Learn how to make the best Vegan Baked Ziti, a cheesy, meaty, and easy comfort food that’s ready in 1 hour! Enjoy it for weeknight family dinners or freeze and reheat it later on.
Craving more easy and cheesy vegan pasta dinners? You’ll also love my Vegan Baked Mac and Cheese, Vegan Manicotti, Pumpkin Pasta Bake, and Vegan Lasagna Soup.
This Vegan Baked Ziti Recipe was one of the very first recipes I posted on my blog! And after all these years, it’s still one of my favorite family dinners and most popular recipes. It doesn’t matter who I feed it to—my kids, extended family, or die-hard meat eaters—it always receives rave reviews from everyone who tries it.
I can almost guarantee that if you like vegan lasagna, you’ll love baked ziti. It’s also a dreamy vegan comfort food disguised as a baked pasta dish, except it’s easy to toss together and bake in about 1 hour. Those ooey gooey layers of pasta, vegan cashew cheese, marinara sauce, and vegan beef are too good to pass up!
A perfect weeknight dinner you can serve hot from the oven or freeze and reheat when company comes over unexpectedly, my creamy baked ziti is possibly the best recipe ever.
Why you’ll love this easy vegan baked ziti recipe
- It’s just SO easy! This baked ziti is just as good as my Vegan Lasagna but much easier to make. Just dump everything into a casserole dish, bake, and enjoy!
- Everything you need in a comforting dinner – Al dente ziti noodles are combined with vegan ground “beef,” homemade cashew cheese, and marinara sauce. What more could you need in a family-friendly comfort food?
- A perfect freezer meal for later – Freezing baked ziti is a breeze! This freezer meal always comes in handy when company comes over, for holiday dinners, and during busy weeknights.
How to make vegan baked ziti
Find the complete printable recipe with measurements below in the recipe card.
Blend the cashew cheese ingredients together until smooth and creamy.
Next, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain the noodles and add them to a prepared casserole dish.
Cook the vegan meat in a pan until it’s browned and cooked through.
Stir the cooked vegan meat and marinara sauce into the dish with the noodles until combined. Spoon the cashew cheese on top and stir it in a little bit.
Extra cheesy option: Combine the cashew cheese with my Homemade Vegan Ricotta for an extra cheesy ziti.
Bake the vegan ziti uncovered until it’s hot and bubbly. Garnish with fresh herbs and vegan parmesan, then enjoy!
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can make this recipe gluten-free by using gluten-free pasta noodles. You might not be able to find gluten-free ziti, but a similar shape, like penne, will work just fine.
If you’re looking for a time-saving option, you can use a bag of non-dairy cheese shreds instead of the homemade cashew cheese. My Nut-Free Vegan Cheese Sauce would also be good here!
I like making this with Beyond Beef Crumbles best but any brand of vegan ground “beef” will work just as well. Impossible, Gardein, and even TVP that’s been rehydrated in broth are all good options. Sliced or chopped vegan sausages would also be tasty.
Once the leftover pasta bake has cooled, transfer it to individual airtight containers and refrigerate. The pasta will stay fresh for up to 4 days. To reheat, zap the leftovers in the microwave or warm them in a 350ºF oven or toaster oven.
Yes, vegan baked ziti freezes very well. After cooking the ziti and letting it cool completely, tightly cover the casserole dish with foil and freeze. When it’s time to eat, bake the ziti in a 350ºF oven for about 1 hour or until it’s warmed through.
Vegan Baked Ziti
Ingredients
Cashew Cheese
- 1 1/2 cups raw cashews
- 3/4 cup water
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 4 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
The Rest
- 1 pound ziti pasta
- (2) 24- ounce jars marinara sauce
- 16 ounces vegan ground beef Impossible/Beyond/or vegan sausages
- Optional: 2 cups vegan shredded mozzarella cheese + 1/4 cup vegan parmesan
- chopped fresh basil or parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Prepare oven and dish: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish.
- Make the cheese sauce: Bring 3 cups of water to a boil (I use my tea kettle). Pour the hot water over the raw cashews and let soak for 5 minutes, or up to an hour. Drain the cashews and add to a high-powered blender along with the fresh water (¾ cup), lemon juice, nutritional yeast, garlic, onion powder and salt and blend until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
- Cook the pasta: Prepare pasta according to package instructions. You can cook the pasta while your cashews are soaking to save time. Drain the noodles and add to the casserole dish.
- Cook the vegan meat: Cook the vegan ground beef (or sliced sausages) in a pan until browned and cooked through.
- Combine in the baking dish: Pour the jars of marinara sauce and cooked vegan meat on top of the noodles and stir to combine. Spoon the cashew cheese on top of the pasta in large dollops. Stir it in just a little bit, leaving some pockets of cheese intact (you don’t want to mix it a lot, the cheese will become thicker as it bakes and taste incredible).
- Bake: If desired, sprinkle with some vegan mozzarella and/or parmesan. Bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes until hot and bubbly. Serve immediately, sprinkled with some fresh herbs for garnish.
Notes
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Gluten Free: Use gluten free noodles that are a similar shape to ziti, such as gluten free Penne.
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Vegan Meat: I used Beyond beef, but you can use Impossible, Gardein, or even TVP that has been rehydrated. Vegan sausage also works, sliced or chopped.
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For a Veggie Variation: In a pan, saute a few cups of veggies such as zucchini, spinach, bell peppers and/or mushrooms. Stir into the pasta with the sauce.
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Storage and Reheating: Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for about 4 days, making it a great meal prep for lunches. Simply reheat in the microwave until warm, or an oven-safe dish.
- Freezer: This dish can be frozen. Once cooked, let it cool completely, then cover tightly with foil and freeze. When ready to serve, bake at 350 degrees for an hour or until warm.
Nutrition
Looking forward to making this!!
Question: I’d like to bump the veggie content by adding some cauliflower/broccoli/onions to the dish. Do you think these could be added raw and stirred in with the pasta and sauce step and come out done after baking? I feel like maybe no but wondering if you ever tried that. Thanks!
I have added veggies before but I do cook them first, the exception being spinach, which wilts so quickly you could add it right in. I would cook them first on the stovetop before adding to the dish and baking. Hope that helps, thanks!
Thank you! I actually made it last night and threw in pan of roasted veggies (cauli, broc, carrots) then sautted some onions and canned lentils to use as the “meat”. It turned out really well!! That cheese sauce… wow. My non vegan coworker tasted my lunch left overs today and asked for the recipe! SO good, thank you!!
Made this last night. My husband told me to just make pasta and not worry with the cheese sauce etc… Until he tasted it……YUM!!! Another fab recipe from the best vegan cooking site around. Thank you. Making chocolate doughnuts next.
Wow, thanks for the wonderful comment! I’m so glad you both enjoyed it.
My 3 year old loves this meal and so do I!! It’s definitely my weekday go to! Thanks ? Also, the cashew cheese is so much smoother now that I’ve gotten a Vitamix.
You’re welcome! I’m glad you all love it!
Super delicious just like all of your recipes! My picky 9 year old loved it as well as my non vegan mother, She asked for seconds. It made enough for 4 of us and we have left for tomorrow.
That’s so great! I’m glad everyone liked it.
This is my new favorite thing to eat. The cashew cream sauce made it. I’m going to try that recipe as a substitute for cream cheese and sour cream in another favorite recipe… Mushroom stroganoff. Betting it will be delicious, too. So happy to have found this recipe. I will make it often
It’s really yummy, I have a hard time not licking the blender when I make it haha! Thank you.
I’m extremely new to cooking and eating dairy free so the cashew cheese seems like it will be difficult for me to make as I am quite a dummy in the kitchen. Is there cashew cheese you can buy or can you just do daiya throughout?
You could definitely just use daiya or another store bought vegan cheese instead, just mix a bag throughout the pasta. Thank you and best of luck!
Can this be prepared a day in advance and baked the next day?
Yes, that would work.
Would the tofu crumbles in your chili recipe work for the “meat” in this recipe?
Yes, they would work well in this recipe!
This is seriously amazing! We added a bit more tomato sauce because we like our pasta saucy, but even my omnivorous husband loved it and said I should made it for the next family meal with the in-laws. Delicious. ?
Thanks for the high praise! I’m glad you both loved it.
Very delicious dish!! It was easy to make and didn’t take much time! Thanks for this. ☺
You’re welcome! Glad it was delish.
Just a quick question, the recipe calls for one pound of pasta. That’s one pound cooked, right? Haha thanks
It’s one pound of dried pasta (16oz package). Hope that helps!
This is by far my favorite vegan recipe. I make it once a week because it’s quick and so, so delicious. My meat-eating husband, family, and friends all love it as well. I haven’t deviated from the original recipe, it’s perfect as is. Thank you for creating this amazing dish!
This is a go to recipe in my house. When I’m short on time or cashews, I just add daiya mozzarella shreds. Also add vegan ground “beef” with the sauce. My brother and dad are big meat eaters but happily devour this when I make it. Thank you for making a vegan diet delicious and easy!
Sounds amazing with the vegan ground “beef”! I love your shortcut with daiya too, it would definitely work!
I have made this a few times. I sometimes add in a package of “beef” crumbles by Boca. It is very hardy and fools the meat eaters.
Someone asked me the other day who my favorite redhead is and I would have to say Nora Taylor is on the top of that list (minus my immediate friends). This recipe is sort of the pinnacle of Nora’s simplicity and taste that has really changed my kitchen for the better. It’s super accessible for anyone who hasn’t cooked vegan before, and it’s so delightful that if you serve it to anyone and they stick their tongue out in disgust you know that you simply need to stop associating with that person. Nora’s recipes are on our table at least once a week, and I highly recommend this dish as a place to start for anyone new to Nora Cooks.
P.S. I literally have never soaked my cashews overnight. Boiling seems to work just fine in this recipe and other cashew cheese recipes we make at home. Glad to have received this hot tip from Nora.
I’m so glad I tried this recipe. It came out absolutely perfect!
This is incredible! I’ve made it multiple times and it always comes out fantastic. I love that this can easily be made ahead and kept in the fridge until you’re ready to pop it in the oven. A great dish to serve for guests, or make ahead and bring over for someone. I initially made to bring to a friend who had just had a baby and it was a hit with them. It tastes, it is surprisingly easy and reasonable to put together. The only thing I changed, is that I sautéed onion, garlic, diced carrots, chopped asparagus, and some fresh spinach and Some vegan sausage crumbles, and mixed that into the pasta and marinara sauce.
My family loves this! We like to cook some beyond meat ground to add with marinara sauce, and its delicious and easy!
Sounds great, I’m so glad you enjoy it!
So good!!! We make it on a regular basis. We sub ziti for shells bit it is a fabulous recipe!!
Thank you, I’m so glad it’s a regular for you!
This was a big hit in our house!! I am the only vegan in the household, but everyone agreed it was delicious and that it should be made again and again. I cooked up some mushrooms and onions separately to add to mine which was great. Everyone else ate as is. Thank you for this recipe!!
Thank you! I’m so glad everyone liked it!
Thanks for the suggestion on the onions and mushrooms… For me, but put it over the top. Absolutely delicious.
Fabulous! By association, I am a part-time vegan/vegetarian, my daughters are full-time. I don’t usually comment, but when worth mentioning, this recipe was amazing. This recipe surpassed the flavor, texture, creaminess, and richness of its non-plant based counter part. I have my own tomato sauce recipe, which is insanely delicious and added Beyond Meat Italian sausage, which added another dimension to the flavor profile. Thank you so much for making a meat eater appreciate plant based eating. I fully recommend this to all types of eaters.
P.S. The vegan cheese sauce and parmesan are worth the effort to make, they are almost identical to the real thing.
I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe so much! Thanks for taking the time to comment.
This is a delicious pasta recipe. We’ve already made it multiple times since discovering this recipe including serving it to my non vegan (one could say fairly anti vegan) relatives when they came to visit and they all agreed it was delicious!
Nora, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! I read a few of the comments above and I couldn’t agree more. Veganism was the best choice I have ever made, the only thing I miss is cheese. I am Italian so a lot of my culture is cheese and cream-heavy dishes. This is an AMAZING substitute, it is actually wayyyyy better than the ziti my grandma makes (although I will never tell her!!!!). USER BEWARE this is addictive and has caused me and my fiance (a vegetarian who eats dairy) to almost eat an entire pound of pasta on several occasions!!
I would also like to add, I sometimes don’t bake this. I also sometimes don’t add red sauce. I have made this as a cream dish with peas, spinach and a vegan “bacon” I make from tofu to act like a pancetta.
Vegans, vegetarians and non-vegs love love this dish. beyond grateful for this and the rest of your fab recipes, can’t wait to try more.
You are so welcome! I’m so happy you are enjoying the vegan ziti. Thank you!
Thank you for this delish dish, it is a wow for everyone who has sat down to dinner with us!
I’m so glad you have enjoyed the ziti, thank you! It’s one of my family’s favorites.
So good! Made it tonight and the family loved it. Just went back to veganism and this recipe will be a regular for me!