Can you guess my favorite food?
Macaroni and cheese.
Okay maybe it’s my second favorite, after chocolate. But seriously, if you served me vegan macaroni and cheese every night for dinner, you’d never hear me complain. Not once. It is my #1 comfort food of choice, and many of my childhood holiday dinners went something like this:
- Christmas Eve: Family eats lobster. Katie eats macaroni and cheese.
- New Year’s Day: Family eats pork. Katie eats macaroni and cheese.
- Easter: Family eats pink ham.
Katie eats…
MACARONI AND CHEESE.
It was probably the single most difficult food to give up when I went vegan, and as a former cheese-lover with very high standards, I’ve tried some pretty lousy vegan macaroni and cheese substitutes over the years.
Such as the mock-n-cheese from The Squeeze Food Truck.
However, I’ve also tried some really good vegan mac and cheese recipes! For example, Soul Vegetarian Café in Washington DC makes a vegan macaroni and cheese so authentic you will swear you’re eating the real thing.
When my friend Dreena sent me a copy of her new cookbook, Let Them Eat Vegan, the healthy macaroni and cheese recipe, entitled “Mac Oh Geez,” was first to catch my eye, and even though it sounded complicated, I knew I’d have to try it.
It was well worth the effort! I’m not going to say this vegan macaroni and cheese recipe tastes exactly like real mac and cheese, but it’s just as good in its own right—creamy, cheesy, and comforting. I’ve now made the vegan mac and cheese three times and was even brave enough to serve it for Thanksgiving. (Remember this picture of my Thanksgiving dinner?)
No tofu, no cheese substitutes!
Vegan Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients
- 3 to 3 1/2 cups dry cut pasta (ex: macaroni, penne) (about 10 oz)
- 3/4 cup raw cashews (see “nutrition facts” link below for a nut-free version)
- 1/2 cup raw brazil nuts
- 3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 medium clove garlic
- 2 tsp arrowroot powder
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp (rounded) dry mustard
- 1 cup water
- 1 1/2 cups milk of choice (preferably: unsweetened almond or soymilk)
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- For breadcrumb topping:
- 3/4 to 1 1/4 cups dry whole-grain breadcrumbs (See “nutritional info” link below, for gluten-free option)
- 1/2 to 1 tbsp olive oil
- Couple pinches sea salt
Instructions
Vegan Macaroni and Cheese Recipe: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Throw pasta into a deep pot of boiling salted water. While pasta is cooking, blend all sauce ingredients (ingredients 2-11) in a blender or in a deep bowl with an immersion blender. Once pasta is almost tender, fully drain (don’t rinse). Mix noodles with sauce, and immediately pour into a lightly oiled 8 x 12” baking dish. (It will look like there is a lot of runny sauce – it will thicken up, trust the pasta!) Mix breadcrumb toppings in a small bowl, then sprinkle over top of casserole. Cover with foil and bake for 17-18 minutes. Then, remove foil cover and bake another 5-7 minutes or until topping is golden brown and crisped. Don’t overbake or sauce will get too thick. Remove from oven and place vegan macaroni and cheese casserole on a hot plate (rather than on top of oven, since residual heat from oven will continue to thicken the sauce). Serve! For troubleshooting, substitutions, and nutrition information, see the following link:
Did you have any favorite childhood comfort foods?
Without a doubt, my grandmother’s macaroni and cheese casserole was my favorite thing to eat when I was younger. But I also loved mashed sweet potatoes, hot chocolate, and basically any kind of spaghetti or pasta. Still do!
This was delicious! Needs some more garlic and mustard but very good starting point! I love that there’s no fake cheese and that the nuts add some nutrition! Thanks!
I’ve been searching for a good vegan mac and cheese recipe for some time now. And while this doesn’t really taste like mac and cheese, it is very, very good! To me, it tastes more like a pasta and thick alfredo – yum! It is, by far, the best attempt at vegan mac and cheese I’ve found. Kudos!
Hi Katie and Dreena (whom I consider to be a vegan goddess), I’m sorry to say that I tried the nut-free version of the sauce (with the exact ingredients and measurements) and was really sad about the results! The tahini flavor was overwhelming, and it just had no cheesey goodness. I’m not complaining, as I fiddled around with it, but I wonder if the recipe needs to be re-tested or tried on a different audience. I cook regularly from Dreena’s books and have never had a dud, so this surprised me. Best wishes and keep on truckin….
I made this tonight. I thought it was a tad bland. I’m probably going to keep making it though because other vegan mac and cheese recipes I’ve tried have been dry (one used tofu; one used nondairy milk, flour, nooch and nutmeg; one used soy sauce, tahini and miso). This was creamy and just looks so delicious. Also something about it is classy (maybe the whole foods ingredients?). Just have a good feeling about it. Next time I will add more nutritional yeast (I added a little this time) and maybe more ground mustard or garlic(?). I’m considering also holding the salt before baking and adding it to taste on my plate. This time I used slightly less than the called-for one teaspoon salt and it seemed not enough for the finished product. I didn’t see where it says what to do with the 2tbsp olive oil, so I just added it into the pasta after cooking. Thanks for the recipe. Love your blog.
sorry don’t eat cut pasta
it looks great
This is tempting to try, but my daughter can’t eat onion or garlic. I often sub leeks for onion, and I sometimes sub horseradish or parsnips for garlic, as they also give some depth of flavor. Do you think this recipe could stand up to so much meddling?
I adore mac and cheese, but cheese is a migraine trigger for me, so sadly, I’ve had to give it up…I’ll have to try this one…I’ll let you know if it fools my kids.
Hi Karen tie,
This is soooo delicious. Keep posting your recipes and I’ll keep making them.
Made this tonight. I soaked the nuts for about an hour before blending and cheated by adding Daiya cheese-so smooth and creamy. It was so gooey it stuck to the pan!!! Yum!