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Try this creamy vegan mac and cheese recipe, made with all whole foods! A luscious cashew sauce blankets tender noodles, creating cozy pasta comfort food that everyone will love.
Why we love this recipe
Craving that glorious comfort food, without the dairy? Turns out this golden hug in a bowl can be just as delicious with no cheese at all: try this vegan mac and cheese recipe!
Our plant-based spin on this classic explodes with creamy decadence using a few fun tricks. As two cookbook authors who started publishing vegan and vegetarian recipes back in 2010, we found that cashews, sweet potato, and canned artichokes make a cheesy sauce that is just as satisfying as the real thing! Our kids absolutely love this one and everyone eats heaping bowls.
Ingredients in this vegan mac and cheese recipe
How do you make a satisfying vegan mac and cheese without the cheese? There are loads of vegan mac and cheese recipes on the internet and in cookbooks, and many of them contain nutritional yeast. While it adds a cheesy flavor, we find nutritional yeast can add bitterness to vegan recipes. For this reason, we’ve developed a recipe without it, and it’s just as tasty! Here are the ingredients you’ll need:
- Cashews, raw and unsalted
- Sweet potato or carrot
- Artichoke hearts, canned
- Yellow mustard
- Garlic powder, onion powder, turmeric, and salt
- Vegan butter
- Macaroni
How to make vegan mac and cheese: basic steps
Vegan mac and cheese can’t rely on the typical roux-based cheese sauce like a standard mac and cheese. Cashews add richness and sweetness to a blended sauce that brings in major savory flavor. Here are the basic steps for this simple sauce:
- Boil the cashews and sweet potato: Peel and finely dice the sweet potato. Then boil it with the cashews for 15 minutes. This softens both so they can create a silky smooth sauce.
- Blend: Blend the boiled cashews and sweet potato with artichoke hearts, seasonings, water and vegan butter. It’s helpful to have a high speed blender to make it very creamy, but any style of blender works.
- Boil the pasta: Meanwhile, liberally salt pasta water and bring it to a boil. Add the macaroni and boil until al dente.
- Mix: Mix the sauce with the noodles.
- Bake (optional): If desired, top with a breadcrumb topping and bake 15 minutes at 350°F. This helps to infuse additional flavor into the noodles.
For the breadcrumb topping
This vegan mac and cheese is delicious as is, but the breadcrumb topping takes the flavor over the top! It adds a crunch of texture and a salty, smoky pop to each bite! You’ll just need to toast the breadcrumbs lightly in vegan butter with the seasonings for a few minutes prior to adding them. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Panko (plain): Panko is a Japanese-style breadcrumb mixture that is airier and lighter than traditional breadcrumbs. We like using panko because it’s light and crunchy, and adds a great texture as a topping.
- Vegan butter
- Garlic powder
- Smoked paprika
- Kosher salt
Baked mac and cheese option
This mac and cheese recipe works as a stovetop mac and cheese, but when we have the time we like baking it. Baking infuses the savory flavors from the sauce into the noodles, which is helpful with a plant-based sauce. Simply bake for 15 minutes at 350°F until headed through.
Storing leftovers
Vegan mac and cheese stores well in the refrigerator. Leftovers last up to 4 days refrigerated, and you can reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave. If desired, add a splash of oat milk or non-dairy milk if it is too thick.
Ways to serve vegan mac and cheese
Make vegan mac and cheese into a meal by adding a salad or sauteed vegetable! Here are a few ideas for serving alongside:
More vegan recipes
This vegan mac and cheese recipe is a favorite in our collection of vegan recipes! Here are a few more plant-based meals we love:
- Try 50 Easy Vegan Recipes or 30 Easy Vegan Dinner Recipes
- Make Vegan Crab Cakes with Vegan Tartar Sauce, or Veggie Nuggets.
- Try crowd-pleasing Vegan Eggplant Parmesan
- Make a Crispy Tofu Bowl or Tofu Fried Rice, or give Marinated Tempeh a try
- Whip up Tofu Broccoli Stir Fry or Vegan Broccoli Soup
- Make our fan favorite Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies, Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, or Vegan Oatmeal Cookies
- Try Ultimate Vegan Chili, Vegan Sushi or Favorite Vegan Lasagna Recipe
Dietary notes
This vegan mac and cheese recipe is vegetarian, vegan, and dairy-free.
Frequently asked questions
Vegan mac and cheese is a dairy-free version of the classic comfort food. Instead of cheese, the sauce is typically made with a combination of ingredients like cashews, plant-based milk, and spices for a cheesy flavor and creamy texture.
Yes, you can make the sauce ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator for a few days or freeze it for longer storage. Just be sure to cook the pasta fresh when you’re ready to serve.
You can experiment with other nuts like macadamia nuts. However, cashews are often preferred for their neutral flavor and ability to create a smooth and creamy texture.
Vegan Mac and Cheese
Try this creamy vegan mac and cheese recipe, made with all whole foods! A luscious cashew sauce blankets tender noodles, creating cozy pasta comfort food that everyone will love.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 6 1x
- Category: Main dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Pasta
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
For the mac and cheese
- 1 ¼ cups raw unsalted whole cashews
- 1 cup peeled, finely diced sweet potato (about 6 oz) or peeled sliced carrots (about 2 medium carrots)
- 15-ounce can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric (optional, for color)
- 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter
- 1 cup water
- 12 ounces small elbow macaroni (2 ¾ cups small elbows)
For the breadcrumb topping (optional)
- ½ tablespoon vegan butter
- ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- If making baked mac and cheese, preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Place the cashews and sweet potato* or carrot in a pot on the stovetop and cover with 2 inches water. Bring to a boil, then boil for 15 minutes (if using carrots, add them after the first 5 minutes). Drain the cashews and carrots in a strainer.
- Meanwhile, fill a large saucepan with water and add 1 tablespoon kosher salt. Boil the pasta until al dente, then drain it and return to the pot or a baking dish. (If it finishes before the sauce, add a drizzle of olive oil to keep it from sticking.)
- If making the breadcrumb topping, melt the butter in a small skillet, then add the panko garlic powder, smoked paprika, and kosher salt and stir. Toast until lightly browned, stirring often, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Once the cashews and sweet potato are cooked and drained, place them in the bowl of a high speed blender. Add the drained artichokes, mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, butter, and water. Blend on high until creamy and fully combined into a smooth sauce.
- Stir the sauce into the noodles in the pot or a baking dish. Top with breadcrumbs if desired, and serve immediately. For baked mac and cheese (best flavor), place the mac and cheese in a baking dish and top with breadcrumbs. Bake for 15 minutes and serve warm.
