Baked Vegan Mac & Cheese
This baked vegan mac and cheese is rich and creamy, with a comforting, golden-brown appearance and crispy surface. It’s a prime example of the flavorful, vegan recipes I strive toward. And it’s a pleasurable, healthier alternative to the conventional dairy-based meal. This is a great recipe for those looking to cut their dairy intake yet still want to feel warm and satisfied. And it’s perfect for family dinner nights or holiday parties. It impresses everyone.
Many of us grew up eating mac and cheese all the time as kids, even though it wasn’t our healthiest option. But it’s always nice to find good plant-based alternatives that are great for our health and the planet.
This vegan mac and cheese dish was a huge hit at the Minneapolis vegan restaurant, Fig+Farro. Both children and adults loved it. Customers often paired it with tomato soup. This is the ultimate vegan mac and cheese recipe that cannot fail!
This cheese sauce can be made in advance and refrigerated for up to two weeks. I make dishes with whole foods as much as possible, which is why I use only 4 oz of store-bought vegan cheese for this recipe. But if you prefer your mac & cheese extra cheesy, feel free to add an extra layer of cheese.
I encourage you to share your experience in the comments below if you tried this Vegan Baked Mac & Cheese or made it differently. If you took a photo, please share with me on my instagram account ‘zesty_zahra’ and I will share your stories there. I am always happy to learn about people’s food choices and preferences!
Vegan Baked Mac & Cheese
Ingredients
Sauce
- 1 Carrot medium-size, chopped
- 1 Golden Potato medium-size, chopped
- 1 cup Yellow Onion chopped
- ½ cup Cashews
- 4 cups Water
- ½ cup Plant-Based Milk
- ¼ tsp Black Salt
- 2½ tbsp Nutritional Yeast
- ¼ tsp Mustard Powder
- ¼ tsp Turmeric Powder
- ¼ tsp Garlic Powder
- ¼ tsp Black Pepper
- 1 tsp Salt or to taste
- 1 tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice
Assembling
- 2 cups Macaroni
- 4 oz Vegan Cheese
- 2 tsp Nutritional Yeast or Bread Crumbs
- sprinkle Black Pepper optional
- sprinkle Smoked Paprika optional
Instructions
- Bring water to boil. Add carrot, potato, onion and cashews and boil for about 20 minutes over low-medium heat or until soft.
- In the meantime, boil pasta by following the directions on its package. Afterward, drain the hot water and rinse macaroni with cold water, then set aside. This step is to prevent pasta from overcooking.
- After the boiled vegetables cool down, drain them but save ⅓ of a cup of water for blending.
- Add this sauce mixture to a blender along with milk, black salt, nutritional yeast, mustard, turmeric, garlic, black pepper, salt and lemon juice. Blend together into a creamy, smooth texture. Adjust salt and lemon to taste.
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Mix cheese sauce and boiled macaroni well together.
- Layer half of mixed mac and cheese on an eight inch baking dish.
- Spread choice of vegan cheese over the first layer, then cover with the rest of the mac and cheese.
- Top with nutritional yeast and a few sprinkles of optional black pepper and smoked paprika. Bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove from oven. Let dish cool down for a few minutes. Serve hot.
Notes
Use gluten-free pasta, if preferred. Make this meal a combo with tomato soup.
This is delicious! My husband does not typically like Mac and cheese. I talked him into trying this and he liked it! I found that it was even better the second day. Plan to bring it to a family gathering soon. 😋