Creamy Vegan Mac and Cheese
This gluten-free vegan mac and cheese dish is one of my favorite dairy-free comfort foods! The cheese sauce can also be used in lots of other recipes and dishes as well.
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 212kcal
Ingredients
Cheese Sauce
- 1 cup potatoes peeled and diced
- 1/4 cup carrots diced
- 1/4 cup onion diced
- 1 cup broth from veggies
- 1/2 cup raw cashews unsoaked, (or 1/2 c. white beans)
- 4 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 pinch paprika
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper optional
Pasta
- 8 ounces pasta brown rice, if gluten-free
- 3 cups water
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
Instructions
Cheese Sauce
- To make this delicious cashew mac and cheese, you’ll need to start by making the cheese sauce which is surprisingly easy. Dice up potatoes, carrots, and onion.
- In a medium pot, bring about 3 cups of water to a boil. Place potatoes, carrots, and onion in a pot and allow to cook until veggies are tender approximately 15 minutes. Cooking time will vary based on how small the veggies are diced.
- When veggies are tender, drain and place them in a blender. NOTE: reserve 1 cup of the broth, and add to blender. Add all the remaining ingredients, and blend until smooth.
- I have a Vitamix blender, so I don’t take the time to soak my cashews. That thing is powerful and everything that goes into it comes out creamy. However, if your blender isn’t jet engine speed, soaking the cashews in warm water for at least 30 minutes before adding them to this recipe will help this recipe come out more creamy.
- Originally, I made it with 1/2 cup raw cashews. Now, I sometimes sub out white beans–like navy beans or cannellini–to lower the fat content even more. Nowadays, I mostly make with a combination of the two–1/4 cup cashews + 1/4 cup white beans. It has a warm creamy texture with less fat.
Pasta
- Whichever pasta you choose, cook it according to the package directions. Once it’s done, drain the water from it and run cool water over the pasta. The cool water helps to stop the cooking process and rinses off the starchy covering.
- Once pasta is tender, but not overcooked, pour into a drainer and rinse with cool water. Set to the side.
- Add the cooked pasta to a large mixing bowl and pour the cheese sauce over it. I like to add a little turmeric powder to enhance the orangy color. Stir together well.
- Serve immediately and enjoy. Sometimes, I add in a few stemmed green peas to add even more protein and nutrition. They give the color of this dish a pop too.
Video
Notes
Pro Tips & Substitutions:
I have included step-by-step photos and directions above to ensure your first attempt will be successful.
Cheese Sauce: Originally, I made the sauce with 1/2 cup of raw cashews. Now, I sometimes sub out white beans–like navy beans or cannellini–to lower the fat content even more. Nowadays, I mostly make it with a combination of 1/4 cup of cashews + 1/4 cup of white beans. It has a warm creamy texture with less fat.
Nutritional Yeast: To me, nutritional yeast is a pretty important ingredient because it is what gives this sauce its cheesy flavor. It can be made without it, but the flavor of the recipe will change somewhat.
Pasta Options: Though I am not gluten-intolerant, I like the taste and texture of brown rice pasta, which just happens to be gluten-free. Normally, I like to use brown rice elbow pasta with this dish. Another great option is whole wheat elbow macaroni.
Storage: Store this pasta dish in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. It freezes well too.
Nutrition
Calories: 212kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 6g | Fiber: 4g