As a child of the ’90s, I can think of no dish more universally comforting than mac and cheese. And this crispy baked vegan mac and cheese hits all the comfort food notes: creamy, cheesy, savory, salty, and even crispy thanks to the buttery breadcrumb topping.
No store-bought vegan cheese required, and it’s ready in 45 minutes.
Feed your inner child (or your actual children) with this indulgent and nostalgic dinner, or serve it up as a crowd-pleasing side for holiday dinners.
A Better Vegan Mac and Cheese
Even though this recipe has been a popular one (rated 4.9 of 5 stars with 200+ ratings as of this writing), I recently realized it was in need of an update.
When I tried it a few weeks ago, I found it wasn’t as savory or as cheesy as I was expecting, and the butternut squash added more sweetness than I wanted.
So I went back to the drawing board and came up with something far better (I tasted both versions side-by-side and the revamped version was the clear winner: more savory, more flavorful, and the best sign of all—I couldn’t stop eating it).
Without the squash, the recipe is also quicker (~45 minutes) and requires far less oven time.
If you liked the last version, I think you’ll LOVE this one. And if it’s your first time, prepare to enter comfort food heaven 😇
Ingredient Notes
- Raw Cashews. Soaked raw cashews, when blended up, rival the creamiest of dairy-based cheese sauces. Plus, their neutral flavor doesn’t interfere with any of the other sauce ingredient flavors.
- Nutritional Yeast. Given the wide variability of vegan cheeses in terms of meltability and flavor (and the unfortunate plastic taste in some 😭), I didn’t want this recipe to hinge on the quality of store-bought cheese. Luckily, nutritional yeast is a potent source of umami (thanks to its naturally occuring glutamic acid) and brings a nice cheesy flavor.
- Potatoes and Carrots. Yukon gold potatoes add the starch necessary to thicken the cheese sauce while keeping the flavor neutral, while carrots bring the light orange color our brains associate with mac and cheese. To avoid any sweet flavor, this recipe uses just one small carrot, which is plenty for color.
- Soy Sauce and Pickle Brine. These might sound like unusual additions, but without any actual cheese, our sauce needs more savoriness and a bit of tang to mimic the natural flavors of cheese.
- Vegan Butter. This is used to coat the macaroni and to make the buttery breadcrumb topping, and brings, well, the necessary buttery richness you’d expect in mac and cheese.
- Panko Breadcrumbs: The light, flaky texture brings an irresistible snappy crunch to the topping and works much better than standard breadcrumbs.
Substitutes
Live outside the U.S. / don’t have Yukon gold potatoes? Use any medium-starch, all-purpose potato.
Be sure to use the brine from dill pickles or kosher pickles. Don’t use the brine from sweet pickles, such as bread and butter pickles, as it will ruin the sauce. If you don’t have pickle brine, you can use white wine vinegar, but start with less.
Most vegan butters are salted, but if yours is unsalted, you may want to add a tad more salt to the cheese sauce and topping. Don’t want to use vegan butter? You can replace it with extra virgin olive oil.
Step by Step Instructions
- Add the raw cashews, sliced carrots, and chopped potatoes to a saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil.
- Boil for 15 minutes until the carrots and potatoes are soft and easily mashed with a fork, then drain and cool.
- Cook the macaroni in a large pot of generously salted boiling water until just shy of al dente.
- Drain but don’t rinse, then toss with vegan butter and set aside.
- Make the sauce: In a high-powered blender, combine the boiled cashews and carrots (but not potatoes), water, nutritional yeast, spices, salt/pepper, soy sauce, pickle brine, and olive oil.
- Blend the sauce on high until smooth, then add the potatoes and briefly blend until pureed. Pour the sauce into the buttered macaroni.
- Toss the sauce and macaroni until well coated (it will be quite saucy).
- Transfer the mac and cheese to a lightly greased 3-quart (3 L) baking dish.
- Sprinkle the buttered breadcrumb topping over the mac and cheese.
- Bake at 375ºF/190ºC for 20 minutes, then cool for 10 to 20 minutes to set.
Tips for making this recipe
Blend the potatoes separately
Raw cashews and potatoes make for a rich and luxurious cheese sauce, no dairy or store-bought vegan cheese needed. The only problem is they can cause the sauce to thicken too much and dry out a bit after the mac and cheese rests.
To prevent that, I blend the potatoes into the cheese sauce at the end on medium-low, after all the other cheese sauce ingredients have been blended. This prevents the potato from being overworked, keeping the sauce loose yet creamy as it sets.
Tip: Once the potatoes, carrots, and cashews are done boiling and have cooled off, simply pick out the potato pieces and set them aside.
Taste the cheese sauce
Before you pour the cheese sauce into the macaroni, give it a taste and assess. If desired, add more nutritional yeast for cheesy savorines, more soy sauce for savory saltines, more pickle brine for acidity/tang, or more salt to taste.
The sauce starts off thin, then thickens
After blending, the cheese sauce will not be very thick (more like the consistency of a smoothie). When you toss it with the cooked macaroni, it will look like too much sauce.
Don’t be alarmed! The pasta will absorb the water from the sauce as it bakes/rests, and the starch from the potato will swell and then set as it cools. So the sauce will thicken as it bakes and continue thickening as it rests.
Looking for more classic holiday side dishes? Try my Ultimate Crispy Roasted Potatoes, Mushroom Gravy, and Vegan Cornbread!
Frequently Asked Questions
For the best results, cook the macaroni and make the cheese sauce ahead of time, combine them, and spread them out in your baking dish. You can do this about 2 days ahead of time.
Make the crispy topping, but store it separately in an airtight container or ziplock bag on the counter for a couple days.
When you’re ready to bake:
(a) If possible, let the dish sit out at room temp so you’re not baking from cold, then sprinkle with the breadcrumb topping and bake as instructed in the recipe card.
(b) If baking the dish cold: Bake the plain mac and cheese for 5 to 10 minutes or until no longer cold, then sprinkle with the crispy bread topping. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown on top.
Once cooled, store the leftovers in an airtight container or tightly cover the baking dish and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
(a) Reheating the full dish or a large portion: Drizzle a few tablespoons of unsweetened soy milk/cashew milk around the edges of the dish, ideally so it can seep into the sauced pasta without wetting the breadcrumb topping. Cover with foil and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 20 minutes, until hot in the center. Uncover and bake 6 to 8 more minutes to re-crisp the top.
(b) Reheating a single serving: add your portion to an oven-proof dish, adding a teaspoon or two of plant milk at the edge. Cover with foil and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 5 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for another 3 to 5 minutes.
Blend the cashews and carrots with the water for several minutes in your blender or food processor, scraping down the sides as you go. Blend until you can get it as smooth as possible.
If you have little unblended cashew bits, strain the mixture over a fine-mesh sieve and discard the cashew bits.
Return this mixture to your blender and add in the remaining ingredients, blending until well-combined.
Unfortunately, I have not been able to come up with a nut-free version that is just as good, so I don’t have a good alternative to raw cashews.
While we haven’t tried this ourselves, you can try using gluten-free macaroni (or any small gluten-free pasta) and gluten-free panko breadcrumbs.
And replace the soy sauce with tamari or GF soy sauce.
If you love this vegan mac and cheese, please let us know by leaving a rating and review below 🫶🏽
Introducing
Big Vegan Flavor
Techniques and 150 recipes to master vegan cooking.
Mind-Blowing Vegan Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
Cheese Sauce
- 1 small carrot (2 oz / 56g)
- 8 oz (227g) Yukon gold potatoes (see Note 1)
- 115 g raw cashews (this is ¾ cup + 1 TBSP)
- 2 cups (480 mL) water
- 50 g nutritional yeast (this is ½ cup + 2 TBSP)
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper
- ⅛ tsp turmeric for color
- 3 to 4 tsp soy sauce
- 1 ½ TBSP dill pickle brine (don’t use brine from sweet pickles, see Note 2 for sub)
- 2 ½ TBSP (35g) extra virgin olive oil (or vegan butter, melted)
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper (see Note 3)
Crispy Topping
- 2 ½ TBSP (35g) vegan butter, melted
- 65 g panko breadcrumbs (this is ~ ¾ cup + 2 TBSP)
- 1 TBSP (5g) nutritional yeast
- ⅛ tsp smoked paprika
Macaroni
- 12 oz (340g) elbow macaroni
- 1 ½ TBSP (21g) vegan butter
Instructions
- Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil for the macaroni.
- Peel the carrot, then slice into ¼” coins (6 mm). Peel the potatoes, then into 1” chunks (2.5 cm).
- Add carrots, potatoes, and cashews to a medium saucepan and cover with enough water to submerge. Bring to a boil and boil for 15 minutes, or until potatoes and carrots are soft and easily smash with a fork. Drain and let rest until no longer hot.Pick out the potato pieces and keep separate from the cashews/carrots (the potatoes get blended at the end).
- While the cashews/veg boil, make the Crispy Topping. Add 2 ½ TBSP (35g) butter to a small bowl and melt in the microwave. Mix in the panko, 1 TBSP (5g) nutritional yeast, ⅛ tsp smoked paprika, and 2 pinches of salt, stirring well until the butter is evenly distributed and there are no clumps. Set aside.
- Cook the pasta. When the water is boiling, salt it generously. Cook the macaroni 1 minute less than the time indicated on the box, or until just shy of al dente.Drain the pasta but do not rinse. Return the pasta to its pot, and toss with 1 ½ TBSP (21g) vegan butter (or olive oil). Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF/190ºC. Lightly grease a 3-quart / 3L (13"x9") baking dish with softened/melted butter or olive oil.
- Blend the cheese sauce. In a high-powered blender, combine the 2 cups (480 mL) water, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, cayenne, turmeric, 3 teaspoons soy sauce, pickle brine, olive oil, several twists of black pepper, and 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt (half if using sea salt/table salt). Add the boiled carrots and cashews (but not the potatoes). Blend on high until completely smooth and creamy and all cashew bits have been pulverized, scraping down the sides as you go.Now add the boiled potatoes and blend on medium-low for 15 to 30 seconds, just until combined and pureed (blending lightly at the end prevents the potatoes from turning gummy). NOTE: The sauce will be looser than seems right, like the consistency of a smoothie.
- Taste the sauce, adding more pickle brine for zing/tang, more nutritional yeast for cheesiness, or more soy sauce for savory saltiness (I usually use 4 teaspoons total). If adding any additional ingredients, blend on medium-low just to combine, taking care to not over-blend the potatoes.
- Pour the cheese sauce into the pot of cooked macaroni, tossing well. NOTE: It will feel like too much sauce now, but it thickens as it bakes.
- Transfer the mac and cheese to the prepared baking dish and sprinkle the Crispy Topping evenly over the top. Bake for 20 minutes or until the topping is golden brown. Cool for 10 to 20 minutes to help set up, then slice and serve.
Notes
- If you live outside of the U.S. or Yukon Gold potatoes are not available, use a medium-starch, all-purpose potato. Try to avoid a high-starch potato or a low-starch potato.
- Don’t use pickle brine from sweet pickles, such as bread and butter pickles. If dill or kosher pickles aren’t available, sub the brine with white wine vinegar, but start with 2 to 3 teaspoons, then add more as needed.
- I use Diamond Crystal kosher salt, which is a lot less salty than other salts. If using table salt, use half the amount of salt listed in the recipe. If using sea salt or Morton’s kosher salt, use slightly more than half.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Love this? Leave a rating below!
I didn’t have tapioca flour and forgot to add the cornstarch, but it didn’t seem to matter. Very yummy and creamy. Thanks for yet another amazing recipe, Nisha!
Good to hear you didn’t notice the omission, Maggie! Thanks for giving the recipe a shot.
This dish just made my rainy dark day blues drift away. It has that creamy and luxurious mouthfeel that I’ve found missing in every other mac n cheeze vegan recipe. I also dont feel the guilts for eating so much of it because it has nutritious ingredients. I found the recipe simple to follow and it’s going to be a meal prep staple. Im making a huge batch to share with friends this rainy November. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!
Your review made our day, Brigitte! Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and for trying out the recipe.
I’ve made this recipe twice now and it is so delicious! Thank you!
Awesome, Dominique. Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review!
This was delicious. Thank you. I followed the recipe and added some peas and small pieces of broccoli, cause that’s what I do with dairy-based mac & cheese to increase the fibre content. I’m not vegan but looking at the heart-healthier side of meal preparation beyond the mediterannean diet, and your site has excellent (precise, insightful well annotated and delicious) offerings that I find very helpful in this regard.
Steph, your kind words mean the world to us! Thank you for being a part of the RPL community.
Can anyone suggest an alternative to cashews bc if a serious tree nut allergy? I was thinking sun seeds but they tend to change color and taste a lot. Would pepitas do the same? Thanks
Hi Lisa, unfortunately we haven’t tried a seed substitute here and our experience with sunflower seeds is the same as yours – they are not very neutral in flavor. Some readers have used a combination of boiled, peeled russet potatoes (steam or boil until tender) and white beans (drained and rinsed very well), then blended those together. Please let us know how it goes if you try that!
Wondering the same!
This is a pretty dish and it smells delicious while baking. I swapped the butternut squash for the canned pumpkin as in the notes since my granddaughter wanted a pumpkin “mac n cheese”. As with pretty much all the vegan mac n cheese recipes I’ve tried, I would not consider this to taste anything like actual mac n cheese, but it is delicious in its own right. It’s a creamy baked pumpkin pasta dish with a yummy crunchy topping that looks and tastes great. Lastly, I cannot have coconut milk, so I used Trader Joe’s shelf stable, unsweetened soybean milk (green carton) as I often do. It is very neutral in taste and does not impart any sort of unwanted flavor when used in recipes. It worked great in this recipe and made it a healthier way to go than coconut milk would.
So you didn’t follow the recipe (pumpkin instead of butternut squash and soybean milk instead of coconut milk) and give a 4 star? Doesn’t make sense. Either follow the recipe and give a review or if you swap things out and it doesn’t taste good, the don’t leave a review. 🤦
I think you woke up on the wrong side of the bed today. We also have something in this country called freedom of speech. I gave a nice review of the recipe in general and if you took the time to read the recipe notes, pumpkin was one of the swap outs for the butternut squash.
😂 from the notes “using whole butternut squash adds more flavor, as it’s fresher and gets more flavor baked into it with the roasting and the salt and pepper.”
Have a wonderful day!
You should try having a nice day! Maybe stepping away from being rude in your comments to others while hiding behind a screen and instead getting outside for some fresh air will help with that.
Thanks for sharing, Lisa! We’re glad you enjoyed the mac and cheese overall 🙂
This recipe was delicious!!! I love the little crispy toppings! I had frozen cubes of butternut squash and roasted them in the oven with oil, salt and pepper. The sauce came out perfect! The cashews always makes cheese sauces so much more rich. I will definitely make more !!!
We appreciate your feedback and support, Gen. Thank you for leaving a review!
I can’t find an extra firm silken tofu at any of my grocery stores, can I just use silken tofu?
Hi Beverly, this recipe doesn’t call for tofu! Did you mean to ask that here?
This Mac n’ Cheese is the best I’ve ever had. I have made it for lots of friends and it always gets rave reviews. It’s a family favorite and will remain in my monthly rotation.
I’m planning on making a large batch for a bridal shower. Will it hold if I assemble it the night before or a few hours before baking?
Thank you so much for the lovely note, we’re thrilled to hear the mac ‘n cheese has become a family favorite and such a hit with friends! That means the world to us.
For the bridal shower, how fun! When it comes to making a large batch ahead of time, if possible, we don’t recommend assembling it the night before. Cooked pasta tends to soak up the sauce and get mushy if it sits too long. Instead, here’s what we suggest:
Make the sauce ahead of time — it holds up great in the fridge for several days.
Prep the crispy topping in advance and store it in an airtight container on the counter for a couple days.
Then, cook the pasta and assemble everything the day of just before baking. That way, you’ll get the best texture and flavor when it comes out of the oven.
Hope the shower goes beautifully, and thank you again for bringing our recipe into such a special celebration!
Made this recipe today. It was delicious.
Awesome, Andrea. Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review!
I took this to a small party of non-vegans and everyone said they were pleasantly surprised at how much they liked it. It definitely benefits from some time to congeal and allow the flavors to meld.
We appreciate your feedback and support, Sue. Thank you for leaving a review!
This is very good as is, but I added a bit of Worcester sauce, about a T chili powder and cayenne pepper. We like spicy. I will be making every week! Thanks for this wonderful recipe.
We appreciate your feedback and support, Jeanie. Thank you for leaving a review!
This recipe is awesome, I made it with pumpkin for Christmas Eve and everyone loved it. Thank you for always sharing the best recipes, you never miss !
Your positive feedback is the best reward for our hard work. Thank you, Gi!
Being lactose intolerant, traditional Mac and cheese was a distant dream. But now I have this recipe!! I loved it! Husband loved it! Once I found the Miso paste it was quite easy to make and so, so very tasty!!
Thanks for the awesome review, Michele! I agree this mac is a showstopper!
Hello, would very much like to give this a try, but hubby is no a fan of coconut milk (fat & taste) Is there a substitute?
Hi Carol, in my experience you really can’t taste the coconut milk in this recipe as there are a variety of other flavors and textures going on. With that being said, you can substitute with full-fat oat milk or cashew milk. Almond milk is too thin in our opinions and soy milk (even unsweetened varieties) leaves a subtle but strange sweet aftertaste.
sorry! just read your FAQ section and you posted the answer already… will try oat milk
I love this recipe. I made it last year and it was a hit! I made it again this year but it had more of a coconut taste to it than I remember. I used “reduced fat coconut milk from a can”. Is there a difference b/w the reduced fat and the “lite” coconut milk in terms of taste? Thanks!
Hi Katie, I don’t think there’s a significant difference between the two labels, but there can be significant differences across coconut milk brands. Some brands have a more distinct coconut flavor, others a bit more subtle. In the future, if you need a recommended brand, we love the Native Forest coconut milk brand. They don’t sell “lite” but you can water down full-fat coconut milk down with water to make it “lite”–use 1 can of full-fat coconut milk and dilute with 2 1/3 cup (560 mL) water. Or, use 2/3 cup (160 mL) full-fat coconut milk and dilute with 1 cup (240 mL) water.
Hope that helps!
Husband out of town so cooking my favourite foods. Mac N Cheese and your Jammy Zucchini with homemade sauerkraut. I only wish I had someone to share it with as this recipe makes a lot for one. It was oh so good. Was hard to stop myself from devouring the whole casserole dish. I used sweet pumpkin, whole coconut milk, an extra pinch of kosher salt and cayenne. Did all the prep in the morning and it came together so fast for dinner tonight. Thanks again Nisha.
Hi Dana, I made that mac and cheese for Thanksgiving this year too! It was a big hit with the whole dinner party 🙂
Thanks for the sweet review!
So creamy, cheesy, and comforting! The dish is even better the next day as leftovers! I will be making this recipe again and again.
Thanks for the sweet review, Rachel! I’m making this one for my family again tomorrow… can’t wait!
Every vegan website claims to have the best macaroni and cheese recipe, but this really is the best vegan mac and cheese recipe. I didn’t use the smoked paprika this time and I didn’t bake it, either, but it was great.
Thank you so much for such a lovely review, Melissa! 🙂 Next time, would you mind leaving a rating alongside your review? Star ratings are big help to readers who are thinking of making the recipe. Thanks!
Hi, this is probably a silly question – I’ve read through the recipe three times and can’t figure out how to incorporate the cooked squash once it’s scooped out. Do I stir it in with the pasta and cheese sauce? Insight would be greatly appreciated!
See step 7. It goes in the blender. Also, she has a YouTube video posted that was helpful to making the recipe.
That step does seem to be missing. I would think that you include the squash in the blender with the rest of the sauce ingredients. That’s what I plan to do.