This creamy baked Nut Free Vegan Mac And Cheese is the best vegan mac and cheese to make that is allergen-friendly. It's a great way to eat more veggies and whole grains, and it's super simple to make. This recipe is sure to be a favorite amongst vegans and non-vegans alike!
Vegan Mac and Cheese is great. There are thousands of recipes online. Many of them taste just like the real thing, or they have a creative twist like my Sweet Potato Mac And Cheese.
More often than not these vegan mac and cheese recipes contain non-dairy milk like almond milk or coconut milk, or they have vegan butter. This is perfectly fine unless you are nut-free. That's exactly why I created this mac and cheese!
Whether you have a nut allergy, are looking for a more affordable option, or are just looking for a delicious recipe, this one's for you!
This post is sponsored by SunButter - A company that aligns with The All Natural Vegan Mission. Thank you for supporting brands that make The All Natural Vegan Possible!
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
This recipe features several affiliate links, meaning I will earn a small commission if you purchase through these links.
Jump to:
- Ingredients For This Nut Free Vegan Mac And Cheese:
- How To Make This Nut Free Vegan Mac And Cheese:
- Easy Substitutions:
- Nut-Free Vegan Mac And Cheese Variations:
- What You Will Need To Make This Nut-Free Mac And Cheese:
- How To Store This Nut-Free Vegan Mac And Cheese:
- Top Tip For Making Nut-Free Vegan Mac And Cheese:
- Frequently Asked Questions:
- Related Vegan Main Courses:
- Nut Free Vegan Mac And Cheese
- Food Safety
- Recent Recipes:
- Reviews
Ingredients For This Nut Free Vegan Mac And Cheese:
This recipe is the perfect allergen-friendly easy vegan mac and cheese and it's made with clean and simple ingredients.
- SunButter Organic Sunflower Seed Butter - This is the key ingredient to achieving the perfect creamy nut-free vegan mac and cheese. It's made with raw sunflower seeds and salt is certified organic, and is SO much more affordable than nut butter such as cashew butter. It has a delicious flavor that brings out the umami flavor of this recipe.
- Golden Potatoes - Any potato variety will work for this vegan mac and cheese. However, I prefer to use golden potatoes. They have a great texture that is smooth and creamy which makes them perfect for the creamy sauce.
- Baby Carrots - It's important that you use baby carrots and not regular carrots. Baby carrots have a sweeter flavor, and will compliment the other flavors in the creamy sauce. Regular carrots don't have much flavor, they will work if that's all you have, but I prefer not to use them.
- Garlic - You may adjust the garlic to your taste. Since this is not a traditional mac and cheese recipe, you can play around with the flavors quite a lot. I personally don't love traditional mac and cheese, because I think it lacks flavor. Therefore I like to add lots of garlic to this recipe.
- Sweet Onion - You can use a sweet onion or a regular onion. Much like the carrots, this will just affect the flavors slightly. Regular onions will work. However, I find that sweet onions work better.
- Nutritional Yeast - This is what gives this recipe the perfect plant-based cheesy flavor. Nutritional yeast is a natural ingredient that is high in B vitamins and protein.
- Nut-Free Vegan Yogurt - If you're not nut-free, you can use any vegan yogurt. However, if you want to make this recipe nut-free, use soy, flax, coconut, or oat-based yogurt.
- Smoked Paprika - This gives this plant-based mac and cheese the perfect warm smoky flavor. Smoked paprika is great, because it's not too overwhelming, but it's still super flavorful.
- Sea Salt - One of the key ingredients to achieving a cheesy taste as a vegan is using lots of salt. You can leave this ingredient out if you eat a low-sodium diet, but I highly recommend including it.
- Gluten-Free Macaroni Noodles - If you don't eat a gluten-free diet, you can use regular, whole wheat, or even chickpea pasta for a high protein and high fiber option. However, if you do have an allergy use your favorite gluten-free pasta!
- Broccoli - This is the perfect vegetable to include in this recipe. You can use fresh broccoli, or use frozen broccoli for a quicker option.
- Gluten-Free Panko - Just like the pasta, if you are not gluten-free, you do not need to use gluten-free panko. I like using the Panko brand because it has minimal ingredients.
- Fresh Thyme - This makes for the perfect garnish on top of this creamy vegan mac and cheese recipe.
See the recipe card for quantities.
How To Make This Nut Free Vegan Mac And Cheese:
This is the perfect vegan Mac And Cheese that is guaranteed to be a new favorite plant-based dinner for the whole family. It's easy to make and it is packed full of vegetables and flavor.
1. Begin by peeling the garlic and roughly chopping the onions and the potatoes. Add to them all to a steamer with the baby carrots and steam until soft. About 25 minutes. You can also steam the potatoes and other vegetables in a pressure cooker by following these Instant Pot Steamed Potatoes.
2. Add the steamed vegetables to a blender with the nutritional yeast, smoked paprika, plant-based yogurt, salt, and Sunbutter sunflower seed butter.
3. Blend the mixture on high for about 2 full minutes. You want to make sure that it becomes a smooth and creamy sauce without any clumps. Boil the gluten-free macaroni noodles according to the package instructions until al dente.
4. Lightly blanch the broccoli. Once it turns bright green, remove from heat and strain and set aside. Preheat the oven to 375.
5. Combine the cooked pasta and balanced broccoli together in an oven-safe casserole dish such as a cast iron skillet.
6. Pour the vegan cheese sauce over the cooked pasta noodles and broccoli. Top with gluten-free panko and place in the oven for 15 minutes.
7. Once the vegan macaroni and cheese is golden brown on top, remove it from the oven and top with fresh thyme. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Hint: Don't overcook the macaroni noodles or broccoli before adding them to the oven-safe casserole dish with the vegan cheese sauce. The liquid in the sauce will cook the noodles and broccoli even more. By cooking them just until al dente before baking you will end up with perfect noodles and broccoli.
Easy Substitutions:
If you have an allergy, don't have a certain ingredient on hand, or are just looking to use something else, there are plenty of easy substitutions that can be made in this nut-free vegan mac and cheese.
- Vegetable - instead of broccoli, you can use any cruciferous vegetable. Kale and cauliflower are my top picks. I also love adding green peas! You can also use onion powder and garlic powder if needed, however, this will not create the same creamy texture.
- Noodles - There are so many noodles catered towards so many diets nowadays, that the noodle substitutions are truly endless for this recipe. Use bean-based noodles for a grain-free option, gluten-free for a gluten-free option, konjac noodles for a low-calorie option, the list goes on!
- Garnish - This recipe can be garnished with any fresh herb. I personally love thyme, but you can also use parsley, sage, chives, etc.
Nut-Free Vegan Mac And Cheese Variations:
This Nut Free Vegan Mac And Cheese is a go-to healthy vegan weeknight dinner recipe for me. Although it is absolutely delicious as is, there are a couple of variations I love to make to mix it up.
- Spicy - Add chili pepper flakes or cayenne pepper to the sauce to make an extra spicy dairy-free mac and cheese.
- Deluxe - Add plant-based protein, extra vegetables, and vegan cheese on top for the ultimate comfort food.
- Noodles - Just because this is a mac and cheese recipe does not mean you have to use macaroni noodles. You can use any noodle shape for this recipe. I recommend using bite-size noodles with some sort of shape and form that can hold the sauce.
See my Sweet Potato Mac And Cheese for another vegan mac and cheese variety!
What You Will Need To Make This Nut-Free Mac And Cheese:
This Nut Free Mac and Cheese is great because it doesn't require any crazy equipment. You will need:
- Blender - Any blender will work for this recipe. However, if you eat a plant-based diet, I strongly recommend using a high-speed blender such as a Vitamix. It's a game changer when it comes to making creamy cheese sauces like the one in this recipe.
- Steamer/Pot - You will need a steamer and a pot to steam the vegetables and boil the pasta. There are plenty of pots out there that do both.
- Oven-Safe Dish -Any oven-safe casserole dish will work. I love using my cast iron, because it's beautiful, and it cooks evenly.
- Instant Pot (optional) - If you want to speed up the cooking process, you can cook the vegetables following this Instant Pot Steamed Potatoes recipe.
As always you can find all my go-to equipment on my Amazon storefront or my affiliate page.
How To Store This Nut-Free Vegan Mac And Cheese:
This recipe is one of my favorite meal prep-friendly meals to make. It will last all week if stored correctly and tastes great all throughout the week.
If you're planning on meal-prepping this nut-free vegan mac and cheese, I recommend using an airtight container. Any meal prep container will work, however, an airtight container will keep the pasta from drying out best.
This vegan mac and cheese recipe can also be frozen. Again, I recommend using an airtight container when freezing. If stored properly this recipe can keep in the freezer for up to two months.
I recommend reheating it in the oven if frozen. Heat your oven to 350 and bake for 25 minutes.
Top Tip For Making Nut-Free Vegan Mac And Cheese:
Make sure that the vegan cheese sauce is extra creamy and smooth before adding it to the macaroni and broccoli. If the mixture is even slightly chunky, it can mess up the recipe. When in doubt, blend more. It's pretty much impossible to over-blend the sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Typically vegan mac and cheese is made up of cashews and nutritional yeast. However, this recipe features SunButter Organic Sunflower Seed Butter for a nut-free alternative. It gives the mac and cheese that perfect creamy texture, a delicious flavor, and it's way more affordable!
Nutritional Yeast is a very common ingredient in vegan recipes, but what exactly is it? Nutritional yeast is an inactive form of yeast that is used to leaven bread. It's high in B vitamins, and has the perfect cheese flavor that is completely vegan!
Related Vegan Main Courses:
Looking for other vegan weeknight dinner recipes like this? Try these:
If you try this Nut-Free Vegan Mac And Cheese recipe, I'd really love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. I'd also really appreciate a recipe card rating! Thank you for supporting The All Natural Vegan!
Nut Free Vegan Mac And Cheese
Equipment
- 1 steamer
Ingredients
- 1 box gluten-free macaroni noodles
- 2 crowns broccoli
- ½ cup gluten-free panko
- ½ sweet onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- 3 golden potatoes
- 1 cup baby carrots
- ½ cup nut free vegan yogurt
- ⅓ cup sunbutter organic sunflower seed butter
- 1 teaspoon miso paste
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ⅓ cup nutritional yeast
- Fresh thyme to garnish
Instructions
- Begin by peeling the garlic and roughly chopping the onions and the potatoes. Add to a steamer with the baby carrots and steam until soft. About 25 minutes.
- Add the steamed vegetables to a blender with the nutritional yeast, smoked paprika, plant based yogurt, salt, and Sunbutter sunflower butter.
- Blend the ingredients on high for about 2 full minutes. You want to make sure that it becomes a smooth and creamy liquid without any clumps. Boil the gluten-free macaroni noodles according to package instructions.
- Lightly blanch the broccoli. Once it turns bright green, strain. Preheat the oven to 375.
- Combine the cooked gluten-free macaroni noodles and broccoli together in an oven safe dish.
- Pour the cheesy sauce over the gluten-free macaroni noodles and broccoli. Top with gluten-free panko and place in the oven for 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and top with fresh thyme. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Food Safety
It's important to make sure you are always practicing safe habits in the kitchen. When making this Nut-Free Vegan Mac And Cheese, make sure to:
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Wash hands before touching food
- Use hot mitts when touching hot objects
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
Recent Recipes:
These are my favorite new recipes!
April says
This was delicious! So creamy and cheesy! My kids loved it too!
Christina's Bread Bakes says
Such a unique recipe! I have never used the sunflower butter before in a savory recipe but will do so more often now. Thanks!
nancy says
finally a tasty Nut Free Vegan Mac And Cheese ! every time i look for a vegan mac it tells me to use almond flour. thanks for this creamy and easy recipe
Kalin Williams says
This mac and cheese is absolutely beautiful!! It's amazing this is vegan!
Erin says
This was so good and creamy! I've been looking for a nut-free vegan mac and cheese and this hit the spot ... thanks for the recipe!
Andrea White says
this vegan mac turned out so good! love that it's nut free too!
Tina says
I love that this mac n cheese recipe is nut free and packed with veggies! Definitely adding this one into my dinner rotation!
Tavo says
we tried this recipe yesterday fro brunch, and no one could believe it was vegan. Everyone ran for seconds!
Audrey says
Soooo good!! A new staple in my home. Thanks for sharing 🙂