends can partake in this Dairy-free Mac and Cheese by substituting vegetable broth for the chicken broth.
#macandcheeseforeveryone
Put the ultimate comfort food back on the menu with this Dairy-free Mac and Cheese!
Video: How to make dairy free mac and cheese
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Dairy-free Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp. coconut or avocado oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 cups cubed butternut squash, fresh or frozen
- 3 cups cauliflower florets, fresh or frozen
- 2 cups chicken broth (substitute vegetable broth for vegan)
- 1 ½ teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Scant ¾ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 – 1 ½ teaspoon fine salt
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 16 ounces gluten-free pasta of choice
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan with lid, heat the oil over medium heat.
- Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions start to soften.
- Add garlic, stir and cook another 30 seconds to a minute or until garlic is fragrant.
- Add squash, cauliflower, and broth and bring to a steady simmer.
- Once simmering, cover pan with lid and cook until vegetables are very tender, about 15-18 minutes. You may need to lower the heat slightly to maintain a steady simmer and prevent it from boiling.
- When veggies are very tender, transfer to a blender. Add the lemon juice, mustard, salt, and nutritional yeast and blend until very smooth.
- Taste and adjust seasoning before pouring over your favorite cooked pasta (or roasted vegetables).
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Nutrition Information
- Serving Size: 1/6th recipe
- Calories: 376
- Fat: 7g
- Sodium: 340mg
- Carbohydrate: 71g
- (Fiber: 10g
- Sugar: 7g)
- Protein: 12g
Dietary
What’s your favorite thing serve with Mac and Cheese? Are you a vegetable hider too? Share in the comments below.
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Is nutritional yeast safe for those who have psoriasis? Thanks!
Yup, you will be fine with nutritional yeast.
Yum! any suggestions for Something to sub out nutritional yeast for those that cant have it? Thanks! 🙂
If you can tolerate cheese, you could add cheese (or dairy-free cheese) and if not, you could increase the dijon mustard and lemon juice to taste.
Hi there, the consistancy was perfect. I think I may have added to much onion n cauliflower. And not enough lemon juice? All I could taste was the onion and cauliflower. Any suggestions on how to fix this?
You could certainly try cutting back on the onions and cauliflower and/or add more lemon juice, dijon and nutritional yeast. You could add a little, taste test, and repeat as needed.
I made this tonight and all I could taste was the onion. However, I think the problem was the onion was too strong. Couldn’t taste the cauliflower at all. Normally when I sauté an onion I like the smell — tonight the onion made my eyes water. Next time I am going to omit the onion if it smells too strong or at least reduce the amount. Three out of four ate it and enjoyed it, but my picky eater took two bites and said he didn’t like it. He is very picky, but I am definitely going to try this again with a milder onion!! Thanks for the recipe!!!!
Oh bummer! Them dang onions can sure be strong. You’ll have to keep us posted if you give this recipe another shot using a more mild onion. Would love to hear how ‘take 2’ turns out!
Another way to reduce the onion’s sharpness is to soak it in cold water for 20-30 minutes, that takes away much of the “spiciness” of onion and makes it milder.
Great tip! Thanks so much for sharing!
This was sooooo good. I love getting the extra veggie servings. I ended up adding 1/2c soaked cashews. I know it shifts the nutritional profile but it made it super creamy. All the spices were perfect. My daughter loves mac and cheese but doesn’t tolerate dairy. This was perfection! Thank you so much.
We’re so glad you guys love this recipe!!
Isnt ghee dairy like butter? My son is allegic to dairy the milk proteins i want to make sure
Hi Ashley,
Yes, technically ghee is dairy since it’s made from butter. However, very high quality ghee is often 99.9-100% free of lactose, casein and whey making it suitable for SOME people with dairy allergy (depending on how sensitive they are).
If you have never challenged your son with ANY dairy then I could recommend replacing the ghee with coconut or avocado oil instead.
Can I ask what is ghee and can you freeze the sauce?
Hi Jodie,
Ghee is clarified butter. Regular butter will also work. Yes, the sauce can be frozen then allowed to thaw overnight in the fridge before gently reheating it on the stove to bring it back together.
Do you just add the veggies to the blender or all of the contents of the pot (broth included)?
Yes, you add everything from the pot (veggies and broth) to the blender so it’s important to use just the amount of liquid called for in the recipe and not add any extra.
Thank you for your recipes! What are your families favorite gluten free pasta?
You’re welcome, Laura!
At my house we like Trader Joe’s Brown Rice Penne and spaghetti, Banza pasta (all the shapes), Annie Chun’s rice noodles and Lotus Foods Brown or Black Rice Ramen. We also like the gluten-free pastas from Jovial for manicotti and lasagna.