The BEST Vegan Mac and Cheese Recipe (WFPB, Oil Free, Low Fat) - Simply Plant Based Kitchen (2024)

FAQs

What kind of milk is best for mac and cheese? ›

Milk: Keeps our cheese sauce super creamy. I use whole milk or reduced-fat milk. Mustard and spices: A combination of Dijon mustard, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and salt makes this macaroni and cheese extra delicious. Cheese: I use white cheddar and parmesan or pecorino cheese.

The BEST vegan mac and cheese recipe! Sweet potatoes, potatoes, and cashews blend into a luscious, creamy sauce with a crave-worthy cheesy flavor.

Oat milk is plant-based milk made from oats, and it has a very mild, slightly sweet flavor. However, it can be used as a substitute for cow's milk in mac and cheese. It has a creamy texture, so it can work perfectly in a creamy cheese sauce. Use it as a 1:1 ratio when substituting it for regular milk.

To make mac and cheese without milk, the best choice is to find something that has a similar texture and a milk flavor. Things like heavy cream, almond milk, oat milk, yogurt, cream cheese, and even pasta water all work very well in boxed mac and cheese.

Evaporated milk is a highly concentrated source of milk protein micelles—bundles of proteins that can act as powerful emulsifying agents—which help to keep the sauce creamy and smooth.

Vegan cheese, which is alternately referred to as dairy-free cheese or plant-based cheese, is a product that mimics some of the properties of cheese. These include its texture, its flavor, and to some extent its melting ability, even though vegan cheese is made without using any animal-based ingredients whatsoever.

Vegan cheese is a category of non-dairy, plant-based cheese analogues. Vegan cheeses range from soft fresh cheeses to aged and cultured hard grateable cheeses like plant-based Parmesan. The defining characteristic of vegan cheese is the exclusion of all animal products.

While I was cooking the pasta, I noticed a tip listed on the very bottom of the box: If you want a creamier mac and cheese, try replacing the butter and milk with a few spoonfuls of Greek yogurt.

Note 1: Milk: The evaporated milk lends a really nice flavor and creaminess, it's the "secret" to this mac and cheese! It also thickens faster since it's not straight from the fridge and cold. If you'd prefer to not use evaporated milk, whole milk or 2% works (whole is best).

What is a healthy substitute for heavy cream in mac and cheese? ›

Whisk together ⅔ cup oat milk and 5 tablespoons vegan butter until blended and use it for vegan or dairy-free cooking. Another non-dairy option for replacing heavy cream is full-fat coconut milk—specifically the cream that rises to the top of the can.

Milk helps amplify the cheese flavor and gives it a rich texture. The water keeps it light, and reduces some calories. I boil the macaroni in water , drain it, and combine it with a cheese sauce made with flour, milk and butter.

It is better to use heavy cream for Mac and Cheese instead of milk, or better yet, use evaporated milk which has the thickness of heavy cream without all of the fat! Furthermore, it is more stable than heavy cream so your Macaroni and Cheese is less likely to curdle or separate.

Use heavy cream but don't add the butter. Heavy cream has fat so use it instead of noth the milk and butter. If you are talking about homemade mac and cheese using heavy cream will make it very rich. You can use heavy cream instead of milk, but I would use a touch of water.

Just make sure you're working with evaporated milk and not condensed milk. While both of these canned, shelf-stable milks are made by the same process, condensed milk — also called sweetened condensed milk — has added sugar, which has absolutely no place in a pot of mac and cheese.

It's very simple to swap out half-and-half for milk in your mac and cheese recipes; you can use the same amount of half-and-half as you would milk. Since half-and-half still has some regular milk in it, it will act like milk while cooking so you won't have to worry about the ingredient swap impacting your dish.