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Can You Make Instant Mac and Cheese Without Milk

You are here: Home / Cold Hard Facts / How To Make Kraft Macaroni And Cheese Without Milk (Step-By-Step)

Macaroni and cheese

Kraft Macaroni and Cheese is a favorite, addictive, warm, and cheesy comfort food for millions of people.

The internet is covered with recipes for it, but milk isn't always something that agrees with everyone.

The milk aisle is full of many different kinds of milk and milk substitutes to suit nearly everyone's needs.

Here, you'll learn how to make Kraft macaroni and cheese without milk step by step.

How To Make Kraft Macaroni And Cheese Without Milk

kraft macaroni and cheese

There may be dozens of ways that readers may want to know how to make macaroni and cheese without milk.

Some people have a sensitivity to milk, but not other dairy products while others want to also exclude butter, but still want a creamy consistency.

Here, we'll include some suggestions for variations, but first, let's get into the version without milk.

What You'll Need To Begin

Kraft Original Macaroni & Cheese Dinner, 7.25 Oz, Pack of 15

  • 1 package of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese
  • 1 cup of water
  • 1 medium mixing bowl
  • 1 stick unsalted butter or 2 tablespoons margarine
  • 1 saucepan
  • 2 cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1 medium saucepan

Directions

Preparing macaroni and cheese

  1. Open the package of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese.
  2. Remove the package of powdered cheese from the box and put it to the side.
  3. Bring three cups of water to a boil in a saucepan, then add macaroni.
  4. Remove from heat when the macaroni is tender, but not overdone and noodles are swollen.
  5. Drain the macaroni completely in a strainer over the sink.
  6. Rinse them gently in the strainer to remove the excess starch and prevent sticking together.
  7. Dump the macaroni into the medium bowl while still hot. Don't let it cool off.
  8. Sprinkle the contents of the powdered cheese as evenly as possible onto the warm macaroni.
  9. Begin adding one cup of room temperature water. Slowly pour the water in, stopping after two seconds to stir. Pour for another two seconds and stir until you've incorporated all the water.
  10. Add one stick of unsalted butter into the pan in small, cut pieces.
  11. Once the butter is fully melted, you can place the shredded cheese into the bowl and melt it.

Now, return the mixture to the saucepan over the lowest heat.

This is where your preference and your judgment come in.

Melt the cheese shred totally over the low heat.

Then, take a good look at the consistency.

Is it a sticky ball of goo, or is it smooth?

If you like it tight and less creamy, then you can leave it this way and serve from the pot.

If you aren't happy with it and want it creamier, then gently add in a little more water with one tablespoon of butter at a time.

Stick butter typically is wrapped in paper which has the measurements marked out in tablespoons.

Adding one of those cut marks at a time until the desired consistency should do it with the water added in slowly at two-second intervals.

If your stick of butter doesn't have the marks and you're a very precise cook, you can cut approximately one inch at a time and that will do.

Conversely, you can use a measuring spoon.

Once you reach the level of creaminess you like, then simply serve it.

Can I Make Kraft Macaroni And Cheese Without Milk Or Butter?

Macaroni and cheese with bead rumbs

This is almost dairy-free, which is why many people want to make it without milk or butter.

However, you still have dairy in the cheese powder as whey, which is milk protein, milk fat, and cheese culture.

If you want to skip dairy altogether, you would have to use artificial cheese or a natural, vegan cheese substitute.

If you just want to make it without milk or butter, you can use more water.

The problem with that is it won't have a very creamy consistency.

If you thin it out even more, it may be less cheesy.

If you add more shreds, it will be too clumpy and stiff like a starchy ball.

Even if you aren't vegan, but you love macaroni and cheese and can't consume milk, here is that variation.

Macaroni Without Milk Or Butter

Creamette Elbow Macaroni Pasta, 16 oz Box

You can refer to the steps in the previous instructions for the mac n cheese without milk.

For this recipe, you will need:

  • Box of Kraft Mac n Cheese
  • 1 medium or large full-fat, plain, unflavored yogurt or plain authentic Greek yogurt.
  • Saucepan with 3 cups water
  • Shredded sharp cheddar cheese or anything comparable
  1. Boil the pasta, as usual, drain, and let cool to room temp, or place in the fridge for about 15 minutes in a separate bowl to cool.
  2. Combine one cup plain, unflavored yogurt with the cooled pasta and stir to incorporate completely.
  3. Start spooning in the cheese shred, one small handful at a time, stirring between additions.
  4. Continue adding the cheese in the same increments until you've incorporated it completely.
  5. Place it all back into the saucepan over the lowest heat. Any higher will curdle and separate the yogurt. You just want it to be warm enough to melt the cheese shred as evenly as possible.
  6. Now, test the consistency again. If you love gobs of cheese and it's too thin, put more cheese in until it's where you want it. If you want creaminess without too much cheese, the yogurt can be spooned in until the consistency is where you want it. Take the pot off the heat first and let it cool a few minutes before spooning in more yogurt.

What Are The Best Milk Substitutes To Make Mac & Cheese With?

Nerdy scholastic young woman wearing geeky glasses standing thinking with her finger raised

If there's an aisle in the supermarket that's confusing, it's the milk aisle.

There are so many variations to choose from.

Not all of them are perfectly suited for mac & cheese, so we've listed our preferred products here and why they're great for any mac & cheese recipe.

The first category below is the milk, and then we move on to the milk substitutes.

Best Milk For Mac & Cheese

Oat milk in glass and jar on wood background

  • Plain Oat Milk: Oat milk does kind of taste like oats, but under the cheese and anything else you want to put in your mac n cheese it shouldn't be strong enough to notice. Oat milk has a thicker texture than regular cow or soy milk.
  • Soy Milk: Soy milk is not as thick as oat milk, and you can put almond milk in that category as well. Some companies put other natural thickeners in the milk to give it texture, but in our experience, it's not thicker than oat milk.
  • Non-Dairy Cream or Whipping Cream: These are thick just by nature and can be found in non-dairy forms, and whipping cream is much thicker. As you stir whipping cream, you'll get a peak after a while, so make sure you really want the texture to be firm and creamy.
  • Cashew Milk: This is like almond milk and will give a nutty tinge to it, but it will still have the consistency of almond milk. Any nut milk is the same.
  • Goat Milk: This makes it a bit creamy and sweeter.
  • Coconut Milk: Its creamy texture out of the can where it's more of a solid will do best for creaminess.

Milk Substitutes For Mac n Cheese

Butter

  • Sour Cream: This will bring a tangy flavor. You can put a dollop of sour cream when you make traditional or any type of mac & cheese. Somehow, the sour cream always turns up the flavor of any sharp cheese. It doesn't have to be cheddar unless that's your favorite. Some other fabulous cheeses can be Havarti, White Cheddar, and even Gouda.
  • Cream Cheese: You can use cream cheese if you skimp a bit on everything else like the butter and any other sharp cheese. It's best that you use a good liquid to thin it out as you go incorporating two seconds at a time as before.
  • Butter or Margarine: There are differences in the consistency of stick butter and margarine. Margarine is thicker because it's basically solidified oil of some kind. It will take quite a lot of margarine or butter to make it creamy without a heavier liquid, so apart from milk, we can suggest oat milk and with less margarine or butter.

What Else Can I Add To My Mac & Cheese?

Homemade BBQ Pulled Pork Mac and Cheese

You can grab a box of Kraft Mac & Cheese and make it a one-dish dinner night or dress it up to create a fabulous side accompaniment to any main dish.

Whether it's beef, pork, or fish—and let's not forget vegetarian and some vegan dishes—it's going to make it fun!

Mac & cheese is a heavy-bodied dish that is high in protein and carbs.

It can carry a multitude of flavors as long and you don't go too fancy with the mac & cheese on its own.

What does that look like? When you make the mac & cheese, do it as basically as possible.

Make sure that, unless you have specific dietary needs that require you to use a substitute, you use the basic ingredients that don't lend any additional flavor.

The following additions to your mac & cheese can be done using the same recipe in the first traditional recipe at the beginning of the article.

For all these recipes, prepare the mac & cheese exactly as the recipe one describes, and then follow the instructions for your chosen addition below.

Meat Lovers' Mac & Cheese

Baked macaroni and cheese

  1. After preparing the mac & cheese, put it aside.
  2. Take frozen breakfast sausage crumbles that you can find in any grocery store in the section where they have frozen breakfast items.
  3. Cook the amount you like and heat to the specifications.
  4. Cook two to four strips of bacon until crisp and keep the bacon grease on the side.
  5. Add the crispy bits of bacon in with the sausage.
  6. If you want a creamy, tasty sauce, add a little cornstarch or flour into some water and heat in the microwave. Then, stir until the liquid is cloudy and smooth.
  7. Add the bacon grease, but not a lot unless that's what you like. Just add it in a tablespoon at a time while stirring. You can also use a whisk if there are still lumps.
  8. Add to the mac & cheese and serve.

Veggie Lovers' Mac & Cheese

Vegan mac and cheese with nutritional yeast sauce

You can put whatever veggies you want in a veggie mac & cheese.

This next suggestion seems to be the best tasting.

Some of the best tasting ones are veggies that also work well with cheese dips.

That's because mac & cheese is sort of a noodle-filled cheese dip!

  1. Prepare the mac & cheese as in recipe one.
  2. Cook as usual and put to the side off the heat.

Now you can add any of the following vegetables, or any other of your choice, and observe any special instructions.

  1. Artichoke Hearts and Spinach: If you love spinach artichoke dip, you'll love adding it to your mac & cheese. You can put the spinach in it as soon as you take it off the heat. This way, it will wilt down to a soft texture. You can also use frozen spinach. If you do, then make sure you strain it through a cheesecloth or kitchen towel very well or you'll end up with a watery mess.
  2. Add the artichoke hearts next. These need to be chopped up in smaller bits, maybe ¼ inch pieces.
  3. Stir and serve warm.

Vegan Mac & Cheese

Vegan Mac and Cheese with green peas

  1. Prepare the mac & cheese as in recipe one without dairy following the substitutes below.
  2. Exchange Milk and Butter or Margarine for any of the non-dairy choices in the above lists in this article.
  3. Exchange meat for soy meat crumbles if you want the flavor of meat. You can find these substitutes in the frozen section in plant-based breakfast items in both sausage and bacon forms.
  4. Don't use the cheese packets that come with the boxed variety. Use only the pasta portion. You can also make it from scratch from cauliflower or chickpea pasta. We wouldn't recommend the super green variety as the taste is too green and over-powering for mac & cheese.
  5. You can use vegan cheese slices or shreds instead, and you can typically find that in your produce section in the refrigerated area.
  6. Cook it all the same way as in recipe one with these suggestions for a full-bodied vegan, mac & cheese treat.

Can You Make Instant Mac and Cheese Without Milk

Source: https://www.thecoldwire.com/how-to-make-kraft-macaroni-and-cheese-without-milk/