This vegan macaroni and cheese recipe is super smooth, creamy and made in under 30 minutes without nuts or fancy equipment. You'll love how easy it is to make this vegan mac!
There are so many ways to make vegan macaroni and cheese - arguably one of the most popular vegan comfort food recipes.
After many, many attempts at making vegan mac, I finally found my favorite method and I'm so excited to share it with you!
I think that this vegan macaroni and cheese is the BEST vegan macaroni and cheese.
It's smooth and creamy, filled with cheese-y umami flavor, and downright comforting.
You can make this vegan macaroni and cheese in just 30 minutes. You don't need any fancy gadgets - not even a blender or food processor - just a stove and a few delicious ingredients.
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The secret to great vegan mac and cheese
Coconut milk! Full-fat coconut milk is rich, creamy and flavorful. It makes the cheese sauce extra thick and it tastes great.
Coconut milk is slightly sweet, which pairs nicely with savory ingredients like nutritional yeast and yellow miso. Nutritional yeast contributes to the "cheesy" flavor and yellow miso provides savoriness.
Like traditional macaroni and cheese recipes, this vegan mac is made using a roux, or a mixture of fat and flour. Our modified vegan roux will use olive oil and coconut milk for the fat and all-purpose flour for the flour.
How to Make Vegan Macaroni and Cheese
Step 1. Saute 3 cloves of minced garlic in olive oil until lightly browned and fragrant.
Step 2. Over medium-low heat, slowly whisk in ¼ cup of all-purpose flour. It will be slightly lumpy- don't worry!
Step 3. Add the nutritional yeast to the flour and garlic mixture.
Step 4. Slowly add the coconut milk to the flour mixture, whisking to combine. Stir in the miso, lemon juice, mustard powder and salt.
Step 5. Continue to whisk until the mixture is smooth. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.
Step 6. Continue simmering until the cheese sauce is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon. Add water as needed to thin the cheese sauce.
Mac and Cheese Recipe Tips
- For a lower fat option, use one can of light or reduced-fat coconut milk in place of a can of full-fat coconut milk. The recipe will be slightly less creamy, but still delicious.
- To make gluten-free: Use an all-purpose gluten-free flour in place of regular all-purpose flour.
- You can make the cheese sauce in bulk and freeze for later use. It will need to thaw in the fridge for up to 24 hours before using, and will need to be stirred and heated before using.
Make it a complete meal
For a complete meal toss this macaroni and cheese with broccoli florets, Crispy Baked Tofu Nuggets or Vegan Mushroom Meatballs and a sprinkling of Vegan Coconut Bacon Bits.
You might also like these vegan comfort food recipes:
- Southern Style Vegan Biscuits
- Easy Vegan Ranch Dressing
- Instant Pot Lentil Sloppy Joes
- Vegan French Onion Dip
- Vegan Tempeh Hash
If you like this recipe you might want to check out my Instant Pot Vegan Mac and Cheese or Vegan Broccoli Mac and Cheese.
The Best Vegan Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients
Creamy Vegan Macaroni and Cheese
- 2 cups pasta of choice, dry
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ cup flour
- ½ cup nutritional yeast
- 2 cans (13.5 oz each) unsweetened full fat coconut milk
- water, as needed for thinning
- 2 tablespoons yellow miso
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 and ½ teaspoon mustard powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Prepare pasta according to package instructions. Set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Saute garlic in oil for about 1 minute, until lightly browned and fragrant. Turn heat down to medium low.
- Add in flour, whisking for about 30 seconds, until lightly browned. Add in nutritional yeast. The mixture will get a little crumbly. Whisk rapidly while slowly pouring in the coconut milk. Add in miso, lemon juice, mustard powder, salt. Bring the sauce to a boil, then lower down to a simmer. Continue to whisk occasionally to prevent clumping.
- Add in water as needed to thin the sauce to desired consistency. When the sauce is thickened (it should be able to coat the back of a spoon without running off), stir in the cooked pasta.
- The sauce will thicken up as it cools. Just reheat it to smooth it back out! Enjoy.
Notes
- For a lower fat option: Use one can of light or reduced-fat coconut milk in place of a can of full-fat coconut milk. The recipe will be slightly less creamy, but still delicious.
- To make gluten-free: Use an all-purpose gluten-free flour in place of regular all-purpose flour.
- You can make the cheese sauce in bulk and freeze for later use. It will need to thaw in the fridge for up to 24 hours before using, and will need to be stirred and heated before using.
jeanne
I made this for Thanksgiving and followed the recipe exactly as written and it was delicious. I added onion powder for some flavor
Cassidy Reeser, RDN, LD
I bet the onion powder was a great addition. Thanks for making!
Jennifer
This look awesome ! Going to make it this week. I was wondering what kind of flour you use ? I'm gluten free and wanted to make sur a g free flier wouldn't work ok. Thanks
Cassidy
You should be able to use the same amount of gluten free flour (choose an all-purpose mix like the Bob’s Red Mill gluten free flour mix) with similar results. The flavor may be a little different but I expect that it would thicken similarly. I look forward to hearing how it goes. Happy cooking!