A Vegan Mac and Cheese you can feel good about feeding the kids! This classic pasta dish is made with a veggie-packed "cheese" sauce and flavored with the perfect spice blend for a meal the whole family will love.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.
As I’ve mentioned before, I have a difficult time getting my youngest to eat vegetables. If he could have it his way he would live on tofu and peanut butter sandwiches alone. For years I have tried different ways to get him to eat more veggies, but he is a stubborn kid with jaws clenched tight.
So I started sneaking vegetables into his food.
By puréeing different veggies and sneaking them into his favorite sauces, he is finally eating some of the earth’s good food and he is none the wiser.
And this vegan Mac and Cheese is where it all began.
Ingredients and Substitutions
You’re going to love this vegan mac and cheese. And more importantly, the kids will love it, too! It’s a veggie-packed, kid-friendly meal that everyone will feel good about.
Here is everything you need.
Ingredient Notes
- Pasta – While elbow noodles are traditional, you can really use a variety of small noodles such as shell pasta, fusilli, or Orecchiette pasta.
- Sweet Potato
- Carrot
- Yellow Onion
- Oil - I recommend olive, avocado, or coconut oil.
- Raw Cashews – Raw macadamia nuts would also work.
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes – Use the dry-packed variety rather than oil-packed.
- Nutritional Yeast
- Garlic
- Lemon Juice
- Spices - You will need turmeric, paprika, salt, and pepper.
- Non-Dairy Milk – I recommend using a thick, neutral-flavored milk such as soy or cashew milk.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step One – Soak the Cashews
Place the cashews and sun-dried tomatoes in a small bowl or liquid measuring cup. Cover them with water so that they are fully submerged and soak for at least 30 minutes. This allows the cashews and tomatoes to soften and blend better in the sauce.
Once soft, drain the cashews and tomatoes through a colander. Rinse them in cool water and set aside.
Pro Tip: If you don’t have a high-powered blender, soak the cashews for about 6 hours ahead of time and blend them in a food processor.
Step Two - Cook The Pasta
Cook the macaroni noodles in boiling water until the pasta until it is al dente. Strain through a colander and set aside.
Step Three – Make the Sauce
Peel and chop the carrots and sweet potatoes into uniform ½" pieces.
Boil them in hot water until they are tender. This takes about 10 minutes. The vegetables are done when they can be easily pierced with a fork.
Once they are ready, strain them through a colander and set aside.
While the veggies are boiling, sauté the onions and garlic over medium heat for 5 minutes, until the onions are translucent and fragrant.
Place the milk, cashews, nutritional yeast, sun-dried tomatoes, lemon juice, and salt in the blender and blend until smooth. Add sweet potato, carrots, onions, and garlic and blend again. The sauce should be completely smooth and easily pourable. If it needs thinning, add a little more milk until you've reached a creamy and smooth consistency.
Stir together the cooked noodles and the sauce and serve.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.
Serving And Storing
Serving - Serve immediately with Creamy Tomato Soup and a big Caesar Salad.
Storing - Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, gently reheat over the stove or in a microwave.
Tips and Tricks
- Do not overcook the pasta. It should feel slightly undercooked as it will finish cooking at the end along with the sauce.
- If you don’t have a high-powered blender, soak the cashews for about 6 hours ahead of time and blend them in a food processor.
- Feel free to add additional vegetables. I like to stir in steamed kale, Swiss chard, or spinach at the end.
Frequently Asked Questions
For a gluten-free pasta, simply swap out the pasta for gluten-free pasta (<<affiliate link) and you have yourself a gluten-free meal.
I don't recommend it. I've tried this recipe several ways without the nuts and the sauce lacks creamy/cheesy flavors.
This recipe relies on vegetables to create a creamy cheese sauce. It is not mistakable for non-vegan mac & cheese but it is a healthy and delicious alternative.
The cheese sauce can be made up to 2 days in advance. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. When you are ready to serve, cook your pasta noodles. Once cooked, strain and add to a large skillet along with the sauce. Stir it all together until the sauce is heated all the way through.
More Vegan Mac & Cheese Recipes
- Baked Mac & Cheese
- Gluten Free Vegan Mac and Cheese
- Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
- Nut-Free Spicy Mac and Cheese
Vegan Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 12 ounces macaroni or other type noodle
- ½ cup sweet potato, diced
- ¼ cup carrot, diced
- 1 tsp. olive oil
- ¼ cup yellow onion, diced
- ¼ cup raw cashews, soaked 30 minutes
- 1 tablespoon sun-dried tomatoes, soaked 30 minutes
- 2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon tumeric
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¾-1 cup non-dairy milk
Instructions
- Place the cashews and sundried tomatoes in a small bowl. Cover them with water and let soak for 30 minutes. Note: If you do not have a high-powered blender, such as a Vitamix, soak the cashews for at least 6 hours.
- Prepare the noodles according to the package directions. Once the noodles are al dente, strain them through a colander and set aside.
- Meanwhile, fill a pot with water and bring to boil. Add the sweet potato and carrots to the boiling water and cook until tender, about 8-12 minutes. Drain the water from the vegetables and set aside.
- Heat oil a small sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until they are translucent and fragrant, about 5 minutes.
- Drain and rinse the cashews and sun-dried tomatoes. Place them in a high powered blender along with the nutritional yeast, garlic, lemon juice, spices, & non-dairy milk. Blend until smooth. Add the cooked vegetables and process again. You may need to add a little more milk at this point. The sauce should be creamy, smooth, and pourable. Taste and adjust seasonings.
- Toss together the pasta and cheese sauce and serve immediately.
Notes
- Do not overcook the pasta. It should feel slightly undercooked as it will finish cooking at the end along with the sauce.
- If you don’t have a high-powered blender, soak the cashews for about 6 hours ahead of time and blend them in a food processor.
Hi, I’m Sarah. I’m a 14-year (and counting) vegan, professionally trained photographer, former pastry chef, founder of My Darling Vegan, and author of the
Carol Fischbach says
Delicious, creamy and satisfying. Grateful to have something that hits the spot when one yearns for a comfort food like mac n cheese!!! Thank you
Marianna says
Loved the taste. Extra loved the fact that the kids loved it too, especially the youngest who is a really picky eater.
For us - there is no way this would have been enough for 6 people. More like 2-3. We were with 2 adults and 2 kids and ended up making a dessert to complement (and I wouldn't say we're big eaters...).
Also, there's something really weird going on when switching from the US system to metric... Like... 1 clove of garlic suddenly becomes 2? 🙂 And more weird stuff...
sue jaymes says
Hi, Firstly thanks for all your scrummy recipies ...... wonderful 🙂 . You mention the importance of nutrional yeast as it has B12 but you don't mention B12 in the nutritonal value (which I noticed when printing out). Is it because it cannot be measured? or ? .... Thank you 🙂
Sarah McMinn says
Yes, that is true. If you are vegan I recommend you take a B12 supplement because there's not enough in nutritional yeast or other plant-based foods alone.
Alison says
OMG, SO MUCH YUM! I absolutely can't wait to try this. I don't really do pasta or potatoes (or rice or bread lol) but I definitely need to splurge to try this one! It looks devine! Could baby spinach be subbed for the kale? Thank you!
Sarah says
Yes, you could sub spinach. And you could try a gluten-free pasta, too!
Sydney says
What is the nutritional information?? The calories, fat, carbs, and protein??
Mary Schrier says
This looks delicious! Oops! I made my comments/questions in the review the recipe section.
I didn't scroll down far enough to see this comment section. So I will repeat my questions here.
1. Do you reserve some of the veggie water for processing later. It doesn't mention draining the veggies.
2. Are the cashews raw?
3. What do you saute the onions in vegan butter or oil? It's not specified in the recipe.
4. How about making this gluten-free by using vegetable/squash spaghetti or gluten-free pasta?
Sarah says
Hey Mary, I clarified those things in my recipe. Thanks for pointing them out. As far as your gluten-free question, you can always sub gluten-free pasta for regular pasta no problem!
Jess says
Thank you! Tried it today - it was great!
Ianna Reign Stevenson says
It looks delicious and health, I love mac and cheese and this one is a must try. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Sarah Burns says
I made this the other night and it is amazing! I love the kale, well anything kale really! It's a dish for anytime but I saw the sweet potatoes and it made me think of fall recipes. Thanks, I'll make it again for sure!
Sarah says
Thanks Sarah! Glad it was a hit.
Jojo says
This looks super creamy and delicious, I love the cashew / nutritional yeast combo in mac & cheese.
Kelly G. says
This looks so good! And healthy! Next time I'm having a Daiya craving, I'll have to give this a try.
The Vegan Cookie Fairy says
OMG get in ma belly. I think this is my favourite recipe of yours EVER.
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
Loving the look and sound of smoky macaroni and cheese! You can consider that I definitely will be making the recipe.. but I will be adding either bacon or chorizo to really make it even more smoky and salty. Thanks for the recipe and idea!
Meredith @ Unexpectedly Magnificent says
Ooh, this looks so yummy and creamy! I love the idea of adding kale. 🙂
Caitlin says
this mac and cheese looks delicious! i love that there is sweet potato and carrot in the cheese 😉