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The Best Vegan Mac and Cheese

Hands down the best vegan mac and cheese recipe - approved by vegans and non-vegans alike! It's cheesy, creamy & made from scratch with healthy ingredients.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Vegan
Diet Vegan
Keyword comfort food, pasta, vegan cheese alternative
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Optional Baking Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 3 people

Equipment

  • high-speed blender or food processor

Ingredients

for the vegan mac and cheese sauce

  • 50 g cashews
  • 4 medium potatoes (250g)
  • 1 large carrot (100g)
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 4 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • ½ tsp onion powder
  • 1 tbsp tahini
  • ½ lemon (juice)
  • 200 ml cashew milk or vegan cooking cream
  • ½ tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tbsp mustard
  • salt
  • pepper

for the coconut bacon

  • 20 g dried coconut chips
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
  • 1 tsp liquid smoke
  • 1 tsp agave syrup

other ingredients

  • 250 g broccoli
  • 250 g pasta

Instructions

To make the coconut bacon

  • If you’re making coconut bacon, start by combining the coconut chips with the remaining ingredients. Give it a good toss to coat everything in the mixture and spread out on a baking tray.
  • Bake in the oven for 5-10 minutes (~ 150C) until slightly golden and crispy, but not burnt.

To make the vegan mac and cheese sauce

  • Start by boiling some water and pouring it over the cashews to soak for ~15 minutes.
  • In the meantime, peel the potatoes and carrot, chop into bite-sized pieces and cook for ~10 minutes.
  • Drain the cashews and add to a high-speed blender or food processor. Add the remaining ingredients for the sauce and blend until smooth. You may want to scrape down the sides once in a while.

To make the vegan mac and cheese dish

  • Boil the pasta according to package instructions.
  • Wash the broccoli and cut into little florets. Place in the microwave for 3-4 minutes.
  • Add the cooked pasta to a mixing bowl with the broccoli and mac and cheese sauce. Coat everything with the sauce evenly.
  • Top with the coconut bacon and go ahead and serve as is. Alternatively transfer to a baking dish and bake in the oven for another 15-20 minutes, then add the coconut bacon and enjoy.

Notes

Keep a close eye on the coconut bacon as it burns easily. Exact cooking time may very for each oven.
If you want to bake the mac and cheese in the oven, I suggest boiling the pasta a little less (2-3 minutes) than suggested as it also cooks while in the oven.