The Best Vegan Gluten-Free Mac 'n' Cheese (2024)

The Best Vegan Gluten-Free Mac ‘n’ Cheese

THE BEST Vegan, Gluten-Free Mac ‘n’ Cheese made with 8 simple ingredients in 1 hour! Cheesy, hearty, and so satisfying.

Author Minimalist Baker

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US Customary – Metric

• 1 head roasted garlic (see instructions for method)
• 10-12 ounces gluten-free penne* (I love Bionaturae penne found at Whole Foods)
• 4 Tbsp olive or grape seed oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced (4 cloves yield ~2 Tbsp)
• 4 1/2 Tbsp arrowroot starch*
• 2 cups unsweetened plain almond milk (plus more as needed)
• ~1/4 tsp each sea salt and pepper (to taste)
• 5 Tbsp nutritional yeast (plus more to taste)
• 1/2 cup vegan parmesan cheese (plus more for serving)

• To roast garlic, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (204 C) and cut off the very top of a head of garlic. Drizzle the top with a bit of oil, a sprinkle of salt and loosely wrap in foil.

• Place directly on oven rack and roast for 45 minutes – 1 hour, depending on size of garlic. You’ll know it’s done when the garlic is very fragrant and the bulb is golden brown. Remove from oven, slightly unwrap, and let cool.

• At the 40-minute mark, bring roughly 10 cups (2400 ml // use more or less if altering batch size) water to a boil in a large pot and salt generously. Once boiling, add pasta and stir to prevent noodles from sticking. Cook according to package instructions (usually about 8-10 minutes). Once fully cooked, drain and set aside.

• In the meantime, begin preparing sauce. Heat a large, oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add oil and minced fresh garlic. Stir and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until light golden brown. Immediately add arrowroot starch and whisk – cook for 1 minute.

• Slowly add almond milk while whisking, then cook for 2 minutes over medium heat, stirring frequently. The sauce will likely look a little clumpy – that’s OK! We’re going to blend it.

• Transfer mixture to a blender, along with the roasted garlic. To extract garlic, simply push up from the base and the softened cloves should come right out – so gratifying (and delicious).

• Next add salt and pepper, nutritional yeast, and vegan parmesan cheese and blend on high until creamy and smooth, scraping down sides as needed.

• Taste and adjust seasonings as needed – you want it pretty well salted + cheesy, so don’t be shy with the nutritional yeast, salt, and vegan parmesan cheese.

• Return sauce back to skillet from earlier and cook over low heat until warmed and slightly thickened – about 2-3 minutes – whisking occasionally. As it warms back up, it will thicken and get super cheesy (see photo). For a thicker sauce, leave it as is. To thin slightly, add almond milk 1 Tbsp at a time until desired consistency is achieved. Turn off heat if it starts bubbling too aggressively.

• Add cooked, drained pasta to the sauce and toss to coat. Then top with 1 more Tbsp vegan parmesan cheese (amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size).

• Optional: Heat oven to high broil and position a rack at the top of the oven. Broil pasta on high for 1-2 minutes (optional), or until golden brown (see photo). Watch closely as it can burn quickly.

• Serve immediately. I love topping mine with an extra pinch of vegan parmesan cheese – I can never get enough of that stuff.

• Leftovers keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, though best when fresh. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop – add extra almond milk if it’s dry.