Nut-free vegan mac and cheese is every bit as creamy and comforting as the classic, only it's made with veggies and nutritional yeast. No vegan cheese or cashews required, and it's ready in about 30 minutes.
While I often reach for cashews to make creamy pasta sauces like my lemon cashew cream pasta, there are other options. Cooked vegetables make a silky base too, as in dairy-free cauliflower alfredo.
This version features a "cheesy" sauce blended from yellow potatoes, carrots, nutritional yeast, and olive oil. No roux, no vegan butter, no shortcuts needed. Blend the sauce, pour it over hot noodles, and dig in. Use your favorite pasta, gluten-free if you like.
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This is our go-to mac & cheese. I try others from time to time, and am always sorry I strayed! It makes a lot. There's just two of us, so I cut the recipe in half.
- Mary D.
Ingredients
- Pasta: I used elbows, but you can also use rotini, shells, or your favorite short pasta shape. Any variety of short gluten-free pasta works, as well, such as those made with corn, rice, quinoa, or chickpeas.
- Nutritional yeast: To give this nut-free vegan mac and cheese and cheesy flavor without using dairy or vegan cheese. Also known as nooch, it's used in a lot of vegan recipes because it has a savory, cheesy, umami flavor.
- Gold potatoes: Also called yellow potatoes, this variety provides the best texture for the sauce.
Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete ingredients, measurements, and instructions.
How to make vegan mac and cheese with potatoes and carrots
- Prepare the pasta in a large pot of salted water according to the package directions. Drain and return to the pot.
- At the same time, simmer the potatoes and carrots until fork-tender.
- Transfer the cooked vegetables to a blender and add nutritional yeast, olive oil, water, and seasonings.
- Blend until the vegan cheese sauce is completely smooth and creamy.
- Pour the sauce over the cooked noodles.
- Mix well and enjoy immediately.
Serving suggestions
Nut-free vegan mac and cheese is a delicious main dish or side. I like to make it a meal with sauteed white beans and spinach or smoky skillet chickpeas and a salad. It's always a favorite at Thanksgiving and other holidays.
Made this recipe or have a question? Please leave a comment below. 💙 For even more recipes, join the Veggies Save The Day community. It's less like a newsletter and more like emails between friends.
Love and Veggies,
Amy
📋 Recipe
Nut-Free Vegan Mac and Cheese Made with Carrots and Potatoes
Equipment
- high speed blender
Ingredients
- 16 ounces elbow macaroni, (gluten-free, if necessary) or other short pasta shape such as rotini or shells
- 2 cups yellow potatoes, (such as Yukon gold) peeled and diced large
- 1 cup carrots, peeled and diced large
- ½ cup nutritional yeast
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ⅓ cup water
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- Cook the macaroni according to the package directions. Drain and return the cooked pasta to the pot and set aside.16 ounces elbow macaroni
- Meanwhile, add the potatoes and carrots to a pot of boiling water. Simmer until tender when pierced with a fork.2 cups yellow potatoes, 1 cup carrots
- Remove the cooked vegetables from the water and transfer them to a high-speed blender. Add the nutritional yeast, olive oil, water, lemon juice, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt, to taste.½ cup nutritional yeast, ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil, ⅓ cup water, 1 Tablespoon lemon juice, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon onion powder, salt
- Blend until completely smooth. Taste and adjust the seasonings, as needed.
- Pour the blended vegetable mixture over the cooked pasta and stir well to coat. Enjoy immediately.
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Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimation.
Diana says
I make a similar recipe without oil and replace half the potato with cauliflower. Yum! Amy, you have the best recipes - thanks so much for sharing ☺️
Amy Katz says
Thanks so much, Diana! I like your modification. I'll have to try adding cauliflower.
Denise S. says
Surprisingly good. Thanks for the recipe!
Amy Katz says
I'm glad you enjoyed it, Denise!
Mary Day says
This is our go-to mac & cheese. I try others from time to time, and am always sorry I strayed! It makes a lot. There's just two of us, so I cut the recipe in half.
Amy Katz says
This is wonderful to hear, Mary! I'm so happy you've been enjoying it. 🙂
Robin St. John says
Another rave review here…
I would not be able to tell this wasn’t actual cheese sauce. It is SO good. I didn’t have lemon or garlic/onion powder so I subbed vinegar and ranch seasoning with a little fresh garlic. I CANT STOP EATING IT. So good. I could just eat this with a spoon. I will make again. Thanks for the nut-free recipe! It is perfection!
Amy Katz says
Wow! I'm so happy you are enjoying it, Robin! Great substitutions, too.
Bea says
I made this last night and substituted the 1/3 cup oil with 1/e cup aqua faba, reduced the water by half and added some Sambal oelek ground fresh chili paste for spice. It was delicious! Thank you for sharing!
Amy Katz says
I'm glad you enjoyed it, Bea!
Dennis says
Hi Amy,
I made this last night for my wife and me. All I can say is 'OMG'! This is terrific and even my wife said that it would be hard to tell the difference between this recipe and the real varieties of traditional mac and cheese. We don't have a high-speed blender so I did have to add a bit more water to blend. I used red potatoes which worked out fine. I threw in about 3 cloves of garlic to enhance the flavor. Thanks...this is a 'keeper'.
Amy Katz says
I'm so happy you both enjoyed it! Great idea to add garlic.
TELA says
Can this be made with no oil?
Amy Katz says
That's a great question. Because there are no cashews in this recipe, the olive oil gives the sauce a creamy mouthfeel that you won't get if you leave it out.
Mary says
My husband is vegan and I am not vegan. Hence, I'm always looking for recipes that we both enjoy. He's been vegan so many years, he doesn't really recall how some nonvegan things taste. So, he'll say.. oh! This is good! You can't tell it's vegan! (Me: Uh. Yes. I can.) He must have said Wow! 10 times with this recipe. And I could not tell this was a vegan mac and cheese at all. I added a bit of Tumric for color as you suggested. I saw that he splashed a bit of Sirachi sauce on it when it was on his plate. We've added this to my Favorites section of my binder/vegan cookbook.
Amy Katz says
I'm thrilled you both enjoyed it, Mary! 🙂
Miriam Kearney says
Sounds like a wonderful replacement for dairy mac and cheese and I'd like to try it. When I buy GF elbow pasta it is really small and doesn't seem much like it's counterpart in the wheat world. Yet your picture shows elbows that are larger. First: are they GF? and if so can you tell me the brand? The pic of ingredients covered the label with 'PASTA'.
Amy Katz says
Thanks Miriam! I used Barilla GF elbows which are a blend of rice and corn. I highly recommend them. They come in a 12 ounce box, so you can either use all the sauce if you like your mac and cheese extra saucy, or reserve a little of the sauce. If you have leftover sauce it's delicious on nachos, baked potatoes, steamed broccoli or cauliflower, etc. I hope you enjoy the mac and cheese!