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 1/2 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 1/4 cups):
- ½ cup almond flour or hemp seeds , see note
- ½ cup breadcrumbs , gluten-free if needed
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 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.
Jenn says
I made this the other night and the whole family LOVED it!! I am amazed at how creamy it is even after baking! That is hard to do with a vegan sauce. Amazing! It was even creamy the next day when we ate the leftovers. It’s wonderful just the noodles and sauce (because I did make myself a tiny bowl of it this way to try before sticking it in the oven, but the crunchy topping and crunchy edges of the pasta after baked takes it over the top! So yum!!
veggiesdontbite says
Wow Jenn! Thank you so much for the awesome comments! I’m so so happy you guys liked it so much. It’s always the best comment to read when the whole family loves something I created!
Terri Cole says
Is 24 ounces of uncooked pasta correct? That just sounds like a ginormous pot of pasta!
veggiesdontbite says
Hi Terri! I used 3 bags of the TruRoots ancient grain pasta and each bag is 8 ounces. It makes a full 9 x 12 pan as the recipe states, so feel free to cut in half if you want less food!
Terri Cole says
Thank you! I just wanted to make sure I was reading it right.
veggiesdontbite says
No problem! Let me know if you try it out!
Miss Polkadot says
No words for how badly I want this. I’m hoping it’s safe to serve my very vegan-skeptical family because this needs to happen in my life. A few questions: how many would you say this serves? And is the miso critical for the flavour? Because I can’t get it in the small town I live in.
One more thing: You really are the vegan sauce queen! I would never have come up with a recipe like this.
veggiesdontbite says
Thank you so much for your sweet comment! I have served it to many non vegans and they all loved it. I truly hope your family agrees! As for the miso, I have to say that it is pretty important in achieving that sharp taste. You will still get the creamy flavor without it but for that added sharp cheesiness it’s important. If you can’t get it at all, then definitely try without it. I would guess that you’d need a little more salt though as miso has some saltiness to it. I have never tried it without the miso so not quite sure of the result, but please let me know if you try it!
Mandy says
Oh, mama!!! I’ve already got my stretchy pants on and in desperate need of this delicious mac!! You’ve totally outdone yourself, my friend! It’s been decided, we’re making this next week and I CAN’T WAIT!!
P.S. – I love the Seinfeld reference!!
veggiesdontbite says
Ah! I can’t wait either!! You’re going to love it. I can’t begin to tell you how many trials I did to get this to STAY creamy after it was baked and to have these noodles al dente. If you use different pasta then just start checking until the doneness is good for you. It’s SO good, served it to some family and they were shocked it had no dairy! And I’m glad at least one person gets my reference. LOL!
Mandy says
OMG!!!!!!! Like I said on IG, you totally NAILED the flavor of this sharp cheese sauce!!!! We all went back for seconds and I cried a little when the leftovers disappeared today. Such an amazing recipe that we’ll be making over and over again…and I’m already brainstorming other ways to use your sauce. Oh, and that topping for this bake was unreal! Just amazing!
veggiesdontbite says
This comment makes me so so happy!! I am thrilled that you like it so much. We are having it as our main Christmas dish for sure. I use the sauce on SO much! Just be sure to use the original recipe and not the one with more liquid like on the bake recipe. I can’t wait to hear how you use it!
Lucie says
Gosh, Sophia, how do you make pasta with white sauce look so incredibly irresistible?!! <3 anyway, I can't wait to try this recipe. I'm intrigued by the combination of chickpea miso and mustard seeds plus anything with a hemp based topping must be a winner 🙂 amazing job as always!
veggiesdontbite says
Thank you Lucie! The miso and mustard powder give it that sharp bite I was going for. It’s such a great combo. I am loving the challenge of making all these cheese sauces and serving them to others who can’t believe there’s no dairy!
The Vegan 8 says
OMG, I’m so sorry my friend for taking so long to comment….with this whole cookie craze, I had completely forgotten. Anyways, holy moly this looks like the definition of comfort food! Seriously, I love that first photo so much and basically think I could eat an entire casserole of this! I cannot wait to try this!
veggiesdontbite says
Don’t you be sorry!! That’s so silly! Mac and Cheese Bake is here to stay whenever you want it, today, tomorrow, next month, daily such as I do…LOL I devoured much of this so I totally understand the craze. Thank you so much for your sweet comment!
Cadry says
Now, that is a thing of beauty! In the name of science, I think it’s important to try every vegan mac and cheese possible. This one is going on the list immediately.
veggiesdontbite says
In the name of science you must. What kind of blogger would you be if you didn’t investigate all possibilities. 😉
Jenn says
This might be my favorite recipe of yours yet! And that’s saying quite a lot! You are right, it is SO hard for healthy sauces to not dry up, but I can’t even believe the creaminess that is this dish! Unbelievable! I already bought all the ingredients to make the cheese sauce, so I now I have to decide if I want to make regular mac and cheese (that is clearly not regular at all) or this baked version. OMG, the stress of decisions!! 🙂
veggiesdontbite says
Don’t stress! Mac and cheese to the rescue!! Thanks so much lady, and let me know what you decide!
Alex says
Looks amazing! Can’t wait to give it a try!
veggiesdontbite says
Thanks Alex!! Let me know if you do!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
That hemp seed topping is such a good idea! My goodness…..I really don’t think you could give a better comfort food to the soul and tummy <3
veggiesdontbite says
Its such great comfort food! Thanks Rebecca! And the hemp seeds are my favorite!
Linda @ Veganosity says
I can’t wait to make this, Sophia! And I love how you used hemp hearts for the crispy topping. I eat a few tablespoons every day.
veggiesdontbite says
Thank you Linda! I adore hemp hearts too! Let me know if you try it!
Liz says
I have to agree that you are a magician. You are the most creative vegan recipe-maker out there. And I love you for it. Can’t wait to make this one.
veggiesdontbite says
Ha! Thank you so so much Liz! I so appreciate your kind comments. I try hard to be creative, well because I have 3 young kids and they keep me on my toes! LOL
Angie S says
I will absolutely be making this!!! How weird is this – I’m the only one in our little family of four that LIKES mac n cheese – of any kind. A bunch of freaks, I tell ya! More for me!!!
veggiesdontbite says
What?! That’s fabulous, more for you! LOL! Thank you so much and help you enjoy!
Mel @ The Refreshanista says
Oh my gosh, YUM. I’m hungry now 😉
veggiesdontbite says
Ha! Thanks Mel!!
jill conyers says
This looks amazing Sophia. I might have to add this to my Christmas dinner menu. Pinning for holiday menu planning 🙂
veggiesdontbite says
Thank you Jill! It’s on my Christmas dinner menu for sure. Let me know if you try it!