Can I Make A Vegan Cheese Sauce Without Nuts
While cashews are a key ingredient in many vegan cheese sauces, you can also make vegan mac and cheese without nuts.
Butternut squash mac and cheese can, for instance, easily be made without cashews. You could also use sunflower seeds instead of nuts.
Another option would be to use white beans as a base for your nut-free vegan cheese sauce.
I included some more allergy-friendly recipes for you at the end of this post. So just keep scrolling.
Vegan Mac And Cheese With Carrots And Potatoes
This sharp white mac and cheese casserole by Sophia from Veggies Dont Bite is the perfect example for vegan mac and cheese with vegetables!
Sophia used starchy potatoes, carrots, and yellow pepper for this incredibly healthy sauce. What a great and sneaky way to get even the most picky eaters to eat their veggies!
For the crispy topping she used hemp seeds and toasted bread.
Melanie from A Virtual Vegan also has an amazing recipe for baked vegan mac and cheese on her blog. She uses yellow sweet potato for the base as well as cauliflower.
One of the key ingredients of her recipe is tapioca flour. It gives the vegan cheese sauce a very similar texture to real cheese. Its even stretchy!
Melanies baked mac and cheese with golden crispy crumb topping can even be made ahead if you want.
Another dairy-free mac and cheese recipe I can recommend is by Melissa from Vegan Huggs. Her mac and cheese with potato, carrots, and cashews does extremely well on Pinterest. I mean just look at it! BIG yum!!
Melissa also used tapioca starch in her recipe because it gives the sauce extra thickness and a cheesy stretch. All in all, the recipe takes less than 30 minutes, which makes it a great weeknight dinner.
I Love To Hear From You Guys
I hope you like this little guide on how to make vegan mac and cheese. There are so many different ways to make mac and cheese without dairy! What do you think is the best vegan mac and cheese recipe?
If you give any of these recipes a try, Id love to know what you think about it. Just leave me a comment below. Your comments really make my day!
You like my recipes and roundups and want to see more? Then follow me on , , or !
Sina xx
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How To Make The Ultimate Vegan Mac And Cheese
At any summer BBQ, office potluck, Super Bowl party, or Thanksgiving dinner, the dish always scraped clean is the one that held macaroni and cheese. I have my standard stovetop and my go-to baked cheesy mac recipes down to a science, but when it comes to serving friends and family who live the vegan life, I have always come up short.
Over the years my sister and aunt have embraced vegetarianism to different degrees and for varying lengths of time. As a result, we have served tofurkey alongside turducken, and vegan gravy and stuffed acorn squash are now always part of my familys holiday menu. This year I am building on our ultimate vegan cashew cream to make a vegan macaroni and cheese that is smooth, creamy, and cheesy.
Now Lets Take A Closer Look At This Delicious Vegan Mac And Cheese
I am a vegan mac and cheese lover. I grew up eating a ton of mac and cheese as a kid, so it is a favorite of mine. Its so easy to have delicious and CHEESY mac and cheese, vegan style these daysthere are a variety of delicious vegan cheese options available, so animal-based cheese is not missed at all. And Sahar is the queen of vegan cheese. She not only knows the best cheeses to cook with, but she is a master vegan cheesemaker herself.
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How To Make Vegan Mac And Cheese Step By Step
- Boil or steam the potatoes and carrots in a large pot for about 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- Place all the vegan cheese ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
- Mix the cooked pasta and the vegan cheese in the pot .
- Serve your vegan mac and cheese and enjoy.
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How To Serve Vegan Cheese Sauce
This isnt the kind of cheese sauce youre going to use on a pizza.
Have you had a white sauce before? Its exactly like that, just flavored to be cheesy!
Its what you want when you want a cheesy version of a white sauce to use in your lasagna! Its also great as a pasta sauce or served over vegetables.
It also makes a great sauce for a vegan mac and cheese.
If you want a cheese sauce to drizzle on your pizza, then youre looking for a cashew cheese sauce! Or you can even grate up some hard sliceable cashew cheese and melt it on your pizza!
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Best Baked Vegan Mac And Cheese
Real talk: I am not usually a fan of baked vegan mac and cheese. Why? I dont think a ton of nutritional yeast makes for a good flavor. Some folks love it, I do not. I also dont love a ton of cashews in replacement for cheese.
That is why I created the perfect vegan baked mac and cheese recipe which doesnt rely on any of those ingredients. Enter my friend cauliflower florets. Unlike nutritional yeast which has a noticeable flavor, cauliflower blends up soft and can even be used as a mashed potato substitute.
When you are making baked mac and cheese vegan at home, you are going to have to get creative, and this is my fail-safe way!
Believe it or not, this baked vegan mac and cheese recipe cooks up quite quickly! If you are in a rush or looking for a tasty and kid-friendly dinner, this is perfect for you. From start to finish, you can make vegan mac and cheese in under 30 minutes!
The best part about this recipe is that it can easily be gluten-free using your favorite ingredients and is nut-free as-is! I know it is very hard to find a good gluten-free baked mac and cheese, so hopefully, you will enjoy this one.
Simply choose your favorite gluten-free pasta and your favorite gluten-free breadcrumbs, or make your own using gluten-free bread or crackers, and you are in for a real treat! Making baked mac and cheese vegan and gluten-free is extremely easy, as you will see.
How To Make Crispy Baked Vegan Mac And Cheese
Coat the butternut squash halves with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast at 425ºF for 45-55 minutes, or until completely fork tender and lightly browned. Scoop out 1 ½ cups of butternut squash flesh.
Add the butternut squash flesh to a blender with the soaked cashews, miso, nutritional yeast, spices, coconut milk, and tapioca flour. Blend until thick, creamy, and smooth.
For the topping, mix together the panko, nutritional yeast, salt, paprika, and melted vegan butter.
Sprinkle the breadcrumb topping over the mac and cheese. Bake at 400ºF for 15-20 minutes until the topping is crispy and golden brown.
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What Makes This The Ultimate Vegan Mac And Cheese
With no roux to fuss with and no cheese to separate into unsightly curds, making vegan mac and cheese is easier than any other homemade version Ive tried. If you can use your microwave and blender, then you can whip up a vegetable-packed vegan cheese sauce any night of the week.
Replicating the taste of cheese is no small task, but close your eyes and imagine the sharp, buttery, earthy, and even acidic flavors you find in each creamy bite of cheese. Now swap in steamed sweet potatoes which are more vegetal than sweet and cashews and coconut milk for creamy heft. Fresh lemon juice and Dijon add a savory and acidic bite, and the nutritional yeast is the missing piece of the puzzle, adding that richness that takes this sauce from creamy puréed vegetables to vegan cheese sauce.
Raw cashews and nutritional yeast may sound exotic, but do not drive all over town to specialty shops you can usually find them on the shelves of your regular grocery store.
For Your Information
What Nuts Are In Vegan Cheese
When making vegan cheese, cashews, almonds, and macadamia are all good choices. In addition to being nut-free, it can be made from pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, or hemp. What are the best types of cheese to make? According to Stiner, owner and operator of Vtopian Artisan Cheeses in Portland, Oregon, the nuts are cashews.
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How To Make The Best Vegan Mac And Cheese
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More Vegan Pasta Recipes
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
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What You Need To Make The Best Vegan Mac And Cheese
Butternut Squash. Butternut squash adds a velvety body to the cheese sauce and it brings that nostalgic orange-yellow color you associate with mac and cheese.
Cashews. Soaked raw cashews, when blended up, rival the creamiest of dairy sauces. Ive tried vegan cheese sauces without them and they never compare.
Nutritional Yeast. A potent source of savory flavor and helps mimic the taste of cheese. In order to get this to really taste cheesy, I use a generous ½ cup of nutritional yeast.
Miso Paste. One of the reasons people love cheese is that it naturally umami. To bring in more umami without using dairy, I add a bit of white miso paste.
Lite Coconut Milk. Mac and cheese is meant to be indulgent, so to amp up the creaminess, I add in some lite coconut milk. It has a high enough fat content to bring the creaminess, but its not too heavy.
Tapioca Flour. This ingredient helps thicken the cheese sauce and give it the texture you associate with a mac and cheese sauce.
Panko. The light, flaky texture brings an irresistible snappy crunch to the topping and works much better than standard breadcrumbs.
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How To Make Vegan Breadcrumbs
I made my own breadcrumbs for this which is easy and works great!
I toasted 3 thick cut slices of white bread and then broke them into pieces and put them into the blender. Blitzed them into breadcrumbs in the blender. Transferred to a bowl and added some melted vegan butter and tossed them up with it and then placed on top of the mac and cheese.
You can use brown or whole wheat bread but white bread actually works best for this recipe.
Is Vegan Cheese Healthy
Depending on your health goals, different foods are good for different reasons. This dish is based off beans and nutritional yeast in itself is very healthy.
We do use some processed packaged cheese and a vegan butter substitute that could be seen as not as healthy. You could try the sauce without these to see if you like it.
If health is a concern for you, then we encourage you to speak to a nutritionist.
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How To Make Vegan Baked Mac And Cheese
- Boil a large pot of water and cook pasta until al dente or lightly chewy . Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit .
- While the pasta is cooking, blend up the sauce ingredients in the blender until smooth and creamy. Taste it and make sure you like it.
- Drain the cooked pasta and add it back to the pot.
- Add the sauce, mix well, and add to a deep baking dish. I used a square 9×9 baking dish for this.
- Use the back of your cooking implement to press the pasta in evenly, then sprinkle the panko on top.
- Bake uncovered for 25-35 minutes or until the top has lightly browned.
- Serve hot, and enjoy!
- Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Vegan Mac And Cheese Variations
Baked Mac and Cheese: Once the pasta and vegan cheese sauce is combined, add it to a baking dish and bake with bread crumbs sprinkled on top. Use store-bought bread crumbs or try our homemade breadcrumbs recipe.
Garlic Mac and Cheese: Fresh garlic and roasted garlic are excellent in this recipe. Add either to the vegan butter just before adding the flour. For fresh, Id use 2 to 3 cloves. For roasted garlic, you can increase it to 6 cloves or more. See our recipe for making roasted garlic.
Broccoli Mac and Cheese: A kid favorite! Stir roasted broccoli or steamed broccoli into the pot before serving. Heres how we make roasted broccoli.
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Comfort Food Everyone Can Enjoy
When we think of comfort food, it is hard not to think about mac and cheese. But, many of us with dietary restrictions or allergies feel like we cant enjoy this dish anymore. That is totally not true! This vegan recipe uses the power of plant-based ingredients to make absolutely delicious and cheesy mac and cheese. There are a few simple tricks behind it.
Cashews are a powerful ingredient in this recipe. These tree nuts add structure and density, just like a typical cheese sauce would. When combined with the sweet carrots, you create the classic yellow-orange mac and cheese color.
But, we cannot forget that cheesy flavor! Nutritional yeast steals the show here. This flavorful ingredient provides the cheese-like flavor without the cheese. Crazy right? A couple of tablespoons of this stuff can really fool you.
Nutritional yeast is a really cool condiment. It is solely dried deactivated yeast that is potent in vitamins and minerals. Despite its flavor-enhancing qualities, nutritional yeast is very low in sodium. This just adds to its list of nutritional benefits!
This recipe can easily be made gluten free as well. All you need to do is sub macaroni pasta with any short gluten free pasta. I love brown rice pasta in this dish. Whatever pasta you choose, just make sure to follow the cooking directions carefully – each gluten free pasta has its own method.
Vegan Mac And Cheese Sauce Nut Free
The secret to making the best homemade mac and cheese is to start the sauce with a roux.
This is just cooking flour and vegan butter together, adding a creamy milk and paprika and letting this thicken, and then stirring in the cheese.
Just using cheese doesnt give you the same texture, and the taste can be a bit overpowering.
This is the ultimate way to make vegan mac and cheese!
There are many vegan cheeses you can use for this recipe, but I loved simply using vegan cheddar.
You can always mix it with a bit of your favorite type of cheese, but cheddar is always a good option.
I used the Whole Foods brand and it came out great!
Some vegan cheeses I dont care for as much, so this is always a good option along with Miyokos, Chao and Go Veggie .
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