The Best Vegan Mac and Cheese
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This truly is the BEST Vegan Mac and Cheese ever! Made with just 7 simple ingredients and ready in under 20 minutes. It’s as easy as making boxed mac and cheese!
My favorite thing about this recipe 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!
When I’m craving comfort food, I turn to a big bowl of noodles, and this vegan mac and cheese hits the spot. The luscious sauce is oh-so-creamy, cheesy and mild with just a little tang. It’s sure to become a staple meal in your home!
I highly recommend pairing it with some sort of vegetable. My favorite add-ins are: thawed frozen green peas, roasted brussels sprouts, roasted cauliflower or broccoli, roasted asparagus or cooked kale.
Ingredients needed (with substitutions)
- Raw cashews – This is what makes the sauce so delightfully creamy and cheesy at the same time. There isn’t a good substitute for this recipe, but if you need a nut free cheese sauce, try this Nut Free Vegan Cheese Sauce instead and pair it with noodles.
- Water
- Fresh lemon juice – From about 1 large lemon. Use fresh squeezed for the best flavor. I love my lemon juicer and use it daily.
- Nutritional yeast – If you really dislike it or don’t have it, you could leave it out. But it adds a lot of cheesy flavor.
- Turmeric – Mostly for color!
- Garlic powder
- Salt
- Elbow noodles – Or your favorite pasta. Use gluten free if needed, whole grain or even a bean based pasta. But for classic mac and cheese, use white elbow noodles.
How to make Vegan Mac and Cheese
It’s so easy to prepare, you won’t believe it!
- Pour boiling hot water over the cashews in a bowl or measuring dish. I usually heat water in my tea kettle or a small pot, then pour it over the nuts. Get your pasta cooking as well.
- Let the nuts soak for about 5 minutes. If you don’t have a Vitamix, you may want to let them soak for an hour or even overnight so they will get smooth when you blend them.
- Drain the cashews and add them to a blender, along with the fresh water, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, turmeric, garlic powder and salt.
- Blend until very, very smooth! This will take a few minutes, perhaps a little longer if you are using a regular blender.
- Drain the cooked pasta and add back to the pot. Pour the cheese sauce on top of the noodles.
- Stir very well; the cheese sauce will thicken slightly from the hot noodles. Serve immediately for best results!
How to thin the sauce if it’s too thick
Serve the mac and cheese right away for the best texture and flavor. The sauce will thicken as it sits, even after 20 minutes. But I have a solution! Simply add some additional warm water (a few tablespoons at a time) and stir it in well. The sauce will thin perfectly – problem solved!
Do the same thing with leftovers. When reheating, add some more water and stir until you reach the desired consistency.
Tips for the best mac and cheese
- Classic elbow noodles – While other pasta is totally fine to use, classic elbow noodles will give the dish that certain mac and cheese feel.
- High powered blender – This is probably the most important thing. It might work okay with a regular blender or food processor, but to really create a cheesy, perfectly smooth sauce out of cashews, you need a Vitamix or other high powered blender.
- Fresh lemon juice – The flavor will be much better with fresh squeezed lemon juice than if you use bottled.
- Add in some vegetables! I think this makes mac and cheese amazing. My favorite is stirring in some roasted vegetables, yum.
- Sprinkle some vegan bacon for extra flavor and protein – Try my tempeh bacon or tofu bacon.
Leftovers and freezing
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. And like I said above, add more water to the leftover pasta so it’s not too thick.
More drool worthy vegan noodle recipes:
- Vegan Baked Ziti
- The Best Vegan Lasagna
- Vegan Alfredo Sauce
- Creamy Vegan Carbonara
- Vegan Jalapeño Popper Mac and Cheese
- Baked Vegan Mac and Cheese
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!
- Optional veggie add ins: Thawed frozen peas, roasted brussels sprouts, roasted cauliflower, roasted broccoli, cooked kale or roasted asparagus.
Video
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.
- Leftovers will last 3-4 days in the refrigerator. The sauce does thicken when it cools or sits out for awhile, but there is an easy fix. Simply add a little warm water and stir, noodles and all, while you reheat it. The sauce will thin and it will be perfect again.
- Gluten free - Use gluten free pasta, any variety you like.
- Nut free - This recipe won't work for you, but you might want to try my Nut Free Vegan Cheese and pair it with pasta, it's really yummy too!
Nutrition
*This recipe was originally posted in August 2018 and has been updated November 2020 with new photos and better instructions. The recipe itself is the same. Thank you!
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196 Comments on “The Best Vegan Mac and Cheese”
Wow, this was so delicious! I have tried LOTS of vegan mac and cheese recipes, and this one is by far my very favorite. This was flavorful, quick, and uncomplicated. Thank you for this fabulous recipe!
Thank you so much! That makes so me happy!
FINALLY! A great tasting vegan mac n’ cheese! YUM!!!
Thanks!!
Very nice, quick and easy. I had no yeast so didn’t use it. I added mustard and a small onion to the sauce. My vegetarian loved it, my meat and cheese lover liked it and came for a full serving. Only one didn’t particularly care for it and since none of our tastebuds generally agree, I consider that a win.
Thank you for the recipe Nora , made it for wife and I for lunch , it’s so very good .
You’re welcome! Glad you enjoyed it.
This was soo yummy and creamy! I used penne brown rice pasta, added a little more garlic cause I love it, and added some ground mustard seed as another suggested. Thank you so much!
You’re welcome!
Yup, this is it! My non-vegan husband complained all week seeing this on the menu. Squash? In mac & cheese? But wouldn’t you know, he ate THREE helpings! Thanks for making such tasty and easy recipes!
Thanks! So glad you enjoyed it.
We thought nothing could beat your Vegan Baked Mac n Cheese but this is darn close! The only changes I made was adding about 1/4 tsp of dry mustard, a splash of white vinegar, and a little extra salt and garlic powder. I could eat this everyday!
So good!!! Delicious on its own and when I mixed it with chili it was heavenly!
That sounds amazing! Thank you.
I have LOVED all the recipes I’ve made from you. This is the site I check before anyone else when I want to make something new. I gave this recipe 5 stars because I’m sure it deserves it. I made this Mac and cheese and was disappointed as I always am when I make vegan Mac and cheese. I sadly do not like nutritional yeast and neither does my family. I am trying so hard to make the best vegan Mac and cheese for my family because my kids love it so much but I don’t want to feed them animal products anymore. Do you have any tips for making a good Mac and cheese with little to no nutritional yeast? Or a brand that’s like no other? I purchased braggs brand. I don’t like it. Anyway, thanks for all the wonderful recipes you post. My family’s favorites are the vegan chocolate cake and your corn bread. Absolutely AMAZING.
Thank you! Some people really don’t like nutritional yeast, I understand. I wonder if you made this recipe, left out the nutritional yeast, then added a bag of vegan cheese shreds (to the blender!). I’ve done something like this recently and it was really good. I love Violife and Daiya cutting board cheddar shreds for this. Hope that helps!
Pastabilities vegan Mac is awesome
This recipe seriously lives up to its name. BEST Mac and cheese EVER. I probably make it once a week, if not more. My bf loves it, as does my family, and none of them are vegan. I could survive off of nothing but this Mac and cheese for the rest of my life and be satisfied, honestly. I love adding broccoli and peas to it–barely even feels like I’m eating vegetables 🙂 lol!
That’s so great! Thanks for the comment!
This recipe is awesome. However I will not use as much salt next time. Can’t wait to try other recipes.
This mac and cheese was great and easy to make! I have recommended this to several people already. Love how few ingredients needed.
That’s great to hear! Thanks!
I was about to give up on finding a great vegan Mac and cheese recipe when I came across this one and gave it a shot. I’m so glad I did!! It’s the tastiest one I’ve had and easier than the other recipes I tried too. Def a staple in my house now . I’ve never been disappointed by a single recipe of Nora’s
That’s so great to hear!
This was delicious! My family was craving some hot wings today so I added some vegan chicken to this and 1/4 cup of buffalo sauce. I topped it all with some garlicky panko and baked it for 25 minutes! It was a hit! Thank you for your incredible recipes!
You’re welcome!!
This recipe rocks! I added a touch of dry mustard and vinegar for just a little more sharpness but I really miss sharp cheddar. Not anymore with this recipe.
That’s so great to hear!
Super tasty! I swapped the water for original unsweetened almond milk for a bit of a thicker cheese. The best Mac and cheese replacement recipe I’ve tried so far!
Nora- I absolutely love all your recipes! Is there a nut-free version of this? Thanks.
Thank you so much! I would make this Vegan Cheese Sauce (Nut Free) and mix it with elbow noodles. It’s quite tasty!
this is good! the only thing i did different was to use less salt. thank you for the recipe.
You’re welcome!!
What is nutritional yeast and where can I buy it ? thanks
Nutritional yeast is a food product that vegans use a lot because it has a cheesy flavor when added to recipes. I can find it an nearly any grocery store these days, often in the baking aisle or health foods section.
Awesome recipe! I followed the recipe exactly as is and this was delicious and creamy and so easy to make!! Will keep this in the rotation – but I must say, I keep a lot of your recipes in my rotation!! Thanks for continually posting the most fabulous recipes!!
Thank you so much, I’m glad you are enjoying the recipes!
Amaaaazing!
Hi, really enjoyed this! To make my sauce creamy and thicker I added a single-serving of plain, oat milk yogurt and another half of the nutritional yeast. Then I baked it with breadcrumbs on top. Turned out great!
So glad it turned out great!!
oops I forgot to rate it. lol
Hi Nora, thank you so much for this delicious recipe. I made it for my grandchildren and they loved it!! I did too. I was wondering if the cheese sauce could be frozen by itself for future use. Or do you think it would change the consistency after thawing? I also made your vegan meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gravy all came out great!!! thank you again!
Yes, the cheese sauce can be frozen by itself, a great idea for quick mac and cheese. Once thawed, just whisk it well and it will be fine. I’m so glad you all enjoyed it!
Is it ok to use roasted cashews?
If you really need to, but it will taste different. It will taste more nutty.
Hi Nora,
I am constantly blown away by your recipes! I have tried vegan Mac and Cheese recipes in the past and they all turned out horribly. This one, however, was SO TASTY! My husband and I went back for seconds and there is barely any left! I added a little smoked paprika and ‘bacon’ seasoning to give it a smokey flavour and it was just the best.
I will definitely be making this again and am also looking forward to trying out your Vegan Baked Mac and Cheese recipe.
Thanks so much for the great comment! So glad you both enjoyed!