Dairy-Free Mac and Cheese

This dairy-free mac and cheese is the vegan mac and cheese recipe for mac and cheese lovers. Perfect for a cozy night in or for packing into your lunch!

Course dinner, Lunch

Cuisine American

Keyword best vegan mac and cheese, best vegan mac and cheese recipe, dairy-free mac and cheese

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 35

Total Time 50

Servings

Calories 177kcal

Author Molly Patrick

Ingredients

1 russet potato peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces (1½ cups)
1 cup carrot chopped
¼ onion diced (½ cup)
1 tablespoon peeled and diced turmeric or 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder
3 cloves garlic minced
2 cups water plus another ½ cup, divided
½ cup raw cashews soaked in water for at least 10 minutes
½ cup nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon salt
Your choice of pasta elbows or shells work best

Instructions

In a medium sized pot add the potato, carrot, onion, turmeric and garlic with 2 cups of water. Simmer for 20 minutes with the lid on.
After 20 minutes, add the veggies (along with the remaining liquid in the pan) to your blender.
Drain the cashews and add them to the blender along with the nutritional yeast, sea salt and the additional ½ cup of water.
Blend until the sauce is creamy and smooth, about 2 minutes. Place a towel over the blender lid, so no hot splats of sauce escape.
Cook as much pasta as you want according to the directions on the package and then strain and rinse with cold water to stop it from cooking. Return to the pan.
Turn heat to very low and generously pour the cheese sauce over the pasta.
Add black pepper and salt to taste.
If you have leftover cheese sauce, pop it in the fridge—it should be good for 7 days!

Notes

Allow the leftovers amount to cool, and stick in an airtight container for 4 to 5 days. Freezing instead? Great! Scoop the vegan mac into a freezer-friendly bag or container and keep for 2-3 months. When ready to eat again, defrost overnight or the morning of and reheat however you’d like.

Nutrition