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You are here: Home » Vegan

Baked Mac and Cheese

Nov 8, 2023 -May contain affiliate links

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A closer view of vegan mac and cheese in blue dish
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Our mac and cheese is the creamy comfort food you have been craving. This recipe happens to be vegan but can be easily made with regular cheese. Vegan or not, you will enjoy this pasta dish any day of the week. It is so easy to make it will be ready in 35 minutes or less.  

An angular view of Vegan Mac and Cheese in blue dish

This Vegan Mac and Cheese Recipe is about as easy as it gets! We basically made a bechamel sauce with plant-based milk, added vegan cheese and a bit of nutritional yeast, and then poured it into a baking dish. Top it all off with bread crumbs and vegan parmesan and give it a quick bake! It’s the best vegan mac and cheese that tastes even better than the real thing.

What is Vegan Mac and Cheese?

Traditionally, macaroni and cheese are made with a thick, creamy sauce that includes heavy cream and shredded cheese. With the availability of some amazing-tasting vegan cheeses, plant-based milk, and vegan butter on the market today, making vegan mac and cheese is easy. With a few simple substitutions, you can have the best vegan mac and cheese around without compromising on flavor or creamy texture.

Ingredients in Baked Mac n Cheese

This is where it all begins: gathering ingredients. Luckily, all of these ingredients can be found easily at your local grocery store!

  • Pasta - we use penne, rigatoni, or elbow pasta. ¾ pound of pasta creates the perfect ratio of pasta to sauce! You may also use a bean-based pasta if you want to increase the protein in this dish and make it gluten-free.
  • Coconut oil or vegan butter - This will provide the base of the vegan cheese sauce, you can also use extra virgin olive oil if you prefer.
  • All-purpose flour - You only need two tablespoons as a sauce thickener! If you’re making this gluten-free, use your favorite flour substitute.
  • Plant-based milk - Use plain (not vanilla) flavored, and make sure it’s unsweetened. Almond milk works great here, but feel free to use coconut, soy, or oat milk. If you want to go full dairy, I recommend using whole milk.
  • Vegan cheese - Shredded mozzarella is perfect in this! We love the brand VioLife, which we find at our local Whole Foods in our area. Vegan cheeses are easily found at most grocery stores.
  • Nutritional yeast - This is a common ingredient when making vegan cheese substitutes because it gives vegan cheese dishes that cheesy flavor.
  • Salt and pepper - Taste and adjust as needed
  • Optional toppings - panko bread crumbs, dried oregano, vegan Parmesan, salt, and a drizzle of olive oil- finish this baked vegan mac and cheese beautifully.

Homemade Vegan Cheese Sauce

Many popular recipes use a cashew base for homemade vegan mac and cheese. We used a store-bought vegan cheese for this recipe to save time and because the selection of available vegan cheeses is great these days. Our favorite is Violife (not sponsored).

If you prefer not to use packaged cheese, you can make creamy cheese sauce for mac and cheese. Start with a base of our Vegan Cashew Cream, then add nutritional yeast for that nutty, cheesy flavor, garlic and onion powder for some dimension, and a hint of turmeric for the yellow color. Delicious vegan cheese is much more nutritious than the boxed, powdered stuff!

A close view of pasta noodles after being cooked
Overhead view of pasta after being mixed with cheese mixture with wood spoon
Overhead view of white bowl with shredded cheese and breadcrumb mix
Overhead view of bread crumb and cheese sprinkled over pasta before baking

How to Make Baked Mac and Cheese

To begin, boil the macaroni noodles in a large pot of salted water. Make sure to stop at al dente. Drain the pasta and set it aside, then create your roux. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until the cheese has melted. Then, pour your pasta into the cheese mixture and stir it all together. Place all of this in your casserole dish, top it with the breadcrumb mixture, and bake it. This homemade baked macaroni is the definition of comfort food.

Can I Make Vegan Mac and Cheese Without Nutritional Yeast?

The short answer is yes! Just leave it out. The longer answer is that nutritional yeast provides the cheesy, umami flavor that makes this dish taste like the real deal. If you leave it out, it will still be creamy and delicious; it just won’t taste as cheesy. 

A closer view of vegan mac and cheese in blue dish

Additions to Baked Mac and Cheese

If you want to make a whole, balanced meal out of this vegan baked mac and cheese, try adding one of the following to give it a boost!

  • Sauteed Mushrooms
  • Veggie sausage
  • Roasted butternut squash
  • Broccoli, roasted until crispy around the edges
  • Cauliflower
  • Swap out for bean pasta, which adds protein and makes a gluten-free mac and cheese!
  • Make your mac and cheese a little fancier with non-vegan cheeses such as gruyere, Colby jack, sharp cheddar cheese, parmesan, feta, or goat cheese.
  • Amp it up even more with the addition of mushrooms or truffles.
  • Add a tablespoon of brown mustard for a pop of flavor!
  • Breadcrumbs are a traditional topping. We used panko, but if you can't find those, you can use the regular ones or make your own.
  • Mustard powder, garlic powder, or cayenne pepper are all very popular aditions you could try one at a time to see if you enjoy the variety.

What to Serve with Vegan Mac and Cheese

Since our homemade mac is a pasta dish, we love to serve it alongside a nutritious salad or hearty soup! It would pair perfectly with a side dish such as Classic Caprese Salad, Cucumber Avocado Salad, or Protein-Packed Minestrone Soup. You could also serve it with our Focaccia with Za’atar Olives and Tomatoes!   

Is Vegan Mac and Cheese Good For You?

You can increase nutritional benefits by using bean-based pasta or whole wheat pasta, but to be honest, this is not an especially healthy dish. It has less saturated fat and cholesterol than the full dairy version.

More Vegan Pasta Dishes

  • Penne Pasta with Vegan Cauliflower and walnut Kale Pesto
  • Pumpkin Pasta Sauce
  • Pea & Artichoke Pasta
  • One-Pot Chickpea and Butternut Squash Pasta
  • Mushroom & Veggie Sausage Pasta
  • Edamame & Mung Bean Pasta with Caramelized Onion & Chestnuts
  • Spaghetti & Vegan Meatballs
A plate of vegan mac and cheese sitting in front of a blue dish of vegan mac and cheese with a piece taken out

If you enjoyed this recipe, it would help us tremendously if you left us a star rating in the comments below or on the recipe card. Do you have any questions about the recipe? Do you need a swap for any of the ingredients? We are here to help, just leave us a question in the comments below.

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An angular view of Vegan Mac and Cheese in blue dish

Baked Mac and Cheese


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  • Author: Vicky Cohen and Ruth Fox
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 6
  • Diet: Vegetarian
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Description

Our vegan mac and cheese is the creamy comfort food you have been craving. Vegan or not you will enjoy this pasta dish any day of the week. It is so easy to make it will be ready in 35 minutes or less.  


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • ¾ pound penne, rigatoni or elbow pasta (See note #1)
  • 4 tablespoon refined coconut oil or vegan butter
  • 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups unsweetened plain almond milk or other plant-based milk
  • 8 ounces shredded vegan mozzarella cheese (about 2 cups). (We used Violife, see note #2)
  • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon pepper
  • Cooking spray
  • Topping:
  • 1 cup panko bread crumbs
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • ⅓ cup grated vegan parmesan cheese ( we used Violife)
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoon olive oil

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Coat an 8X8 square baking dish with high sides with cooking spray
  2. Cook the pasta following the package instructions (make sure you use plenty of salt water). Drain well and set aside
  3. Melt the coconut oil or vegan butter in the same pot you used to cook the pasta
  4. Add the flour, stir well and cook over medium heat for 1-2 minutes
  5. Slowly whisk in the almond milk and nutritional yeast, whisking constantly and making sure there are no lumps
  6. Add the salt and pepper and bring to a simmer until it thickens
  7. Add 1 ½ cups of the shredded cheese, stir well and cook until all the cheese has melted
  8. Add the cooked pasta and stir well making, sure it’s all well coated with the sauce. Transfer the pasta to the baking dish and set aside.
  9. In a small bowl, combine the panko bread crumb, oregano, vegan parmesan, salt, and olive oil and mix well.
  10. Top the pasta with the remaining ½ cup of cheese and sprinkle evenly with the topping. Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown

Notes

  1. We found that by only using ¾ pound of pasta the ratio of pasta to sauce is perfect. Feel free to cook the whole box of pasta, take a quarter of it out, and save it for later use.  Increase the nutritional value and protein in this dish by using bean-based pasta or whole wheat pasta.
  2. If you prefer not to use packaged cheese you can make your own mac and cheese cheese sauce. Start with a base of our Vegan Cashew Cream, then add nutritional yeast for that nutty, cheesy flavor, garlic and onion powder for some dimension, and a hint of turmeric for the yellow color.
  3. This post was originally published on June 4, 2012.  We have updated it with more useful information, so you make the best mac and cheese every time.
  • Prep Time: 10
  • Cook Time: 25 mins
  • Category: Main
  • Method: baked
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 ½ cups
  • Calories: 519
  • Sugar: 1.9
  • Sodium: 657.3
  • Fat: 24
  • Saturated Fat: 14.5
  • Unsaturated Fat: 3.3
  • Trans Fat: 0
  • Carbohydrates: 63.9
  • Fiber: 2.3
  • Protein: 9.9
  • Cholesterol: 0

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @mayihavethatrecipe on Instagram and hashtag it #mayihavethatrecipe #tahiniandturmeric

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. the wicked noodle

    June 06, 2012 at 1:22 pm

    I'm not vegan but WOW!! This looks soooo good. I love baked mac n' cheese - that crunchy top is hard to beat!

    Reply
    • mayihavethatrecipe

      June 06, 2012 at 1:45 pm

      Thank you!!!! Coming from you, that really is a compliment!!! We really hope you enjoy it. Thanks again for all your help!!!

      Reply
  2. Miriam T.

    June 08, 2012 at 5:23 pm

    I just became vegan and i have been craving mac and cheese...this looks delicous!! i WILL be trying this.

    Reply
  3. Cup O' dOugh

    July 02, 2012 at 4:05 pm

    I tried this recipe a few weeks ago and I loved it! Almost better than the "real" thing (not kidding). Everyone loved it and couldn't even tell that it was vegan! I'm about to make it again right now. Thank you so much for sharing!

    Reply
    • mayihavethatrecipe

      July 02, 2012 at 4:56 pm

      You are very welcome! Thank you for trying our recipes!! It makes us so happy to know people enjoy them. That's the reason we started the blog in the first place!!

      Reply
  4. brittany @veganbarista

    July 09, 2012 at 11:49 pm

    I hope you guys keep up the "vegan" lifestyle--your recipes lately are AWESOME. Thanks for submitting to Finding Vegan, that's how i found you. Keep up the good work, yay!

    Reply
    • mayihavethatrecipe

      July 10, 2012 at 6:43 am

      Thanks!!! We love experimenting and coming up with new recipes. I personally have a lot of fun doing recipe "makeovers" (taking regular recipes and creating the vegan version of them).
      So glad you're enjoying them. We will absolutely keep submitting them to Finding Vegan.

      Reply
  5. Val

    September 19, 2012 at 12:58 am

    Just an FYI that Daiya is not soy cheese. It's actually soy-free inaddition to being gluten-free and dairy-free. It's made from tapioca.

    Reply
  6. Abby

    September 08, 2013 at 3:58 pm

    I've just come to terms with the fact that I can no longer eat dairy even in small amounts. I'm lactose intolerant, and I love macaroni and cheese. I've been wanting some, and I can't wait to make this recipe tonight. Thank you for your recipe.

    Reply
  7. Jordy

    January 14, 2014 at 10:08 pm

    Wow! Just pulled out the oven! Awesome! Recipes like this is what has made me and my wife's transition to the vegan lifestyle much easier! Thanks!

    Reply
    • Vicky & Ruth

      January 15, 2014 at 6:43 am

      Thank you so much!!! So glad we can help. If you ever have any questions let us know!

      Reply

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Welcome!

We are Vicky & Ruth, authors of the vegan cookbook Tahini and Turmeric. Born and raised in a multicultural Jewish-Lebanese-Spanish household our culinary journey began in Barcelona, Spain where we learned from our family the rich flavors of Lebanon, Turkey, Israel, Morocco, and Spain. From our mother's fragrant Lebanese dishes to our grandmother's secret Sephardic Turkish specialties, our Moroccan friend's fragrant recipes, our sister's vibrant Israeli creations, and our neighbor's authentic Spanish fare, each dish was a key that unlocked new exciting yumminess.

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