Amazing Vegan Mac and Cheese
This vegan mac and cheese recipe is incredibly creamy and remarkably cheese-like! You won't believe how delicious dairy-free mac and cheese can be.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on May 22, 2024
Did you know that this seven-year-old vegetarian food blog did not have a macaroni and cheese recipe until today? It’s true. I’ve failed you on the mac and cheese front, but I’m making it up to you with this vegan (I repeat: dairy free) mac and cheese recipe.
From one cheese lover to another, I’m here to tell you that this mac and “cheese” is remarkably cheese-like and absolutely delicious.
I’ve been slowly working on this mac and cheese since I published my vegan queso recipe two months ago. The first time, I tried to use pasta cooking water instead of my queso’s secret ingredient (grated potato), and it was just ok.
Then, I added the potato back, and the potato starch makes this cashew-based queso super silky and creamy. It’s remarkable!
The Best Vegan Mac and Cheese
Nutritional yeast is key, in addition to the grated potato. It offers some cheesy flavor and color. Frontier Co-Op just started offering it in smaller bottles, and after using it in this recipe, I really believe their product is superior. It has less funk than the regular store-bought brand, so if you haven’t enjoyed nutritional yeast in the past, please give it a shot.
I kept tweaking the amounts and spices until we had just the right amount of sauce for one-half pound of pasta. I’ve finally nailed it. Don’t be intimidated by the ingredients list—it’s all basic pantry ingredients!
I couldn’t help but incorporate some broccoli for some extra flavor, color and health benefits. Keep it or leave it out—I’ve included guidance for either option in the recipe below.
Vegans, dairy-free friends, and cheese lovers who crave a more redeeming mac and cheese recipe, this recipe is for you. (And for those who also appreciate traditional, cheesy mac and cheese recipes, you don’t want to miss my new stovetop mac and cheese recipe.)
Please let me know how you like this recipe in the comments! If you’re transitioning to vegan or dairy-free recipes, don’t miss my vegan sour cream and vegan Parmesan.
Watch How to Make Vegan Mac and Cheese
Amazing Vegan Mac and Cheese
This vegan mac and cheese recipe is incredibly creamy and remarkably cheese-like! You won’t believe how delicious dairy-free mac and cheese can be. Recipe yields 2 large or 4 modest servings.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces whole-grain macaroni elbows
- 1 head of broccoli, florets cut into small bites (about 1 ½ to 2 cups), optional*
- 1 ½ tablespoons avocado oil or extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped (about 1 ½ cups)
- 1 cup peeled and grated russet potato (4 ounces, about 1 small or ½ medium potato), preferably organic
- 3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon dry mustard powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, more to taste
- Small pinch of red pepper flakes
- ⅔ cup raw cashews**
- 1 cup water, more as necessary
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 2 to 3 teaspoons apple cider vinegar or distilled white vinegar, to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for the pasta. Cook according to package directions. If using broccoli, stir it into the pot when just 2 to 3 more minutes remain. Drain, and transfer the contents to a large serving bowl.
- Meanwhile, in a medium-to-large saucepan, warm the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring often, until the onion is tender and turning translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add the grated potato, garlic, garlic powder, onion powder, mustard powder, salt and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine, and cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute to enhance their flavors.
- Add the cashews and water, and stir to combine. Let the mixture come to a simmer. Continue simmering, stirring frequently and reducing heat as necessary to avoid a rapid boil, until the potatoes are completely tender and cooked through, about 5 to 8 minutes.
- Carefully pour the mixture into a blender. Add the nutritional yeast and 2 teaspoons vinegar. Blend until the mixture is completely smooth, about 2 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides if necessary. If the mixture won’t blend easily or if you would prefer a thinner consistency, add water in ¼ cup increments, blending after each one.
- Taste, and blend in additional salt until the sauce is utterly irresistible (I typically add at least another ½ teaspoon). If it needs a little more zip, add the remaining teaspoon of vinegar. Blend again.
- Pour the sauce into the bowl of pasta. Stir until well combined, and serve immediately. Leftovers keep well, chilled and covered, for 3 to 4 days. Gentle reheat, adding a tiny splash of water if necessary to loosen up the sauce.
Notes
Recipe adapted from my vegan queso.
Make it gluten free: Simply use your favorite gluten-free noodles.
*On broccoli: You can omit the broccoli altogether, or replace it with finely chopped kale or peas (about 1 ½ cups). If you omit it, you might not need to use all of the sauce.
**Raw cashew notes: Most recipes like this suggest soaking the cashews for 4 hours in advance to make them easier to blend and to digest. I honestly never soak mine since I have a powerful Vitamix that blends them right up. The cashews in this recipe are cooked in hot liquid, so they’re softer and even easier to blend. However, if you don’t have a great blender or if you’re concerned about the digestibility factor, go ahead and soak them in advance.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
This post was created in partnership with Frontier Co-op and I received compensation for my participation. Opinions are my own, always. Thank you for supporting the sponsors who support C+K!
Thoroughly enjoyed this!
Not sure about this as normal Mac n cheese has milk in and flour, oh n butter I’m using coconut milk from a tin and veg vegan butter. I’ve been cooking macaroni cheese since I was small!
I love this cheese sauce! I put it over quinoa, which I’m sure is much better over pasta. I plan to double the batch so I can freeze some.
How does it freeze? Any tips on reheating?
I always prepare more of it and freeze the rest in little containers. In the morning i put it in the fridge to defrost. Then just slowly heat it up on the stove. You also don’t need to defrost it necessarily, just turn the heat down to low and let it defrost in the pan. Works fine both ways :)
This was delicious! The carrots and potatoes didn’t quite purée the way I wish they would have, as it made the cheese a bit lumpy. Other than that, this recipe is great. I also added a bit more milk for a creamier texture & spices! Definitely going to make again.
U had me looking for carrots in the ingredients ♀️
Omg this was one of the best meals I have ever made.. and i cook and bake a lot. I used frozen broccoli put it in the oven to defrost and cook while the pasta was boiling. I also added a carrot to the sauce for extra colour..I put all in one pot then in the oven for a few min to let it come together.. I have very fussy kids but they loved .. we ain’t vegan but we like to try new things .. from now on our mac&cheese will be vegan
Can you make this ahead and then bake in the oven?
Hi! I recommend it as written. I’m not sure if you will get the same results and may be rather dry.
I made this and made some adjustments
We added white pepper
twice the yeast
Also used roasted unsalted cashews and protein pasta ❤️
Def adding to the rotation.
I used miso paste instead of nutritional yeast, it was delicious.
I also used roasted salted cashews instead of raw cashews. I have not tried it with raw cashews to compare, but we were happy with the taste and texture of the roasted cashews in case someone else needs to substitute.
how much miso paste?
I used white miso, which I think is less strong than other types. I believe I used a couple of tablespoons, but I did not measure precisely. I added it to taste, which I would recommend.
Making this today. Can I make ahead and reheat to serve?
Hi Brittany, you can reheat on the stove. Although, this is best served right away.
I’ve made this twice. I used soy milk instead of water and added lemon juice as I felt the acv tasted kinda strange. I didnt have any of the powders but it still turned out amazing. I adore this recipe and my kids polished everything. This sauce recipe is perfect and will be one of my favorite go-tos. Thank you so much Kate! Much love
Hello Kate! I’m looking to make this recipe this week. What could I use to substitute the mustard powder? Or will the flavor change a lot if I don’t use it?
thank you!
Hi Karen! Mustard powder really helps to give it that blue box mac and cheese taste. You could leaving it out, I know some readers have tried that and haven’t minded the taste.
Hi Ladies! Can we use a little bit of real mustard instead?
Hi Sonya, you could probably get by with 1/4 teaspoon real mustard here (add another 1/4 teaspoon if you want more pronounced flavor).
Hi Kate, my son has nut allergy, is there anything plant-based to substitute cashews with, please? X
Hi! I wish I had a great alternative. Cashews are an important ingredient to get the smooth cheese-like consistency.
Hi! I know this is late since you commented, but I have heard of some people using raw sunflower seeds in their mac and cheese recipes for a nut-free sauce. I haven’t personally tried it, but you could try something like that maybe!
P.S. – I just made this recipe for lunch today and it was sooooo satisfying. My husband is not vegan but also kept saying how good it was. I didn’t have mustard powder, but it turned out well for me!
I use raw sunflower seeds all the time in place of cashews, due to a sensitivity. I just put slightly more than what it calls for of the cashews. It is a great alternative!
Hi there, I have another vegan recipe for cheese sauce that doesn’t use cashews but cauliflower, very yummy. Often I add cauliflower to this recipe to make it even more yummy!
I made it for lunch & its sooo delish!!Thank you so much for the recipe!
Kate,
Wow! Fantastic vegan Mac & cheese! Your recipes never fail to amaze me! I know when I pick out a recipe to make from your website, it always turns out delicious! I never have to change a thing in the recipe either!
Thank you!
David Noel
Hi – About to try this, but questioning how a small onion can give 1 1/2 cups of diced onion. Is it 1/2 cup? Thanks!
Hi Mili, you might be surprised by how much your diced onion comes to! The amounts given here were correct for my small onion. Since we’re cooking the onion, it won’t make or break the recipe if you use a little more or less.
LOVE this amazing Vegan Mac & Cheese. My husband and I ate almost all of it at one dinner.Very good recipe..
My health food store didn’t have raw cashews. Can I use roasted unsalted cashews?
Hi Tee! Raw works best to get the same creamy consistency. I haven’t had luck with roasted.
Do you think I could freeze this?
Hi Carla, I don’t find recipes like this freeze very well. Sorry!
This was so good! I didn’t have a grater, so I just “minced” the potatoes. I also didn’t have onion powder or dry mustard powder and I thought it was still tasty (but I bet it would be even better with those additions). It came out kinda chunky (likely b/c I didn’t grate the potatoes) but I still liked it a lot all the same.
This is the most amazing vegan mac & cheese recipe we’ve ever tried! We have tried quite a few and they’ve never impressed us. This one is a keeper though, it pleased our whole household! I can’t say I’m surprised as we have never tried a recipe of yours that we didn’t like :)
I didn’t have dry mustard, so I subbed for dijon. I think I overdid it a tad. Otherwise, the sauce was pretty tasty. I also used Gluten-free pasta, so consistency was a little gummy. Although delicious, it’s very rich and I don’t think I could eat more than a small bowl.
question – i am planning to follow these recipe and make this for dinner tonight, but i do not have nutritional yeast at the moment. can i still go ahead and make it?
Nutritional yeast is key, in addition to the grated potato. It offers some cheesy flavor and color. I hope this helps! You will be missing a lot of the great flavor without it.
Hi! Do you know how many calories per serving?
Hi Colleen! You can find the nutritional information below the notes section of the instructions. Let me know if you have other questions!
Hi! Is there any way to make this recipe nut-free for an allergic friend?
Thank you for the great recipes!
Hi Margherita! I’m sorry, I’ve never found a great alternative to cashews. You could perhaps try raw sunflower seeds.
Hi, I love your recipes! Could you Please tell me What brand of dry mustard you use for that Mac&cheese?
Hi Joann! I used frontier dry mustard I believe, but any brand should do.
Thank you!
The 15 got me! The most successful weightloss I’ve had in the past was following a vegan diet. I realize that this is not low calorie, but when you are craving an old favorite this really hit the spot. It really was amazing. I’ll be making it again, and sharing the recipe. Maybe I could get my grandaughter, “ms. macandcheese,” to try it!
Hi. Haven’t tried this yet. Wondering a substitute for cashews? My son is allergic. I’m guessing they add a texture to this recipe. Thanks!
Hi Christy! I’m sorry, I’ve never found a great alternative to cashews. You could perhaps try raw sunflower seeds.
Okay this recipe did not turn out too well for me because I used roasted cashews instead of raw cashews (my mistake) so it ended up super grainy. I don’t know that I loved the smell of the cheese sauce either.
I make this recipe a lot. I tweaked it a bit and add a little lemon juice for a sharper cheese flavor, and a pinch of turmeric for color. I end up adding a lot more water after the addition of the sauce into the macaroni.
I had yet to find a good vegan mac & cheese recipe since I have became vegan 3 1/2 years ago but came across this particular recipe and decided to try it. OMG, it literally is the best mac & cheese I’ve ever had in my whole life. My husband, and my non-vegan children thought it was amazing. I actually fed it to their friends to and they loved it. Super impressed! I literally make this at least three times a month now
We are not vegetarian or vegan but have been trying to eat a lot more meatless or vegan meals. Point is, we are not deprived eaters and all thought this recipe is absolutely delicious! We made no changes.
Curious if you’ve ever added Cajun spices and added beans, corns and peppers etc. to it, or if you think that would be good! Seems like this could be a base for a lot of recipes.
We use your recipes often and have never been led astray! Thanks!
Absolutely AMAZING!!! Thanks for a great recipe!!
I have the newer wider base vitamix blender. Will I need the narrow base model for this recipe and most of the other recipes? I saw you made a note at the bottom in the Vegan sour cream recipe. I just want to make sure before I buy the narrow base.
Thank you!
Hey Ryan! Good question. I prefer the narrow base for recipes with a low volume of liquid/ingredients. (One solution to that issue would be to double the recipe, or use a food processor instead—though a food processor won’t get the vegan sour cream creamy enough.) This recipe and most of my others should be fine in the wide container.
Very easy to follow and tasted great!
I used the smaller grater and my potatoes turned into a big lump. Not as “cheesy” as I’d hoped, and lacked depth of flavor. But it was decent.
I’m sorry to hear you didn’t like this one, Erica. Thank you for your feedback.
I couldn’t believe how delicious this was; the sauce is astounding! I have to say, though, that I didn’t find I needed to add much salt. I only added 1/4 teaspoon and it was pretty salty. Also I had no garlic or onion powder so left these out and it didn’t feel like it lacked anything. I’ve passed the recipe on to friends and family as I’m so impressed. Thank you!
I’m glad you loved it, Guinevere! Thanks for sharing how you made it work for you.
SO SO GOOD! I just made the commitment to be completely plant-based from vegetarian recently after years of trying to convince myself dairy isn’t an issue . My most favorite comfort food is mac and cheese. I’ve tried several non dairy mac and cheese recipes but this is hands down the best I’ve ever had! It’s so creamy and the flavor is cheesy but complex. Ultimate hug in a bowl. Thanks so much!
Looks so good! Can’t wait to try it
veggovendy.com
I’m not vegan but this looked really good and so I tried it. I’m glad I did! How can this be as good as mac and cheese but be basically just vegetables?!?! YUM!!
I avoid nightshades (potato) due to inflammatory issues. Any suggestions for a substitute?
Hi Lisa! I’m sorry to hear you can’t have potatoes. Unfortunately to get this one just right and the cheese-like consistency, you need to use potatoes here. I don’t have an alternative for you for this recipe.
I tried so hard to make this, and followed every direction, but I just did not like it at all :(. I love mac&cheese and I’ve yet to find a vegan option that tastes great. My sauce turned out super grainy, and all you can taste is garlic and onion!
OMG this is amazing. I made this exactly as the recipe and used gf pasta. The sauce was creamy and rich and so tasty. I served it with sauted garlic mushrooms and a spinach salad yumyum.
Hi, where can I buy raw cashews?
Hi Jessica! You should be able to find them at your local grocery store where you find the other nuts. Let me know what you think when you try it!
Do you know if you can make this using instant/powdered potatoes in a pinch?
I don’t, sorry! I wouldn’t recommend powdered potatoes anyway, it won’t give you the same result.
Amazing!!!!! This was the best macaroni and cheese ever!!
Sorry but this is just so-so. Not terrible, but make no mistake, this doesn’t come close to cheese! My husband grabbed some grated cheddar to “fix” his. My daughter made this, otherwise I probably never would make myself. For something this lackluster, and 500+ calories per serving, I’ll go with the real thing next time.
Hello Kate! I’m looking to treat myself to a blender in order to try more of your recepies! Any recommendations gratefully appreciated … Catherine
Loved this recipe. I used breadcrumbs on top and toasted dish under the grill, yum. Next time I would use a little less garlic or maybe even none, I’m not a huge garlic fan. Might also increase the mustard powered but all in all a really good vegan mac and cheese.
Thanks for the recipe! I had fun making it. My sauce came out a little grainy because I only have a food processor, but the taste was delicious.
Thanks for the recipe! I had fun making it. My sauce came out a little grainy because I only have a food processor, but the taste was delicious.
I tried this once, but I only had a stick blender. The flavor was great, but the texture was still clumpy – kind of like if you made it with milk that curdled from the heat.
I just got a Vitamix and immediately wanted to test this recipe again. Oh. My. Goodness. Game changer! Deliciously smooth and creamy. It’s all the comfort of boxed mac and cheese taken up a notch – you wouldn’t know it’s vegan!
Love this and so many of your other recipes. We are starting to venture into more meatless meals and have used so many of your recipes to help in our transition! Thank you!!!!
Hi! Wondering what your thoughts are on subbing grated butternut squash Instead of the potato? I have a huge one and wanted to make butternut Mac n cheese but can’t find a recipe that sounds as appealing as this one :)
Hi Lauren! The potato is really needed here and butternut squash doesn’t have the same starch consistency. I suggest you try my Creamy Pumpkin Marinara! I haven’t tried it with butternut, but I would be interested to hear what you think!
This is SuCh a GoOd recipe!! Because we didn’t have broccoli I put in asparagus and peas and I also eat fish so we put in some canned tuna. The sauce was so creamy and flavorful, just like cheese! Thanks for the great recipe, definitely going to make again!