This vegan baked mac and cheese is restaurant flavor but made with healthy whole foods. So creamy and amazing!
This baked creamy pasta dish reminds me of the indulgent kind I get at a restaurant, that my belly doesn't really love after the fact. So having this to stuff my face with and not endure the pain after is such a treat!
Using a variety of whole food ingredients to recreate the traditionally heavy comfort food not only avoids a food coma, but it is healthier too. Serve with a fresh salad or veggies for a nutritious family meal that will be requested over and over again!
Ingredients
In order to make this vegan mac and cheese you will need the following ingredients:
- Vegan White Cheese Sauce
- Pasta
- Breadcrumbs
- Hemp seeds
- Seasonings
How to Make Vegan Baked Mac and Cheese
This comforting dish is simple to make with just a few steps. Here's what to do:
- Blend the cheese sauce with the extra ingredients.
- Make the crispy topping.
- Mix partially cooked noodles with the cheese sauce.
- Pour into a square baking dish and sprinkle on the topping.
- Bake until crispy on top.
- Serve!
Serving suggestions
Pair this vegan baked mac and cheese with a salad or veggies to create a complete meal the whole family will love!
- Lemon Kale Salad
- Apple Cider Vinegar Coleslaw
- Greek Farro Salad
- Broccoli Cauliflower Tots
- Fasolakia (Greek Green Beans)
- Asparagus Fries
- Spicy Maple Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Mix in suggestions
Add in some extra flavor and nutrients with any of the following:
- Peas with scallions and dill
- Coconut or mushroom bacon
- Broccoli
- Carrots
- Onions (caramelize them first!)
- Roasted Peppers
- Spinach
Tips and tricks
Before you get to baking your vegan mac and cheese, check out these helpful hints:
- Hemp seeds make the best crispy topping. If you use almond flour make sure to add some butter or oil over the top if you want it crispy.
- The mustard seed powder adds a lot of the sharpness. Adjust the amount used to your taste.
- When adding the extra ingredients to the cheese sauce go slowly and taste with each addition. Note that it will taste less strong once cooked.
- Avoid mushy noodles by only partially cooking them before mixing in. Also, make sure to rinse once you've drained them.
- Use gluten-free noodles to keep this recipe gluten-free.
- You can prepare this dish ahead of time by making the cheese sauce and the crispy topping.
- Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days.
- You can also freeze it by tightly sealing in a freezer safe airtight container for up to 3 months.
- Reheat in a 350°F oven until heated through, or quickly microwave.
Common Questions
There are many ways to make vegan mac and cheese including using store bought dairy free cheese, nutritional yeast, or a cheese tasting sauce made from veggies.
Make a cheese sauce with ingredients including potatoes, cashews, peppers, carrots, and vinegar. Mix that sauce with cooked noodles and voilà, vegan mac and cheese!
Almond milk is a good dairy free alternative to regular milk in mac and cheese.
You sure can! This recipe uses veggies, cashews, vinegar, and seasonings to create a creamy sauce that tastes just like the best cheesy sauce you know and love.
More Family Friendly Vegan Recipes
Keep the whole entire family full and happy with these healthy plant based recipes:
- Healthy Vegan Hamburger Helper
- Gallo Pinto
- Black Bean Soup
- Creamy Vegan Corn Chowder
- Vegan Butternut Squash Pasta
- Ultimate Vegan Burritos
- Vegetable Bolognese
Creamy Vegan Baked Mac and Cheese Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 - 2 ½ cups Vegan White Cheese Sauce , recipe makes about 3 ½ cups
- 1 ½ cups water , or water from cooking the veggies from the cheese sauce (can also use veggie broth for an extra flavor boost)
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (in addition to what is in the cheese recipe)
- ½ - 1 teaspoon mustard seed powder , take out or use less if you don't want it too sharp (in addition to what is in the cheese recipe)
- ¾ teaspoon chickpea miso , see note (in addition to what is in the cheese recipe)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt (in addition to what is in the cheese recipe)
- 12 ounces your favorite pasta , gluten-free if needed
Crispy topping (makes about 2 ¼ cups):
- ½ cup almond flour or hemp seeds , see note
- ½ cup breadcrumbs , gluten-free if needed
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 2-4 tablespoons vegan Parmesan , optional for extra flavor
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C).
- Make cheese sauce according to recipe but add in the water, extra apple cider vinegar, mustard seed powder, chickpea miso and salt. Add slowly and taste as you go to get desired flavor. It will taste much stronger and be watery, but this is ok. When baking, it loses a bit of flavor and creaminess so this will make sure that it is perfectly flavored and creamy after baked.
- Put all crispy topping ingredients into a food processor if using hemp seeds. Process until well combined. If using almond flour you can just mix it.
- Cook pasta according to package directions but cook for about half the time stated. You will be baking this so this prevents mushy noodles. Your pasta should still be hard and not cooked, if you overcook then your noodles will end up mushy after baked, especially if using gluten-free noodles.
- Once pasta is done, drain and rinse well to prevent too much starchiness in the baked dish.
- Return to the pot and mix in the cheese sauce. Start with 2 cups but if you want it extra saucy add 2 ½.
- Pour into a square baking dish. Sprinkle crispy topping over it evenly.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until crispy on top. Start checking at 15 minutes to ensure your pasta doesn’t overcook. Different pasta types cook differently. You can also broil the last few minutes to get it brown and extra crisp on the top.
- Serve!
Notes
- Using hemp seeds gives a more crisp baked topping due to the oils in the hemp seeds. If you use almond flour it would be better to add a little butter or oil over the top to get the same crisp but it is still good without.
- If you don’t have chickpea miso, you can try using a white miso although it will be a little more mild in flavor so you may need more, especially if you want it nice and sharp tasting.
- Make cheese sauce and crispy topping.
- This can be baked a little longer for baby and pulsed into a smooth or chunkier food. If baby is new to foods, you can also leave out the extra spice/seasoning ingredients in the sauce and it will be less sharp.
Recipe by Veggies Don’t Bite, visit our site for more great plant-based recipes.
Nutrition
Nutrition and metric information should be considered an estimate.
Sarah
There is simply one word to describe this baked mac and cheese- WOW!
Julia
Oh. My. God. This is amazing. I can’t stress enough how delicious this is!! So glad I found it!! I love that I can sneak my toddler vegetables too 🙂 I topped with some follow your heart cheese shreds too.
veggiesdontbite
I'm so happy you liked it Julia!! It is very sneaky and it's a good thing we are good moms and keep up the secret.
Laura
Yum! Just tried this today and loved it. Thank you! Since the miso has raised a question or two: I used red soybean miso but stuck to the amount recommended in recipe - still had great flavor.
veggiesdontbite
Thank you so much for letting me know Laura! I am thrilled you liked it! And thanks for the miso update. Good to know that red works!
Amy
Is mustard seed powder the same thing as ground mustard?
veggiesdontbite
Yep!!
Jazmine Brokaw
Hello. This looks SO good! I definitely want to try. I was looking at the recipe though and I am a little confused about the White cheese sauce. I scrolled through the comments to see if I could find an answer. I see you told one lady that the words "Sharp White Cheese Sauce" is actually a link to how to make the sauce. But I am not able to click on that. It's the same format as the rest of the words.
Sharp White Cheese Sauce
1 1/2 cup water or water from cooking veggies
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon mustard seed powder
3/4 teaspoon chickpea miso
1 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt
24 ounces your favorite pasta
Crispy topping (makes about 2 1/4 cups):
1/2 cup Manitoba Harvest Hemp Hearts
2 slices toasted bread use gluten free for gluten free recipe
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt
That is all I see, and it won't allow me to click on any of the words.
Can you please help?
veggiesdontbite
Hi Jazmine! So sorry, I am changing over to a new recipe card plugin and it erased all my links and didn't translate everything well. I am slowly going through and fixing all the recipes but had not gotten to this one yet. I just fixed it up for you! The link should be working again. Thanks so much and hope you like it!
Srivani
Had this recipe bookmarked for ages. Finally made it tonight. WOW! Definitely one of the best Mac and cheese recipes I’ve ever made... and I’ve made lots! The cheese sauce is awesome. We served some extra sauce over some broccoli/cauliflower that was served on the side. The 4 year old and 11 month old both LOVED this! Thanks you.
veggiesdontbite
Wow!!! Thank you so much for the rave review. I am so happy you love this as much as we do! I love dipping cauliflower in the sauce too! Be on the lookout because in the new year I have a new mac and cheese coming that is equally as delicious!
CL
Can regular yellow miso be used instead of chickpea miso
veggiesdontbite
Hi! Yes, if you read through some of the comments I have had a few people make it with other miso varieties. Depending on how sharp the flavor of your miso is, you may need more or less. Chickpea miso has a pretty strong taste. I would start with a little and work your way up until you get the flavor you like! Hope it goes well!
JD
This is one of my favorite meals. Perfect for the holidays. I like it with a tad less mustard powder but I typically dont like the mustard flavor abd still like some here.
Diana
Sophia this was awesome! I didn't have yellow carrots or pepper so I subbed orange carrots and red pepper. It obviously turned it orange not white but oh my goodness it was fabulous! I used brown rice elbows and they were perfect. The crunchy topping was so good! I made a double batch because I knew it would be delicious so now I have a jar full to sprinkle on everything! My neighbor has recently become vegan for health reasons so I can't wait to bring her a piece! She'll faint!
veggiesdontbite
Thank you so so much Diana!! It really doesn't matter the color as long as it taste good! I'm so thrilled you liked it and I cannot wait to hear how your neighbor fainted. LOL!!
Shari
Sophia, this mac and cheese is outrageously delicious! I knew I had to make it when you posted it on Facebook today. I almost got lazy and didn't make the crispy topping, but thank goodness I did. That is what really pushed it over the edge and gave it the "wow" factor. Thank you!
veggiesdontbite
Hi Shari! Thank you so so much for the awesome review! I'm so happy you loved it as much as we do. I can't even tell you how many trials I did to get that creaminess even after it was baked and perfect the sharp flavor I was looking for. My family was WAY over mac and cheese, LOL! And yes, the topping is so yum! Look for more recipes coming using that combo. Thanks for being here and trying my recipes!
Alex
Thanks so much; that did the trick. I'm going to try this next pasta night.
veggiesdontbite
Awesome Alex!! Let me know how you like it!!
Alex
Something strange is happening. It looks like at least two ingredients are missing. The cheese sauce has seasonings, but nothing that will give it bulk. I tried looking on both firefox and chrome. Can you tell me what I'm missing? This is what I'm seeing.
• Sharp White Cheese Sauce
• 1 ½ cup water or water form cooking veggies
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon mustard seed powder
• ¾ teaspoon chickpea miso
• 1 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt
• 24 ounces your favorite pasta
Then it segues into the topping recipe.
veggiesdontbite
Hi Alex! I just redesigned my site and the links are the same color as the text, I'm working on changing that now so that people can tell they are links! SO, in this recipe "Sharp White Cheese Sauce" is actually a link to the cheese sauce recipe! Click on it and it will take you there. So sorry, working on this issue now!! Let me know if you have any other questions!