The ultimate comfort food just got a major upgrade in this Dairy-free Mac and Cheese!
Your eyes are not deceiving you, this really is Dairy-free Mac and Cheese
No, really. It is. There is absolutely ZERO cheese involved in this recipe which is partly why it’s so brilliant. The other reason is that is PACKED with vegetables. Um hmmmmm. Veggies!
And you’ll never know they’re in there. This Dairy-free Mac and Cheese is so silky, rich, creamy and cheesy that it fooled even my most discerning, veggie-sniffing daughter. Not kidding, this kid can smell a hidden veggie from miles away like a customs dog on the hunt for pineapples and cigars.
The day I developed this recipe was the first official ‘real snow’ of the season here in Boulder. The girls came running into the house just as I was pulling the bowl of mac and cheese off the table by the window where I’d been photographing it and they immediately started to inhale it. Still in jackets, hats and snow boots. And there may have been a fight over the last noodle, too.
Naturally, I asked: “Is it good?” They both nodded and smiled. Satisfied with their answer, I turned to walk into my office and heard my oldest say to my mom as I left the room: “That wasn’t REAL mac and cheese. I don’t know what it was but it was good.” YASSSSSSS!
Mom: 1, Veggie-sniffer-outer: 0
The secret is in the sauce
Okay, enough about my on-going endeavor to hide all the veggies – you came here to learn how to make the BEST Dairy-free Mac and Cheese, right?
Well, the secret (as you might imagine) is veggies. Taking a cue from an old vegan cookbook I leafed through at a thrift store this summer I combined butternut squash, cauliflower, onions and garlic to create a silky smooth puree in the perfect shade of orange. Then to make it tangy and savory like cheese I used nutritional yeast, lemon juice and a bit of dijon mustard (like we did here in this Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce) and voila!
Super creamy, non-dairy, nut-free cheesiness if now yours to pour all over your favorite gluten-free pasta (or roasted cauliflower if you’re looking for a grain-free and/or lower carb option).
Veggies are the secret to this ultra creamy Dairy-free, Nut-Free Mac and Cheese #realfood Click To Tweet
A food-allergy sufferers dream come true
Whether it’s dairy, soy, gluten, eggs or corn that can’t tolerate, you can make this recipe work for you. Even our plant-based friends can partake in this Dairy-free Mac and Cheese by substituting vegetable broth for the chicken broth.
#macandcheeseforeveryone
Put the ultimate comfort food back on the menu with this Dairy-free Mac and Cheese!
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Dairy-free Mac and Cheese
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 35 mins
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Main-dish, Side dish
- Cuisine: Paleo, Vegan, Gluten-free, Nut-free, Dairy-free
Ingredients
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp. coconut or avocado oil
- 3 cups cubed butternut squash, fresh or frozen
- 3 cups cauliflower florets, fresh or frozen
- 2 cups chicken broth (substitute vegetable broth for vegan)
- 1 ½ tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Scant ¾ tsp. dijon mustard
- 1 – 1 ½ tsp. salt
- 3 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
- 16 ounces gluten-free pasta of choice
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan with lid, melt oil over medium heat.
- Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions start to soften.
- Add garlic, stir and cook another 30 seconds to a minute or until garlic is fragrant.
- Add squash, cauliflower and broth and bring to a steady simmer.
- Once simmering, cover pan with lid and cook until vegetables are very tender, about 15-18 minutes. You may need to lower the heat slightly to maintain a steady simmer and prevent it from boiling.
- When veggies are very tender, transfer to a blender. Add remaining ingredients and blend until very smooth.
- Taste and adjust seasoning before pouring our your favorite cooked pasta (or roasted vegetables).
Notes
All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish this recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own unique words and link back to the source recipe here on The Real Food Dietitians. Thank you!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6th recipe
- Calories: 376
- Sugar: 7g
- Sodium: 340mg
- Fat: 7g
- Carbohydrates: 71g
- Fiber: 10g
- Protein: 12g
What’s your favorite thing serve with Mac and Cheese? Are you a vegetable hider too? Share in the comments below.
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Alexis says
Is nutritional yeast safe for those who have psoriasis? Thanks!
Stacie Hassing says
Yup, you will be fine with nutritional yeast.
Jenalie says
Yum! any suggestions for Something to sub out nutritional yeast for those that cant have it? Thanks! 🙂
Stacie Hassing says
If you can tolerate cheese, you could add cheese (or dairy-free cheese) and if not, you could increase the dijon mustard and lemon juice to taste.
Christina says
Hi there, the consistancy was perfect. I think I may have added to much onion n cauliflower. And not enough lemon juice? All I could taste was the onion and cauliflower. Any suggestions on how to fix this?
Stacie Hassing says
You could certainly try cutting back on the onions and cauliflower and/or add more lemon juice, dijon and nutritional yeast. You could add a little, taste test, and repeat as needed.
Karen W says
I made this tonight and all I could taste was the onion. However, I think the problem was the onion was too strong. Couldn’t taste the cauliflower at all. Normally when I sauté an onion I like the smell — tonight the onion made my eyes water. Next time I am going to omit the onion if it smells too strong or at least reduce the amount. Three out of four ate it and enjoyed it, but my picky eater took two bites and said he didn’t like it. He is very picky, but I am definitely going to try this again with a milder onion!! Thanks for the recipe!!!!
★★★★
Stacie Hassing says
Oh bummer! Them dang onions can sure be strong. You’ll have to keep us posted if you give this recipe another shot using a more mild onion. Would love to hear how ‘take 2’ turns out!
JodyW says
Another way to reduce the onion’s sharpness is to soak it in cold water for 20-30 minutes, that takes away much of the “spiciness” of onion and makes it milder.
Jessica Beacom says
Great tip! Thanks so much for sharing!
Jennifer P says
This was sooooo good. I love getting the extra veggie servings. I ended up adding 1/2c soaked cashews. I know it shifts the nutritional profile but it made it super creamy. All the spices were perfect. My daughter loves mac and cheese but doesn’t tolerate dairy. This was perfection! Thank you so much.
★★★★★
Jessica Beacom says
We’re so glad you guys love this recipe!!
Ashley says
Isnt ghee dairy like butter? My son is allegic to dairy the milk proteins i want to make sure
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Ashley,
Yes, technically ghee is dairy since it’s made from butter. However, very high quality ghee is often 99.9-100% free of lactose, casein and whey making it suitable for SOME people with dairy allergy (depending on how sensitive they are).
If you have never challenged your son with ANY dairy then I could recommend replacing the ghee with coconut or avocado oil instead.
Jodie says
Can I ask what is ghee and can you freeze the sauce?
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Jodie,
Ghee is clarified butter. Regular butter will also work. Yes, the sauce can be frozen then allowed to thaw overnight in the fridge before gently reheating it on the stove to bring it back together.
alicia says
Do you just add the veggies to the blender or all of the contents of the pot (broth included)?
Jessica Beacom says
Yes, you add everything from the pot (veggies and broth) to the blender so it’s important to use just the amount of liquid called for in the recipe and not add any extra.
Laura says
Thank you for your recipes! What are your families favorite gluten free pasta?
Jessica Beacom says
You’re welcome, Laura!
At my house we like Trader Joe’s Brown Rice Penne and spaghetti, Banza pasta (all the shapes), Annie Chun’s rice noodles and Lotus Foods Brown or Black Rice Ramen. We also like the gluten-free pastas from Jovial for manicotti and lasagna.
Stephanie says
I’ve recently been put on a dairy and soy free diet for as long as I continue nursing my 2 month old. I’m missing comfort foods so much it’s painful. This sauce was so delicious I’ve already told friends about it. My husband is not very adventurous with food, especially when it includes vegetables or anything deemed healthier. I didn’t tell him there was actually no cheese in the dish until after he ate it and said how good it was! Ha!
Followed the recipe exactly. Turned out amazing. I plan on keeping this recipe on hand and definitely making it for my baby when he’s older. Thank you!
★★★★★
Stacie Hassing says
This is amazing! So great to hear you enjoyed this recipe and I love the bit about your husband not even realizing it was dairy free. I do that with my husband quite often. haha! And thanks for sharing with friends 🙂
Amanda says
Just like a previous commenter, I recently had to go dairy-free for my nursing baby. I also have a 2 year old, so mac n cheese is a staple in our house, and I’ve been jealous watching him eat it. I made this recipe tonight, and it’s totally delicious and satisfies the comfort food craving! As a bonus, my 2 year old also ate it and unknowingly probably got a week’s worth of veggies. 🙂
★★★★★
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Amanda,
This is so great! Glad you were able to satisfy that craving and boost your kiddo’s veggie intake at the same time.
Christy says
Can you tell me if the “cheese” freezes well? I’d be looking to make the sauce in bulk, and freezing it for quicker use when kiddo wants mac n cheese.
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Christy,
Honestly, I can’t say if it freezes well since I haven’t tried it. My guess is that it would be fine but may need to be whisked a bit to bring it back together once it’s thawed. If you try it, we’d love to hear how it works for you.
Meghann says
I froze half of this recipe, and it defrosts perfectly! I just added it to the cooked, hot pasta and warmed it up in the pan for a few minutes before eating. Perfect!
Jessica Beacom says
Awesome. Thanks for letting us know how it turned out – we’ve recently had others asking about freezing it so this is super helpful!
Adam Webb says
Made it really had to correct the seasoning and add other spices and seasonings to it as the recipe is very bland.
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Adam,
I’m sorry to hear that yours turned out so bland – good call on adding spices to suit your individual taste.
Ashley says
Hi! I am allergic to yeast, is that a necessary ingredient?
★★★★★
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Ashley,
The yeast is not necessary as far as texture, etc. It just adds a nice savory (or ‘umami’) flavor that’s much like cheese. You could get the same result from adding a little dijon mustard and perhaps a tiny bit of tamari or something like Bragg’s Liquid Aminos.
Daralynn Gilliam says
My experience with DF mac n cheese it’s dry and stiff the next day instead of creamy like regular Mac n cheese. Also DF man cheese lack flavor .
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Daralynn,
I don’t think you’ll have that problem with this DF mac & cheese. Since the sauce is veggie-based, rather than made with highly-processed ‘cheez’ powders, it stays nice and creamy when reheated the next day.
Daralynn says
Is Dijon mustard gluten free? I’m making this for my daughter whom has a gluten and dairy allergy.
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Daralynn,
Though most brands of Dijon mustard do not contain gluten-containing ingredients, per se, they MAY be produced with vinegar derived from wheat or could be subject to cross-contamination during processing resulting in > 20ppm of gluten.
Your best bet is to use a certified gluten-free brand such as Annie’s or Organicville which are widely available in larger grocery stores and on Amazon and Thrive Market.
Sue says
I made this and it was delicious! I had quite a bit of extra sauce and wonder if you know if it freezes well?
★★★★
Stacie Hassing says
Great to hear that you enjoyed this recipe! Yes, you should be able to freeze the extra sauce. What I would suggest is that when you’re ready to enjoy it again, to thaw it out, heat it up and then blend it up again to make it nice and smooth.
Griselda Perez says
Wow! It did look tasty. I must try this recipe.
Stacie Hassing says
It’s so good! Let us know if you give it a try!
Sam says
Thank you so much for this delicious and simple recipe! My little boy cannot have dairy or soya. He normally hates all sauces. He wolfed this all down without a word (as did my husband).
I added 1/2 tbsp more nutritional yeast, a pinch of cayenne pepper and a couple of twists of black pepper. I topped it with toasted gluten free breadcrumbs.
★★★★★
Stacie Hassing says
Thanks for sharing your feedback, Sam. Thrilled to hear your little boy is a fan!
Rod Johnson says
I’m anxious to try dairy free mac n cheese.
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Rod,
We hope you enjoy it!
Donna says
Does it matter if the veggies are frozen vs.fresh?
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Donna,
You can use either fresh or frozen since you’ll be cooking them to make the sauce.
Lindsey says
My toddler loved this! I think I may add some smoked paprika to it for more flavor but I’m so pleased that he ate his and my share, too!
★★★★★
Kimberly Amundsen says
Can I use acorn squash or just leave out the squash all together? I grabbed the wrong squash and no time to go back to the store!
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Kimberly,
I”m not sure you could leave out the squash and get the same texture or flavor. You could try using acorn though it’s hard to peel, in which case, I’d recommend slicing it into quarters, steaming it and then scraping it from the skin. You can then add this to the cauliflower once that’s been cooked.
Jayme says
My daughter 21 months has just been diagnosed with dairy intolerance and she is not a veggie fan either. She ate two bowls and then picked of our plates as well! Will most definitely be cooking again! Just wondering ifnit will reheat well once frozen??
Stacie Hassing says
So great to hear! And yes, you could freeze this recipe. To re-heat – remove a single serving from the freezer the night before, let it thaw out in the fridge, and reheat however you please (oven, stove top or microwave).
Lynn says
Thank you, can’t wait to try this recipe. Our family has a dairy allergy so hoping this is a good replacement for my 7 year old.
Stacie Hassing says
Hope you enjoy(ed) it!
Cathy says
This is so awesome! I’ve been trying to shift my mac&cheese obsessed daughter off dairy, but she wouldn’t touch any of the dairy-free box versions. I started by mixing this half&half with some Annie’s – no complaints. Now she’s happily eating 100% this. Also, in answer to some earlier comments, it does freeze well, but separates a bit and doesn’t look quite as smooth once thawed. I solved it by adding some avocado oil and some arrowroot starch (equal parts, about 1 tsp/cup of sauce). Truth be told I also added some avocado oil and arrowroot starch to the original batch, just to give it some of the stretchiness and plastic sheen (LOL) of the box stuff, and, of course, to get some good fats in.
Stacie Hassing says
This is so awesome! Glad to hear you found a dairy-free Mac & Cheese alternative for you daughter! And thanks for sharing your feedback and suggestions about freezing and reheating. Appreciate it!
Cherie says
Can you used sweet potatoes instead of squash???
★★★★★
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Cherie,
I’m guessing you can. You may need to add a bit more liquid to get the consistency but it should be an easy swap.
Laura says
We love this recipe! It’s REALLY good with some taco meat and a little salsa… Reminds me a lot of the Velveeta dip I grew up enjoying.
Stacie Hassing says
Amazing! And love the addition of taco meat…yummmm!
Tricey C says
I want to try this recipe, especially since I’m definitely not a fan of cheese but I love pasta. Does this recipe taste like cheese or just mimic the consistency? I would love to have this recipe doe next holiday with traditional macaroni and cheese, I wonder if my fs family will be able to tell the difference.
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Tricey,
The sauce has the same tangy, savory, salty (umami) flavors of cheese but it’s not a dead ringer for the real deal (though in my opinion, neither is the powdered cheese in the box). That said, it’s pretty close but lacks the mouthfeel of real, melted cheese. I’d suggest giving it a try before the holidays and halving the recipe to make a smaller batch to see what you think. Keep in mind, you may need to tweak the amount of salt, yeast, and mustard to suit your palate as we all experience flavors slightly different.
Dee Dee says
Just made this for Christmas! It’s aahmazing!! I will definitely be making this again! Thanxs for this yummy recipe.
★★★★★
Stacie Hassing says
So great to hear, Dee Dee! Merry Christmas!
Michelle Moore says
I followed the direction exactly. Absolutley delicious!! Thank you for bring comfort food back into my restrictive diet life!!
Jessica Beacom says
You are so very welcome, Michelle!
Lupe says
I’m highly allergic to both the avacado and coconut oils. Can I just use olive oil?
Jessica Beacom says
Yes, you can use olive oil. A light tasting one would be preferable.
Jill says
Hello! Just wondering what thoughts are on making the sauce ahead and freezing? Do you think it would still be as creamy after thawing? Thanks!
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Jill,
We actually had an IG follower tell us that the sauce froze then thawed/reheated beautifully.
Karla says
I made this last night. I didn’t have butternut on hand so I used sweet potatoes and added a little extra dijon to counteract some of the sweetness. Although it didn’t taste so much like cheese, it was delicious! My hubby absolutely loved it and thought the “cheese sauce” would make an excellent soup. Go figure LOL. Thanks for the recipe. I will definitely try it again with butternut.
★★★★
Jessica Beacom says
I think your hubby is onto something with the soup idea!
Julia says
This is a blessing of a recipe. My daughter is a self proclaimed mac & chs addict. Due to health reasons, she’s been on an elimination diet and now must go casein free. It has been the BIGGEST challenge finding M&C she will tolerate…until we found this! I did not let her see how it was made, or she wouldn’t have tried it. I cannot thank you enough!! 😀
★★★★★
Jessica Beacom says
This makes my heart so full! I’m so glad we could make your life easier (and hers more delicious).
Mary says
Thank you Jessica so much for this recipe! I make this for my son who is three years old. He is a very fussy eater and also has eczema. He ate this a few times now I always come back to your recipe it’s amazing because I can give him vegetables. He is so fussy and eats unhealthy foods such as pizza and chicken nuggets etc but he will eat this! Amazed and thank you this recipe you have helped us so much Thank you again.
★★★★★
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Mary,
Thanks for sharing this – I’m so happy to hear that it’s been a hit with your son and that it’s a recipe you feel good about giving him because I know what a challenge that can be to feed fussy kids!!
Melody says
I have this cooking in my instant pot right now, and then I will leave it on keep warm until dinner time…I am so excited about this!
Jessica Beacom says
Wow! I never thought to make this in the Instant Pot. I’ll have to try it that way sometime.
Melody says
It turned out AMAZING. So creamy, fast and easy. I tried it on top of GF rice pasta, and my mac and cheese loving 2 1/2 year old daughter kept grabbing handfuls and saying “mmmmm….mmm mmm” then she would get a bit of the pasta (which turns out none of us are a fan of), make a face, then lick the sauce off! So I took the rest of the pasta and sauce, mixed it with buttermilk, breadcrumbs, eggs, onion and garlic powders, smoked paprika, salt and pepper and baked it into mac and cheese baked bites. And I have about 6 cups of sauce left, which I will use with regular pasta, but all of it is a hit!!! Thank you!
Melody says
To be fair, the modification to make the baked mac and cheese was definitely not dairy free at that point, but I was trying to salvage something with that rice pasta.
Jessica Beacom says
Wow, those baked mac & cheese cups sound amazing. I hear you about the rice pasta. They can be pretty hit or miss. My personal go-to is the Organic Quinoa & Brown Rice Pasta from Trader Joes. I find that it’s the closest to ‘real’ pasta and doesn’t get mushy unless overcooked.
Sarah Richardson says
Hello! I love this idea! Do you think I could freeze the Mac and cheese sauce to use in other recipes later? I think it would go along way with my 3yo 😀
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Sarah,
Yes, you can freeze the sauce itself then thaw and reheat it later for another meal.
Tanya says
This is awesome
nadia says
Hi, I’m loving this dairy free version, but here’s my dilemma. I am on a low FODMAP diet, so I cant do garlic, onion OR cauliflower. What can I substitute for cauliflower that would still give me the best taste?
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Nadia,
I would suggest using peeled zucchini in place of the cauliflower. If you try it, we’d love to know how it turned out.
Emily says
I really want to try this recipe because I don’t eat dairy (exceptionally lactose intolerant and a touch allergic). However, I also don’t do onion or garlic (they make me more instantaneously sick than dairy does). Are there other spices you think I could sub?
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Amy,
Though it won’t be quite the same without the onion and garlic, you can use some fresh chives in place of the garlic for a little ‘garlicky’ flavor. For the onion, I would either use a little more cauliflower or butternut squash or replace it with peeled, chopped zucchini.
To give the sauce a more savory flavor since you’ll be removing the onions, I would add a little more Dijon mustard and nutritional yeast to taste.
Emily says
Hi Emily!
I can’t have garlic or onion either but I do miss it sometimes. There is something called asafoetida powder that smells awful but if you mix it into a sauce mix like this it should be ok.
Brandon says
I am not a dairy free person. Planned to make this for a Thanksgiving meal because someone we know is. I waited until last minute to do a trial run because of the high ratings. What a mistake. This was not anywhere near mac and cheese. I played with it and was not able to get it edible enough that me my wife or any of my kids or our neighbor could stand it. Well not until I added shredded cheese anyway. Big fail. One of few I have ever had in the kitchen.
★
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Brandon,
I’m sorry to hear you were so disappointed in this recipe. It sounds to me like you were expecting this to be much more like cheese than it really is. Thanks for giving it a try. We’d love to know if you find a dairy-free mac and cheese that you enjoy as we’re always open to constructive feedback and doing some tinkering with our recipes.
Joey says
This is fabulous!!! I only used half of the sauce tonight. How long will it keep in the frig? Can it be frozen?
Jessica Beacom says
Thanks, Joey!
The sauce will keep about 4 days in the fridge and can be frozen for longer storage.
Kim Reese says
This is not vegan! Chicken broth is NOT vegan. Vegan means no animal product. Deceptive 🤨
Stacie Hassing says
Vegetable broths can ALWAYS be substituted anytime a recipe calls for an animal based broth.
Christina Stelpstra says
I made this for my family tonight and it’s really good. I love the creaminess of the sauce and can imagine the sauce being used in other dishes. How about a sauce over fish or even a sauce over veg. Loved it, thanks for the post!
★★★★★
Stacie Hassing says
Awesome! Thanks for sharing your comment and for the suggestion to use the sauce in other dishes. The options are endless!
Jessica A Kane says
Hi! I can’t wait to try this recipe with my daughter. I’ve been dairy free for a few years, and her pediatrician just suggested she go dairy free too. She’s so sad to miss mac and cheese! I’m wondering if this “cheese” mix could be made in larger quantity then frozen? Thanks!
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Jessica,
Yes, you can freeze the cheese sauce portion of this recipe then thaw and reheat it to mix with the noodles at a later date.
Debbie says
Recipe looks great. I know you say to use a medium onion but my medium might not be the same as yours. Approximately, is it a half a cup of chopped onions. As I watch the video it doesn’t look like a lot of onions. I don’t want to over power the sauce with onions. Thanks.
Jessica Beacom says
The average medium onion weighs about 8 ounces. After peeling, removing the stem and root ends, and chopping, this should yield roughly 1 cup. I do not feel that the onion is overpowering in the sauce but you can certainly decrease the amount and still have great results.
Dorota Bear says
Hello, do you know where on the ph scale would this Dairy free Mac and cheese fall? My daughter needs to eat foods of 5 or higher. Thank you
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Dorota,
We have no idea what the pH of this would be.
Christine says
I made this recipe as written, with the exception of lemon juice as I’m out of lemons. It is delicious and my 8 year old daughter and I enjoyed spoonful after spoonful of the sauce. Thank you for the delicious recipe.
Jessica Beacom says
This is amazing!! Thank you for sharing 🙂
ML Olsen says
Fast, flavorful and easy to make. I added tumeric to intensify the color and make it brighter. Also used brown rice pasta.
Nicole says
Great recipe! Really hit the spot with the whole family, and a great way to get veggies in. My 2 and 4 year old ate it up!
★★★★★