Dairy-Free Stovetop Mac and Cheese
A dairy-free stovetop mac and cheese with a real roux and a savory sauce that stays creamy instead of setting up, on the table in 35 minutes.
Recipe by Andrew Tibbs, the Non Dairy Dude in Dairy-Free Dinner Recipes and Dairy-Free Pasta Recipes
Published · Updated
- Total
- 35m
- Servings
- 4
- Level
- easy
What finally got me there was building the sauce like a real béchamel. Vegan butter and flour for the roux, then unsweetened soy milk and a splash of dairy-free heavy cream. Both of those liquids are deliberate. Soy has real protein in it, so the sauce emulsifies instead of turning gummy the way oat milk sometimes does. Nothing soaks overnight and the blender stays in the cabinet. About 35 minutes, start to finish.
Most vegan mac leans hard on nutritional yeast and tastes like it. There are 2 tablespoons in here and that is the ceiling. The savory depth comes from white miso and a spoonful of bouillon instead, with a little MSG doing the job the nooch used to. If you want it baked and bubbling, I have a dairy-free baked mac and cheese. For something closer to a full dinner, try the dairy-free chili mac.
Ingredients
Pasta
- 12 ozElbow macaroni
- Salt for the pasta water
Sauce
- 3 tbspVegan butter
- 1 tspTomato paste
- 3 tbspAll-purpose flour
- 2 cupsUnsweetened soy milk
- ½ cupDairy-free heavy whipping cream
- 2 tbspNutritional yeast
- 1 tspBetter Than Bouillon, mushroom base if your store has it, otherwise no-chicken or vegetable
- 2 tspMushroom powder (optional, recommended if you are not using the mushroom bouillon)
- ½ tspMSG (sold as Accent in most spice aisles)
- 2 tspDijon mustard
- ½ tspDry mustard powder
- 1 tspOnion powder
- 1 tspGarlic powder
- ½ tspSmoked paprika
- ¼ tspTurmeric (optional, for color)
- ½ tspFine salt, plus more to finish
- ½ tspBlack pepper
- 1 tspTamari or soy sauce (optional)
Finish
- 8 ozShredded dairy-free cheddar
- 2 ozShredded dairy-free parmesan
- 2 tbspWhite miso
- 1 tbspApple cider vinegar
- 1 tspLemon juice
Instructions
- 1
Cook the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the elbow macaroni 2 minutes short of the package time for al dente. Scoop out 1 full cup of the pasta water before you drain, then drain and set the pasta aside.
- 2
Start the roux: In the same pot over medium heat, melt the vegan butter. Stir in the tomato paste and cook about 1 minute, until it darkens and smells sweet. Whisk in the flour and keep whisking for 3 minutes, until the paste turns pale gold and smells nutty.
- 3
Add the liquids: Slowly whisk in the soy milk, then the dairy-free cream. Keep whisking until the sauce is smooth and has thickened, about 4 to 5 minutes.
- 4
Season the sauce: Whisk in the nutritional yeast, Better Than Bouillon, mushroom powder (if using), MSG, Dijon, dry mustard, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, turmeric (if using), salt, and pepper. Keep whisking until the bouillon has fully dissolved.
- 5
Melt the cheddar: Reduce the heat to low. Add the dairy-free cheddar a handful at a time, letting each addition melt before you add the next. Do not let the sauce simmer here or the shreds can break and go greasy.
- 6
Finish the pasta in the sauce: Add the drained macaroni and about half the reserved pasta water. Stir over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until the pasta finishes cooking and the sauce coats it. Add more pasta water a splash at a time. Stop while it still looks a little too loose in the pot, because the pasta keeps absorbing after it leaves the heat.
- 7
Off the heat: In a small bowl, whisk the miso with a few spoonfuls of the hot sauce until smooth, then stir it back into the pot along with the dairy-free parmesan, apple cider vinegar, and lemon juice.
- 8
Taste and serve: Taste, then add the tamari (if using) and more salt only if it needs it. Serve right away in warmed bowls, with a sprinkle of chives if you want it.
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How we make it dairy-free
- Butter → Vegan butter, which builds the roux and carries the tomato paste the same way dairy butter would.
- 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 sauce does not firm up as it cools.
- Cheddar → Dairy-free cheddar shreds (Violife, Daiya, or Follow Your Heart) for the melt, kept to 8 oz so the coconut oil in them does not tighten the sauce.
- 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.
Tips & Variations
Reserve the water before you drain: a full cup, not half. You will use most of it.
Keep it looser than looks right: the pasta keeps drinking sauce after it leaves the pot, so pull it while it still slides around the pan.
Temper the miso: whisk it with a few spoonfuls of hot sauce before it goes into the pot, or it will sit there in clumps.
Salt at the end: the miso and the bouillon are both salty on their own, so taste before you add any more.
Warm the bowls: run them under hot tap water and dry them off. It buys you a few more minutes before the sauce starts to tighten.
Make your own mushroom powder: buzz dried shiitake or a bag of mixed dried mushrooms in a spice grinder for about twenty seconds.
Frequently asked questions
What's the best dairy-free cheese for mac and cheese?⌄
Shred-style dairy-free cheddars melt the smoothest. Violife, Daiya, and Follow Your Heart all work well. Add them on low heat and give them a minute to soften before you decide whether the sauce needs more liquid. The 2 oz of dairy-free parmesan at the end is there for sharpness rather than melt, so do not swap it for more cheddar.
Why soy milk instead of oat milk?⌄
Soy milk has about 7 grams of protein per cup, which helps a roux-based sauce hold together. Oat milk has very little, and it brings its own starch and sweetness, so it can turn gluey. Oat milk still works if it is what you have. Split it half and half with soy if you like what oat does for the flavor.
What if I can't find MSG, or would rather not use it?⌄
Look in the spice aisle for Accent first. That is straight MSG under a brand name that does not advertise it on the front of the jar. Asian groceries stock it as Aji-no-moto, and the mushroom seasoning powders on that same shelf are mostly MSG with mushroom already blended in. If you are leaving it out either way, nothing swaps in one for one, because MSG is pure savory with no flavor of its own. Lean on what is already in the pot instead. Take the Better Than Bouillon up to 2 tsp and the white miso to 3 tbsp, then add the optional teaspoon of tamari. That gets you close without buying anything new.
How do I reheat dairy-free mac and cheese?⌄
The sauce firms up once chilled. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave with a splash of soy milk, stirring until it loosens back into a creamy sauce. Avoid high heat, which can make dairy-free cheese go greasy.
Can I make this gluten-free?⌄
Yes. Use gluten-free elbow pasta and swap the all-purpose flour in the roux for a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend. Check your miso and bouillon labels, since some can contain gluten. Use tamari rather than soy sauce if using.
Dairy-Free Stovetop Mac and Cheese · https://nondairydude.com/recipes/dairy-free-stovetop-mac-and-cheese
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