Oat milk mac and cheese is a lightened up version of the classic dish, and it's just as rich and creamy. No added flour or butter needed!
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Y'all, I am so excited to share this fully revamped vegan baked mac and cheese recipe with you! It's a lightened-up version of my family's favorite, and this new oat milk mac and cheese has been a huge hit with the kiddo.
If you love mac and cheese like my family does, don't miss my recipe for pimento mac and cheese, too!
I lucked into this method when I was out of oat milk to make our usual Friday night pot of mac. Instead of scrapping the whole meal, I decided to make my own, unfiltered oat milk to use.
Because the oats thicken on their own, there's no need to make a roux! The homemade oat milk thickens up into the perfect base for vegan cheese sauce, no extra oil, butter, or flour needed
Not only does it add a dash of fiber and eliminate the need for adding flour and vegan butter, but it cuts about 15 minutes off of the total time you need to make a pot of dairy free mac and cheese. No creaminess sacrificed!
For this recipe, you are making a seasoned oat milk. Grab your blender -- any blender is fine -- and add water, oats, garlic powder, and onion powder. Blend, and BOOM! Oat milk that's packed with all the spices for your mac and cheese sauce.
💖 Reader feedback
Oh my gosh… this recipe is brilliant! The cheese sauce turned out perfectly. I didn't use all of the garlic powder just as a matter of preference. I especially love that it doesn't need any additional fat. Thank you so much for a great recipe!
- Angela
🧀 Ingredients and substitutions
- macaroni - Or use bite-sized pasta of choice. Gluten-free is fine to use.
- broccoli - You can omit the broccoli, if you prefer. Fresh or frozen is fine to use.
- oats - Rolled oats blended up with water is critical to this recipe. This is the oat milk!
- salt and spices - Onion powder and garlic powder add flavor to the oat milk mac and cheese. You can add other spices, like ground mustard, paprika, and nutritional yeast, if you like, as well.
- vegan cheese shreds - I like to use vegan cheddar or mozzarella.
- French fried onions - For topping, optional.
🔪 How to make oat milk mac and cheese
Preheat the oven to 350° F.
In a large stove-to-oven pot (I used my 3.5 quart Dutch oven), cook the macaroni according to package directions. When there are 2 minutes of cooking time remaining, add the broccoli to the pan. Drain, and set aside.
While the pasta and broccoli are cooking, put the water, oats, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt into the blender. Blend until completely smooth.
Return the same pot that you used to cook the pasta to the stovetop, and add the oat mixture that you made. Heat on medium high, stirring frequently until the mixture thickens, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Turn off the heat, and add the vegan cheese shreds to the pot.
Stir until the cheese melts into the sauce.
Transfer the pasta and broccoli to the pot, and fold it into the cheese sauce.
Smooth out the top with the back of a spoon.
Top with the french fried onions, if you're using them.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the fried onions are golden brown and the cheese sauce is bubbly.
💡 Helpful tips
- Because this dairy free cheese sauce relies on the oats' thickening power, you can't substitute anything else for the homemade oat milk. It is critical to the recipe.
- The oat milk thickens quickly, so don't step away from the stove once you start heating.
🫙 Storage and serving directions
airy free mac and cheese with broccoli is lovely with tofu on the side. Here are some of the tofu preparations that go well with this recipe:
You can store leftovers right in the pan you used to cook. Just plop the lid on, and stick it in the fridge. You can also transfer any leftovers to an airtight container instead, if you prefer. Leftovers will keep for three to four days.
To reheat, dish up your mac into a bowl, and pop it into the microwave. Easy peasy!
📖 Recipe
🧀 Oat Milk Mac and Cheese
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups uncooked macaroni or your favorite bite-sized pasta
- 3 cups broccoli florets optional
- 2 cups water
- ¼ cup rolled oats
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups vegan cheese shreds of your choice
- ½ cup french fried onions optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- In a large stove-to-oven pot (I used my 3.5 quart Dutch oven), cook the macaroni according to package directions. When there are 2 minutes of cooking time remaining, add the broccoli to the pan. Drain, and set aside.
- While the pasta and broccoli are cooking, put the water, oats, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt into the blender. Blend until completely smooth.
- Return the same pot that you used to cook the pasta to the stovetop, and add the oat mixture that you made. Heat on medium high, stirring frequently until the mixture thickens, about 3 to 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, and add the vegan cheese shreds to the pot. Stir until the cheese melts into the sauce.
- Transfer the pasta and broccoli to the pot, and fold it into the cheese sauce. Smooth out the top with the back of a spoon, then top with the french fried onions, if you're using them.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the fried onions are golden brown and the cheese sauce is bubbly.
Angela
Oh my gosh... this recipe is brilliant! The cheese sauce turned out perfectly. I didn't use all of the garlic powder just as a matter of preference. I especially love that it doesn't need any additional fat. Thank you so much for a great recipe!
Becky Striepe
Love to hear it! Thank you for the 5 star review, Angela!