Quick and Tasty Vegan Gluten Free Mac and Cheese
This nutritious Vegan Gluten Free Mac and Cheese recipe creates a creamy, cheesy, and delicious dish ready in just 35 minutes! Whether you're vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, or plant-based, this recipe will be your new favorite comfort food. Perfect for allergen-friendly holiday gatherings and ideal for pleasing vegan and dairy-free friends, it's as easy to make as traditional mac and cheese and much better than the boxed stuff!
Quick and Tasty Vegan Gluten Free Mac and Cheese
This healthy version of mac and cheese uses protein-rich, gluten-free pasta made with beans, paired with a creamy cheese sauce crafted from raw cashews, turmeric, nutritional yeast, mustard, lemon, and starchy pasta cooking water. It's a crowd-pleaser that'll have everyone reaching for seconds!
Why I Like This Recipe
Great for an allergen-friendly holiday: This recipe is perfect for holiday gatherings where you may have guests with dietary restrictions. It is vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, and plant-based, making it suitable for a wide range of dietary preferences.
Perfect for cooking for vegans or dairy-free friends: This mac and cheese recipe is a fantastic option if you have friends or family members who follow a vegan or dairy-free diet. It allows you to cater to their dietary needs without compromising on flavor or texture.
Easy to make: This recipe is simple and straightforward, making it an excellent choice for home cooks of all skill levels. With just a few steps and minimal ingredients, you can whip up a delicious mac and cheese in no time.
Just as easy as traditional mac and cheese: Despite being a vegan and gluten-free version, this mac and cheese recipe is just as easy to make as the traditional version. You don't have to worry about complicated techniques or hard-to-find ingredients.
Crowd-pleaser: This mac and cheese is sure to be a hit with everyone, regardless of their dietary preferences. The creamy cheese sauce, combined with the gluten-free pasta, creates a dish that is comforting, satisfying, and full of flavor.
Nutritious ingredients: This recipe uses wholesome ingredients like raw cashews, which provide healthy fats and protein. Turmeric adds antioxidant properties and a beautiful yellow color to the dish, while nutritional yeast adds a cheesy flavor and is packed with B vitamins. The addition of mustard and lemon adds a tangy brightness to the dish, enhancing the overall flavor profile.
Dietary Preferences
Vegan
Gluten-free
Dairy-free
Plant-based
Ingredients
Noodles: I love to use gluten-free pasta made with beans. This helps increase the protein of the dish, so you aren’t missing any of the meat!
Cashews: use the raw cashews! If you only have salt, that will work fine as well. Remember to hold the salt in other places if you use salted nuts.
Turmeric: This beautiful spice adds color and helps it turn into that gorgeous yellow cheesy color.
Nutritional yeast: this is an ingredient that is totally plant-based and packed with B vitamins. It gives it that cheesy flavor.
Mustard: another crucial ingredient to give it a slight yellow color and ups the color.
Lemon: adds a light brightness to the dish.
Starchy cooking water: this is the liquid we add to the recipe. It helps the ingredients of the sauce blend together. I love that it’s multi-used!
If you don’t want to add water, you can add milk to the pasta sauce instead.
How to Make Vegan Gluten-Free Mac and Cheese
Preheat the oven to 375F.
Soak raw cashews in boiling water for 5 mins. Then drain.
Cook pasta according to package directions (subtract 2 minutes for al dente). While the pasta is cooking, use a mug to reserve 1 cup of starchy pasta cooking water. This will be used to add to the cheese sauce! Drain the water and put the cooked pasta back in the stockpot.
In a blender, make the vegan cheese sauce. Add the drained cashews, salt, garlic powder, turmeric, mustard, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, and starchy pasta cooking water. Blend the cheese sauce in a high-powered blender.
Once the sauce is smooth, add the sauce to the cooked pasta!
Make the breadcrumb topping in a bowl by mixing breadcrumbs, olive oil, and salt.
Transfer the pasta with cheese sauce into an oven-safe baking dish and top with the breadcrumb topping evenly.
Bake at 375F for 15-20 minutes until the breadcrumbs are toasted and golden brown!
Let it sit for 10 minutes before digging in.
Enjoy!
FAQs
What ingredients are needed to make vegan gluten-free mac and cheese?
To make vegan, gluten-free mac and cheese, you will need raw cashews, salt, garlic powder, turmeric, mustard, lemon, nutritional yeast, starchy pasta cooking water, and gluten-free pasta (such as shells).
You will need gluten-free breadcrumbs, olive oil, and salt for the breadcrumb topping.
What vegan cheese is best for vegan gluten-free mac and cheese?
Cashew-based cheeses are a common choice for vegan mac and cheese recipes. They can be easily made at home by blending soaked cashews with nutritional yeast, spices, and other flavorings. These nut-based cheeses provide a creamy texture and a rich flavor that closely resembles traditional cheese.
Is vegan gluten free mac and cheese easy to make?
With just a few simple ingredients and steps, you can have delicious and allergen-friendly mac and cheese that tastes like the real deal! The cheese sauce is made from raw cashews, salt, garlic powder, turmeric, mustard, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, and starchy pasta cooking water.
All you need to do is blend these ingredients together in a high-powered blender until smooth, then mix it with cooked gluten-free pasta. To add a crunchy topping, you can mix gluten-free breadcrumbs with olive oil and salt and sprinkle it on top before baking. In just 35 minutes, you'll have a warm and comforting bowl of vegan, gluten-free mac and cheese ready to enjoy!
Are there different variations of vegan gluten free mac and cheese?
There are plenty of options for flavor variations for your dairy-free vegan mac and cheese:
Veggie-loaded mac and cheese: Add some extra nutrition to your classic macaroni and cheese by adding in veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, or spinach. Simply steam or roast the veggies and mix them into the cheese sauce before combining with the pasta.
Spicy mac and cheese: If you like a little heat, spice up your dairy free mac and cheese by adding in some chopped jalapenos or a dash of cayenne pepper. You can also experiment with different spicy seasonings like chipotle powder or smoked paprika.
Buffalo mac and cheese: Toss your cooked pasta in some buffalo sauce before mixing it with the cheese sauce for a tangy twist. You can also top it with some vegan ranch dressing or blue cheese crumbles for added flavor.
Vegan Gluten Free Mac n Cheese Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon mustard
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 cup starchy pasta cooking water
- 8-10 oz of gluten free pasta, I used shells
- 1 cup gluten free breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F.
- Soak raw cashews in boiling water for 5 mins. Then drain.
- Cook pasta according to package directions (subtract 2 minutes for al dente). While the pasta is cooking, use a mug to reserve 1 cup of starchy pasta cooking water. This will be used to add to the cheese sauce! Drain the water and put the cooked pasta back in the stockpot.
- To a blender, make the cheese sauce. Add the drained cashews, salt, garlic powder, turmeric, mustard, lemon juice, nutritional yeast and starchy pasta cooking water. Blend the cheese sauce in a high powered blender.
- Once the sauce is smooth, add the sauce to the cooked pasta!
- In a bowl, make the breadcrumb topping by mixing together breadcrumbs, olive oil and salt.
- Transfer the pasta with cheese sauce into an oven safe baking dish, top with the breadcrumb topping evenly.
- Bake at 375F for 15-20 minutes until the breadcrumbs are toasted and golden brown!
- Let it sit for 10 minutes before digging in.
- Enjoy!
