this vegan baked mac and cheese combines the best of both worlds! full of comfort and flavor with some sneaky nutrients it is the perfect combination.
the inspiration
This time of year everyone is sharing their baked mac and cheese recipes, so I figured well, what’s one more! No, but seriously I do love vegan mac and cheese so much and honestly it has been a few years since I shared a new vegan mac and cheese recipe.
While there are many vegan baked mac and cheese recipes out there I promise mine will be different. It is luscious without being too filling or leaving you weighed down.
the ingredients
- Yukon Gold Potatoes: when potatoes are blended up they are creamy, thick, and due to the natural starch in them it helps to make the sauce even a little bit gooey! I personally always prefer Yukon Gold potatoes but if you’d like you can use Russet instead, just peel them.
- Carrots: this adds color to our baked vegan mac and cheese.
- Cashews: the cashews add obvious creaminess to our vegan cheese sauce. However, if you have a nut allergy you can leave this out or sub in white beans or tofu.
- Non-Dairy Milk: we will use this when we blend up the vegan cheese sauce.
- Pasta: of course we need the macaroni for our baked vegan mac and cheese. We will get more into pasta choice in a bit!
- Vegan Cheese: I like to use a few different kinds of vegan cheeses in this recipe. We will also dive further into this in a bit.
- Nutritional Yeast: adds cheesy flavor and umami to the vegan cheese sauce. If you would like to leave it out you can or sub it in for a little miso paste.
- Seasonings: I like to keep it simple with some salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika. They add flavor and the paprika adds nice color.
the potato, cashew, carrot method
This recipe combines the potato, cashew, carrot method with vegan cheese to make an incredible baked vegan mac and cheese. I first tried the potato cheese recipe from Hot for Food when I first went vegan and I was truly amazed by it. You can’t believe how the potatoes really turn into this cheesy sauce. Now, I like to add in the cashews as it makes it a bit creamier and more luscious. So, all you need to do is boil everything for about 30 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.
I like to use baby Yukon Gold potatoes because I don’t need to peel or cut them. It makes one less step and the skin is so thin that it just blends down. However, if you want to use a big Yukon Gold potato then I would peel it and cut into small pieces, same with a Russet.
the cheeses
Now, the crucial part of this recipe is the vegan cheese. When I first went vegan in 2016 there was not a lot of options and we just took what we could get, but now there are so many options! I have a few brands I think are truly exception and love. But first let me tell you exactly what vegan cheeses I used:
- Good Planet Vegan Mozzarella Shreds
- Violife Vegan Cheddar Shreds
- Follow Your Heart American Slices
So, if you can find the exact vegan cheeses I used I definitely recommend that. However, I know that not all food stores carry the same things. So, here are vegan cheeses that I love: Good Planet, Violife, Follow Your Heart, Trader Joe’s vegan cheese, Whole Foods 365 cheese, Field Roast. I think if you use a combination of any of these vegan cheeses you will be happy with the result!
making the cheese sauce
After, the potato, carrots, and cashews are done boiling you will drain out any excess water. Then, you will add it into a blender with non-dairy milk, seasonings, and nutritional yeast. You will need a high speed blender and blend for about 1 to 2 minutes or until it is smooth and creamy.
Then, pour the vegan cheese sauce into a medium pot and add in the vegan cheeses. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes just to start getting the vegan cheeses melted. They do not need to be melted all the way because the oven will do that for us! Be sure to taste it though and add in any extra salt or seasonings if you want it to have more flavor.
pasta choice
We should all know by now that certain pasta shapes really do make a difference. There are honestly only a few I suggest for a mac and cheese: cavatappi (what I am using), elbows, shells (conchiglie) or pipe rigate. Now, of course you can use gluten free if you need. I am actually using the Barilla Protein + pasta for a little extra sneaky protein! Whatever you choose will be great.
One of the tricks to making a delicious vegan baked mac and cheese is to cook the pasta more al dente (harder) than you think it should be. After baking it, it will cook and soften more. So, if you overcook the pasta when you boil it you will end up with very soft and possibly mushy pasta.
mixing it all up
Now, once you have the cheese sauce and pasta all done you can put them together. It is always important to save a little bit of pasta water (about ¼ cup [60g]). Pasta water is starchy and it helps the sauce to stick to pasta better. We also want our vegan cheese sauce to be thinner right now because as it bakes it will thicken up. If we already start out with something too thick it will just cook down into nothing.
Carefully, toss the pasta around in the sauce and get it all evenly coated. If you prefer a stove top mac and cheese you can actually just stop here and cook it a little longer.
time to bake
Transfer the vegan mac and cheese into a baking dish. My baking dish is 7.5 inches by 6 inches. This baked vegan mac and cheese is a smaller one. I did that partly because I think most of us are bringing a vegan mac and cheese for really only a few people to enjoy. Also, I am only one person and I try not to let my food go to waste so I didn’t want to make it a huge massive tray. Feel free to scale the recipe up depending how many people you plan on serving.
Top the vegan mac and cheese with vegan cheese. You can add as much as you like. The more you add the more decadent it becomes. I then cover it with foil and we will bake it for 40 mins covered and then broil to make a crispy topping.
IMPORTANT TIP
Cook the pasta to more al dente and keep the vegan cheese sauce thinner. This results in the best finished dish!
more vegan mac and cheese recipes
baked vegan mac and cheese faq
- Is this recipe soy free? Yes, depending on your vegan cheese ingredients (but most are).
- Is this recipe nut free? No. However, you can sub the cashews for white beans or tofu. Be sure to use nut free non-dairy milk and vegan cheese.
- Is this recipe gluten free? It can be as long as you use gluten free pasta.
- How long does this recipe last in the fridge? Up to 3 days.
- How can I prep this ahead of time? This is truly a dish best made and served fresh. However, you can make the vegan cheese sauce ahead of time (1 to 2 days). Store in the fridge, cook on the stove to warm up and add in a little extra non-dairy milk. Then, you can proceed with cooking the pasta and baking.
- Can I freeze the leftovers? Yes.
- How do I reheat? Place it in a pan or pot. Pour in an extra ¼ cup of non-dairy milk to help the sauce thin out and become saucy again. Heat until warmed up.
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Vegan Baked Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 8 ounces pasta of choice
- 3 to 4 baby Yukon gold or 1 regular Yukon gold potato around 4.25 ounces
- ½ ounce raw cashews
- 6 to 8 baby carrots or 1 large carrot about 1.5 ounces
- 1 cup non-dairy milk
- 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 slice vegan American cheese
- ¼ cup vegan mozzarella shreds divided
- ¼ cup vegan cheddar shreds divided
Instructions
- In a medium pot boil the carrots, cashews, and potatoes for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender. Drain when they are done.
- Once the potatoes are done preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C).
- In a blender add the carrots, cashews, and potatoes along with the seasonings, nutritional yeast, and non-dairy milk. Blend for 1 to 2 minutes in a high speed blender until smooth and creamy.
- Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil and cook your pasta for 5 minutes (or 5 minutes less than the box tells you to). It should be softer on the outside but harder on the inside. If you are using smaller pasta like elbows check it after 2 minutes.
- Meanwhile in a separate larger pot pour in the cheese sauce, add in 1 slice of vegan American cheese, add in ⅔ of the vegan cheddar shreds and vegan mozzarella shreds (I save ⅓ for topping). Fill the blender up with ¼ cup (60ml) water and swish it around to get the remaining cheese sauce and pour into the pot. Cook over medium low heat for 5 minutes until the vegan cheese starts to melt, it doesn’t need to be melted all the way.
- When the pasta is done reserve ¼ cup (60ml) of pasta water and drain the pasta. Pour the pasta in along with the pasta water to the vegan cheese sauce. Mix together until well coated. The sauce should be thinner and runnier than you think because as it bakes it will thicken. Taste an add any extra seasonings.
- Pour into a small baking dish (7 inches x 6.5 inches) and top with the remaining vegan cheese. If you want it to be cheesier feel free to add more vegan cheese on top/
- Cover with foil leaving it slightly vented so the vegan cheese doesn’t stick to the top as it melts. Bake for 40 minutes covered and then broil over low for 5 to 7 minutes uncovered.
- This is best when enjoyed immediately.
Video
Notes
- Nutrition facts are based on my gram measurements put into Cronometer. Yours may vary, they are to help you get an idea.
Nutrition
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