Vegan Mac and Cheese
This vegan mac and cheese tastes and looks just like the classic, extra cheesy and creamy, without any dairy whatsoever. The “cheese” sauce is built from a blend of soaked cashews, boiled potato and carrot, full-fat coconut milk and nutritional yeast, poured over al dente macaroni. If you want the comfort of the world-famous dish without the processed cheese, this is the one to make.
Mac and cheese is macaroni and cheese, a simple but deeply flavorful dish well known in American cuisine. Over time it became a staple all across the United States, though its roots trace back to England. The classic uses cheddar over small pasta shapes that trap the sauce, and my job here was to recreate that same richness with plants.
Why I made this version dairy-free
Because I’m not a fan of processed foods, I wanted to transform this amazing recipe into a vegan one, using only healthy ingredients to create a very similar dish in taste and texture. The ingredients I used are somehow similar to the ones in my super-popular vegan nacho cheese sauce. I did a couple of tweaks and added some new ingredients: for example, I used cashews for a “milkier” flavor and added full-fat coconut milk. The result is a guilt-free, extremely comforting vegan mac and cheese I’m sure you’ll love.
The ingredients that build the cheesy flavor
Each ingredient in the sauce is doing a specific job, and that is what makes it read as “cheese” without any cheese at all:
- Raw cashews soaked overnight — these blend into a silky, creamy base and give that “milkier” richness dairy cheese usually provides.
- Potato and carrot, boiled soft — the potato adds body and that stretchy, starchy cling, while the carrot lends natural sweetness and warm orange color.
- Full-fat coconut milk — fat is what makes a sauce taste indulgent, so use full-fat, not light. The coconut flavor gets masked by the spices.
- Nutritional yeast — the non-negotiable ingredient for a savory, umami, cheesy tang.
- Mustard, lemon juice and the spice mix (allspice, cumin, smoked paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, white pepper, nutmeg) — these bring the sharp, tangy, faintly funky notes that make aged cheese taste like cheese.
- Tapioca flour — this is what gives the sauce a glossy, slightly stretchy pull as it heats.
How to get the sauce silky and smooth
Soak the cashews overnight so they soften completely; skip this and the sauce will stay grainy no matter how long you blend. Boil the potato, carrot and onion until they are truly soft, then blend everything until smooth and silky before it goes near the pasta. When you cook the sauce on medium heat, stir continuously as it comes to a boil so the tapioca thickens evenly and nothing catches on the bottom. Save your pasta cooking water: if the sauce turns too thick, a splash of that starchy water loosens it back to a pourable, cling-to-every-noodle consistency.
Choosing your pasta
Macaroni and cheese is usually made with small pasta, macaroni or shells, with a cylinder or folded shape that retains all the saucy goodness. Cook your macaroni only to al dente, since it keeps warming in the hot sauce and you don’t want it turning mushy. If you need this gluten-free, use GF pasta and remember to save that cooking water either way. Want more ideas for shapes and pairings? Browse these vegan noodle recipes.
What to serve with vegan mac and cheese
This is comfort food, so I like to balance it with something bright and light on the side. A bowl of vegan red lentil soup makes it a full cozy meal, and a fresh Olivier salad cuts through the richness. If you love this creamy cheese sauce, it also plays beautifully into other bakes like my vegan lasagna with mushrooms.
Storing and reheating leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days. The sauce naturally thickens as it chills, so when you reheat it gently on the stovetop or in the microwave, stir in a splash of plant milk or reserved pasta water to bring the creaminess back. You can also make the cheese sauce ahead on its own, keep it refrigerated, and toss it with freshly cooked pasta when you are ready to eat. For more sauce inspiration built the same dairy-free way, take a look at my other vegan sauces.
If you make this vegan mac and cheese, I would love to know how the sauce turned out for you, and whether you nudged the cayenne up or down for your taste. Please rate the recipe below and leave a comment with your tweaks so other readers can try them too.
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Vegan Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- ½ cup raw cashews soaked overnight
- 1 potato peeled and cubed
- 1 carrot peeled and sliced
- 1 cup full-fat coconut milk
- 1 onion peeled
- ⅓ cup nutritional yeast
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp allspice
- 2 tsp mustard
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp white pepper
- ½ tsp cumin powder
- ¼ tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp cayenne
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp tapioca flour
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- 5 cups macaroni cooked al dente (use GF if needed, save the water)
- 2 Tbsp spring onion chopped
Instructions
- In a bowl, add the potato, carrot, onion, a pinch of salt and pepper and allspice. Cover with water and set on high heat. Bring to boil. Change heat to low and simmer until the veggies are soft.
- In a blender, add the soaked cashews, boiled veggies, coconut milk, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, mustard, salt, pepper, cumin powder, smoked paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, olive oil, tapioca, and nutmeg. Blend until smooth and silky. Transfer to a saucepan and cook on medium heat. Bring to boil, stirring continuously, add some pasta water if the sauce is too thick and set aside.
- In a large pan, combine cooked pasta with the vegan cheese sauce; stir well and top with some green onions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, completely. There is no cheese, butter, milk or any animal product in it. The creamy, cheesy sauce comes from soaked cashews, boiled potato and carrot, full-fat coconut milk and nutritional yeast, so it is fully vegan and dairy-free.
Nutritional yeast is the key ingredient that gives the sauce its savory, umami, cheesy tang. Without it the sauce would taste like a plain vegetable puree. It is what makes the dish read as cheese even though there is none.
Soaking overnight softens the cashews so they blend into a completely silky sauce. If you skip it, the sauce tends to stay grainy no matter how long you blend. In a pinch you can soak them in just-boiled water for about 15 to 30 minutes instead.
Yes. Simply use your favorite gluten-free macaroni cooked to al dente. The cheese sauce itself is already gluten-free, since it is thickened with tapioca flour rather than a wheat-based roux. Remember to save some of the pasta cooking water to adjust the sauce.
The tapioca flour thickens the sauce as it cooks, and it thickens further as it cools. The fix is the starchy pasta water you saved: stir in a splash at a time until the sauce reaches a pourable, cling-to-every-noodle consistency. Plant milk works too.
Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days. It thickens as it chills, so reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave and stir in a little plant milk or reserved pasta water to bring the creaminess back.
