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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Hi, I’m loving this dairy free version, but here’s my dilemma. I am on a low FODMAP diet, so I cant do garlic, onion OR cauliflower. What can I substitute for cauliflower that would still give me the best taste?
Hi Nadia,
I would suggest using peeled zucchini in place of the cauliflower. If you try it, we’d love to know how it turned out.
I really want to try this recipe because I don’t eat dairy (exceptionally lactose intolerant and a touch allergic). However, I also don’t do onion or garlic (they make me more instantaneously sick than dairy does). Are there other spices you think I could sub?
Hi Amy,
Though it won’t be quite the same without the onion and garlic, you can use some fresh chives in place of the garlic for a little ‘garlicky’ flavor. For the onion, I would either use a little more cauliflower or butternut squash or replace it with peeled, chopped zucchini.
To give the sauce a more savory flavor since you’ll be removing the onions, I would add a little more Dijon mustard and nutritional yeast to taste.
Hi Emily!
I can’t have garlic or onion either but I do miss it sometimes. There is something called asafoetida powder that smells awful but if you mix it into a sauce mix like this it should be ok.
I am not a dairy free person. Planned to make this for a Thanksgiving meal because someone we know is. I waited until last minute to do a trial run because of the high ratings. What a mistake. This was not anywhere near mac and cheese. I played with it and was not able to get it edible enough that me my wife or any of my kids or our neighbor could stand it. Well not until I added shredded cheese anyway. Big fail. One of few I have ever had in the kitchen.
Hi Brandon,
I’m sorry to hear you were so disappointed in this recipe. It sounds to me like you were expecting this to be much more like cheese than it really is. Thanks for giving it a try. We’d love to know if you find a dairy-free mac and cheese that you enjoy as we’re always open to constructive feedback and doing some tinkering with our recipes.
This is fabulous!!! I only used half of the sauce tonight. How long will it keep in the frig? Can it be frozen?
Thanks, Joey!
The sauce will keep about 4 days in the fridge and can be frozen for longer storage.
This is not vegan! Chicken broth is NOT vegan. Vegan means no animal product. Deceptive 🤨
Vegetable broths can ALWAYS be substituted anytime a recipe calls for an animal based broth.