Tired of being let down by vegan mac and cheese recipes? Well, friend, today is your lucky day! This is truly the best, cheesiest, creamiest, most amazing vegan macaroni and cheese we've ever tasted. But don't take my word for it - check out the reviews! Enjoy it straight from the stovetop or baked with a golden breadcrumb topping.
This vegan mac and cheese is easy to prepare and calls for classic ingredients like cashews and nutritional yeast, plus a few key secret ingredients that take the flavor to the next level!
It's an award-winning recipe you'll return to again and again for parties, cook-outs, holidays, or anytime you're craving vegan comfort food! And you can easily make it gluten-free and/or cashew-free.
Recipe Review:
"I just made this, and it is the absolute best vegan mac and cheese I have ever tasted. It also passed the picky little boy test with flying colors!"
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Why This Recipe Works
I've been vegan for almost 14 years now and have tried my share of vegan mac and cheese recipes.
Unfortunately, none of them ever really hit the spot.
It's not like I'm sharing a national secret here. Hang out long enough in any plant-based recipe group online and you quickly realize that a REALLY GOOD vegan mac and cheese is one of the most yearned-for dishes out there.
So let's get the awkward part out of the way. In my experience, vegan mac and cheese recipes tend to have at least one of these 3 problems:
- Too sweet because of the addition of vegetables for texture and/or color.
- Too dry, since cashews and liquid don't necessarily create a sauce that stays creamy.
- And they rarely actually taste like cheese.
Okay, now that we've identified our problems, we can focus on the solution!
First, I should point out this is a vegan mac and cheese recipe meant to taste as much like its traditional counterpart as possible. I wasn't aiming for "healthy" with this one.
This mac and cheese is meant to be the best. In fact, the whole reason I created it was for a local vegan mac and cheese competition.
The Inspiration
Our local Vegan Society announced an upcoming vegan macaroni and cheese competition. The problem was I didn't actually have a favorite recipe yet!
Around that time I happened to see an instagram post by Timothy Pakron (Mississippi Vegan) about his White Truffle Mac and Cheese.
As soon as I read Timmy's recipe I knew he'd cracked the code! For me, the main takeaway is that we now have delicious, store-bought vegan cheese options, which means it's time to rethink the way we've been making plant-based macaroni and cheese.
When a home cook wants to make traditional, dairy macaroni and cheese what do they do? They go to the store and buy cheese, right? They don't try to make their own cow's milk cheese from scratch (although, if they had to we would probably have a lot more vegans).
So let's rid ourselves of the pressures to make vegan mac and cheese sauce from ingredients like potatoes, carrots, and butternut squash - unless of course we want to make a healthier version.
Ingredient Notes
- garlic - I usually use 7 or 8 cloves of garlic because they're often small. But if you have whopping huge garlic, you'll only need 5 or 6 cloves. I know it sounds like a lot of garlic but trust me, it's part of the magic! If you don't love garlic feel free to reduce it.
- vegan butter - you'll need 2 tablespoons to sauté the garlic.
- olive oil - this is also to saute the garlic, which softens and deepens the flavor.
- raw cashews - if you're allergic to cashews, substitute raw sunflower seeds, or omit and add another half package of cheese.
- vegan cheese - I've included specific recommendations below.
- chickpea miso - or mellow white miso. This adds umami, saltiness, and a hint of cultured flavor.
- nutritional yeast - we're using a small amount here because most of the cheese flavor comes from other ingredients. Feel free to skip it.
- apple cider vinegar - contributes acidity and tang.
- mustard powder - adds just a little something special in the savory department.
- sea salt - obviously salt is crucial for creating cheesy flavor.
- nutmeg - use freshly grated if you have it. Just a few passes over a microplane adds a warmth reminiscent of classic dairy cheese sauces.
- pasta - use your favorite elbow macaroni or another small shape, regular or gluten-free.
Sometimes I also like to add one bunch of sautéed kale. Include it if you're in the mood for a green veggie. Or try broccoli florets or spinach.
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Find the ingredient amounts and full recipe at the bottom of the page.
Which Vegan Cheeses to Use
I experimented with a few different cheeses and found my favorite combination for this recipe.
I like to use 1 package of Violife Smoked Provolone slices and 1 package of Field Roast Chao Original. Avoid flavored varieties like Chao's Tomato Cayenne or Garden Herb.
If you don't have access to either of those, Follow Your Heart's cheeses are also great. For this recipe go with their Provolone or Smoked Gouda.
I like to use one package of smoked cheese because it adds a little something extra in the savory/umami department without actually coming across as smoky.
If you're sensitive to smoke flavor or just don't care for it, feel free to double up on the Chao Original OR use Violife's Mature Cheddar (this one is seriously tasty, and I've used it in this recipe several times).
How to Make It
You can find the recipe video and full step-by-step instructions below. The basic process looks like this:
- Saute garlic over low heat in vegan butter and olive oil.
- Cook the pasta in salted water according to package directions.
- Transfer the garlic to a blender. Add the remaining cheese sauce ingredients and blend until completely smooth. Not sure if the cashews are fully blended? Blend it again!
- While the pasta drains in a colander, pour the blended sauce into the pot. Cook until bubbling and slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the pasta and stir well.
- Let stand for about 10 minutes. The sauce will thicken as it rests, and the pasta will also absorb tons of flavor.
Variation: Baked Vegan Mac and Cheese
We usually enjoy the macaroni straight from the stovetop, but you can also prepare baked vegan mac and cheese with this recipe. For the breadcrumb topping you'll need:
- 1 ½ cups panko breadcrumbs
- 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil or melted vegan butter
- a few dashes of Italian seasoning or paprika
- Optional: 1 cup shredded vegan cheese
Baking Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. After combining the pasta and cheese sauce in the pot, transfer to a 13 x 9 baking dish.
- Mix together the panko and oil (or butter). Add a pinch of salt, a few dashes of Italian seasoning or paprika, and shredded vegan cheese, if using. Sprinkle over the mac and cheese.
- If you included shredded cheese, cover the dish with foil. Otherwise, bake uncovered for 15 to 18 minutes. If covered, remove the foil. Broil for a few minutes or until the breadcrumbs are golden.
Top Tip
Always salt your pasta water. This is critical for building flavor and improving what is often the most bland part of any pasta dish, the pasta itself!
I hope you have a store near you that carries Violife, Chao, and/or Follow Your Heart cheeses. Of course, more brands are coming out all the time. So if you try a different brand be sure to comment below and let us know.
Cheers to life-changing vegan mac and cheese. I hope you love it as much as we do!
Recipe Video
Tap to play the video and see how it's made.
Recipe
The Best Vegan Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup raw cashews - see Note 1
- 14 ounces Violife Smoked Provolone or Mature Cheddar, Chao Creamy Original, or Follow Your Heart Provolone or Smoked Gouda - see Note 2
- 1¾ cups water
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast, optional
- 1½ tablespoons chickpea miso - or white miso; see Note 3
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon dry mustard powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 pinch of freshly grated nutmeg - just 4 or 5 passes over a microplane zester
- 16 ounces dry macaroni or other pasta - gluten-free, if needed
- 1 large bunch kale, optional, thick stems removed, chopped
OPTIONAL breadcrumb topping for baked mac and cheese:
- 1½ cups panko breadcrumbs - regular or GF
- 3 tablespoons olive oil or melted vegan butter
- pinch of sea salt
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning OR paprika
- 1 cup shredded vegan cheese - such as Violife mozz
Instructions
- Preheat a large saute pan over medium/low heat (if not including kale, you can use a small pan). Add the butter, olive oil, and garlic and sauté slowly, for about 5 minutes. Lower the heat if necessary so the garlic doesn't brown.
- In a high speed blender combine the garlic mixture, cashews, cubed cheeses, water, miso, nutritional yeast, vinegar, mustard powder, onion powder, salt, and nutmeg. Blend until completely smooth. Then blend for another 20 seconds for good measure!
- Heat a large pot of water for the pasta. Generously salt the water, and cook pasta according to package directions.
- If including kale in your mac and cheese, saute it in the same pan used to cook the garlic. Stirring occasionally, cook the kale over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until softened and dark green. Remove from heat.
- While the pasta drains in a colander, pour the cheese sauce into the pasta pot. Bring to a simmer. Stirring occasionally, cook until hot and slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
- Add the pasta and kale to the cheese sauce, and stir to coat. Remove from heat, and let stand 10 minutes (for baked version, skip the 10 minute rest). Stir again, serve and enjoy!
For Baked Vegan Mac & Cheese:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and oil a 13 x 9 baking dish. After combining the pasta and cheese sauce in the pot, transfer to the prepared dish.
- Combine the panko and oil (or butter). Add a pinch of salt, a few dashes of Italian seasoning or paprika, and shredded vegan cheese, if using. Mix well. Sprinkle over the mac and cheese.
- If you included shredded cheese, cover the dish with foil (this helps it melt). Otherwise, bake uncovered. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes. Remove foil. Switch the oven to broil, and arrange oven rack so the top of the dish is about 8 inches away from the broiler. Broil for 3 to 5 minutes or until the breadcrumbs are golden.
Notes
If allergic to cashews, sub ⅓ cup raw sunflower seeds (or an extra ½ package of cheese). Note 2 - I like to use one package Chao Original and one Violife smoked provolone.
Since the recipe was originally posted, the vegan cheese market has grown, with more store brands and other options available. Unfortunately, I can't vouch for the end result of the mac and cheese with any other cheeses than the ones listed.
If you don't have access to these brands, choose mildly flavored vegan cheeses similar to the ones listed. And let us know in the comments how it turns out! Note 3 - Miso Masters brand is certified gluten-free, but others may not be. Check labels. Store leftover vegan mac & cheese in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.
Estimated Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition information is an estimate and will vary depending on the exact amounts and specific products and ingredients used.
P.S. About that vegan mac and cheese cookoff? This recipe won! And based on the words of the announcer, "by a long shot." I'm sharing this because I want you to know exactly how well-received this mac and cheese was.
Strangers were coming up to me after the event, telling me with utmost seriousness that they needed the recipe.
I was blown away! I mean, I felt pretty confident about it but honestly didn't know what to expect from the competition. And there were some seriously amazing entries there. I hope you love it, too!
SteveA says
This is indeed the best vegan mac 'n cheese I've ever had. I followed your recipe as written, using 1/2 cheddar and 1/2 provolone, and added 2 Gusta Smoky Paprika vegan sausages, SO GOOD! Thank you for sharing this most excellent cheese sauce.