This version of vegan mac and cheese is not only delicious but filled with protein due to the cheese sauce being made from red lentils! Filled with bits of broccoli this is an easy meal to make anytime and I think this could be great for kids.
I absolutely love macaroni and cheese. I love even more that I didn’t have to give it up as a vegan. While one of the most popular ways to make vegan mac and cheese has become the potato, cashew, carrot method – which is absolutely delicious. I use a method like that to make the vegan cheese sauce for the Crunchwraps! In this one we are going to use red lentils. I love red lentils because they turn into a great color for a cheese sauce and they are little powerhouses when it comes to nutrients! This is also similar to the Homemade Vegan Cheddar Cheese recipe that uses red lentils!
Let’s Talk About Protein
Here’s the deal as always I am not a nutritionist, dietitian, doctor or licensed professional in anyway so please always take what I say with a grain of a salt. There is still a pretty big and honestly, stupid myth out there about vegans not getting enough protein. I get about 80-100g of protein everyday, so I think it is safe to say we can easily get protein. One serving of this vegan mac and cheese is about 30g of protein (technically 29.1g) and about 450 calories. Honestly, not too shabby if you ask me! Please remember that those calculations can change depending on how accurately you follow the recipe (this is why I tend to shy away from nutrition info in recipes).
The protein sources in this are of course our red lentils, a chickpea pasta, nutritional yeast, and the nondairy milk. I personally enjoy the Banza chickpea pasta, I think it has a great flavor and texture. Nutritional yeast helps to give it a cheesy flavor and umami. Nutritional yeast also has 1g protein per tablespoon, plus B12. For my choice of nondairy milk I love Ripple Foods pea milk, it is seriously so creamy and delicious. It has 8g of protein per cup. And believe it or not our broccoli is also a great source! I used one giant broccoli crown which was about 600g and thats 14g of protein. So as you can see we can find lots of great protein sources in a variety of things.
Allergy Friendly Recipe
While my blog is not dedicated to being allergy friendly I do try and offer substitutions as often as possible or try to help out when you all ask for advice in the comments. But I am very pleased to say that this recipe is nut, soy, and gluten free! So I really think it is perfect for everyone and one of those recipes that can be enjoyed by anyone. I fed this non-vegans and they absolutely loved it and asked for seconds. One didn’t even realize it was vegan at first. So for all my readers with allergies this one is for you.
Tapioca Starch
In this recipe you will see I call for tapioca starch. For some reason this little ingredient seems to cause a lot of dismay every time. When making a vegan cheese tapioca starch helps to give it that gooeyness and texture we normally associate with cheese. Now, I personally feel that there isn’t a substitution for it, I have had people try to fight me on this over the years. All I will say for this specific recipe if you can find tapioca starch definitely use it. However, if you can’t you could make a small cornstarch slurry (mix 2 tablespoons of water + 2 tablespoons cornstarch) and that can be used to thicken this recipe. But again tapioca starch will produce the best result. Also, tapioca starch and tapioca flour are the same thing.
Other Vegan Mac and Cheese Recipes
The Best Vegan Macaroni and Cheese
Jalapeño Macaroni and Cheese
Air Fried Macaroni and Cheese Sticks
Macaroni and Cheese Stuffed Pretzels
High Protein Buffalo Tofu Macaroni and Cheese
FAQ
- Can I use a different kind of lentil? While I suppose you could try a brown or green lentil I wouldn’t suggest it. The texture of the red lentil is a bit softer and mushier. The color is also perfect and the brown or green lentil would definitely lead to something less appetizing looking.
- Do I have to use chickpea pasta? Of course not! If you don’t care about the protein factor of this you can use regular pasta, which is also great too but the chickpea pasta has more protein. You can use a different type of pasta as well like a green lentil, edamame, brown rice whatever you like.
- What can I add to this? You can add tofu, seitan, tempeh, peas, breadcrumbs on top. Anything you like. I also like to drizzle mine with some buffalo sauce and a bit of vegan ranch.
- How long does this last in the fridge? I would say it is best to eat this within 2 to 3 days. If you want to freeze it that should be fine as well.
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High Protein Vegan Broccoli Mac and Cheese
Equipment
Ingredients
“Cheese” Sauce
- ¾ cup (135g) red lentils
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- 2 tablespoons tapioca starch
- 2 teaspoons salt or to taste
- ½ cup (120ml) nondairy milk, unsweetened and unflavored
- ½ cup (56g) vegan cheddar shreds
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder or to taste
Other
- 1 box Banza chickpea pasta (8 ounces/227g)
- 1 broccoli crown cut into pieces (about 20 ounces/600g)
Instructions
- Cover lentils with enough water so they have about ½ inch of water over them in a small bowl and soak for 5 minutes, about 1 ½ to 2 cups. Once they are done drain the water. Pour into a medium saucepan and cover with 2 cups (480ml) water. Boil on high for 20 minutes until soft and mushy.
- Meanwhile, prepare the broccoli by cutting it into small florets. Cut the stems into bite size pieces.
- Once the lentils are done they will be mushy and should be very broken down. Pour them into a blender along with he other “cheese” sauce ingredients. Blend on high until very smooth. It will be thin and liquidy, don’t worry it will thicken when it cooks.
- Add the broccoli to a large pan (this will eventually have al the pasta and sauce in it) and add ½ cup (120ml) water. Cover with a lid and steam on high for about 8 to 10 minutes until broccoli is cooked and tender. If you need to add a tablespoon or two of water while steaming feel free to do so.
- Boil the pasta in a medium saucepan until slightly undercooked. Strain and add to the pan with the broccoli.
- Finally, add the cheese sauce from the blender into the pan. Let this cook on a medium low heat for about 2 to 3 minutes until the cheese sauce has thickened. Taste the pasta and add any additional seasonings.
- Serve warm immediately. I like to add buffalo sauce and vegan ranch on top!
Video
SAVE TO PINTEREST
Ooh I love the look of this thank you! I’m trying to stay away from processed foods so would prefer to not use the vegan cheddar..do you think it’s essential? Could I leave it out or sub something else in?
Hi Annabelle, so glad to hear you like it! You can just leave it out, maybe add in a bit of extra nutritional yeast along with some extra seasonings. You can also add in some miso paste if you like.
Love this recipe! Have made it a few times, once with red lentil pasta, once with quinoa pasta, … the cheese sauce always makes it delicious! Thanks for making this recipe, this helps me a lot!
hi Rune aw yay I am so glad you enjoy it! thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment!!! 🙂
Definitely one of the better vegan Mac n cheese recipes! Didn’t add vegan mozzarella but it was great even without it! Topped it with some ketchup because I find it delicious! Thank you!
Hi Disa! Aw thank you so much I am so happy you enjoyed it! totally get it I always put hot sauce on mine, thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment xo
Thank you for this recipe – it’s really good! I’ve seen vegan mac and cheese in the store (box brand), but it’s expensive and not that great. I like that there is so much protein in this!
Hi Catherine! Yay I am so so happy to hear this thank you so much!!!!
This is yummm. I like how hearty it is, while still being very cheesy.
Hi Cindy! oh yay I am so so happy you liked it so much. thank you for taking the time to leave a comment and review on the blog. means a lot xo
I love this! I’m a red lentil lover so often looking to incorporate them – they really are so versatile. One question: I have a big ol’ bag of frozen broccoli (impulse item, which I know sounds wacky but it was marked waaaayyy down) and while I do like a lot of frozen veg, I’m iffy on frozen brocc. It’s my feeling I’m just not prepping it/preparing it properly and so it ends up mushy. Do you think I could use it here? If so, how should I go about it?
Thanks in advance!
Hi Gina, yay so glad you are excited about the recipe! You definitely can of course it will be a bit softer than using fresh but I think in this recipe that is totally okay. I would suggest either steaming it or microwaving and then draining out any excess water. Hope that helps 🙂
Hi, do you taste the lentils? huhu weird question but im starting to incorporate more legumes in my diet. Thank you!
Hi Len, I don’t think it has an overtly lentily taste however I also love red lentils so I guess if I am tasting any of it in there it doesn’t bother me. I would definitely say to try it, it has been a pretty popular recipe 🙂
Hi ! Would you possibly be able to sub cashews for the lentils (I have lentil pasta, wondering if it might be too much?!) thanks for this recipe!
Hi sure you can! cashew mac and cheese is delicious. just obviously it would change the amount of protein and fat if that is something you care about, if not no worries! enjoy, you may also like this recipe too! https://plantifullybasedblog.com/2019/08/08/high-protein-buffalo-tofu-mac-and-cheese/#recipe
hi, how much protein per serve?
Hello, it is covered in the blog post!
“Let’s Talk About Protein
Here’s the deal as always I am not a nutritionist, dietitian, doctor or licensed professional in anyway so please always take what I say with a grain of a salt. There is still a pretty big and honestly, stupid myth out there about vegans not getting enough protein. I get about 80-100g of protein everyday, so I think it is safe to say we can easily get protein. One serving of this vegan mac and cheese is about 30g of protein (technically 29.1g) and about 450 calories. Honestly, not too shabby if you ask me! Please remember that those calculations can change depending on how accurately you follow the recipe (this is why I tend to shy away from nutrition info in recipes).”