Today, I’m sharing my vegan spin on the ultimate comfort food: Crispy Baked Vegan Mac and Cheese!
This recipe features an easy cheese sauce that is ridiculously creamy and cheesy (and even secretly wholesome…hi, butternut squash!). Once mixed with elbow macaroni, it gets topped with a buttery bread crumb topping and baked until crunchy and browned. The textural contrast of creamy and crispy is irresistible and every bite is packed with flavor, indulgence, and nostalgia.
What you need to make the best Vegan Mac and Cheese
Butternut Squash. Butternut squash adds a velvety body to the cheese sauce and (2) it brings that nostalgic orange-yellow color you associate with mac and cheese.
Cashews. Soaked raw cashews, when blended up, rival the creamiest of dairy sauces. I’ve tried vegan cheese sauces without them and they never compare.
Nutritional Yeast. A potent source of savory flavor and helps mimic the taste of cheese. In order to get this to really taste cheesy, I use a generous ½ cup of nutritional yeast.
Miso Paste. One of the reasons people love cheese is that it naturally umami. To bring in more umami without using dairy, I add a bit of white miso paste.
Lite Coconut Milk. Mac and cheese is meant to be indulgent, so to amp up the creaminess, I add in some “lite” coconut milk. It has a high enough fat content to bring the creaminess, but it’s not too heavy.
Tapioca Flour. This ingredient helps thicken the cheese sauce and give it the texture you associate with a mac and cheese sauce.
Panko. The light, flaky texture brings an irresistible snappy crunch to the topping and works much better than standard breadcrumbs.
How to make Crispy Baked Vegan Mac and Cheese
Coat the butternut squash halves with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast at 425ºF for 45-55 minutes, or until completely fork tender and lightly browned. Scoop out 1 ½ cups of butternut squash flesh.
Add the butternut squash flesh to a blender with the soaked cashews, miso, nutritional yeast, spices, coconut milk, and tapioca flour. Blend until thick, creamy, and smooth.
For the topping, mix together the panko, nutritional yeast, salt, paprika, and melted vegan butter.
Sprinkle the breadcrumb topping over the mac and cheese. Bake at 400ºF for 15-20 minutes until the topping is crispy and golden brown.
Tips for making this recipe
How to easily slice butternut squash
If you find it difficult to slice your butternut squash in half, pop it in the microwave for 1-2 minutes to help soften and make it easy to slice.
How to soak cashews
If you have a high-powered blender, you can soak your cashews in boiling water for just 30 minutes. But if you have a standard blender, soak them in cool water for 8 hours or overnight so the sauce is smooth and not gritty.
Taste the cheese sauce
Taste the cheese sauce before you pour it onto the macaroni. Add more salt, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, mustard powder, or miso paste as needed. If you’re planning to use this cheese sauce to make regular mac and cheese (i.e., not baking it), omit the tapioca starch. It’ll taste chalky if not cooked.
Let the mac and cheese rest
If you want your mac and cheese to almost solidify into a mass (see photo below), allow it to cool for 15-20 minutes before slicing into it.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can sub in cornstarch (or arrowroot powder) with fairly similar results, but I find that tapioca flour works best.
If you want to save time, you can make the cheese sauce and macaroni 1-2 days in advance, and toss them together in the baking dish; cover and refrigerate. On the day of serving, take it out of the fridge so it’s not super cold and make the topping (takes 2 minutes). Sprinkle the topping on and bake it off.
Or, you can just make the cheese sauce 2-3 day ahead of time and store it in an airtight container. Or even just roast the butternut squash 2-3 days in advance and store the flesh in the fridge.
Once baked, allow to cool and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To reheat, add your mac and cheese to an oven-safe dish. If very thick, add a spoon or two of plant milk and toss to combine. Cover the dish with foil and bake at 375ºF for 15-20 minutes, or until warmed through. If desired, take off the foil and bake for another 5 minutes.
For me, mac and cheese is an indulgent treat, not a health food, which is why I use coconut milk. But, if you’re allergic to coconut, substitute with full-fat oat milk or cashew milk. Almond milk is too thin IMO and soy milk (even unsweetened varieties) leaves a subtle but strange sweet aftertaste.
You can use (1) canned pumpkin puree or (2) canned butternut squash puree if you’re in a rush. That said, 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.
My answer would be no, as it brings a significant amount of the cheesy flavor. Otherwise, it’ll be more of a creamy pasta bake (delicious but won’t have the mac and cheese flavor).
Watch! How to make Crispy Baked Vegan Mac and Cheese
TASTIEST VEGAN MAC AND CHEESE | easy recipe
If you give this Crispy Baked Vegan Mac and Cheese recipe a try, be sure to tag me on Instagram with your recreations and please comment with your feedback below.
Crispy Baked Vegan Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 small-medium butternut squash (about 2 1/4 pounds or 1 kg)
- Olive oil or avocado oil, for roasting and tossing pasta
- 1/2 cup (~70g) raw cashews, soaked in cool water overnight or in boiling water for 1 hour and then drained*
- 3/4 cup (60g) nutritional yeast (makes for an extra cheesy flavor, but you can use 1/2 cup or 40g and it will still be good)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder (optional but adds a nice sharp tangy flavor)
- 1 tablespoon mellow white or yellow miso paste
- 1 (13.5 ounce/ 400 mL) can “lite” coconut milk
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon tapioca flour (see the “frequently asked questions” section for substitutes)
- 12 ounces (340g) elbow macaroni (see the “frequently asked questions” section for notes on how to make this recipe gluten-free)
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt + more to taste
- Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Crispy Topping
- 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp (60-65g) panko bread crumbs
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- Scant 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 1/2 tablespoons vegan butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (218°C). Use a very sharp knife to slice the butternut squash in half, then scoop out the seeds using a spoon.
- Bake the squash. Place each squash half, cut side up, on a baking sheet and rub each with a bit of the olive oil or avocado oil and season well with salt and pepper. Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until the flesh is completely fork tender and lightly browned.
- Meanwhile, make the crispy breadcrumb topping. In a small bowl, combine the panko bread crumbs, nutritional yeast, salt, paprika, and melted vegan butter until well combined.
- Meanwhile, cook the elbow macaroni. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil and salt generously. Cook the pasta according to the box directions until al dente and drain in a colander. Toss with a little bit of olive oil to prevent sticking.
- Once the squash is done roasting and cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh and discard the skin. Measure out 1 1/2 cups (310-330g) of the flesh. Reserve the rest for another use, such as a curry, soup, or side dish.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 400°F (205°C). Lightly grease a 3-quart/3-liter baking dish with oil or melted vegan butter.
- Make the cheese sauce. In a high-powered blender, add the 1 1/2 cups (310-330g) of the squash flesh. Add in the soaked and drained cashews, nutritional yeast, mustard powder, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, miso paste, tapioca flour or cornstarch, lemon juice, lite coconut milk, 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, and black pepper to taste. Blend until the sauce is completely smooth and creamy, about 1-2 minutes, scraping down the sides as you go. Taste for seasonings and adjust accordingly, adding more salt as needed, more miso paste for more umami, more nutritional yeast for more cheesiness, or more lemon juice for more acidity.
- Return the cooked and drained pasta back to its saucepan and pour in the cheese sauce. Toss until well combined. Transfer the mac and cheese to the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the crispy breadcrumb topping evenly over the top.
- Transfer to the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes, until the topping is crispy and brown. Allow to cool for 10-20 minutes to help set up, then slice into it and serve.
I have always wondered what mac and cheese was like. Growing up in Australia, it was never a dish my mother made. I made this yesterday. It is unbelieveably good! It got me thinking that this sensational cheese sauce would be perfect in a vegan lasagne. Apparently, I can even freeze some for those nights when I get home late. This is fantastic! Thank you!
Awesome, Linda. Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review!
This mac n cheese is divine. The sauce is so delicious and cheesy; the flavor is perfect and well-balanced. This is way better than your typical mac n cheese with dairy. It’s easy to love the ingredients– I feel like I’m having an indulgent meal but keeping it healthy at the same time. Definitely now a staple in my kitchen! I use red miso paste instead of white miso paste because that’s all I had, and I think the flavor is still as intended. I also use corn starch instead of the tapioca powder and that works fine.
So happy you love it, Erika! Thank you for sharing :)
I was surprised how smoky the flavor came out, actually. I played off of that and added a couple heaping spoonfuls of Hatch Green Chiles to the Mac before I baked it. Turned out really great! I made a day ahead of time and put in the fridge — definitely need to add a little more liquid the next day before baking. Oops!
Will be making again! Thanks for the great recipe.
Angela, So glad to hear you loved this recipe!
Can I use red miso instead? Or a different amount? I bought it by accident.
I personally use red miso paste and I find it delicious :)
Made this tonight for a comforting Christmas eve dinner. It was easy to make, delicious and enjoyed by all. I’m loving that there’s some left over squash to add to tomorrow’s dinner. Thanks!
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Lindsay!
This is so so good! I used lots of subs (gf panko, chickpea pasta, yellow mustard I/o powder, coconut aminos for miso, cornstarch) and it turned out great. It’s like a fancy fall pasta vibe. I am newer to dairy-free and hope to try this cream sauce formula on other flavors/veggies!
Glad the substitutions worked for you, Laura! Glad you enjoyed the mac and cheese :)
Excellent, one of our favorites. Very creamy. Tastes great and with lentil pasta it’s pretty healthy too.
Thanks for sharing, Mike!
Could I make the sauce ahead of time? If yes, do I need to add more broth/non-dairy milk to make it less thick?
Thank you.
Hi Shruti, you can definitely make the sauce ahead of time. It may thicken in the fridge so having more broth/non-dairy milk on hand for the day you cook the recipe is probably a good idea!
I made a double batch and froze the second half. It was great both fresh and from frozen. I just thawed it in the fridge for 24 hours or more. This recipe is a keeper. Thank you :)
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Veronica!
I loved this the day that I made it. But the next day it didn’t taste as cheesy as before. Seems like it got more savory and almost tasted like it had tahini in it. Any idea why?
“Yum, FOODKIS!” My hubby’s highest praise. Just made this today for the first time, and even though I screwed it up*, it was still super creamy-crunchy-cheesy delicious. Nice to have extra prepped squash to make it again. *I accidentally dumped the topping mix in the blender with the sauce, so I had to make another topping. Oopsie! In my defense, I was also prepping your “Beef Wellington” “beef” log, (tomorrow’s dinner) and JD Raymundo’s (The Beet) Chai-Spiced Apple Crumble. Lucky I didn’t cross-pollinate all three recipes!
Glad you and your husband enjoyed the mac! Thank you for the wonderful review :)
Amazing recipe! Rich but not heavy. I didn’t have miso on hand sadly, but my subs worked on! I used a special squash black futsu squash I got at the farmers market Will make again for sure with different squash varieties I want to try this winter!
Sara, So glad to hear you loved this recipe!
This recipe is amazing. I’ve tried several vegan mac and cheese recipes and this one is the best of all. Even my non vegan family loved it . Adding to our family menu. Thank you Nisha, you did it again, another wonderful dish.
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Cecylia!
I made this dish for this thanksgiving. It was very tasty and looked so pretty! All my friends loved it. I made vegan Mac and cheese from the pick up limes recipe last year for thanksgiving and it was ok( used sweet potato) no offense. So far this is the best vegan Mac and cheese for me!
We are so happy to hear that, Kana! Thanks for trying the recipe!
Hi Nisha,
This is the second veg based ‘cheeze’ sauce that I have used so far on my year-long vegan journey. Was looking for a more creamy sauce and decided to give this a go. I have say that the coconut milk addition was not the flavor profile that I loved. I tried masking it with more mustard, salt, lemon juice but that lovely sweet coconut flavor still hangs in there.
So, I think I will try in the future with almond milk. I make my own so I can just make an extra thick batch to go in this dish.
Hi Paula, did you use canned unsweetened coconut milk? It shouldn’t taste too coconutty using the right kind of lite coconut milk. Maybe next time try unsweetened soy or oat milk? We hope you have better luck next time around!
Can you recommend a brand or type of unsweetened light coconut milk? Canned or boxed? I find while they are both unsweetened they have a different flavor profile (canned vs boxed).
Hi Lori, any brand will do! Just make sure to grabbed the canned variety, as it’s much different from the coconut milk that comes in tetra paks :)
I made this with Oatly Full Fat and it worked out great.
Thanks for sharing!
Since I’m Paleo I don’t keep miso paste on hand, so I utilized 1/2 TBSP organic tahini and 1/2 TBSP organic coconut aminos mixed together. I used Cybele’s gluten free rotini the lentil, cauliflower, and parsnip flavor. I also cheated and used frozen organic butternut squash and this was still amazing!!! Definitely a holiday keeper!
Omg!!! Incredible, fabulous, amazing macaroni and cheese, it will go perfect on my table, thank you sincerely, Josephine
Enjoy, Josephine!
Made this last Thanksgiving and making it again. I looove this mac and cheese, even when i ate dairy i would make a butternut squash version with fancy cheese. I dont miss the dairy at all. 2 years vegan. I probably wouldnt be able to fool my family. Just call it a cheesy butternut pasta and they’ll love it(:
Yum, Jay! Thanks for sharing. We’re thrilled you love the mac and cheese!
Today is the second time we will enjoy this recipe. I doubled all ingredients and used the entire butternut squash (two baking dishes reqired, used one after the other to save energy). A wonderfull family meal served with some salad and fresh tomatos.
Thank You Nisha!
Thanks for sharing, Katharina!
It tastes so good and definitely has that cheesy taste. However, I probably wouldn’t be able to passit off as mac & cheese but it’s really filling and tasty! Even my non-vegan friends like it :)
Good to hear everyone loved the recipe, Raihanah!
This was fantastic! My husband who is a basic dairy Mac and cheese guy even loved this! Thank you for another awesome recipe!
Awesome, David. Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review!