Published: / Updated: by Marlynn Jayme Schotland · This post may contain affiliate links.
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This Dairy-Free Mac and Cheese is the ultimate macaroni and cheese -- without the cheese! Check out my recipe video and print the recipe to make this for dinner tonight!
I've been working on making a dairy-free mac and cheese since becoming dairy-free several years ago. You can read about my food allergy and intolerance testing and get some of my first fave allergy-friendly and intolerance-friendly recipes.
With two kids, macaroni and cheese has been in my dinner recipe rotation regularly for years. It's also one of those family-friendly recipes that I prefer to make from scratch, because a) it's SO easy to make from scratch and b) takes just as much time to make from scratch as it does from a box.
Although, rest assured, we still have a box of Annie's Mac and Cheese in our pantry. You never know when you'll need it, am I right, fellow parents?
Now that I'm dairy-free, I end up making two different pots of mac and cheese: one with full dairy for the kiddos and my husband, and one that's dairy-free for me.
How Do You Make Mac and Cheese Creamy Without Dairy?
This ultimate dairy-free mac and cheese happened thanks to a lot of trial and error.
How can macaroni and cheese be so rich and creamy and, well, cheesy, without the - you know, the most important ingredient: the cheese?
There are so many different ways you can make macaroni and cheese without dairy. The trick is finding one that suits your personal tastebuds.
I've tried using butternut squash, and while I liked the results, I can't always find fresh butternut squash year-round.
What has worked for me time and time again is a combo of these ingredients.
Be sure to read this in-depth article about the Best Dairy-Free Cooking and Baking Products. In it, I also explain some of the confusing terms surrounding dairy-free food.
What you need to make dairy-free mac and cheese
- Vegan butter. I've tried making dairy-free macaroni and cheese without butter, and it's just not the same. I love the velvety rich base that vegan butter lends to this dairy-free mac and cheese recipe.
- A mix of cheddar-style shreds AND mozzarella-style shreds. I use Daiya, but you can also use dairy-free cheese options from Follow Your Heart and other non-dairy products.
- Almond milk. For many dairy-free recipes, I often use coconut milk. However, I've found that coconut milk just doesn't work if you want a traditional, sharp, cheesy mac and cheese flavor. Almond milk, however, works beautifully with mac and cheese.
- Nutritional yeast. I use these nutritional yeast flakes in most of my dairy-free pasta recipes, including my Dairy-Free Fettuccine Alfredo (a reader fave!). It adds a nice nutty flavor that slightly mimics parmesan cheese, which adds to the cheesy texture and taste.
Optional (non-vegan) secret ingredient
What REALLY sets this dairy-free mac and cheese recipe apart is my secret ingredient weapon: bacon.
Now, if you're here because you're looking for a great vegan mac and cheese, go ahead and skip the bacon entirely. It is delicious without it.
However, if you're dairy-free because of a dairy intolerance or milk allergy like me, and you still eat meat, try this. Trust me: it adds SO much flavor! A little bit of bacon grease and crumbled bacon on top goes a LONG way.
Watch the YouTube Video:
More Dairy-Free Recipes
- Creamy Dairy-Free Ground Beef Pasta
- Pasta with Bacon and Peas (Dairy-Free)
- Vegan Pumpkin Soup
- Dairy-Free Fettuccine Alfredo
- Easy Spinach Dip (Dairy-Free)
Find more Dairy Free Recipes on Urban Bliss Life
The Ultimate Creamy Dairy-Free Mac and Cheese
5 from 127 votes
Prep Time: 10 minutes mins
Cook Time: 20 minutes mins
Total Time: 30 minutes mins
Recipe by Marlynn Schotland
This macaroni and cheese is creamy and dairy free.
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 627kcal
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Ingredients
- 12 ounces uncooked macaroni pasta
- 6 slices bacon plus 1 TBSP reserve bacon grease
- ½ cup vegan butter
- 1 tsp garlic, minced
- ¼ cup flour
- 1 ½ cup almond milk
- 2 cups dairy-free cheddar-style shreds
- 1 cup dairy-free mozarella-style shreds
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast flakes
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon chopped thyme leaves (optional)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400°F degrees. Cover a baking sheet with foil. Place bacon slices on foil and bake on the second top rack of your oven for about 8-10 minutes, just until crispy to your liking.
Meanwhile, when the bacon is in the oven you can cook pasta according to package directions and begin making the sauce.
Add butter to a large saucepan or deep skillet over medium heat. Once butter is mostly melted, add the garlic and sauté just a minute or two until softened.
Sprinkle flour and whisk into the garlic butter mixture, then whisk in almond milk.
The bacon should be done about now, so remove from the oven and add about a tablespoon of the bacon grease to the butter garlic mixture. Stir to combine and set aside bacon to cool at room temperature.
NOTE: you can also add the bacon grease later on if it's not yet done cooking at this stage. In the video, I add it after the cheese shreds have melted and before I add spices.
Add your dairy-free cheddar-style shreds, whisk until some of it melts, then add dairy-free mozzarella shreds and whisk until smooth. Add in the nutritional yeast, salt, pepper, and paprika, and whisk all together until the mixture is creamy and smooth.
Drain pasta, then slowly add the pasta and combine until pasta is coated in the cheesy mixture.
Chop cooked bacon into small crumbly pieces. Top dairy-free mac and cheese. Sprinkle optional chopped thyme if you like. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
Vegan Mac & Cheese option: you can omit the bacon and bacon grease to make this a vegan mac and cheese.
Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
To reheat: Take leftovers out of the refrigerator and set on the counter for a few minutes to bring to room temperature. Reheat in a Dutch oven over medium heat; add a tablespoon of unsalted butter to add creaminess to the sauce and stir until the sauce is heated and thickened a bit. Or reheat in single servings in the microwave with a tablespoon of butter for 1 minute, stir, then reheat for another minute and stir.
Tried this recipe?Please leave a star rating and comment! Then snap a pic of your dish and share it on social media. Tag @UrbanBlissLife and #UrbanBlissLife!
Nutrition
Calories: 627kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 1106mg | Potassium: 221mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 734IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 130mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information is a general estimate. Actual nutrition details may vary depending on the exact foods & brands you use to make this recipe. It does not take into account any substitutions, toppings, or optional ingredients.
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Reader Interactions
Comments
Tara Santsaver says
Omg! Yummy and creamy.
I made a few changes,I omited the bacon, used plant butter, gluten free pasta. I only used one bag of cheese and lactaid milk.
I also added ground mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, paprika, and turmeric for color. I always put in sweet rice vinegar for a bit of tang. First time using this cheese, daiya Italian blend, I usually don't like oat cream but this was nice and creamy! Thank u!!!Reply
Ashleigh says
Incredibly delicious! I was super impressed by the texture and flavor of the sauce. We did make some modifications based on what we had in the fridge; we used oat milk instead of almond and a mix of firm goat cheeses instead of the dairy free cheddar.I noticed that the sauce separated after sitting a few minutes, but I can’t fault the recipe for that bc of our changes! To anyone else who might experience that, we just mixed in a bit of reserved pasta water and it came back together quickly. We also used thick cut bacon which took about 20 minutes in the oven.
Reply
Mildred Stephens says
I cannot use almond or any nut milk because of severe nut allergies, could I use Lactaid milk instead? Where can I get nutritional yeast flakes? Thank you for your help.
Reply
Marlynn Jayme Schotland says
Hi, Mildred! You can certainly try to make this recipe with Lactaid milk, but I cannot vouch for how it will turn out as I have never cooked with it before. If you do try it, please comment back here and let us know how it goes as others may have a similar question!Nutritional yeast flakes can be found in the baking section of most grocery stores, as well as in the bulk food section. Bob's Red Mill and Bragg are the most common brands you'll find in the US. You can also purchase nutritional yeast online - https://amzn.to/3T42Dma, although it's usually much cheaper at your local grocery store.
Hope that helps!
Gracie G says
I made this tonight and I was thoroughly impressed!
My husband doesn’t do diary, and he said that this was the first time he had enjoyed Mac and Cheese in a while.
Thank You!!! ❤️Reply
Marlynn Jayme Schotland says
Yay!! 🎉 It makes me so happy to hear that you and your husband enjoyed this creamy dairy-free mac and cheese!
Brian says
I chose to use Boar's Head Vermont Cheddar and Lactose free milks because my partner has big issues with lactose. The recipe smells good I think, I have a bit of a cold so I can't really be sure. Anyway I'll write a second review once I try it at some point.Peace and Love, my lovie dovies. Birdman's in the kitchen again !!!! Hope my wife doesn't take away the wisker!! LOL!!!
Reply
Brian says
Oh also we used crab because you won't find pork on these forks!!! LOL!!! WE DON'T DINE ON SWINE!! LOL!!!!
taste it and it's fine
Kel says
I tried this tonight, paired it with pulled pork and coleslaw for dinner.
I'm dairy and gluten free so used GF pasta.
It was delicious, even my hubby enjoyed it and he's hard to please with pasta (he doesn't really like it/eat it much) and of course dairy free food - as he doesn't need to eat it.
He got seconds!
Anyway, I did alter slightly:
* No bacon (didn't have any)
* Used soy milk (would try oat next time, it was just what was open)
* Added about a tablespoon of Dijon mustard (saw the suggestion on another recipe)
* GF rice pasta
* Added some pasta water to loosen the sauce a littleThanks very much, I will def make this again.
Reply
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