Dairy-Free Baked Mac and Cheese
Dairy-free baked mac and cheese with a sharp cheddar-style sauce under a crisp buttery breadcrumb topping that actually browns.
Recipe by Andrew Tibbs, the Non Dairy Dude in Dairy-Free Dinner Recipes and Dairy-Free Pasta Recipes
Published · Updated
Featured in Dairy-Free 4th of July, Dairy-Free Summer Cookout
- Total
- 1h 15m
- Servings
- 6
- Level
- medium
Stovetop mac is fast and delicious, but baked mac & cheese is what you want to bring to Thanksgiving, or a potluck. The breadcrumbs go on with melted dairy-free butter and a hit of nutritional yeast and smoked paprika, then sit under the broiler until they are dark in spots. If you have made my dairy-free stovetop mac and cheese, this is that sauce thinned out further so it does not dry while baking.
The sauce is built on unsweetened soy milk rather than oat, because soy has real protein in it and holds together instead of turning gummy. The richness comes from dairy-free heavy cream, which stays liquid at room temperature so the pan does not set like a brick on the table. For the sharpness you would get from aged cheddar there is white miso and a spoonful of bouillon, with a little MSG. Nutritional yeast is capped at 2 tablespoons, because past that it starts tasting like the supplement aisle. Good next to roasted chicken, or on the same table as my dairy-free green bean casserole.
Ingredients
Pasta
- 12 ozElbow macaroni
- 1 tbspFine salt, for pasta water
Topping
- 2 tbspDairy-free butter
- ¾ cupDairy-free cheddar shreds, for the layer under the topping
- ¾ cupDairy-free panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tspNutritional yeast
- ¼ tspSmoked paprika
- ⅛ tspFine salt
Sauce
- 4 tbspDairy-free butter
- 1½ tspTomato paste
- ¼ cupAll-purpose flour
- 2¾ cupsUnsweetened soy milk
- 1 cupDairy-free heavy whipping cream
- 2 tbspWhite miso paste
- 2 tbspNutritional yeast
- 2 tspBetter Than Bouillon, mushroom base if your store has it, otherwise no-chicken or vegetable
- 1 tbspMushroom powder (optional, recommended if you are not using the mushroom bouillon)
- ¾ tspMSG (sold as Accent in most spice aisles)
- 2 tspDijon mustard
- ½ tspDry mustard powder
- 1 tspGarlic powder
- 1 tspOnion powder
- ½ tspSmoked paprika
- ⅛ tspGround turmeric (optional, for color)
- ¾ tspFine salt, plus more to finish
- ½ tspFreshly ground black pepper
- 2½ cupsDairy-free cheddar shreds
Finish
- ½ cupDairy-free parmesan shreds
- 1½ tbspApple cider vinegar
- 1 tspFresh lemon juice
- 1 tspHot sauce (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
- 2
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season it with 1 tablespoon of salt. Cook the macaroni for 2 minutes less than the package's al dente time. The pasta should still have a firm bite because it will keep cooking in the oven. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain.
- 3
While the pasta cooks, make the topping. Melt the 2 tablespoons dairy-free butter for the topping in a small skillet or microwave-safe bowl. Stir in the panko, 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast, smoked paprika, and 1/8 teaspoon salt until the crumbs are evenly coated. Set aside.
- 4
In the now-empty pasta pot, melt the 4 tablespoons dairy-free butter for the sauce over medium heat. Stir in the tomato paste and cook about 1 minute, until it darkens. Whisk in the flour and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until the mixture smells nutty and turns pale gold without browning.
- 5
Slowly whisk in the soy milk and the dairy-free cream. Keep whisking until the roux is fully dissolved and the sauce starts to thicken, about 4 to 5 minutes.
- 6
Scoop about 1/2 cup of the warm sauce into a small bowl and whisk in the white miso until smooth, then pour it back into the pot. Add the nutritional yeast, Better Than Bouillon, mushroom powder (if using), MSG, Dijon, dry mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, turmeric (if using), salt, and black pepper. Whisk until the bouillon has fully dissolved.
- 7
Reduce the heat to low. Add the dairy-free cheddar shreds a handful at a time, stirring until mostly melted before adding more. Keep the heat gentle, because boiling dairy-free shreds can make the sauce tighten or turn gluey.
- 8
Off the heat, stir in the dairy-free parmesan, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, and hot sauce if using. Then whisk in the reserved pasta water 2 tablespoons at a time until the sauce is loose enough to pour, not just spoon. It should taste a little sharper and saltier than you want the finished dish to be, and it should look noticeably looser than stovetop mac and cheese. Add more salt only if it needs it.
- 9
Fold the drained macaroni into the sauce until every piece is coated. Transfer to the prepared baking dish and spread into an even layer. If any sauce remains in the pot, scrape it over the top.
- 10
Scatter the 3/4 cup dairy-free cheddar shreds evenly over the pasta. This layer sits under the crumbs, where it melts into a sheet instead of drying out. Dairy-free shreds will not brown in direct oven heat, so keep them covered by the topping.
- 11
Sprinkle the breadcrumb topping evenly over the cheese. Cover the dish loosely with foil and bake for 20 minutes. The foil is there to heat the middle through without drying the top, so do not skip it.
- 12
Remove the foil and bake for 15 to 20 minutes more. You are waiting on three things: the edges actively bubbling rather than just steaming, the topping gone deep golden rather than pale, and the center hot all the way through, about 165°F if you have a thermometer. Ovens vary a lot here, so go by what you see rather than the clock. For a darker top, broil for 1 to 2 minutes at the end, watching the whole time.
- 13
Let the baked mac and cheese rest for 8 to 10 minutes before serving. This short rest helps the sauce settle while keeping the center creamy.
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How we make it dairy-free
- Butter and roux → Dairy-free butter whisked with flour builds the same base as the classic version, so the method does not change.
- Whole milk → Unsweetened soy milk, because its protein helps the sauce emulsify instead of going gummy the way oat milk can.
- Heavy cream → Dairy-free heavy whipping cream, whose fat stays liquid at room temperature so the pan does not firm up as it cools on the table.
- Melting cheese → Dairy-free cheddar shreds melted into the sauce over low heat, with dairy-free parmesan stirred in at the end for sharpness rather than melt.
- Aged, sharp flavor → White miso and a spoonful of bouillon for savory depth, plus apple cider vinegar for the tang that lemon juice alone cannot fake.
- Browned cheese top → A layer of dairy-free cheddar under a buttered panko crust. The shreds melt where they are shielded, and the crumbs do the browning the cheese cannot.
Tips & Variations
Keep the sauce loose: Baked mac absorbs more sauce than stovetop mac. If it looks perfect before baking, it is too thick. Loosen it with reserved pasta water until it pours rather than spoons.
Undercook the pasta: Pull the macaroni about 2 minutes before al dente. Fully cooked pasta will soften too much during baking.
Choose the right shreds: Dairy-free cheese brands vary a lot. Use shreds you already like melted. If your brand melts slowly, keep the sauce on low and cover the pot for a minute before stirring again.
Salt at the end: The miso and the bouillon are both salty on their own, so taste after the sauce is built rather than seasoning to the number.
Avoid overbaking: The filling is already cooked before it goes into the oven. Baking is mostly for setting the casserole and browning the topping, so stop once the edges bubble.
Make ahead: For the creamiest texture, assemble the pasta and sauce without the crumb topping, cool, and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Add the topping right before baking and add 15 to 20 minutes to the covered bake time, since a fridge-cold 9x13 takes a while to come up to temperature.
Gluten-free option: Use gluten-free elbows, a gluten-free flour blend for the roux, and gluten-free panko. Check your miso and bouillon labels, since some can contain gluten.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use oat milk instead of soy milk?⌄
You can, but soy is the better pick here. It has about 7 grams of protein per cup, which helps a roux-based sauce hold together through a bake. Oat milk brings its own starch and sweetness and can turn gluey. If oat is what you have, split it half and half with soy. I would avoid almond and rice milk, which are too thin for this.
What if I can't find MSG, or would rather not use it?⌄
Look in the spice aisle for Accent, which is straight MSG under a brand name that does not advertise it. Asian groceries stock it as Aji-no-moto. If you are leaving it out, nothing swaps in one for one, because MSG is pure savory with no flavor of its own. Take the Better Than Bouillon up to 1 tbsp and the white miso to 3 tbsp instead.
Can I make this ahead of time?⌄
Yes. Assemble the whole thing in the baking dish, cover, and refrigerate up to a day ahead without the breadcrumb topping. Add the breadcrumbs right before it goes in the oven so they stay crisp instead of going soggy in the fridge.
How do I store and reheat leftovers?⌄
Leftovers keep in the fridge for about 4 days in a covered container. Reheat in the oven at 350°F with foil over the top so the sauce loosens back up, or microwave individual portions with a splash of soy milk stirred in to bring the creaminess back.
Is this recipe nut-free?⌄
As written, yes. There is no nut milk or nut-based dairy-free cheese involved. Double-check the specific brands of dairy-free butter, cream, and cheese shreds you are using, since some process on shared lines with tree nuts.
What should I serve with baked mac and cheese?⌄
It holds its own as a main dish with a simple green salad, or works as a side next to roasted or grilled chicken. I have also served it alongside a bowl of dairy-free broccoli cheddar soup on a cold night when one cheesy dish was not going to cut it.
Dairy-Free Baked Mac and Cheese · https://nondairydude.com/recipes/dairy-free-baked-mac-and-cheese
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