So, what do you get when you combine gluten-free beer, gluten-free pasta and a vegan cheese sauce? Only the best dinner ever. Yes, that's right. I've created a gluten-free and vegan beer mac n' cheese.
When it comes to this mac n' cheese, there's really only one added ingredient to make it no longer kid-friendly. And that my friends, is the beer. Gluten-free beer in this case. Other than that, kiddos would gobble this dinner up in no time.
Beer is a fabulous ingredient to cook with. It brings a slightly sweet, but rich and out-of-this-world flavor. Dark beers, like stout or Guinness, can make desserts radiate with decadence, but amber ales, like the one I used in this recipe, are there to boost the flavor. And I mean really, cheese and beer? A match made in heaven.
But what makes this mac n' cheese so irresistible, is the “cheese” sauce. A simple, yet decadent, vegan cream sauce, helps give this mac n' cheese it's smooth, rich finish. I swear, I've almost never had baked a mac n' cheese that tasted this good.
Beer Mac n’ Cheese (gf & vegan)
Ingredients
- 2½ cups gluten-free pasta I used fusilli
- 1 cup almond milk or milk of choice
- ¾ cup brown ale I used this one
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ cup toasted quinoa flour
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- ¾ cup cooked quinoa
- ½ cup + 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package instructions.
- In a small sauce pan over medium heat, whisk together the oil, mustard, flour, cayenne, turmeric and 1 teaspoon of salt.
- Combine the beer and milk into pitcher or bowl with a spout, and slowly add it to the oil and flour mixture. Whisk constantly until the mixture has thickened, about 5 minutes.
- Transfer the cooked pasta to a mixing bowl and pour the sauce over the noodles. Stir in ½ cup of nutritional yeast and transfer to single serve ramekins.
- Prepare the topping by combining the quinoa, remaining nutritional yeast and salt. Stir with a fork and spoon onto the top of each ramekin.
- Bake at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes, until the top is slightly browned.
- Let cook for 5 minutes and serve.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
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This post is shared on: Slightly Indulgent Tuesday
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I was just wondering if this would be good with vegetable broth instead of beer? I tried the recipe tonight with a different beer as the one you suggested isn’t sold where I live in Canada. I really like it but would like it better if the beer taste wasn’t so present. Maybe the beer I used was too strong, not sure. So I was wondering if it could be replaced with something else. Thank you
I love your site!
This is my 1st experience with nutritional yeast. I made this tonight, and was really excited with the creamy look of it, but a bit disappointed with the taste. It tasted like a put peanut butter in it….did I do something wrong?
Hmmm…honestly, I’m not too sure. Perhaps it’s just that you’re not used to the flavor of nutritional yeast? It doesn’t taste exactly like cheese, and perhaps your tastebuds are noticing more of a peanut butter flavor. I don’t believe it’s anything you could have done wrong though! I would say just keep experimenting with it (you should try it on pasta and popcorn!) and see if you get more used to the flavor.
ALWAYS on the hunt for great vegan mac and cheese! This looks delicious. Were you able to find New Planet GF beer easily in Manhattan?
I haven’t actually found it in NYC, but every time I’ve purchased it, it’s been at Whole Foods. I’m assuming that they would have it in almost all of them! You could also use Redbridge or Bard’s 🙂
What beer did you use in this recipe? The links aren’t working on my computer.
I used New Planet in this recipe, but you could use any GF beer.
Hehe yeah, as two others have asked … where is the cheese aspect in this recipe? Also, what brown ale did you use? I ask because … most beers are not gluten-free, so unless there’s a specific gluten-free beer you’d recommend, then that ingredient kind of kills the gluten-free nature of this dish, right? 😉
Sounds delicious though, but I will have to scour the net for some gluten-free beer brands; if there are any. Haven’t thought to look for GF beers before hehe, so that’s a bit of an interesting point for me now.
Thanks for sharing this recipe; and ALL of your awesome recipes :). I’m a two-time cancer survivor now dealing with type 2 diabetes, hypothyroidism, chronic lung disease, & heart failure due to past chemo/radiation treatments, so I’m trying to better my options by attempting to eat gluten-free. It’s been tough as hell, but I aim to keep at it. Your site is going to be instrumental for adding a great variety of recipes, information, & tips. So thank you very much in that regard as well QoQ!
I must have missed something, where is the cheese?????
There is no actual cheese. I believe it’s the combination of the milk and nutritional yeast that gives it a cheesy flavor.
Yes, that’s right! It’s the nutritional yeast 🙂
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WHERE IS THE CHEESE?
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This is FABULOUS! I’ve been craving Mac & Cheese ever since I found out I was allergic to dairy and wheat. I really enjoyed this and will keep it in my recipe file! Thank you!
Thanks, Marian! That’s exactly what inspired the recipe for me. Who knew you could have a tasty, cheesy treat that’s vegan!
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Oh my goodness – This looks delicious! I’m adding this to my recipe list for next week. I just found your site and I love it!
Just a heads up, Guinness isn’t vegan, so you may not want to mention it in a vegan post. It contains a fish product called isinglass. Great looking recipe though!
Thanks Holly! I only drink gluten-free beer and link to the one I used In my recipe. Hopefully those who choose to go the gluten route, are aware that Guinness isn’t vegan 🙂
This looks and SOUNDS incredible! Beer and cheese always is a good combination, I just haven’t had it since going vegan. Thank you for providing the way! 🙂
You’re so very welcome! This recipe should open and whole new beer and vegan cheese world for you 🙂 Please let me know if you try it! xx
Genius! I love that you’ve used cooked quinoa sprinkled over the top in place of the usual bread crumbs. I’m totally going to try this out, I’ve been brainstorming recipes for a friend who is sensitive to both dairy and gluten but LOVES mac n cheese. Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks, Katie!! I think this recipe might just be the perfect thing for you’re mac n’ cheese loving friend 🙂
I really love CHEESE!! i can consume a lot of this because its Gluten-free.
Me too!!! That’s why this recipe is so glorious 🙂
yummm, awesome job adapting a classic for the gf crowd! plus you can make it ahead of time and pop it in the oven when hungry!