This dairy free mac and cheese recipe is the only one you'll ever need because it's the real deal! It's super creamy, extra cheesy, kid-friendly, non-vegan approved, and it's ready in 30 minutes!
I have loved mac and cheese since I was a kid. It has always been one of my favorite foods! When I stopped eating dairy, I didn't eat mac and cheese for a few years and I missed it so much. I decided that I had to figure out a way to make it dairy free and taste just as good as I remembered it.
I tested so many different variations of this recipe and this version is the easiest and the best! While I do enjoy dairy free macaroni and cheese recipes that are made with potatoes, carrots, butternut squash, cashews, or cauliflower, I think that using vegan cheese makes it taste the most like the classic mac and cheese that I used to love.
The process to make a creamy mac n cheese that's dairy free is the same as if you were making a regular macaroni and cheese, you just need a few ingredient substitutes. The basic steps are still the same.
This delicious dish is super creamy, extra cheesy, easy to make, kids love it and so do people who aren't plant-based! I just know you're going to love it as much as I do!
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Dairy Free Butter - Miyokos butter is my favorite to use. It tastes so good!
- All Purpose Flour - This is used to make the roux.
- Milk - You can use any plain plant milk you like, but I used coconut because it's so creamy. I wouldn't use soy (I did once and it made it taste sweet).
- Dairy Free Cheese - My favorite shredded cheese to use is Violife shredded cheddar cheese, but I also like Follow Your Heart or So Delicious shredded cheddar cheese too.
- Dried Seasonings - Garlic, onion, paprika, salt, and pepper add so much flavor to the macaroni and cheese.
- Turmeric - Ground turmeric is added to enhance the yellow color, not for flavor. I use this trick also when making chickpea noodle soup.
- Noodles - Use pasta that will catch the cheese like elbows, shells, or cavatappi.
How To Make It
Start by melting the butter in a pan. Once it has completely melted, add the flour and whisk it into the melted butter for a few minutes to cook off the flour taste and form a roux.
Next, add the plant milk, shredded dairy free cheese, and all of the dry seasonings to the pan to make the cheese sauce for the mac.
Cook the elbow noodles in a separate pot of salted boiling water. When the noodles are done cooking, drain the water and pour the melted dairy free cheese over the hot noodles. Stir the pasta until everything is evenly coated.
What Goes With it
This mac and cheese is the perfect side dish to serve with any of the following recipes.
You could also make it a main course by adding green peas (or any type of legume for protein) and roasted broccoli florets. This recipe is also a staple dish that I serve every year for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter.
How To Store It
Store leftover mac n cheese in a container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
It can be frozen for 2-3 months. When you're ready to defrost it, take it out of the freezer and put it in the fridge to thaw for 24 hours before reheating it.
You can also make the dairy free cheese sauce by itself (without the pasta) and keep it in the freezer until you need it. Then you can defrost is, warm it up, and pour it over freshly cooked hot noodles. I often do this when I'm cooking Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner because I try to prep as much as possible in advance.
Frequently Asked Questions
It's made with noodles, plant milk, seasonings, dairy free butter, flour, and dairy free cheese.
I use unsweetened coconut milk (from a refrigerated carton, not a can) because it's so creamy. You can also use oat or almond.
Yes, you can make the macaroni and cheese 1-2 days before you plant to serve it. Store it in a container in the fridge until you're ready to reheat it. Add more liquid when you reheat it.
Success Tips
- Use unsweetened and plain plant milk (not soy) so the dairy free cheese sauce won't taste sweet.
- Use elbow noodles or any type of noodle that twists or curves because it will catch and hold the cheese the best.
- The turmeric powder isn't for flavor, it's what gives the macaroni and cheese its vibrant yellow color.
- For extra texture, you could add buttered breadcrumbs on top and bake it for 10-15 minutes at 400 degrees.
More Pasta Recipes You'll Love
- Pesto Pasta Bake
- Tortellini Soup
- Spinach Artichoke Dip Stuffed Shells
- Pesto Pasta with Veggies
- Dairy Free Creamy Alfredo
- Spinach Artichoke Lasagna
Dairy Free Mac and Cheese
Equipment
- Medium Pot
- Large Pot
Ingredients
- 16 oz elbow noodles
- 4 tbsp dairy free butter (I used Miyokos salted butter)
- 4 tbsp all purpose flour
- 3 ½ cups unsweetened coconut milk (from a refrigerated carton, not a can)
- 3 cups shredded dairy free cheddar cheese (I used Violife dairy free shredded cheddar cheese)
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder (Optional)
- ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley roughly chopped
Instructions
- Cook the elbow noodles in salted, boiling water in a large pot. While the noodles are cooking, make the cheese sauce. When the noodles are done, drain the water.
- Melt the butter in a medium pot over medium-low heat. Add the flour to the melted butter and whisk it for about 3 minutes to make a roux.
- Slowly pour in the coconut milk while whisking continuously. Let it heat up for a few minutes until it thickens.
- Add the shredded cheese, garlic powder, onion powder, turmeric powder, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper. Keep stirring until all the cheese melts it's thick and creamy.
- Pour the hot cheese sauce over the cooked noodles and mix it well so the cheese coats every noodle. Garnish with fresh parsley.
Notes
- Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days or freeze it for a future meal.
This was the best vegan mac I've ever had! I was a little nervous I wouldn't like it since I'm not a fan of coconut but I couldn't taste it all. Will definitely be making this again!
My gluten and dairy free daughter has been craving creamy, cheesy comfort food, and this was the perfect recipe. I used a CAN of unsweetened coconut milk, as it's the only kind I had, and I also added a few tablespoons of violife "Parmesan cheese" --- I will definitely be making this again !!! Thank you for the recipe
I used canned full-fat coconut milk instead of the kind recommended here. The sauce was deliciously creamy!
I don’t usually comment on recipes but this turned out so amazing I couldn’t resist.
I have been dairy free for ten years and this is the first mac and cheese recipe that tastes the closest to regular Mac and cheese I’ve found. The VIOLIFE cheese is DEFINITELY the way to go. I’ve tried with cashews and nutritional yeast, with Daiya cheese, and pretty much any other alternative you can think of and this is by far the easiest and yummiest!
I used Unsweetened oat milk instead coconut, a little bit of nutritional yeast for flavor and color instead of turmeric (didn’t have any on hand) and paprika instead of Cayenne as I’m not a huge spicy person. I also added artichoke hearts and bacon bits. This recipe made so much and was so amazing both my daughter and husband LOVED it despite neither of them being dairy free! 10/10 would suggest.
OMG!! This was the best vegan Mac and cheese I have ever made. After I made the Mac and cheese I decided to bake it and so I put some vegan breadcrumbs on top of it and baked for about 15 minutes at 400°F. This made the breadcrumbs crispy and my whole family loved the dish. Thank you so much for such a great recipe, I will be saving this for the future.
Is almond or soy milk fine instead of coconut milk?
I wouldn't use soy milk, but unsweetened plain (not vanila) almond milk will work fine! I tried making it with unsweetened soy milk and it gave the pasta the strangest sweet flavor even though it was plain and unsweetened.
OMG this was epic AND I have leftovers *rejoicing wildly* Think you so much for this fantastic recipe!
Omg this is the exact recipe I've been looking for! Thank you so much! And so good!! I bought so much Violife cheese and Earth Balance butter sticks and wanted a really easy simple straightforward traditional recipe. I find it weird too about using unsweetened soy milk when I used it. Even though it says "unsweetened" it still came out strangely sweet and ruined my Thanksgiving dinner. Everyone was asking if I added sugar or vanilla extract even though I used plain and unsweetened. After the first round no one wanted to touch it lol. I was so embarrassed! This time I used unsweetened coconut milk and it turned out delish!
I'm so glad you liked it and that it turned out better the second time! Merry Christmas, Amethyst!
I want to make this today for thanksgiving tomorrow... any recommendations for how to do so and keep it as yummy as when it is first made??
Hey! You can make it today and add about 1/4-1/2 cup more unsweetened coconut milk when you heat it up tomorrow. The liquid will help to loosen up the sauce and make it super creamy again. You could also make the cheese sauce today and store it separately from the noodles and then just reheat (you might need to add a little bit more liquid) the cheese sauce tomorrow and mix it with the hot noodles. Either way will be delicious! Enjoy!
I wonder if I can make the cheese a few days before for prep for thabksgiving
Yes, you can!
Hello! I'm going to make this over the weekend but just wondering if you had tried freezing this and if it worked ok? I've got loads of Violife cheese that needs using up so I was thinking of making a huge batch and freezing some. Thanks so much for sharing! I will update when I've made it 🙂
Hey, Dee! Yes, you can freeze it, just add more unsweetened plant milk to it when you reheat it. Enjoy!
My family loved this macaroni and cheese, it's so cheesy and it really reminds me of the dairy mac n cheese that I used to love! If you have leftovers, you need to add more liquid to it when you reheat it so it doesn't dry out. I'll definitely be serving this for Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, it's a keeper!
Aaaww thank you for the butter shoutout Stacey! It couldn't be in a better place because Mac and Cheese is my all time favourite meal.