This truly is the BEST Vegan Mac and Cheese ever! Made with just 7 simple ingredients and ready in under 20 minutes. Super creamy, delicious and so easy to make!
My favorite thing about this vegan mac and cheese is how easy and quick it is to throw together. It’s ready in the same time it would take for you to make a box of regular mac and cheese! Really.
But most importantly, it tastes incredible! I wouldn’t care how easy it was to make if it didn’t taste amazing.
This recipe is incredibly creamy, cheesy and just delicious! I didn’t include too many spices, because my kids don’t like that in their mac and cheese. Just cashews, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, a tiny bit of garlic powder and turmeric (for color).
For a nut free vegan mac and cheese, try my Nut Free Vegan Cheese Sauce with noodles.
How do you make vegan mac and cheese?
It’s so easy! First, get your raw cashews soaking. I do this by heating water to a boil in my tea kettle, then pour the hot water over the cashews in a bowl or measuring cup. Let them soak for 5 minutes.
Cook your noodles of choice (gluten free, white or whole wheat, even bean noodles) as directed. Just do not overcook the noodles. Drain them, then add back to the pot.
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While the pasta cooks, add the cashews, 1 cup water (not the same water you soaked the cashews in), lemon juice, nutritional yeast, turmeric, garlic powder and salt to a high powered blender such as a Vitamix. Blend for a few minutes until creamy, smooth and no cashew bits remain. Scrape the sides as needed. SEE BELOW FOR FULL AMOUNTS AND INSTRUCTIONS.
Add the sauce to the noodles, stir and serve!
What vegetables go well with vegan mac and cheese?
I love mixing some veggies in mac and cheese! My kids prefer peas or broccoli, but I LOVE it with a large serving of kale. What a great way to eat your greens! Some options we enjoy:
- Green peas -if frozen, simply thaw and stir in
- 3 Minute Instant Pot Kale
- Steamed or roasted broccoli
- Steamed or roasted cauliflower
- Roasted brussels sprouts
Can vegan mac and cheese be frozen?
The sauce itself freezes wonderfully, and is great for freezing, then taking out small portions for single meals or kids lunches. You could even freeze the sauce in an ice cube tray, then transfer the cubes to a freezer bag.
If you want to freeze the pasta + cheese, that is fine but the noodles will be a bit mushier. If you are planning to freeze it, I would undercook the noodles by a few minutes, add the sauce, then freeze in a container. You can reheat the dish on the stovetop from frozen, or bake it in the oven. You could even microwave it if you wanted.
The dish will last 3-4 days in the refrigerator. Enjoy!
Want more vegan pasta dishes?
The Best Vegan Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups raw cashews (soaked)
- 1 cup water
- 1 large lemon, squeezed for juice (about 3 tablespoons)
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 12 ounces elbow pasta (use gluten free if needed, or whole grain)
Instructions
- Soften your cashews by covering them in boiling water for 5 minutes. I do this by heating up water in my tea kettle, and then pouring the boiling water over the cashews in a large glass measuring cup.
- Cook the pasta according to package instructions, but do not overcook.
- While the pasta is cooking, add the soaked cashews, 1 cup water, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, turmeric, garlic powder and salt to a high powered blender and blend until very smooth.
- When the pasta is done, drain and return it to the pot. Stir in the cheese sauce, and serve!
Notes
- The cheese sauce freezes well, so feel free to make extra sauce and freeze some for a super quick meal or kid's lunch option.
- I also like to add a vegetable to my vegan mac and cheese. Try thawed peas, roasted or steamed broccoli or cooked kale.
- Will last 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
*This recipe was originally posted in August 2018 and has been updated as of April 2019 with new photos and better instructions. The recipe itself is the same. Thank you!
This looks so creamy and delicious… can’t wait to try it!!!
Thanks Denise! I hope you love it!
Made this last night. Was so easy and DELICIOUS!! Even my non vegan husband enjoyed it!!
Yay! I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
Looks fabulous! But, can you suggest anything other than Earth Balance? LOADED with horrible oils!
Thanks Nancy! There are 3 tablespoons of earth balance in the optional breadcrumb topping for the baked version, so you could just make the stovetop version (which is excellent) OR omit it completely. I’ve also used a nut vegan parmesan for the topping before, which was pretty yummy and oil free. I am not oil free myself, so not all of my recipes are without it, but usually it’s easy to leave it out, except for some dessert recipes.
Nancy, I would think that virgin cocnut oil could taste good with this recipe. Also, I’ve seen coconut based vegan butters so you could try those.
Using vegan Parmesan is a great idea, Nora. I used it for the first time a couple of days ago in your baked ziti recipe and it was excellent! Thanks for posting this recipe, I’ve made both versions many times now.
I add 1/8th of a teaspoon of cayenne to the cheese sauce in mine 🙂
Thank you Rebecca! The cayenne sounds likes a great addition, I’m so glad you enjoy this recipe.
OMG! This was delicious and easiest Mac and cheese ever. I may never boil potatoes and carrots for cheese sauce again. I added the peasvas you suggested. THANK YOU!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this easy mac and cheese recipe! It’s a lot easier than boiling potatoes and carrots. 🙂
I really like your site, it has good articles, Thanks.
Thank you!
This was so good! I put it on broil for a couple minutes at the end and it was perfectly browned and crispy!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the Mac and Cheese! That sounds delicious.
Add the soaked cashews? So we don’t liquify or anything, just throw them whole in?????
I’m not sure I understand your question. In step 3, it says “While the pasta is cooking, add the soaked cashews, 1 cup water, lemon juice, salt, nutritional yeast, turmeric and garlic powder to a high powered blender and blend until very smooth.” You have to blend the cashews with the other ingredients to make the cheese sauce for the mac and cheese. Hope that helps!
I made this Mac and Cheese today–it’s delicious! My vegan-food-hating husband even liked it (winning him over one recipe at a time 💛) I didn’t think I’d like nutritional yeast, as it smells like ground up multivitamins to me, but I misjudged completely. When used in a recipe, it’s an incredible ingredient and I’m obsessed.
That sounds like a big win! 🙂 I’m so happy he enjoyed it, and that you are discovering the magic of nutritional yeast!
Hello! Can I add truffle oil or would that be weird? Thanks.
I’ve never tried it but it might be good!
I love this recipe simple and delicious!!
Thanks Latesha!
I have an allergy to cashews…..and all other tree nuts. Suggestions on substitutions for the cashews?
Sorry, this recipe very much comes together because of the cashews! I will have to work on a nut-free vegan mac and cheese recipe. I know there are some out there though, this one looks good from my friend at A Virtual Vegan.
Is there any way of not having this dry out if I plan to take it to an event and then heat it up there?
The best way to make sure it’s as yummy as possible is to cook the noodles, make the sauce but keep them separate until right before serving. Then, just throw it together in a pot, warm up and stir. If it gets a little thick or dry, you can also add a little water to thin it out again. Hope that helps!
I can not get enough of this sauce. I had it over veggies while my family enjoyed the pasta with broccoli. It is a new favourite in our house.
I’m so glad you love the sauce, and the whole family as well! Thank you.
I absolutely loved this recipe! Thank-you so much for putting it together!
Are the 356 calories per serving or for the whole thing?
Love this recipe, it’s so yummy and easy to make! I’m not vegan but I’m trying to cut back on dairy. I may never make box mac and cheese again!
I’m so glad you love this recipe! The calories listed are per serving, not for the whole recipe. 🙂
this recipe is amazing!!! me and my mom love it! i would recommend this recipe to everyone! thank you so much for sharing it!!!!!! can’t wait to try your other vegan delicious things! ❤️💕💛❤️💕💛❤️💕💛🦄🦄🦄⭐️⭐️⭐️🎉🎉🎉🌸🌸🌸😻😻😻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Yay! I’m so happy you love the mac and cheese so much, thank you!!
I used tricolor pearl couscous…it gives a different texture than elbows. I also used 1/2 the amount of lemon. Great recipe!
This is sooooo good. Made it tonight and added roasted cauliflower. Thanks!!
This recipe truly IS the best vegan mac and cheese I have tried. I have made it twice so far and my 2 year old just gobbles it up. The only issue I have is when reheating the sauce. It immediately turns into a foamy solid when I reheat it in the microwave. I’ve tried heating it for 20 seconds and even at half the power level. The only time it came out decent was when I reheated it on the stovetop, however, I won’t always have the time to reheat it this way. Any tips on how to reheat in the microwave and still maintain the creaminess of the sauce?
I also tried freezing the sauce in an ice cube tray, but again, I totally fried it when I used the “soften” option on the microwave.
So glad you are enjoying the mac and cheese! So, for re-heating the sauce, I would try first stirring in a few tablespoons of water before you warm it in the microwave. It does thicken in the fridge or freezer, and thinning it out a bit will help. If you are making noodles to go with it anyhow, you might be able to simple add it cold from the fridge to a pot with the cooked noodles, and then heat it up just a little until it’s warm. But if you must reheat it in the microwave, try thinning it out with water first, then only microwave it for 30 seconds or so at a time, stirring in between and not overcooking. Hopefully that helps! Thank you.
been looking for recipes that are easy to make and look good. i been having issues with my health n the doc said to drop meat n dairy so here it goes for a new start. this looks easy enough n yummy. will let u know how it goes n might ask few questions here n there so hope is ok.
This is the second recipe that I have made from your blog, and this one blew me away just like the first (lasagna – which is absolutely amazing!) The cheese sauce in this can be whipped up in 2 minutes! It tastes so delicious with the pasta!
Thank you SO much! I’m so happy you enjoyed the mac and cheese AND the lasagna, that’s awesome. I hope you find many more recipes you love. 🙂
Absolutely delicious, your recipes never disappoint! All 4 of my kids lapped this up as well as my husband. I added broccoli and veggie delights ‘bacon’ and diced onion to this and topped with panko crumbs and vegan smokey parmesan then grilled till crispy on top.
First vegan cheese recipe I’ve ever made and so glad I chose this one! I usually don’t even rate stuff, but this was so good I had to! Simple and perfect! I chose to use 2 cups cashews and let them soak for an hour in the hot water. I also added a tsp of creole seasoning and onion powder. Absolutely delicious and creamy!
Thanks so much for taking the time to rate and comment! I love your addition of creole seasoning and onion powder. So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Dear Nora,
You have some amazing recipe that I can’t wait to try! 🙂
Do you think I can use a hand immersion blender instead of traditional blender for this recipe ( and all cashew based sauce recipes) ?
Kind regards
Cecilia
Thanks so much! I hope you find a lot of recipes to enjoy here. 🙂 Unfortunately, an immersion blender will not work here or in other cashew based sauce recipes. Sorry! It simply can’t blend them enough to turn the sauce creamy. These kinds of sauces work best with a high powered blender such as a Vitamix. Even a regular blender will likely make a gritty or grainy sauce. Hope that helps!
Nora,
This was the best DF,GF mac and cheese recipe I have made yet, and the easiest. I love that there is no corn/tapioca starch which can make the sauce gooey and good when it’s fresh but does not taste as good reheated for left overs. I did add the steamed kale, 1 chopped leak, and some shredded carrot to the mac and cheese, and I added 1/2 c of a steamed acorn squash to the cashews in the blender to balance the flavor a tiny bit. I like salty but my fam not as much so the sweetness of the squash in the sauce helped to balanced the salty cheesy flavor. I added in some
shredded cheddar df Soy Delicious brand tossed it well put it in a baking dish and topped it with panko crumbs and olive oil then baked it for 20 mins @ 375 then broiled it for 3 minutes to brown the top of the mac and cheese. It was an absolute hit!!! Thank you again.