Fork and Beans

Making food fun for the family

Gluten-free & Vegan Mac n’ Cheese

by

I think one of the foods I actually first mourned over

when I found out I could not consume dairy products anymore was the infamous, all-Americana:

 Homemade Macaroni and Cheese.

Gluten-free & Vegan Mac n' Cheese

In my quest to recreate this classic into a gluten-free & vegan Mac n’ Cheese version,

 I found that most recipes relied on nutritional yeast to give the cheesy flavor.

These recipes also claimed that though their dish tasted good, it by no means duplicated the real taste of mac n’ cheese.

That is not what I wanted.

And I want to believe that you are not settling on “kinda like mac n’ cheese” either.

You want that cheesy goodness that the moment you lift your fork up, you can hear the squishing of your orange friend oozing between the bowl and your fork, right?

Gluten-free & Vegan Mac n' Cheese

So what if I told you that I hold the recipe for a blow-your-mind, “just like the real thing”, gluten-free and vegan recipe for your beloved favorite?

Are you already willing to send me flowers?

hehe.

You will want to once you cook up this homemade, cheesy mac n’ cheese dinner.

(((I like gerber daisies)))

Gluten-free & Vegan Mac n' Cheese

I seriously was caught saying this last night:

I need to stop eating because I am so full.

But I can’t–it just tastes too good!

 

Macaroni and Thank You Cheese-us Recipe

INGREDIENTS

  •  2 1/4 cups uncooked pasta (I really like Tinkyada the best–you cannot believe how non-mushy it remains!)
  • 3 Tbs Earth Balance margarine
  • 2 Tbs Gluten-Free flour (any would do really but I chose the classy Bob’s Red Mill AP flour).
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 c. non-dairy milk (I used homemade almond milk)
  • 1 1/2 c. Daiya cheddar “cheese” (found at most health food stores)
  • 1 tsp ground mustard
  • 1 Tb worcestershire sauce (vegan brand, if needed)
  • 1/2 c. GF bread crumbs (I toast up a homemade frozen waffle and then blend it up) + 1 Tb melted butter; mixed
  • paprika, optional

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Cook pasta until al dente (about 6-7 minutes). Drain.
  3. While pasta is cooking, melt the margarine in a medium saucepan. Once melted, add the flour and salt while stirring often.
  4. Mix in milk (careful for it not to splatter up), cheese, mustard and worcestershire sauce. Allow for the cheese to almost fully melt on medium/low heat.  Stir often.
  5. Combine pasta and sauce together; place into a casserole dish.
  6. Top with buttered bread crumbs and a sprinkle of smoked paprika for color if you desire.
  7. Bake for 25 minutes.

The poets have been mysteriously silent in the subject of cheese.

–G.K. Chesterton

About Cara

Based in Chicago with her husband and son, Cara is the creator behind the site Fork and Beans: A place where kids can have fun with their food.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jonni

    I will NEVER make this recipe again!!!

    ……That’s a lie. I probably will but this was serious trouble for me. I ate the entire tray (aside from one serving my husband ate) in one night and one morning. Yes you heard correctly, I had it for breakfast!! I made mine with jalapenos for some kick, and next time I think I’ll add mushrooms and truffle oil. Mmmmm!!! Thanks for the tip on the waffles, too! You’re the best! 😉

    • Cara

      BAHAHA! At first I was like, uh-oh, what did I do now??? And then I kept reading and laughed so hard. Jonni, we are instant friends. Anyone who eats an entire tray of mac n’ cheese within 24 hours is the kind of person I like to surround myself with. So glad you liked the recipe!

  2. Jonni

    Hi Cara! What brand of GF waffles do you use? I can’t find any that don’t have eggs or dairy in them.

  3. Clayre

    Omg thank you so much! Its my first time cooking all by myslrf and sibce I can’t eat dairy, Ive never really vren able to eat mac and cheese! It turned out great and it tastes really good 🙂

  5. Vivian Cutler

    I am so very excited. When I tried to Mac and Cheese I used a combo of another cheese and some of the Daiya. I will have to dive in and go for the Daiya. I sounds and Looks like it will taste Delicious!!! Thanks Cara!!!! I just about gave up with the fake cheese!!!! You are my Hero!!! xoxo

    • Cara

      I was totally thinking about you and our conversation about Daiya last night while making this. I was going to do one of the other recipes that called for nutritional yeast, etc but then I got ballsy and really wanted to convert my fav family’s secret mac n cheese recipe. I was actually amazed that the Daiya melted beautifully and didn’t taste nearly as bad as I expected it to!!! In fact, like I said in the post, I couldn’t stop myself (which is my #1 indicator of a great mac n’ cheese dish!) 🙂