This simple, creamy, nut-free vegan mac and cheese recipe will have you addicted in no time! It’s so easy to make and the fact it’s healthy makes it even better!
Jump to RecipeOnce you’ve tried this creamy pasta recipe with almond milk (or oat milk) you will start to wonder where it’s been all your life. It’s so simple and straightforward to make and tastes just like the real thing. The ideal comfort food.
The best thing about it is you can make it ahead of time for the next time you fancy some vegan macaroni cheese. It can also be frozen in a sealed container in individual portions. Perfect if you don’t love to waste time slaving over meals every night. A quick dish to make, either as a main meal or as a side dish.
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This easy vegan mac and cheese recipe is such a crowd pleaser for family members with its real cheese flavour. However, this pasta dish is actually much healthier than you might think. It’s full of natural ingredients such as plant-based milk and nutritional yeast. Yet this simple vegan mac and cheese tastes creamy, indulgent and incredibly more-ish. Perfect with a slice of crispy homemade vegan baguette right from the oven! Who says a plant-based diet has to be boring?
Related Post – Homemade Vegan Baguette Recipe
Although this is a nut-free recipe without using cashews, in case you might like to try it with cashews, we have also included a quick recipe below to include cashews. However, just ignore this if you want a cashew-free mac and cheese recipe.
Cashew Cream
Cashews aren’t for everyone when it comes to making this vegan version of mac and cheese. Whether you have a nut allergy, or simply don’t like the taste or texture. Some people find the taste a little too earthy. Others aren’t a fan of the slightly grainy texture it can give to your mac & cheese. It also makes the mac and cheese-less healthy as it increases the calories per serving quite a lot. If you’re on a diet, perhaps try one of the below versions instead to make your calories go further.
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However, in case you would like to give it a go, a cashew cheese sauce can make this vegan recipe that extra bit creamy and decadent. It’s also actually pretty quick and easy to make with very few simple ingredients.
- Soak 1/2 a cup of cashews in boiling water (from a kettle would be fine).
- Leave them to soak for at least 5 minutes.
- Once soaked, add the cashews, 1 cup of water and a squeeze of lemon juice to a high powered blender and blend until smooth
If you find your sauce is a bit grainy, make sure you soak the nuts for longer next time to ensure it goes super creamy.
These measurements are approx for two people. Simply adjust the measurements for more or less people.
Silken Tofu Cheese Sauce
One way to make a basic vegan mac and cheese is by using silken tofu. However, of these 3 sauce alternatives, this tofu one is the strongest tasting and isn’t to everyone’s taste. It’s probably my least favourite, to be honest.
The benefit of using tofu, however, is that it does offer a much creamier textured sauce to your healthy mac and cheese recipe without the need for milk. It also tastes much saltier than the rest well so be careful when adding additional salt to your recipe.
Instead of doing the cauliflower part in the recipe below, simply swap this out for the below ingredients and blend until smooth.
- 340 grams silken tofu
- 35 grams nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
- 120 mls unsweetened milk of your choice
Cauliflower Cheese Sauce
Now, this one is personally, my absolute favourite of the 3 creamy mac and cheese sauce options. It gives the recipe a beautiful, yet light sauce that doesn’t sit as heavy as the rest. This one-pot sauce is perfect for busy people on the go who still want tasty meals the whole family will love. Your secret weapon when it comes to quick dinners!
- It’s packed full of protein.
- Lower in calories.
- Easier to make in advance and freeze
How To Make This Vegan Mac & Cheese
The Cauliflower
Start off by chopping up your cauliflower and putting it into a large pan on a medium heat. Then add the milk, nutritional yeast, mustard powder, onion and garlic powder.
Give the mixture a good stir and simmer on a low heat for approx 20 minutes with the lid on. Once the cauliflower has finished cooking, take it off the heat and put to one side until almost cool.
Once the cauliflower has cooled slightly, start spooning the mixture in to your blender (you may need to do this in smaller batches depending on the size of your food processor). Blend until you have a smooth consistency.
If your sauce is a little thicker than you’d like, add some of the pasta water to loosen it up.
The Pasta
Penne or fusilli pasta both work the best in this recipe, but most others will work too.
Cook your whole wheat pasta as per the package directions, or as you normally would. Once your pasta is cooked, empty almost all of the pasta water out (leaving a little to one side), and add the cooked pasta to the sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
The Vegetables (Optional)
If you want to add in some extra vegetables to this dish, you could add things such as – peas, carrots, broccoli or asparagus to your pasta water and cook at the same time. However, you could also steam the vegetables instead if you wanted to keep them separate to the pasta.
Cubed red pepper also goes really well with this recipe. Simply chop half of a pepper into small cubes and add to your dish when you combine the pasta to the cooked sauce. This is a great way to add a sweet crunch to this dish.
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Creamy Vegan Macaroni & Cheese Recipe (Without Cashews)
Ingredients
- 70g Macaroni Pasta (Per Person) (For added protein, use chickpea pasta)
- 1 Large Cauliflower
- 5 tablespoons Nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons Mustard Powder
- 500 mls Unsweetened non-dairy milk of your choice (Soy Milk, Coconut Milk, Cashew Milk)
- 1 teaspoon Onion powder
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
- 1 Pinch Salt & Pepper
Instructions
- Chop your cauliflower and put it into one large pan on a medium heat.
- Then add the milk, nutritional yeast, mustard, onion and garlic powder.
- Give the mixture a stir and simmer on a low heat for approx 20 minutes with the lid on.
- Once the cauliflower has finished cooking, put to one side and begin to cook your whole wheat pasta as per the package directions.
- Once the cauliflower is cooked, allow to cool lightly and then start spooning the mixture in to your blender.
- Blend until you have a smooth consistency. You may have to do this in batches depending on how big your blender is.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Once your pasta is cooked, empty almost all of the pasta water out (leaving a little to one side), and add the cooked pasta to the sauce.
- If your sauce is a little thick, add some of the pasta water to loosen it up.
Notes
Extra Recipe Notes
Once you have the base of the recipe down (above), you can add in any extra veggies you like. We added in a few green peas, tender stem broccoli and asparagus to ours which was delicious!
Make It Spicy
If you want this vegan mac and cheese without cashews recipe to taste even better, and you like a bit of heat, add in an additional spoonful of mustard once the cauliflower is cooked. The combination of nutritional yeast and mustard takes the cheesy sauce to a whole other level of cheesy taste so be ready for it!
Want A Thicker Sauce?
If you find your sauce isn’t thick enough, you could try adding in a teaspoon of corn starch to see if that helps. However, don’t do this if you intend to finish this recipe with a blast in the grill or oven to crisp it up slightly. The corn starch will get even thicker and you might lose all of the saucy goodness.
Add A Tomato Twist
Alternatively, another way to give this recipe an extra twist is to add one level tablespoon of Koro Roasted Tomato & Red Pepper Spread. It makes the vegan cheese sauce taste a little bit sweeter, without adding an additional richness to it. BECKY5 for 5% off your next order.
Extra Protein
If you want your vegan mac & cheese to have some extra protein, a great way to do this is to add a few of the Aldi vegan sausages. It also bulks out the dish more if you’re cooking for more people and brings with it some additional flavour and texture.
We hope you loved this real deal vegan mac and cheese recipe as much as we do. If so, you should try our vegan creamy avocado noodles. Or, if you’re looking for a sweet treat for dessert- Vegan Orange & Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Related Post – Creamy Vegan Avocado Noodles
Let us know what you thought about this nut-free vegan mac and cheese in the comments below.
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