Vegan Macaroni and Cheese

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This vegan macaroni and cheese is the closest I’ve had to the real deal dairy version. It’s so creamy and delicious, it doesn’t feel weight-y or heavy, and it’s quick! It’s definitely a weeknight meal and feels cozy and comforting.

Vegan Macaroni and Cheese

A few people slid into my DMs and said they were looking for vegan recipes. I was up for the challenge because I hardly ever make vegan things. And I want to!

If you’re anything like me, you have given “vegan macaroni and cheese” mad side-eye. I’m not gonna lie, when I look at vegan cheese in the grocery stores, I sort of shudder. But vegan cheese has come a long way (I love Kite Hill). ANYWAYZZZ, this recipe doesn’t include any vegan cheese, instead it relies on a potato, nutritional yeast and cashews to give it its creaminess.

I adapted this recipe from Cookie and Kate because Kate is a G when it comes to vegetarian/vegan recipes.

I made some changes, like more water, more crushed red pepper, I added some turmieric and switched around the add-ins but for the most part, give or take, the core of the recipe is hers.

How to make vegan macaroni and cheese:

  1. Start with the base. Heat up some garlic and onion in olive oil and cook until softened. Add the dijon mustard, turmeric and crushed red pepper flakes.
  2. Make a creamier base. Add a potato and some cashews with water and cook until the potato is cooked through.
  3. Blend! Add all this to a blender with some nutritional yeast and lemon juice and blend until smooth.
  4. Toss with pasta! Choose any short pasta that you like, I chose this fancy artiglanale.
  5. Add whatever you want and serve. I decided to sauté some kale and mushrooms and add that.

Vegan Macaroni and Cheese

What makes good vegan macaroni and cheese?

There are a few ingredients that help get this pretty close to the real deal and make it the best vegan mac and cheese that I think are pretty important:

  • Extra flavors. I think dijon and red pepper flakes help with that.
  • Turmeric adds color to make it more yellow and appealing.
  • Potato and Cashews! The potato was surprising to me but it really helps sort of bind the sauce and make it creamy. Cashews are always used in vegan cheese so it wasn’t surprising but it is very important.
  • Nutritional Yeast. Very important to use to get that classic cheesy flavor.

Vegan Macaroni and Cheese

Tips and Tricks:

  • Experiment with more seasonings. Try adding other spices like smoked paprika and chili powder.
  • Add more vegetables. The sauce itself is already fairly healthy but you can always get more vegetables in, I also like thawed frozen peas and spinach.

Vegan Macaroni and Cheese

5 from 1 vote

Vegan Macaroni and Cheese Recipe

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Total: 25 minutes
Servings: 4
This vegan macaroni and cheese is the closest version I've had to the real deal dairy version. It is so creamy and delicious, it doesn’t feel weight-y or heavy, and it's quick! It’s definitely a weeknight meal and feels cozy and comforting.

Ingredients 

  • Olive oil
  • 4 ounces mushrooms of choice, I used chanterelles, sliced
  • 1/2 batch of kale, sliced
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1/2 yellow onion, roughly chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt, plus more to taste
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • Pinch of turmeric, this is just for coloring so if you don’t have it, feel free to skip it
  • 1 medium russet potato, peeled and grated
  • 2/3 cup raw cashews
  • 1 1/2 cups water, plus more at the end
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • Juice from 1/2 lemon
  • 1 pound pasta, of choice

Instructions 

  • To a medium pot, set over medium heat, add a teaspoon of olive oil. When warm, add the kale and mushrooms. Cook until the kale is bright green and the mushrooms have softened, about 5 minutes. Add a few pinches of salt. Scoop the kale and mushrooms out of the pot and set aside. No need to wash the pot out, we’re gonna use it again for the sauce.
  • Add an additional teaspoon of olive oil. When warm, add the onion, garlic and salt. Cook until translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes. Mix in the Dijon mustard, crushed red pepper and turmeric. Next, add the potato, cashews and water. Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally, and cook for about 5 to 7 minutes, until the potato is completely cooked through. Transfer to a high-powered blender, along with the nutritional yeast and lemon juice. Process until very smooth, about a minute. Give it a taste and adjust the salt until you really taste the flavor. I added about 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
  • Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the package’s instructions, until al dente. Drain and add back to the pot. Pour the “cheese” sauce over the pasta and add the sautéed kale and mushrooms. Give it a stir and divide amongst plates.

Notes

Nutrition

Serving: 4g | Calories: 570kcal | Carbohydrates: 95g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 324mg | Potassium: 482mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 74IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Like this Recipe? Please Rate & comment below!

Did you make this recipe? Let me know on Instagram!

Looking for more vegan recipes? Here are some of my favorites:

Cozy Latin-Inspired Comfort Food Recipes

Hi! I'm Adrianna and this is my cozy space on the internet that is super-charged by butter, flour and copious amounts of pasta. Stay awhile, will you!

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16 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This recipe is SOOOO delicious! I used kale, mushrooms and peas. Potato makes it creamy and the mustard, lemon juice and nutritional yeast make it wonderfully tangy and “cheesy.”. You won’t miss the dairy at all. Definitely will make it again!

  2. How am I just finding this recipe!!! Thank you! Our toddler has a dairy allergy and loves noodles, doesn’t every 2 year old. So excited to give this recipe a try! I’ve used nutritional ueast, almond milk and earth balance butter but never got that creamy feel like that of mac and cheese! I’ll follow up with a review from CJ, the df two year old. 🙂
    Thanks again!!!

  3. sorry that last year was a rough one for you :(. i think it was for many of us, but i’m sorry for whatever it is you had to go through. i’m hoping you have a great 2018! this recipe looks awesome – definitely appreciate you throwing in a vegan option every now and then! 🙂

  4. I would like to say thank you for the recommendation on the book I bought, it has changed my point of view in cooking so much!!! I am a vegan and its very hard sometimes to be creative but this book has helped me a lot. I feel all of you should check it out: https://tinyurl.com/yaoynchw

  5. This looks so delicious, Adrianna! I love making vegan cheese sauces with nutritional yeast and cashews! Mushrooms and kale make such a great addition. Definitely trying! Yum!! 🙂