With any of these substitutes I would recommend starting with 1 cup. As most box macaroni and cheese call for one cup of milk. Then you can add more for desired flavor and consistency.
Easiest Mac and Cheese Milk Substitute In a Pinch
Water has to be the easiest substitute for milk in mac and cheese.
I would use the same water used to boil the pasta. Leave approximately 1 cup of water remaining in the pot and drain the rest.
You want the starch from the noodles for a creamier cheese sauce. Since you wont be adding any milk it won’t be too runny.
Dairy Milk Substitutes for Mac and Cheese
You can use heavy cream, half & half, sour cream, cream cheese, plain yogurt, ranch or mayonnaise instead of milk.
- Ranch
- You can use ranch sauce or a ranch mix.
- Mayonnaise
- Use a plain mayonnaise
- Sour Cream
- Leave water in the pot or add extra before stirring.
- Whipping Cream
- Again you can skip on the Butter.
- Cream Cheese
- A little goes a long ways.
- Plain Yogurt
- Don’t Heat Too Quickly and Stir Gradually.
- Powdered Milk
- Condensed Milk is sweeter and slightly thicker than evaporated milk.
- Half & Half
- Because half and half can have more than double the fat content of milk. Consider skipping out on adding in any butter to your mac and cheese.
- Goat Milk
- Try With Goat Cheese!
| Dairy Milk Substitutes | Taste vs Dairy Milk | Consistency vs Dairy Milk |
| Half & Half | Richer | More Creamy |
| Ranch | Sweeter | More Creamy |
| Sour Cream | Tangy | More Creamy |
| Whipping Cream | Richer | Extra Creamy |
| Cream Cheese | Sweeter | More Creamy |
| Plain Yogurt | Tangy | More Creamy |
| Water | Less Flavor | Less Creamy |
| Butter | Richer | Less Creamy |
| Powdered Milk | Sweeter | More Creamy |
| Goat Milk | Sweeter | Similar |
Vegan Milk Alternatives for Mac and Cheese
The good news is any non-dairy vegan milk can used to make macaroni and cheese. Be aware each one has a distinct flavor that may be stronger than regular dairy milk.
- Cashew Milk
- Choose unsweetened for less sugar and visa versa.
- Soy Milk
- Use unsweetened unflavored soy milk.
- Almond Milk
- Add more cheese or flour to thicken and make creamier.
- Hemp Seed Milk
- Look out for added sugars.
- Oat Milk
- Use unsweetened oat milk.
- Rice Milk
- May require some extra flour, or other thickeners.
- Coconut Milk
- Use unsweetened
- Macadamia Milk
- Use equal amounts as you would dairy milk.
- Pea Milk
- Add in extra cheese to mask flavor more.
| Vegan Milk Substitutes | Taste vs Dairy Milk | Consistency vs Dairy Milk | |
| Cashew Milk | Nutty | More Creamy | |
| Soy Milk | Less Sweet | More Creamy | |
| Almond Milk | Sweeter | Less Creamy | |
| Hemp Seed Milk | Nutty | More Creamy | |
| Oat Milk | Sweeter | Similar | |
| Rice Milk | Similar | Less Creamy | |
| Coconut Milk | Coconut | More Flavor | |
| Macadamia Nut Milk | Mild | Similar | |
| Pea Milk | Bitter | More Creamy | |
| Hazelnut Milk | Sweeter, Nutty | Similar | |
| Sesame Milk | Nutty | Similar |
