Reviewed: Oct. 24, 2009

I have made this recipe a few times now and I love it. Other casein free mac and cheese recipes do tend to be gritty and this in comparison is very creamy. We find it a good alternative to the real stuff. We have a number of dietary restrictions in our home and this is the best recipe we have found for casein free mac and cheese. I have followed the recipe exactly and I liked it. My son has a texture issue with the onions and he is allergic to garlic. I have made it without the garlic and I don't really notice a difference. I have also heated the sauce on the stove top and left out the chopped onions and the garlic powder. My son loves it this way. We have tried this with quinoa noodles and buckwheat noodles to keep it gluten free and we have enjoyed it both ways. Thanks for the great recipe!

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Reviewer:

dlcase

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Reviewed: Sep. 17, 2009

Creamy, no. Sour, gritty, and chewy.

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kareno

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Marlette, Michigan, USA

Living In: South Bend, Indiana, USA

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Reviewed: Aug. 24, 2009

This recipe is pretty good, and I will make it again with a few changes. I will reduce the lemon juice a little bit because it is a bit strong for my liking, and I will add a little extra garlic powder (or maybe a little adobo).

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zeezeebaker

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Living In: Dorchester, Massachusetts, USA

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Reviewed: Jun. 2, 2009

I have had cheesier tasting vegan cheese sauce. I think there is too much lemon in this one, although the consistency is good. I did double the nutritional yeast, as others have suggested. I really like the use of cashews in this sauce and will probably try it again with some flavor tweaks.

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marigaux22

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Reviewed: Apr. 19, 2009

This was my first time trying to make a vegan mac and cheese. This was really great. I doubled the nutritional yeast as another reviewer suggested and added bread crumbs on the top to bake. I would suggest either not backing as long or makign extra cheese sauce to pour over each serving. That would be excellent. Still this had great flavor and my carnivore husband liked it better than real baked mac & cheese.

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db

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Reviewed: Jan. 28, 2009

I'm sorry, but I did not care for this at all. I followed the recipe exactly. Nobody in the family could eat more than a few bites. The texture was pasty and the flavor was really funky.

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kmast88

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Reviewed: Dec. 10, 2008

Okay, I read every single review and decided to make this recipe. Not even my 1 or 5 year olds would touch it! I added a bit of extra nutritional yeast (as other reviewers recommended). The sauce was RUNNY not creamy in any way. I tried very hard to like it. It was quite expensive to make. :(

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Jenna F.

Cooking Level: Beginning

Living In: North Pole, Alaska, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 17, 2008

This is delicious. During treatment for thyroid cancer I had to go on a low-iodine diet which means no dairy and no soy. I couldn't even use rice milks or almond milks because they all contain sea salt. This recipe was the rare treat I could have then, and I still enjoy it.

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Heather

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Reviewed: Aug. 31, 2008

I tried leaving the pepper out because I don't like spicy food, and that left this without any flavor.

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Kate

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Reviewed: Jul. 20, 2008

I suppose I am also a minority but I did not enjoy this recipe. I found it really bad, to be honest. I also don't understand how others could find it "creamy" well, actually yes I do but the nut taste is too much - not to mention the tons of calories nut butters give foods! No thanks. I will not make this recipe again. HOWEVER, what came out of this, on a personal level, was a desire to create a "cream" based vegan mac&cheese... so right now I am testing diff methods out using soymilk as a base, with little or no nut butters. If all goes well I will publish it! :D

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jschade

Cooking Level: Beginning

Living In: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

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Reviewed: May 21, 2008

This was AMAZING! I did not add the peppers or garlic & I used olive oil and doubled the yeast which you must do to give it a stronger cheese taste. I also added a teaspoon of salt (it needs it). Make sure your cashews are raw too. If you make it this way I'm sure you'll love it as much as I & my dairy eating friends do.

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Kat

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Reviewed: Mar. 18, 2008

I recently made this for a vegetarian cafe that I run, for "vegan Tuesday". I 8 x the recipe, and it was well received. I followed others' advice and started with a roux, but I made it with olive oil instead of margarine. I 12x the roux/sauce ingredients, so it would be very saucy. I used all soy milk for the sauce, and didn't use all of the cashew/juice/pepper mixture. I used all of the nutritional yeast that I had on hand (probably 7.5 c) I think that it could have used more yeast. I made a crumb topping by whirling baguette chunks, fresh parsley, spices and olive oil in the food prosessor, and put it on top of the panned up pasta. I only baked it enough to brown the crumbs. I was a little disconcerted by the color, it reminded me of those orange colored cheddars, not my favorite look.

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nancy

Cooking Level: Professional

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Reviewed: Mar. 2, 2008

I guess I'm in the minority here, but my sister and I could only take more than a few bites of this before throwing the lot of it away. I'm not sure how other reviewers describe this dish as "creamy," because after 45 minutes in the oven, every bit of moisture is sucked out of the dish, leaving it clumpy and dry.

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Nicole

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Reviewed: Feb. 24, 2008

Very creamy and tasty. My mother, a staunch carnivore, even loved it.

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DIMPLZ73

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Reviewed: Jan. 17, 2008

Sorry, but I did not enjoy this recipe. It was easy to make but I did not like the taste or the smell. Thanks anyways.

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Jennifer

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Chicago, Illinois, USA

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Reviewed: Dec. 31, 2007

This recipe was really good, I will definitely make this again. I doubled the onion and added 2t of Spike seasoning. I substitued soy milk for water, added a dash of red pepper flakes and used the entire 7oz jar of bells and some of it's liquid. I just mixed the sauce with the mac and warmed it on the stove top, which gave it a smoother texture. The first time followed the recipe, now I give it my twist and now I give it 5 stars.

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cardell

Cooking Level: Intermediate

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Reviewed: Oct. 4, 2007

Not a replacement, but definately an awesome vegan substitute!!! Did start w/ the roux (vegan spread and soy flour). Added 1/2 soy milk 1/2 water and reduced cashews to 1/3rd cup (though i tripled everything else but the pasta which made it 'cheesier.' Believe cashews could be ommitted and still would be great. Hubby who hates anything vegan gave it thumbs up!

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Sone

Home Town: Lakeville, Minnesota, USA

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Reviewed: Aug. 5, 2007

I rated this 5 stars nearly 2 years ago. It is delicious! I am compelled to give a more thorough review though. To those who have tried leaving out the roasted red pepper, this shouldn't be done. It isn't spicy at all and the red pepper is helps the dish have a cheesy flavor as well as that bright orange color children are so fond of. If you leave out the pepper, you are eliminating a key element in the dish's flavor. Also, one reviewer complained about the fat content from the use of cashews. I would like to comment that macaroni and cheese is not a health food. This recipe is certainly healthier than any dairy counterparts because the fat from nuts is more beneficial than animal fat. You will not successfully make a faux cheese sauce using only soy milk. The nuts give the dish a cheesy flavor. I do agree with some reviews that the baking time can be shortened. To keep it creamier, I only bake it for about 30-35 minutes. If I have enough soy milk on hand, I like to replace the water with soy milk just for the added vitamins and calcium. Before making this recipe, cooks should keep in mind that this is a vegan substitute and does not taste just like cheese or a highly processed boxed mac and cheese. Having made many different cheese substitutes in my kitchen, I can attest that this recipe is wonderful. You just have to know what to expect.

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le petit haricot

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

Living In: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

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Reviewed: Jun. 18, 2007

I have made this three times in the last two weeks. It is very easy to throw everything in the blender. I like my mac and cheese a little creamier though. So after trying it baked the first time, I decided to now mix the pasta and sauce together on the stove and heat through.

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foxtrot47

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Morris, Illinois, USA

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Reviewed: May 16, 2007

It turned out well, although I only used brown rice noodles instead of regular. Use water when reheating. It's not a bad taste! The health benefits are there as well.

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