The sauce for this vegan mac and cheese recipe is so irresistibly creamy and full of flavor, coating every piece of pasta in its deliciousness. If you’re looking for the comfort of mac and cheese but dairy is not in the cards, this mac and cheese recipe without milk, cheese, or butter will blow you away.

Table of Contents

• The Story Behind the Recipe
• Dairy Free Mac and Cheese Ingredient Info
• How to Make Lactose Free Mac and Cheese

The Story Behind the Recipe

Giving up macaroni and cheese was a tough one for me. I mean, it’s safe to say it’s been my favorite food since the beginning of time. Buuuut … as much as I love dairy, dairy – specifically the whey in dairy – does NOT love me back.

This dairy-free mac and cheese recipe, though? Makes it allll okay.

I’d already dreamed up one vegan mac and cheese recipe – another stovetop recipe made with butternut squash, sweet potatoes, and coconut milk. I do adore that recipe, but I needed another one for when 1) it’s not fall or winter and 2) I haven’t been to the grocery store in awhile. Just a few pantry recipes, and dairy-free mac and cheese is yours.

I first discovered the joy of creamy cashew-based mac and cheese sauce when I tried this recipe from Detoxinista. SO GOOD. I started with that and tweaked from there, changing the pasta/sauce ratio up (less pasta, more sauce) and adjusting the flavorings a tad.

Note that I used to call this recipe “Ridiculously Creamy Vegan Shells & Cheese.” It is still ridiculously creamy, and it’s still a vegan mac and cheese. But I thought more people might find their way to this recipe with the new name.

Dairy Free Mac and Cheese Ingredient Info

• Cashews – use raw, unsalted cashews. I like to soak them first for the creamiest possible situation, but I have skipped the soaking step and just given them some extra time in my high-speed blender, and that works too.
• Lemon juice – The bright acid tang combined with the other ingredients tastes surprisingly cheese-like!
• Nutritional yeast – This powerhouse ingredient adds umami for days and is important for cheesy flavor.
• Garlic – flavor!
• Dry mustard – more flavor!
• Chili powder – just a little bit makes a world of difference for – you guessed it – flavor!
• Turmeric – I love using turmeric for a yellow this-is-mac-and-cheese hue.
• Salt & pepper – to enhance it all.
• Water – this is a mac and cheese recipe without milk, and it’s really not needed! The water mixes with the cashews for a lusciously creamy milk-like situation.
• Pasta – I love shells for a vegan shells and cheese situation (as photographed), but elbows, penne, or another mid-sized pasta with nooks and crannies will be fab. Make it a gluten free dairy free mac and cheese by subbing in your favorite gluten-free pasta.

How to Make Lactose Free Mac and Cheese

This dairy free mac and cheese not only ridiculously creamy, it’s ridiculously easy to make.

Seriously – soak your cashews, cook up your pasta, blend up your sauce, drain your pasta, mix it all together, devour happily.

We’re talking dinner on the table in 20 minutes tops.

This dairy-free mac and cheese recipe has been in my keeper files for a long time now, and it’s one of my fave pantry recipes. It’s made with items I almost always already have on hand – cashews, spices, lemon, garlic, pasta. Perfect!

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Dairy Free Mac & Cheese

Fast, easy, and so tasty, it's even carnivore-approved. Made simply with ingredients from the pantry, you'll love this comfort food classic sans the dairy anytime!

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword pasta

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Calories 400kcal

Author Kare

Equipment

• High-speed blender
• Large pot

Ingredients

• 1 cup raw unsalted cashews
• 8 ounces small pasta shells can substitute another pasta like good ol’ macaroni
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 1/2 medium clove garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt + more to taste
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black + more to taste
• 1/2 cup water
• Finely chopped fresh parsley for garnish; optional

Instructions

• First soak your cashews using either the cold water (slower) method or the hot water (faster) method. Place cashews in a medium bowl or jar and pour 3 cups water over the top. If using cool water, they’ll need to soak at room temperature for at least 2 hours (up to 24 hours). Alternately, you can pour 3 cups boiling water over the top, and then they’ll only need to soak for about 15 minutes.
• Place a large pot of water on the stove and bring to a boil. Add several pinches of salt to the water then add the pasta. Stir and cook according to package directions.
• While the pasta is cooking, whip up the sauce. To the pitcher of a high-powered blender, add the soaked cashews, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, garlic, mustard, chili powder, turmeric, one teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, and water. Blend on high until completely smooth. The sauce should be thick, but a pourable consistency. If it’s is too thick, add another tablespoon or two of water and blend again until it can be poured.
• Drain the cooked pasta and return to the pan (off the heat). Pour the sauce over the pasta. Gently stir with a wooden spoon until the pasta is completely coated with the sauce.
• Taste and add additional salt and pepper if desired. Scoop into bowls or onto plates and garnish with a bit of chopped parsley if you wish. Serve and devour!

Notes

Jan. 10, 2024 update: Recipe title changed from Ridiculously Creamy Vegan Shells & Cheese to Creamy Dairy-Free Mac & Cheese.

Adapted from Detoxinista. 

Nutrition

Calories: 400kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Sodium: 592mg | Potassium: 394mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 38IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 3mg

The post Ultra Creamy Dairy Free Mac & Cheese appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

Table of Contents

• The Story Behind the Recipe
• Why Massage Kale?
• Massaged Kale & Chickpea Salad Ingredients
• How to Make Kale Chickpea Salad
  • First, Massage the Kale
  • Toss the Chickpeas in Dressing
  • Assemble the Salad
• More Kale Salad Recipes

• Jump to the full, printable recipe
• Read reviews and comments

The Story Behind the Recipe

See, I used to be unsure about the whole massaged kale thing – I mean, I’ve always liked unmassaged kale just fine.

But I’m doing this culinary certificate thing and one of the early assignments was to try kale three different ways: unmassaged, massaged with lemon juice and olive oil, and massaged with avocado.

Lo and behold, I had to admit that I really, really adore massaged kale salad – especially massaged kale salad with avocado.

Why Massage Kale?

Massaging kale takes care of a couple of things:

1. It breaks down the fibers, making it easier to chew and digest.
2. It takes away some of that bitter “green” taste that some kale-haters dislike.

A side benefit to massaging your kale salad is that you’re seasoning/dressing your salad at the same time you are massaging it. Win-win!

When you massage kale for salad, you add de-ribbed leaves to a large bowl along with a fat, an acid, and salt.

• Fat: Helps tenderize and coat the kale leaves
• Salt: Aids the tenderizing process
• Acid: Really helps break down those fibers.

Then, you squeeze, massage, and toss around the kale until tender and perfect!

Massaged Kale & Chickpea Salad Ingredients

This chickpea kale salad massages the kale with avocado, tops it with a simply dressed chickpea salad, and then it’s plopped with a few slices of avocado for good measure. Plus, I like a few sunflower seeds for crunch.

• Kale – I like curly kale for this kale chickpea salad, but any kale will do.
• Avocado – use half for massaging the kale, and the other half sliced on the salad.
• Lemon juice – some for massaging, some for dressing the chickpeas
• Salt & freshly ground pepper – some salt for massaging, plus, of course, loads of flavor!
• Chickpeas – One can or about 1 1/2 cups cooked
• Olive oil, dijon mustard, and pure maple syrup – To finish out the chickpea dressing. So good!
• Red onion – for a little pizzazz and color
• Sunflower seeds – I love a sprinkling of salty roasted sunflower seeds for crunch.

How to Make Kale Chickpea Salad

First, Massage the Kale

To massage your kale, strip out the ribs and tear your kale into bite-size pieces. Add to a large bowl along with the avocado, lemon juice, and a bit of salt.

And then, with clean hands, squeeze and rub and manhandle the kale until it’s reduced in size and tender. This process usually takes just a couple of minutes. 

Unmassaged (left); massaged (right)

Your kale enjoyed a nice little trip to the spa before you chomp it down. Massaging for the win!

Toss the Chickpeas in Dressing

Mix the chickpeas with the onion, olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon, pure maple syrup, and salt and pepper.

Assemble the Salad

Divide the kale between plates, top with chickpeas, and arrange the remaining avocado over the salads. Sprinkle with sunflower seeds and serve!

More Kale Salad Recipes

I love kale salad! Here are a few more kale salad recipes on Kitchen Treaty:

• Lemon Garlic Kale Salad with Almonds – a wonderful salad with a make-ahead option
• Winter Kale Salad – super hearty, cobb-ish salad.
• Rainbow Kale Salad – so colorful!
• Kale Caesar Salad with Kalamata Caesar Dressing – love this one so much.

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Massaged Kale & Chickpea Salad

The 10-minute meal I can't stop making: Kale massaged with avocado then topped with a simple chickpea salad and more avocado. (More avocado is always a good thing, am I right?)

Course Salad

Keyword salad

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 3

Calories 482kcal

Author Kare

Ingredients

• 1 medium ripe avocado halved, divided) (you'll massage half with the kale, the other half will be sliced for the salad
• 1 medium bunch curly kale rinsed, dried, and stems removed) (about 8 cups loosely packed
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice from approx. 1 medium lemon, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt divided
• 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (about 1 1/2 cups cooked)
• 1/4 cup diced red onion about 1/4 medium onion
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons roasted salted sunflower seeds

Instructions

• Squeeze half the avocado out of its shell and into a large bowl. Mash with a fork. Add the kale, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. And, with clean hands, dig in! Squeeze and rub the kale until it's reduced in size and tender, 1-2 minutes. Set aside.
• To a medium bowl, add the chickpeas, onion, olive oil, the remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice, Dijon mustard, pure maple syrup, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and black pepper. Stir until well-combined.
• Divide kale between three plates. Top with chickpeas. Slice remaining avocado and arrange on top of the salads. Sprinkle sunflower seeds over the top. Serve immediately.

Notes

You can make the chickpea salad ahead of time, but due to the avocado and the fact that it usually does not keep well, I recommend doing the massaged kale and avocado right before serving.

Meat option:

Top meat-eaters’ portions with some cooked, cubed chicken.

Vegetarian (dairy) option:

Top individual portions with 2 tablespoons each crumbled feta.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 482kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 541mg | Potassium: 1275mg | Fiber: 22g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 13526IU | Vitamin C: 139mg | Calcium: 432mg | Iron: 7mg

The post Massaged Kale & Chickpea Salad appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

Table of Contents

• The Story Behind the Recipe
• Olive Hummus Ingredients
• More Hummus Recipes

• Jump to Full, Printable Recipe
• Read Reviews & Comments

The Story Behind the Recipe

This recipe started out as the slightly more exciting “Three Olive Hummus,” but when I realized I was out of plain black olives, I went with two olives instead. And it was just as tasty, so I went with it. Changing the “three” to a “two” doesn’t sound nearly exciting, so simple, plain “olive hummus” it is!

Except this green olive and kalamata olive hummus doesn’t taste plain at all. It’s … sort of like hummus amped up with tapenade. Except simpler. And a little more interesting and colorful than your standard hummus.

And it is, quite frankly, an olive lover’s dream.

Olive Hummus Ingredients

• Chickpeas, tahini, lemon, and garlic – standard hummus fare
• Plus! Some pitted kalamata olives AND green olives with pimento. Yum!
• Oh, and don’t forget the salt along with the olive oil and smoked paprika garnish.

Served with multigrain chips, homemade everything crackers (yesssss), red bell pepper slices, or carrot sticks, this hummus makes a great game-day appetizer or any-day snack for anyone. Except for my guy, who hates olives. And my toddler, who won’t touch hummus these days.

Ah well. More for me!

More Hummus Recipes

I’m kind of a hummus fan – with over half a dozen different recipes on my site!

• Classic hummus – straight up. And here’s a big-batch version, perfect for freezing (yes, you totally can!)
• These hummuses are super colorful. First, vibrant magenta roasted beet hummus. The green is so glorious in this spinach hummus recipe that the word “glorious” made it to the name! And how about marigold yellow in this curried pumpkin hummus (try it!)
• This jalapeño black-eyed pea hummus is sure to bring you luck every new year.
• Sunbutter hummus is for the sunflower seed lover!
• This loaded roasted red pepper hummus brings it allll to the table.

Whew! Still with me on olive hummus? Perfect! Here’s the full, printable recipe.

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Olive Hummus Recipe

Salty kalamatas and pimento-stuffed green olives lend a little pizzazz to plain ol’ hummus.

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Calories 157kcal

Author Kare

Ingredients

• 1 15-ounce can chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans) drained, but reserve the liquid
• 1/3 cup tahini
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice from 1-2 lemons
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
• 3/4 cup kalamata olives pitted
• 3/4 cup green olives with pimento
• Olive oil smoked paprika, and additional sliced olives for garnish

Instructions

• To the bowl of a food processor or high-powered blender, add the chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Pulse, adding the liquid from the beans as needed to keep things moving, until the hummus is very smooth.
• Add the olives and pulse until chopped. I like to whirr them almost completely in; you may prefer a chunkier hummus. Taste and add additional salt if desired.
• Scoop into a serving bowl and top with additional sliced olives, a sprinkle of smoked paprika, and a drizzle of olive oil, if desired.
• Keeps refrigerated in an airtight container for 3-4 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/12 of recipe | Calories: 157kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 13g | Sodium: 677mg | Fiber: 1g

The post Olive Hummus Recipe appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

Because sometimes you just need a little refreshment. One glass worth, to be exact. Something special, something easy, thirst-quenching, and cold. Some lemonade, for instance. A single serving lemonade recipe will hit the spot!

I love lemonade (but then who hates lemonade?). And I love that it’s a cinch to make – especially this lemonade recipe for one.

Table of Contents

• Lemonade by the Glass Ingredients
• How to Make It
• Want more lemonade recipes?

• Jump to the Full, Printable Recipe
• Reader Comments & Reviews

Lemonade by the Glass Ingredients

Seriously, this one-glass-of-lemonade recipe could not be simpler. How’s it made, exactly? Well, the ingredients you need for this lemonade recipe for one are:

• A lemon (for about 3 tablespoons worth of fresh lemon juice)
• Water – Some hot, and some cold (I’ll explain this in a minute)
• Granulated sugar
• Ice, of course!

How to Make It

The first thing you want to do is stir the sugar together with the hot water, right in the glass. Why hot water? This is an easy-peasy (lemon squeezy [ahem]) way to dissolve the sugar quickly. No grainy lemonade here!

Then, add the lemon juice and the remaining water.

Plop in ice so that your glass is filled to the brim, stir, and voila! That’s how to make a glass of lemonade!

So now you know how to make lemonade with fresh lemon juice for one glass. Soon you’ll be finding yourself making a cup of lemonade every time the craving hits (guaranteed the craving will hit often after you’ve discovered this super-simple fresh-squeezed lemonade by the glass!)

Now to find the perfect lemonade-sipping spot out on the porch! Oh, and come back in the wintertime for single serve hot chocolate!

Want more lemonade recipes?

• Want to add a little something special? Try this Fresh Strawberry Lemonade by the Glass recipe. So good!
• Pretty AND pink! This watermelon lemonade is super fruity and refreshing.
• For the most gorgeous hue, check out Fresh Blueberry Lemonade.
• Craving a unique spin? Try Vanilla Bean Lemonade (think creamsicle. Mmmm!)
• Wanting to booze things up a bit? Go for these Boozy Strawberry Lemonade Slushies.

Print

Fresh-Squeezed Lemonade by the Glass Recipe

Refreshing homemade lemonade couldn't be easier – one glass at a time! Whip some up and you'll be sipping before you know it.

Course beverages

Cuisine American

Keyword drinks

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 1

Calories 103kcal

Author Kare

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons granulated white sugar
• 1/4 cup hot water
• 3 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice from 1 medium-to-large lemon
• 3/4 cup cold water
• Ice

Instructions

• In a 16-ounce or larger glass, stir together the sugar and hot water until the sugar is dissolved.
• Stir in the lemon juice and the cold water.
• Fill to the top with ice and serve.

Nutrition

Serving: 10ounces | Calories: 103kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 10mg | Potassium: 46mg | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin C: 17mg

The post Fresh-Squeezed Lemonade by the Glass Recipe appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.