Looking for an easy to make, oil-free vegan macaroni and cheese recipe? You’re going to love this vegan mac and cheese made with a blender sauce and whole grain or gluten-free pasta. There is absolutely no oil in this recipe, or processed vegan cheese or soy products. It’s simply made by blending a sauce made of cashews or hemp seeds with nutritional yeast and other basic flavorings and spices that are most likely already in your kitchen.

Pour this plant-based macaroni and cheese sauce over cooked whole grain or legume pasta. Enjoy immediately, or place into a casserole dish and bake with breadcrumbs sprinkled on top. You can also pour the cashew sauce into an ice cube tray and store individual sauce servings in the freezer for a super easy weeknight meal.

The cashew cheese sauce also is great on top of steamed vegetables, as a salad dressing, dip, or in with other types of pasta.

Here’s the video:

Oil-free vegan macaroni and cheese recipe

Makes 4 to 8 servings

Cashew cheese sauce ingredients:

• 1 cup raw cashews
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp dry mustard powder
• 1 1/2 tsp yellow miso paste
• 1 tsp Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
• 1/2 tsp maple syrup
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp natural salt
• 1/4 tsp ground turmeric powder
• 1 cup water or non-dairy milk

• 1 lb dry whole wheat or legume pasta

Directions:

1. Cook the pasta: Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook pasta according to the package directions until tender. Drain, rinse with cold water (to prevent sticking) and set aside.
2. Make the sauce: Combine all sauce ingredients in a blender on high until creamy, about 1-2 minutes.
3. Serving as is: Combine cooked pasta with sauce back into the pot that you cooked the pasta in. Heat over a medium-low heat until sauce is starting to bubble and pasta has been thoroughly coated with sauce. Serve hot with additional cracked black pepper and salt.
4. Serving as a casserole: Place cooked macaroni and cheese into a casserole dish and bake with breadcrumbs sprinkled on top at 350 degrees fahrenheit for 15-25 minutes.

Smokey Maple Tempeh Bacon Mac & Cheese variation:

Ingredients:

• 1 6oz. package Lightlife Tempeh Fakin’ Bacon or plain tempeh, crumbled
• 1-2 tsp maple syrup
• 1-2 tsp liquid smoke
• 1 tbsp water or other liquid
• Cracked black pepper, to taste
• Natural salt, to taste
• 1 recipe Oil-free Vegan Mac and Cheese (see above)

Directions:

1. Heat a skillet on high heat, add tempeh crumbles and saute with the water until starting to brown, about 5-8 minutes.
2. Combine maple syrup, liquid smoke, black pepper and salt in a bowl. Whisk well and then pour this mixture over the tempeh cooking in the skillet.
3. Toss to coat tempeh in flavoring and saute for another 1-2 minutes.
4. Add this into prepared macaroni and cheese or sprinkle on top as a garnish.

Here’s more oil-free recipes:

• Oil-free vegan buffalo cauliflower hot wings
• Easy oil-free vegan hummus recipe
• 13 oil-free vegan air fryer recipes that will make you drool
• Oil-free Eggplant and Mushroom Chopped Salad
• Here’s 10 grocery store foods that don’t contain added oils

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