This vegan baked mac and cheese is the ultimate comfort food. You can whip this up in 30 minutes or less; it's easy to make, full of cheesy flavor, and the best vegan mac I have ever had!
After being vegan for over five years and never being fully satisfied with a vegan mac n cheese recipe, you know, the one that actually tastes like traditional mac. So, as a result, I made my own easy vegan mac. And boy, am I glad I did!
I have made more than my share of vegan mac and cheese fails from varied recipes… just ask my kids. They beg for this one because it tastes like the real deal. I make this classic vegan mac for most holidays. My non-vegan family always requests it! Check out these other tasty dinners Vegan Beef and Broccoli, Vegan Frito Pie, or Vegan Scalloped Potatoes.
What I love about this recipe...
- It is creamy, hearty, and delicious.
- Comfort food at its finest.
- It's super easy to make and comes together quickly.
- You can make a stovetop version or bake it in a casserole dish.
- This is great, either as the main dish or as a side dish. It's always the star of the show either way.
- It's just the best mac and cheese I've found as a vegan.
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Ingredients and Subtitutions
- Dry macaroni noodles- Elbow macaroni noodles are most typically used for mac and cheese. However, if you prefer a different noodle, feel free to use it.
- Vegan butter (dairy-free butter)- I would only use vegan butter and not substitute this for oil. The vegan butter will lead to the best flavor.
- All purpose flour- helps make this a creamy cheese sauce. You can substitute an all purpose gluten-free flour if needed.
- Unsweetened milk - You can use whichever your favorite dairy-free milk is, keeping in mind you want it to be unsweetened plant milk; the thicker, the better. The thicker ones are soy milk, oat milk, and cashew milk. Coconut milk is incredibly creamy, but it tastes like coconut, so I would not use it. You can use thinner ones like almond milk, rice milk, etc., but it won't be quite as thick, but I've made it many times with a thinner milk, and no one has complained.
- Salt- Black pepper- don't skip these; they make the flavor pop.
- Daiya pepper jack cheese shreds or Violife Mozzarella- There are SO many delicious vegan cheeses on the market; I think many vegan kinds of cheese go well with this recipe. I have made this with Violife, Krogers brand vegan cheese, Whole Foods brand vegan cheese, and pretty much any vegan cheese you like the taste of. Choose whichever is the best vegan cheese to you.
- Daiya shredded cheddar (from the farmhouse series) or Violife Cheddar Cheese- see above, many brands work but it tastes best to have two different types of vegan cheese for the flavor profile.
- Vegan parmesan cheese- this is a cashew-based cheese. If you're allergic to cashews, you could use almonds. If they don't work, either you can use more vegan cheese or find a non-nut-based vegan parmesan. They sell quite a few now.
- Panko breadcrumbs or Italian Breadcrumbs- Traditional baked mac and cheese tend to have buttery breadcrumbs on top. I like to use either bread crumbs or panko crumbs. I know panko crumbs may sound weird, but it works!
Check out the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full ingredient and quantity information.
Variations
- I've also made it with a mix of vegan cheddar cheese and vegan pepper jack or mozzarella. I love the flavor profile when mixing the different vegan cheeses.
- Gluten-Free- Use gluten-free pasta, gluten-free breadcrumbs, and all-purpose gluten-free flour to thicken the creamy sauce.
How to make vegan macaroni and cheese
Step 1- To make the baked version, Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees and lightly spray an 8 x 8 pan or baking dish with cooking spray. Otherwise, skip to step 2.
Step 2- Take a medium to a large pot and boil enough water to cook your noodles in. Once it's boiling, add your noodles and cook to package directions for al dente; when finished, strain in a strainer and put the cooked noodles aside.
Step 3- Use either the same pot you cooked your noodles in or a frying pan and place it on medium-high heat. Prepare your 1 cup of non-dairy milk and set aside; add with the ¼ cup of earth balance butter, and once melted, whisk in the flour for about 30 seconds.
Step 4- Then, slowly whisk in the plant-based milk- this will thicken pretty quickly. Then add the vegan cheeses, whisking after each addition. When all the vegan cheeses have been added, remove them from the heat; you can then add the salt and pepper.
Step 5- Take your strained cooked pasta and mix them with the creamy vegan cheese sauce in the skillet. You can serve it like this or bake it.
Step 6- Once mixed, place the mixture into the prepared 8x8 pan.
Step 7- In a separate bowl, melt the 1.5 TB of vegan butter; once melted, mix with the panko crumbs or bread crumbs, stir, then spread on the top of the vegan mac and cheese.
Step 8- Cook in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. The panko crumbs should start to turn golden brown on the edges. Let cool for a few minutes before enjoying.
Expert Tips and Tricks
- If you want to make this a day before you need it or the morning of, feel free to do so. Just wait to bake it before your event, so it's warm and bubbly. I've also made this and frozen it, defrosted it, and then baked it up, and it's been wonderful.
- Serve with a salad, roasted vegetables, or whatever you love.
- This is best served warm. You can bake it like above or serve it before baking it as a stovetop mac and cheese.
- If you want to keep this a stovetop vegan creamy macaroni and cheese instead of baking it, follow the recipe until the baking instructions.
Recipe FAQS
Yes, you can. Let it come to room temp and then place it in a sealed freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Let it defrost, then heat up in the oven or microwave.
Let the mac and cheese come to room temperature before placing it in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave until warm.
Vegan mac and cheese can be made in a variety of ways. Some people like to go the whole foods route with a combination of nutritional yeast and raw cashews. I'm not a fan of that variety, and I prefer this classic mac and cheese take. You can use all the regular ingredients you use with real mac and cheese but use vegan substitutes.
Check out these other vegan dinner recipes...
If you loved this recipe then give it a 5 star rating and leave a comment! I love to chat with you all. Please feel free to share on social media and tag #courtneyshomestead. I would love to see you over on Instagram or Facebook.
The best vegan Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups dry macaroni noodles
- ¼ cup vegan butter
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup any unsweetened milk I use almond, soy, or oatmilk
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ⅔ cup Shredded Vegan Mozzarella or Pepper Jack whatever your favorite is
- 1 cup Shredded vegan cheddar whatever your favorite is
- ½ cup Cashew Parmesan recipe link in notes
- 1.5 tablespoons vegan butter
- ¾ cup panko crumbs or Italian Bread crumbs
Instructions
- Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees and lightly spray an 8 x 8 pan with cooking spray.
- Boil enough water to cook your noodles in. When boiling, add your noodles and cook to package directions; strain and put aside when finished.
- Get your 1 cup of milk ready and set aside; heat a skillet with the ¼ cup of earth balance butter; whisk in the flour for about 30 seconds once melted. Then slowly whisk in the milk- this will thicken pretty quickly. Then add the cheeses, whisking after each addition. When all the cheeses have been added, remove them from heat, you can then add the salt and pepper.
- Take your strained noodles and mix them with the cheese mixture in the skillet. Once it is all mixed, place the mixture into the prepared 8x8 pan.
- In a separate bowl, melt the 1.5 TB of earth balance butter; once melted, mix with the panko crumbs, stir, then spread on the top of the mac and cheese.
- Cook in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes before enjoying.
Notes
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- If you want to make this a day before you need it or the morning of, feel free to do so. Just wait to bake it before your event, so it's warm and bubbly. I've also made this and frozen it, defrosted it, and then baked it up, and it's been wonderful.
-
- Serve with a salad, roasted vegetables, or whatever you love.
-
- This is best served warm. You can bake it like above or serve it before baking it as a stovetop mac and cheese.
- If you want to keep this a stovetop vegan creamy macaroni and cheese instead of baking it, follow the recipe until the baking instructions.
Genevieve says
Love this recipe, but 1 big change I would make is the measurement of dry noodles- most recipes use a full 16oz box, I used this and then doubled everything else- it was perfect
Courtneys Homestead says
Thanks so much for trying Genevieve! I’ve never tried doing a whole box, thanks for the tip I will have to give it a try! ❤️