Whenever I want to eat something hearty and comforting, I go for this creamy Vegan Baked Mac and Cheese! This delicious dairy-free mac and cheese is made with a veggie-packed cheese sauce and finished with a crispy breadcrumb topping seasoned with parsley and oregano. It’s comfort food the whole family will crave — perfect for dinner or even packed into your kids’ school lunches.
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As I've mentioned before, I have a difficult time getting my 4-year-old 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 (until he learns how to read and starts following my blog, that is).
And this vegan Baked Macaroni and Cheese is where it all began.
Recommended Ingredients and Equipment
You're going to love this vegan mac and cheese. And more importantly, the kids will love it. It's a veggie-packed, kid-friendly meal that everyone can feel good about eating.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Elbow Noodles - While I recommend elbow noodles for this recipe, you can really use a variety of small noodles such as shell pasta, fusilli, or Orecchiette pasta.
- Sweet Potato
- Carrot
- Yellow Onion
- Garlic
- Non-Dairy Milk - I recommend milk that is thick and neutral-flavored such as soy or cashew milk but any unsweetened milk will do.
- Oil - Olive, avocado, and canola oil are all great options.
- Raw Cashews - Blanched almonds or raw macadamia nuts would also work.
- Nutritional Yeast
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes - Use the dry variety rather than the oil-packed.
- Spicy Mustard
- Lemon Juice
- Salt
- Panko Bread Crumbs
- Vegan Butter - Look for a high-quality non-hydrogenated vegan butter. I recommend either Earth Balance or Miyoko’s.
- Spices - You will need dried parsley, dried, oregano, and salt.
Recommended Equipment
For this recipe, you will need a 10" cast iron skillet, or similarly sized casserole dish, a small saucepot, a colander, mixing bowls, and basic kitchen utensils.
Additionally, when it comes to making a vegan cheese sauce, you really should have a high powered blender. These blenders can be pricy, but my Vitamix is one of the most used gadgets in my kitchen. Most other blenders simply do not have the power to create a cream out of cashews and you’ll end up with gritty cheese sauce. (<<affiliate links)
Check out the full list of my recommended kitchen tools and gadgets.
How to Make Baked Mac and Cheese
Step One - Make the Noodles
Cook the macaroni noodles in boiling water until the pasta until it is al dente. Strain through a colander and set aside.
Step Two - Make the Sauce
Boil the sweet potatoes and carrots until they are tender. They are done when they are 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. Set aside.
Add the milk, cashews, nutritional yeast, sun-dried tomatoes, mustard, lemon juice, and salt to 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 1 tablespoon at a time.
Pro Tip: If you don’t have a high-powered blender, you can soak the cashews for about 6 hours ahead of time and they will blend up fairly well.
Step Three - Mix and Bake
Once the pasta and sauce are ready, combine them together in a large cast-iron skillet, stirring together to ensure that the pasta is fully and evenly sauced.
Mix together the ingredients for the crumb topping and evenly spread over mac and cheese, patting down as necessary. Bake the vegan mac and cheese until the topping is golden brown, about 20 minutes.
Serving and Storing
Serve immediately with Creamy Tomato Soup and a big Caesar Salad.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, gently reheat in the oven.
Make in advance - This vegan mac and cheese can be made up to a day in advance. To do so, prepare the casserole following the instructions below. However, do not bake. Tightly wrap the mac and cheese and place it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. When ready to serve, remove it from the refrigerator and bake. It may take slightly longer in the oven as the casserole will be chilled.
Frequently Asked Questions
To make an unbelievably creamy vegan cheese sauce your best bet is soaked cashews and dairy-free milk. This combo creates a rich cream sauce that sticks very well to macaroni noodles. Add in a touch of nutritional yeast for that true cheesy flavor. A vegan Mac and cheese so tasty the kids won’t leave you any late-night leftovers.
Absolutely yes and the fix is quite simple. A couple quick swaps and we’re there. Try a box of gluten-free pasta such as chickpea or quinoa. These are tasty alternatives while adding a bit of protein to our dairy-free baked Mac and cheese. Both hold up well and you won’t miss the gluten, I promise.
Also be sure to find some gluten-free breadcrumbs … Or leave them out completely while adding some more vegan cheese shreds to top it. It will protect the sauce from drying out while creating a slightly crunchy layer. Just broil for a few minutes before removing from the oven to get those crispy spots on the cheese. (<<affiliate links)
Mac and cheese is a staple in our home. We make it as a side to many dishes and every year on thanksgiving. In order to do this, we have to make ahead vegan Mac and cheese to reduce the stress on our vegan turkey day. Follow a few steps to make this easy for you.
1. To keep the noodles from becoming too soft, we par cook them for 1-2 minutes less than the recommended time. Then add it to the sauce to keep in the fridge. This ensures they will finish cooking when reheating on the big day.
2. Leave out the topping until you’re ready to bake. We don’t want this getting soggy and moist from the refrigerator.
3. Also, be sure to add a little extra vegan milk on reheating day to loosen up the sauce a bit. Nobody wants hard Mac and cheese.
Leave a comment below if you have any more tips for pre-cooking Mac and cheese. ☺️
More Vegan Mac and Cheese Recipes
- Veggie Packed Smokey Mac and Cheese
- Gluten Free Vegan Mac and Cheese
- Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
- Nut-Free Spicy Mac and Cheese
Vegan Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients
Macaroni and Cheese
- 12 ounces macaroni noodles
- ½ medium sweet potato (about 1 cup), peeled and cubed
- ½ medium carrot, (about ½ cup), peeled and chopped
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- ¼ yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup unsweetened cashew or macadamia nut milk
- ¼ cup raw cashews
- 2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon spicy mustard
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 tsp salt
Bread Crumb Topping
- ⅓ cup Panko bread crumbs
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter, melted
- 2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- ¼ teaspoon parsley
- ¼ tsp oregano
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly spray a 10 ¼" cast iron skillet (or similar sized baking dish) and set aside.
- Fill a large pot with 4 quarts of water. Place over medium-high heat and bring to boil. Stir in macaroni and boil until al dente, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and strain pasta through a colander. Set aside.
- In a smaller pot, bring 2 quarts of water to boil. Add sweet potatoes and carrots. Boil for 10 minutes, until vegetables are easily pierced with a fork. Remove from heat and strain out the water. Set aside to let cool.
- Using a high-powered blender make your cheese sauce. Add milk, cashews, nutritional yeast, sun-dried tomatoes, mustard, lemon juice, and salt to 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 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Combine the sauce with noodles then spread evenly in the prepared cast iron skillet.
- Mix together the ingredients for the crumb topping and evenly spread over mac and cheese, patting down as necessary.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes until bread topping is golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes before serving.
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
Sunitha says
We've made this recipe multiple times and its been amazing every single time! However, if you want a bit more of a kick to it consider dicing a couple jalapenos and blending it with the sauce. So good!
Jo says
Delicious. Empty plates all around. Will make this again.
Amy says
Hello! I was about to try this recipe for the first time - for Thanksgiving, and I didn’t realize I needed a skillet. 🙁 What size casserole dish would you recommend if I don’t have a skillet? Thank you!
Sarah says
Hey Amy, a 9x13" pan should be about the same volume.
LeeBoBae says
Thank you so much! This was really easy to follow and has no nuts!
Cheryl says
Delicious! I used 16 oz. Noodles and still had enough sauce. Also added peas. Tastes better than any mac and cheese from my prevegan days.
Sarah says
I'm so glad to hear that 🙂
Jemma Green says
This is the best vegan macaroni and cheese I have ever tasted! I have made this 2 times now, following the recipe exactly, and it's simply perfect! Creamy, tangy, cheesey and so, so satisfying. I will never miss non-vegan macaroni and cheese again; this is better!
Sarah says
I'm so glad to hear that, Jemma. Thanks for sharing.
Rose says
Just made this and it came out delicious. I didn’t include the carrots since I didn’t have it available and I used rice pasta. I had to add extra non-dairy milk like it suggested to thin out the sauce almost a 1/4 more.
Shari says
This sounds amazing! I don't have a cast iron skillet. Would it work with a rectangular casserole dish?
Sarah says
Sure!