Vegan Mac and Cheese Recipe: Tips for Making Vegan Mac
Written by MasterClass
Last updated: Jul 15, 2021 • 3 min read
This vegan mac and cheese recipe features a decadent, dairy-free cream sauce.
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What Is Vegan Mac and Cheese?
Vegan mac and cheese is an egg- and dairy-free version of traditional mac and cheese. This pasta dish relies on various ingredients to evoke the flavors—and real cheese taste—of the original, which typically features a velvety béchamel sauce and a blend of rich cheeses. If you consume egg-based pasta, you can make this variation with regular macaroni, but egg-free pasta, like gluten-free chickpea pasta, is most commonly used to make this dish.
The recipe may feature miso paste or nutritional yeast, which mimic parmesan and gouda’s sharp, cheesy flavor. Vegan butter, plant-based milk, and thickeners, like tapioca starch or potato starch, round out the vegan cheese sauce.
What Does Vegan Mac and Cheese Taste Like?
Vegan mac and cheese has a flavor reminiscent of traditional mac and cheese thanks to the nutritional yeast in the recipe, which imparts a sharp, cheesy flavor and yellow hue into the sauce.
Some vegan mac recipes also feature cashew cheese—a non-dairy cheese spread made with softened raw cashews rather than milk—to create a creamy texture that mimics the classic comfort food.
3 Tips for Making Vegan Mac and Cheese
The best vegan mac and cheese is silky smooth, rich in flavor, and full of healthy ingredients.
- 1. Find the right texture. Vegan mac and cheese mimics the creaminess of a traditional cheese sauce thanks to a combination of plant-based milk, like soy milk, almond milk, cashew milk, or oat milk, and natural starches, like tapioca and potato, to act as binding agents. If you have a food processor or powerful high-speed blender, you can make your own nut milk by blending the raw nuts of your preference with a little water.
- 2. Get creative with add-ins. Like the original, vegan mac is a great foundation for various spices and vegetables, like butternut squash or sweet potato, which lend body and depth of flavor. Take mac and cheese from a side dish to a main meal with a handful of dark, leafy greens like kale or chard. Add a teaspoon of turmeric to give the sauce a classically sunny orange hue.
- 3. Mix with a splash of water to reheat. To restore the sauce’s creaminess after refrigeration, add a teaspoon or two of water to the pasta before microwaving or reheating over medium-low heat on the stove.
Vegan Mac and Cheese Recipe
makes
prep time
5 mintotal time
35 mincook time
30 minIngredients
- 1
Heat oil in a large sauté pan. Sauté the onion until it softens, 5–7 minutes.
- 2
Lower the heat and add the plant milk, vinegar, potato starch, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika (optional) to the pan and season with salt and pepper.
- 3
Whisk well to incorporate, and increase the heat to medium, stirring until thickened. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed, adding a bit more vinegar, nutritional yeast, salt, or starch to thicken. Remove the pan from the heat, and set it aside.
- 4
Next, preheat the oven to 350°F, then bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- 5
Boil the cauliflower florets and peas just until tender, about 4 minutes. Remove the veggies with a slotted spoon and set them aside in a large bowl.
- 6
Add the pasta to the boiling water, and cook according to the package directions until it’s al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain, and combine the cooked pasta with the cauliflower.
- 7
Reheat the sauce over low heat, then combine it with pasta and cooked vegetables. Transfer the mixture to a 9 x 13-inch casserole or baking dish.
- 8
In a small sauté pan over medium heat, melt the vegan butter. Add the breadcrumbs, grated garlic, and thyme, and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper, and cook until the breadcrumbs are lightly browned.
- 9
Remove the pan from the heat and spread the mixture in an even layer over the pasta.
- 10
Bake the macaroni until the sauce is bubbly and the breadcrumbs are golden brown and crispy, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, and serve.
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