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Dairy free mac and cheese in a white bowl.
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5 from 4 votes

Super Creamy Dairy Free Mac and Cheese (Vegan)

Creamiest, most delicious vegan stove top mac and cheese. Dairy free mac and cheese. Easy to whip together for a quick weeknight meal. Kid friendly dinner that's also an easy way to sneak in some veggies.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time12 minutes
Total Time22 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 5
Calories: 528kcal
Author: Maria

Ingredients

  • ¾ cup raw cashews
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
  • ¼ cup nutritional yeast
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon miso paste add ½ teaspoon more salt if you don't have this
  • cups unsweetened plain oat milk or water
  • 2 cups shredded vegan cheese
  • ½ cup cooked pasta water
  • 12 ounces dry pasta shells
  • 1 tablespoon vegan butter
  • Handful of frozen green veggie of choice like peas or broccoli optional

Instructions

  • Boil water and pour over raw cashews let them soak for 10 minutes while you prepare everything else. Drain them once they're done.
    ¾ cup raw cashews
  • Bring a pot of water to boil and cook your shells according to package. After they're cooked, strain them, but save ½ cup of the water for later.
    12 ounces dry pasta shells
  • While shells are cooking, add oat milk, cashews (once they've soaked and drained) nutritional yeast, miso paste, vegan cheese, vinegar, turmeric, garlic powder, onion powder and salt to a blender (everything but the shredded cheese and pasta basically). Blend until smooth.
    ¾ cup raw cashews, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, ½ teaspoon ground turmeric, ¼ cup nutritional yeast, 1 teaspoon salt, 1½ cups unsweetened plain oat milk, 1 tablespoon miso paste
  • Once your shells have one minute left of cooking, if you'd like to add frozen veggies, add them to the pasta water with the shells. This will cook the veggies without having to use another pot. Drain when done, but save ½ cup of the pasta water.
    Handful of frozen green veggie of choice like peas or broccoli
  • Turn the heat to low on the pan you drained the pasta from and add the cashew cheese mixture, vegan butter ½ cup of pasta water.
    2 cups shredded vegan cheese, 1 tablespoon vegan butter, ½ cup cooked pasta water
  • Stir and let it thicken a little. About one minute. If it gets too thick, just add a splash of the oat milk or water.
  • After about a minute, add the pasta shells to the pan and mix it all together. Add more salt if needed.

Notes

If you can't find oat milk, unsweetened and plain coconut milk or cashew milk work great.
I wouldn't recommend soy or almond milk as it leaves a weird after taste
If you're allergic to cashews you can sub for raw sunflower seeds if you're allergic, or ½ cup of silken tofu. 
Buy cashews or sunflower seeds in bulk online. It's cheaper.
Violife and chao are my favorite vegan cheeses. 

Nutrition

Calories: 528kcal | Carbohydrates: 85g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 958mg | Potassium: 393mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 123IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 128mg | Iron: 3mg