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    Home » Mains » Vegan Mac and Cheese

    Vegan Mac and Cheese

    Published: Jul 5, 2020 · Modified: Mar 5, 2021 by Kaylie Grace · 12 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    This post may contain affiliate links. Read the affiliate disclosure here. 

    This is the BEST vegan mac and cheese recipe! It’s easy to make, creamy, flavorful, and oh so delicious. The pasta is tossed in a “cheesy” sauce made with healthy ingredients like carrots, cashews, and nutritional yeast. You’ll be shocked this recipe is entirely dairy-free and oil-free!

    two bowls of vegan mac and cheese beside a bowl of cashews and a bowl of nutritional yeast

    Who doesn’t LOVE mac and cheese? There’s a reason this meal is such a classic. It’s my go-to whenever I’m craving a giant bowl of comfort food. Unlike most comfort-style meals, this one is secretly healthy! That means you can indulge without actually indulging.

    As we all know, traditional mac and cheese isn’t notorious for its nutrition. In fact, it’s loaded with dairy and fat due to all the butter, milk, and cheese inside. Well, what’s different about this recipe? It’s entirely vegan and dairy-free! That’s right; no cheese, no butter, and no milk. We’ll only use whole plant foods to create this delicious pasta dish. You’ll love it, your spouse will surely enjoy it, and the kids will never know it’s made from vegetables!

    This mac and cheese is:

    • Vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, soy-free, and oil-free
    • Creamy, “cheesy,” and packed with flavor
    • Made with healthy ingredients
    • Quick, easy, and ready in 30 minutes
    • Perfect for family dinner
    • Kid-approved and non-vegan approved!
    vegan mac and cheese with cavatappi shells

    What is vegan mac and cheese made of?

    For this dairy-free mac and cheese recipe, the “cheesy” sauce is made from 10 ingredients: carrots, cashews, nutritional yeast, lemon, tomato paste, miso paste, pickled jalapeño, garlic, onion, and turmeric.

    • Carrots: Surprise! The bulk of the vegan cheese sauce is made with carrots. They’re rich in vitamin A, K1, B6, and potassium.
    • Cashews: Cashews help to create a creamy consistency for the cheese sauce. They also provide lots of healthy fats.
    • Nutritional yeast: The “cheesy” flavor comes from nutritional yeast! It’s loaded with B vitamins and contains a nice amount of protein.
    • Lemon juice: Lemon juice is required to replicate the slightly tangy flavor of real cheese.
    • Tomato paste: Tomato paste adds a depth of flavor.
    • Miso: Be sure to use mellow white miso paste for this dish.
    • Pickled jalapeño: Pickled jalapeño brings a sort of “nacho cheese” vibe to the vegan cheese sauce. Make sure you use pickled jalapeño, not fresh jalapeño.
    a white and marble board topped with chopped carrots, cashews, nutritional yeast, lemon, tomato paste, pasta shells, jalapeño, turmeric, and salt

    How to make vegan mac and cheese

    Check out the recipe card at the bottom of the page for the full recipe and step-by-step instructions.

    Soak the cashews

    What is the purpose of soaking cashews? Soaking raw cashews causes them to soften, which leads to easy blending later on. To do this, simply pour boiling water over the cashews and soak them for 20 minutes. After, drain the water.

    Cook the carrots

    While the cashews are soaking, cook the carrots. Simply add chopped carrots to boiling water and cook, covered, for 10 minutes or until fork-tender. Drain the water afterwards.

    Create the vegan cheese sauce

    This vegan cheese sauce is so easy to make! After the cashews have soaked and carrots have cooked, add them to a blender along with all other ingredients. Blend everything up until a smooth, creamy, “cheesy” sauce forms! Then, toss the cheese sauce over cooked pasta and enjoy.

    cashews soaking in a bowl of water alongside carrots, jalapeno, nutritional yeast, tomato paste, and garlic inside a blender
    two bowls of vegan mac and cheese beside a bowl of cashews and a bowl of nutritional yeast

    Ingredient substitutions

    Missing an ingredient? No worries! Although I highly recommend sticking to the exact vegan mac and cheese recipe, a few omissions and substitutions can be made. Please note that I would not recommend omitting or substituting all of these. It is best to stick with just one omission/substitution.

    Miso paste: I recommend using white mellow miso paste. It provides a depth of flavor that is required of dairy-free mac and cheese. Instead of miso paste, you can add an additional tablespoon of tomato paste.

    Nutritional yeast: Okay, you can make this recipe without nutritional yeast. Does that mean you should? Errr, I’m always going to lean toward a “no” on that one. There’s a reason nutritional yeast is included in lots of vegan recipes. It provides a cheesy flavor that simply cannot be replicated with any other ingredient. However, if you cannot get your hands on a bottle of that flakey yellow goodness, the recipe will still be tasty! It will not be as “cheesy,” but you’ll create a nice creamy sauce to pair with your pasta.

    Pickled jalapeño: In my opinion, pickled jalapeño provides a nacho-y flavor that makes the cheese sauce more realistic! If you don’t have pickled jalapeños, omit them from the recipe. You can alter the other flavor enhancers (like garlic, onion, salt, and pepper) to adjust, if needed.

    Cashews: I strongly recommend including the cashews, but you can replace them with ⅓ cup olive oil instead. This will substitute the fat content of cashews, but the consistency will not be as creamy.

    hands holding a white bowl filled with vegan mac and cheese

    Kaylie’s tips for perfecting this vegan mac and cheese recipe

    Soak the cashews. Don’t forget to soak your cashews! It’s an important step in order to plump and soften them. They will not blend as well otherwise.

    Salt the pasta water. I always salt my pasta water. It enhances the flavor and helps pasta cook more evenly. I recommend using 1 tablespoon salt per pound of pasta. I know, I know – that’s A LOT of salt! Don’t worry, it drains along with the water later on.

    Make it gluten-free. I have no issue with gluten, but I always use chickpea pasta. It’s packed with plant-based protein, naturally gluten-free, and tastes no different than regular pasta. For this recipe, I used the cavatappi variety.

    Serve with vegetables. I’m a huge veggie lover, so I always pair this dish with a side of roasted broccoli and cauliflower. You toss any of your favorite vegetables into this vegan mac and cheese, or enjoy them on the side!

    a bowl of vegan mac and cheese beside a bowl of cashews

    More vegan pasta recipes

    • Vegan Sweet Potato Mac and Cheese
    • Vegan Pumpkin Pasta
    • Vegan Pesto Cavatappi
    • Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo
    • Vegan Baked Ziti
    • Vegan Broccoli Pesto Pasta

    If you try this Vegan Mac and Cheese, please let me know your thoughts by leaving a rating and comment below! Ready for more? Subscribe to my newsletter or follow along on Instagram and YouTube!

    Print
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    two bowls of vegan mac and cheese beside a bowl of cashews and a bowl of nutritional yeast

    Vegan Mac and Cheese

    ★★★★★ 5 from 4 reviews
    • Author: Kaylie Grace
    • Prep Time: 15 minutes
    • Cook Time: 15 minutes
    • Total Time: 30 minutes
    • Yield: 4–5 servings 1x
    • Category: Dinner
    • Method: Cook
    • Cuisine: American
    • Diet: Vegan
    Print Recipe
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    Description

    This is the best vegan mac and cheese! It’s creamy, flavorful, easy, and ready in 30 minutes. The pasta is tossed in a “cheesy” sauce made with simple + healthy ingredients. It’s a delicious vegan comfort food that’s secretly loaded with nutrition!


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 1 lb pasta (elbow, cavatappi, rotini, or shells)
    • 2 cups chopped carrots
    • ½ cup raw cashews, soaked
    • ⅓ cup nutritional yeast
    • 1 cup water
    • 2 tbsp lemon juice
    • 1 tbsp tomato paste
    • 1 tbsp mellow white miso paste
    • 4 slices tamed jalapeño* (from a jar)
    • 3–4 cloves garlic (or 1–1.5 teaspoon garlic powder)
    • 1 tsp onion powder
    • 1 tsp salt
    • ½ tsp black pepper
    • ¼ tsp ground turmeric (optional, for color)

    Instructions

    1. Soak cashews: Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add cashews to a bowl. Pour boiling water over the cashews. Soak for 20 minutes, then drain the water.
    2. Cook carrots: Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil. Add chopped carrots and cook, covered, for 10 minutes or until fork-tender.
    3. Cook pasta: While the carrots are boiling, cook the pasta according to package instructions. After, drain and rinse the pasta.
    4. Blend ingredients: Add cashews, carrots, nutritional yeast, water, lemon juice, tomato paste, miso paste, pickled jalapeño, garlic, onion powder, salt, pepper, and turmeric to the blender. Blend until smooth and creamy.
    5. Combine: Transfer cooked pasta back into the pot. Pour “cheesy” sauce over the pasta and mix together. Cook until warm. Serve and enjoy!

    Notes

    • *Use tamed jalapeño, NOT fresh jalapeño or hot jalapeño.
    • Read blog post for ingredient substitutions.
    • Nutrition information below reflects the use of chickpea pasta.

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size: ⅕ recipe
    • Calories: 423
    • Sugar: 12g
    • Fat: 10g
    • Saturated Fat: 1g
    • Carbohydrates: 63g
    • Fiber: 16g
    • Protein: 28g

    Keywords: vegan mac and cheese, vegan mac and cheese cashews

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @purelykaylie on Instagram and hashtag it #purelykaylie

    This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these links, I earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I personally use, trust, and love!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

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      Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

    1. Nitassha

      April 03, 2022 at 10:34 pm

      Is there a substitute for the mellow white miso paste? Would really love to try the recipe

      Reply
      • Kaylie Grace

        April 04, 2022 at 11:33 am

        HI, Nitassha! There is no substitue for mellow white miso paste. I highly recommend including this ingredient, but you can definitely still enjoy the recipe without it!

        Reply
    2. Brittany

      March 16, 2022 at 6:20 pm

      This recipe is delicious! I’ve been searching for a good vegan mac for sooo long. This is the best!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Kaylie Grace

        March 17, 2022 at 9:46 am

        Thank you so much, Brittany! 🙂

        Reply
    3. Jamie

      September 15, 2020 at 6:52 pm

      LOVE this recipe! I just started the LOWFOD Maps diet though. Is there a substitute for cashews by chance?

      Reply
      • Kaylie Grace

        September 15, 2020 at 7:17 pm

        Hey, Jamie! I’m so glad you love this vegan mac and cheese 🙂 Yay! I do not recommend substituting the cashews. They really help with the creamy texture. Macadamia nuts are low FODMAP so that would be the next best option!

        Reply
    4. Rani

      July 30, 2020 at 5:52 pm

      Just made this! Delish! This recipe does feed 4-5 people. It was delish. I’ll just add more pickled jalapeños next time a bit more black pepper towards the end. Thank you!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Kaylie Grace

        July 30, 2020 at 8:21 pm

        Hey, Rani! Thanks for the sweet comment 🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed this dish. I love the addition of pickled jalapeños, but sometimes it can be too much for others. You’re just like me in the sense that I always add in extra, haha! xo

        Reply
    5. Dina

      July 21, 2020 at 8:38 pm

      I loved this recipe! The flavor is so unique.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Kaylie Grace

        July 21, 2020 at 10:03 pm

        Thank you, Dina! I’m so glad you loved this vegan mac and cheese 🙂

        Reply
    6. Emily

      July 08, 2020 at 4:48 pm

      This was delicious, so much flavor and creaminess!! My cheese-loving mom even went in for seconds.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Kaylie Grace

        July 09, 2020 at 8:55 am

        Hi, Emily! Thanks so much for sharing! I’m thrilled to hear you and your mom loved this vegan mac and cheese 🙂

        Reply

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    Hello, I’m Kaylie!

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