This cheesy homemade vegan mac and cheese recipe will take you straight back to the classic macaroni and cheese from your childhood!
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The best vegan macaroni and cheese
Growing up, my mother was usually the one who cooked for us, preparing elaborate and wholesome meals from scratch, with plenty of vegetables.
But every now and then, my dad would take over the kitchen. One of my absolute favorite lunches he would make us was boxed Kraft macaroni & cheese.
I called it “cheese soup” because he always added extra milk so there was twice as much creamy cheese sauce.
Although I haven’t eaten the boxed Kraft version in years, I still love my mac and cheese with a ton of extra cheese sauce.
Serve me a bowl of homemade macaroni drenched in so much cheese sauce that you cannot even tell there is pasta in the bowl, and you will never hear me complain!
Also be sure to try this Vegan Chocolate Cake
Easy vegan pasta dinner idea
Both online and cookbook vegan macaroni and cheese recipes are definitely hit or miss. And the bad ones truly are awful.
I remember back when I first went vegan, trying a recipe that attempted to mimic the cheesy taste by using a combination of nutritional yeast, miso, and Dijon mustard.
The vegan recipe claimed to taste just like real mac and cheese. Spoiler alert: it not even come close.
I’ve also tried some vegan restaurant versions or packaged varieties (not naming brand names) so far away from tasting anything like mac and cheese that I honestly do not know how they ever made it onto shelves.
With this simple vegan mac and cheese recipe today, I am not going to tell you it tastes exactly like Kraft or Velveeta. But it is absolutely delicious in its own right and completely satisfies even my strongest mac and cheese cravings.
You may also like: Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Everyone loves this vegan mac and cheese recipe
Today’s nondairy recipe has received a resounding stamp of approval from every one of my non vegan friends and family members who have tried it.
This is hugely important to note, because if someone who remembers what traditional mac and cheese tastes like says it’s good, you know it must be true!
I am not saying vegans have inferior taste buds (obviously my taste buds are super awesome). But I do admit that sometimes we can get excited about a dish simply because a plant based version is offered.
I can think of quite a few examples of this from over the years, especially with things I’ve ordered at restaurants.
Those vegan cannoli that tasted like someone who’d clearly never been to Italy simply stuffed vanilla frosting into a cannoli shell… were they they best cannoli I’d ever had in my life? No.
But on the other hand, I got to order vegan cannoli on a restaurant menu! So actually yes, best cannoli ever.
What ingredients do you need?
To add thickness and creaminess without flour or heavy cream, I turned to cashews this time, which gives the sauce a rich and velvety texture.
You can substitute macadamia nuts for a low carb version. Or I also include a nut free and soy free vegan cheese sauce option in the recipe below.
Unlike many other dairy free macaroni and cheese recipes on the internet or in a box of Annie’s vegan mac and cheese, this one contains no butternut squash, silken tofu, cornstarch, or cauliflower.
If you do prefer a cauliflower version, try this Cauliflower Alfredo Recipe.
The classic orange color and rich flavor are thanks in part to a surprising antioxidant packed healthy ingredient: roasted carrot!
If you want to make mac and cheese without nutritional yeast, just use the shredded vegan cheese option instead. Vegan cheddar, mozzarella, 4 cheese Mexican blend, Parmesan, or Monterey Jack all work.
With mac and cheese, it is good to have options.
What kind of pasta works best?
Pretty much any noodles will work here, and whole wheat or gluten free pasta is fine to use as well. I am partial to tube noodles because they trap more vegan cheese!
For the photos, I really wanted the recognizable Kraft pasta shape but could not find it anywhere. So I ended up buying boxed vegan mac and cheese and using my own sauce recipe instead of their packet.
The cheese sauce can be used with much more than just pasta.
If you are on a keto or low carb diet or simply do not feel like boiling noodles one night, feel free to use the sauce as a cheese dip. Or pour it over steamed veggies, cauliflower rice, baked potatoes or sweet potatoes, or even spaghetti squash.
(My recommended method for cooking the best spaghetti squash in the oven or microwave can be found here: How To Cook Spaghetti Squash.)
Or spread the cheesy sauce over toast for an easy vegan alternative to grilled cheese.
Mac and cheese recipe tips
You can bulk up the mac and cheese by stirring steamed or roasted veggies in at the end. I especially love adding chopped steamed broccoli.
Or give the pasta a protein boost by adding crumbled tempeh, baked tofu or seitan, or your favorite protein of choice.
Finally, if you are a cheese lover like me and want to drown your pasta in a gallon of cheese sauce, feel free to make a double batch!
Readers also love these Buffalo Cauliflower Wings
Vegan mac and cheese recipe video
Above – watch the step by step video.
How to make vegan mac and cheese
Start by completely covering the nuts in a bowl with water.
Let them soak anywhere from two to six hours. Or refrigerate the bowl and soak overnight. Then drain fully and pat dry.
Combine all of the vegan mac and cheese ingredients (including 1/2 cup water, but not including the optional cheese). Blend in a blender or with an immersion blender until the sauce is thick and completely smooth.
Transfer to a small saucepan and heat to your desired temperature, stirring the optional cheese shreds (such as Daiya or Follow Your Heart or Miyokos) in at the end.
Taste, and add extra seasonings such as onion powder, salt, nutmeg, paprika, or black pepper if you wish. I usually add another 1/2 tsp salt and a pinch of additional nutmeg. Serve over cooked pasta, rice, veggies, or whatever your heart desires.
You can also stir in some 5 ingredient Vegan Meatballs!
Store any leftover vegan cheese sauce in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to five days.
Or freeze in an airtight covered container after the sauce cools. Thaw frozen cheese sauce, then reheat in a saucepan on the stove top before serving.
Vegan Mac And Cheese
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup raw cashews or macadamia nuts (for nut-free, try this Vegan Cheese Sauce)
- 1 medium carrot peeled and steamed or roasted (80g)
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast OR half a cup shredded vegan cheese
- 1 tsp white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup water plus more for soaking
- 2 tsp vegan butter (optional for added richness)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg (optional)
- 6 oz macaroni noodles or you can put the sauce over veggies or use it as a dipping sauce
Instructions
- To make vegan mac and cheese, completely cover the nuts in a bowl with water. Let soak anywhere from 2-6 hours, or refrigerate and soak overnight. Drain fully. Combine all sauce ingredients (including 1/2 cup water, but not including the optional shredded cheese or macaroni noodles). Blend in a blender or with an immersion blender until completely smooth. Transfer to a small pot and heat to your desired temperature, stirring optional cheese shreds in at the end. Taste, and add extra seasonings (onion, salt, nutmeg, pepper) if desired. I like to add another 1/2 tsp salt and a pinch more nutmeg. If using, cook the pasta according to package directions. You can serve the sauce over noodles, rice, spaghetti squash, toast, or roasted vegetables.View Nutrition Facts
Video
Notes
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This looks absolutely amazing! Mac and cheese is my favorite food (guilty as charged) – will have to try this recipe out!
x Sarah
This looks so good! Totally making this with the kids for lunch today!
Paige
did you make this yet? I’d love to hear other’s comments on it.
I just made it for dinner tonight. I keep dipping into it and hope there will be enough to cover the pasta now!? really nice (and morish!)
In your opinion what’s the bet shredded cheese
Follow your heart brand. I can’t stand Daiya and FYH is best option I have found. SO Delicious is also pretty good.
I love Miyoko’s sharp aged cheddar (block), her mozzarella, Follow Your Heart cheeses, nutritional yeast, Violife, Parmela, Dare Asheville Cheda (never tried melting it though it’s on the softer side of block form so probably could simply mix it in over the stove with some light heat and it will taste the same.
This looks great. My daughter can’t have dairy & really misses Mac & cheese. We haven’t found a good cheeses style shred yet, & it was getting expensive to keep trying them. What brand do you or your other readers like? Thanks for all the great recipes!
Hi Amy! Have you tried Miyoko’s? Or Chao? Or Follow Your Heart? I’m guessing you’ve tried Daiya, and I know that one is either something vegans love or hate!
Follow your Jeart is pretty good, Daiya not so good ?
We like the almond shredded cheese from Trader Joe’s. They also sell an almond cheese brand at Nugget Markets. I think it’s the best tasting out of all of the cheeses….and we’ve tried a LOT.
That’s because the almond cheese at Trader Joe’s still has Casein in it which is a dairy product. It may be lactose free but it is not 100% dairy-free.
Amy, if your daughter is lactose intolerant and not actually allergic to dairy, she should be fine with eating aged cheeses like Sharp Cheddar.
So Delicious shreds! The best I’ve found, melts well too.
Amy, somewhat ironically the company “Amy’s” makes an INCREDIBLE vegan mac ‘n cheese!
Also, Miyoko’s is AMAZING. All of their products are just incredible. I just tried their cream cheese and it is outstanding–their vegan butter is amazing too. They never use plan oil, either, so that is a huge plus to say the least. I’m really looking forward to trying their mozzarella as I’ve heard great things and this company has never failed to amaze me.
Chao is extremely good and now there’s another company similar to them that makes all kinds of vegan cheese products and they fortify it with B12 which I find really cool. I know chao is plan oil free and I believe the new company I referred to is, as well (sorry I don’t remember the name but it’s at whole foods all the time). Then you have nutritional yeast which is just awesome (and so healthy!)… you can make so many homemade vegan cheese recipes with it and it is AMAZING on popcorn. The website the vegan 8 or something like that, has the best vegan garlic alfredo sauce recipe ever! I don’t know why their site now says the nutritional yeast is optional because it’s absolutely necessary and they also now say to use more lemon juice as an option but use the lower amount they say because you definitely don’t want it too lemon-y.
Chao vegan cheese is, by far, the best vegan cheese we’ve found (get the creamy original flavor). It comes in a block of slices, but we just treat it like a block, and shred it, when needed. The closest thing I can compare it to is a cross between american cheese and provolone. Does it taste exactly like regular cheese? No, but it is absolutely as close as we’ve found, and my daughter actually LIKES it. No other one we’ve tried even tasted remotely good. Sometimes it’s hard to find, and it’s expensive (as are most non-dairy foods), but Whole Foods carries it, and recently Walmart started to sell it as well. Walmart has it for the cheapest I have found anywhere.
I second your choice of Chao cheese. I think it’s the closest to the real thing, too. I also agree that Walmart carries this product at the lowest price. One of my local stores carries this cheese but for $2 more than Walmart. I like that the chao cheese melts like regular cheese when making grilled cheese sandwiches. Not a fan of Miyoko’s. I think the Trader Joe’s cream cheese taste better than Miyoko’s. I’m looking forward to making the mac n cheese recipe. It looks divine.
I’m fond of the Daiya mozzarella shreds, but not any of their other shreds. Their cheddar slices are okay fro grilled cheese if you combine it with other sauces. I used to use veganaise roasted garlic spread, but they don’t make it anymore. These things are also not great on their own, they definitely need to be combined with other ingredients and seasonings. The best thing I’ve heard anyone says comes very close is the non-dairy evolution cookbook. It’s inexpensive. I’ll warn you: most of the recipes require a high quality food processor or immersion blender, or strange ingredients you have to buy online, but I’ve read many comments that these recipes are the best people have tried.
I REAALLLY want to start a food blog! Any tips?
I’d recommend starting here! https://lett-trim.today/2016/08/20/how-to-start-a-blog/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
This looks really good, just like the stuff I grew up with but much better! I can’t wait to try it!
Made this yesterday and it was amazing, really creamy and tastes pretty close to the real thing. Thank you, Katie, for consistently great recipes 🙂
Yummmmmy my 2 two boys 7 and 9 absolutely loved it , I also served it with broccoli and they didn’t even make a fuss about ?
Do we add the nutritional yeast in the blender or when we are heating it up?
I add mine in the blender!
I saw on Instagram you used boxed mac and cheese noodles and your own sauce for the pictures. Which brand of vegan mac noodles did you buy? I’m dying to make them with the nostalgic noodle shape and I haven’t found any that are right yet. Thanks!
The Creamette Ready Cut Spaghetti is like the Kraft noodles.
LOVE how rich and creamy this is…and LOVE that ingredient list too! 🙂
This is delicious! I substituted low sodium veg broth for the water and added in a quarter of a red bell pepper and a sprinkle of smoked paprika. Will definitely be checking out more of your recipes! Thank you!
Love the photo!
I’m sorry but this did not taste like cheese at all. The only reason I even gave it 2 stars is it is creamy and rich. This is the first recipe from your site that I have ever not liked, and I’ve tried both sweet and savory. I have made vegan cheese recipes many times, with three different recipes as bases (depending on the ingredients in my pantry and what I’m making it for). I have done two different cashew cheese sauces and the one you referred to that uses potato, carrot, and mustard. All of them tasted better than this. I have never seen any cheese recipe using nutmeg before. Based on the taste of this recipe, I will never use it again. I had to add garlic powder, paprika, salt, and an ounce of goat cheese to make it taste decent (I’m not vegan, but use a lot of vegan recipes because I’m allergic to cow’s milk, and goat’s milk products get expensive very quickly).
Not every recipe is for everyone, and that’s completely ok. I happen to really like this one (and I’m not vegan either) and have made it numerous times, but different people have different tastebuds and there’s no problem with that. However, I did want to mention that if you google mac and cheese recipes, many of them including Saveur, Food Network, and Martha Stewart do include a pinch of nutmeg. You don’t want too much, just a small pinch!
?? I stumbled upon this blog looking for a vegan Mac & cheese to prepare for thanksgiving. Did you use cashews? I’ve found that I do not like the use of cashews AT ALL in sauces and people rave about. Cashews leave a weird after taste. I will try using macadamia nuts to see if that makes a difference ?
I made this sauce for the first time yesterday (substituting real butter I had on hand as I’m lactose-intolerant, not vegan) and here’s my non-vegan input:
it certainly doesn’t pass as cheese but I could understand it being called “cheesy” by vegan standards. That being said it’s incredibly delicious in its own right and I scraped every last bit to lick off the spatula! I’ll definitely make this again!
As another non vegan, I feel the exact same way as you about this recipe!
Jason
I’ve never been a fan on Mac n cheese but now I have stopped eating dairy I decided to give this version a try!
WOW!! Its delicious!! I made double the cheese sauce and poured extra on my 2nd helping! Everyone loved it!
Thank you!!
Katie! Your recipes are amazing, and this one is no exception. Seriously, the best vegan Mac and cheese I’ve ever made! I mixed in Daiya shredded cheeze and a little bit of nooch, and it was a great combo. I did double the recipe so my fiancé and I could have lots of leftovers. Thank you for creating and sharing such tasty recipes. You’re wonderful!
This was really yummy and not as many ingredients as some vegan cheese sauces. I made the version without cheese shreds, but did use the buttery spread. I think that’s what sold it 🙂