Did you know that this seven-year-old vegetarian food blog did not have a macaroni and cheese recipe until today? It’s true. I’ve failed you on the mac and cheese front, but I’m making it up to you with this vegan (I repeat: dairy free) mac and cheese recipe.
From one cheese lover to another, I’m here to tell you that this mac and “cheese” is remarkably cheese-like and absolutely delicious.
I’ve been slowly working on this mac and cheese since I published my vegan queso recipe two months ago. The first time, I tried to use pasta cooking water instead of my queso’s secret ingredient (grated potato), and it was just ok.
Then, I added the potato back, and the potato starch makes this cashew-based queso super silky and creamy. It’s remarkable!
The Best Vegan Mac and Cheese
Nutritional yeast is key, in addition to the grated potato. It offers some cheesy flavor and color. Frontier Co-Op just started offering it in smaller bottles, and after using it in this recipe, I really believe their product is superior. It has less funk than the regular store-bought brand, so if you haven’t enjoyed nutritional yeast in the past, please give it a shot.
I kept tweaking the amounts and spices until we had just the right amount of sauce for one-half pound of pasta. I’ve finally nailed it. Don’t be intimidated by the ingredients list—it’s all basic pantry ingredients!
I couldn’t help but incorporate some broccoli for some extra flavor, color and health benefits. Keep it or leave it out—I’ve included guidance for either option in the recipe below.
Vegans, dairy-free friends, and cheese lovers who crave a more redeeming mac and cheese recipe, this recipe is for you. (And for those who also appreciate traditional, cheesy mac and cheese recipes, you don’t want to miss my new stovetop mac and cheese recipe.)
Please let me know how you like this recipe in the comments! If you’re transitioning to vegan or dairy-free recipes, don’t miss my vegan sour cream and vegan Parmesan.
Watch How to Make Vegan Mac and Cheese
Amazing Vegan Mac and Cheese
- Author: Cookie and Kate
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Vegan
This vegan mac and cheese recipe is incredibly creamy and remarkably cheese-like! You won’t believe how delicious dairy-free mac and cheese can be. Recipe yields 2 large or 4 modest servings.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces whole-grain macaroni elbows
- 1 head of broccoli, florets cut into small bites (about 1 ½ to 2 cups), optional*
- 1 ½ tablespoons avocado oil or extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped (about 1 ½ cups)
- 1 cup peeled and grated russet potato (4 ounces, about 1 small or ½ medium potato), preferably organic
- 3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon dry mustard powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, more to taste
- Small pinch of Frontier Co-op red pepper flakes
- ⅔ cup raw cashews**
- 1 cup water, more as necessary
- ¼ cup Frontier Co-op nutritional yeast
- 2 to 3 teaspoons apple cider vinegar or distilled white vinegar, to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for the pasta. Cook according to package directions. If using broccoli, stir it into the pot when just 2 to 3 more minutes remain. Drain, and transfer the contents to a large serving bowl.
- Meanwhile, in a medium-to-large saucepan, warm the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring often, until the onion is tender and turning translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add the grated potato, garlic, garlic powder, onion powder, mustard powder, salt and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine, and cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute to enhance their flavors.
- Add the cashews and water, and stir to combine. Let the mixture come to a simmer. Continue simmering, stirring frequently and reducing heat as necessary to avoid a rapid boil, until the potatoes are completely tender and cooked through, about 5 to 8 minutes.
- Carefully pour the mixture into a blender. Add the nutritional yeast and 2 teaspoons vinegar. Blend until the mixture is completely smooth, about 2 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides if necessary. If the mixture won’t blend easily or if you would prefer a thinner consistency, add water in ¼ cup increments, blending after each one.
- Taste, and blend in additional salt until the sauce is utterly irresistible (I typically add at least another ½ teaspoon). If it needs a little more zip, add the remaining teaspoon of vinegar. Blend again.
- Pour the sauce into the bowl of pasta. Stir until well combined, and serve immediately. Leftovers keep well, chilled and covered, for 3 to 4 days. Gentle reheat, adding a tiny splash of water if necessary to loosen up the sauce.
Notes
Recipe adapted from my vegan queso.
Make it gluten free: Simply use your favorite gluten-free noodles.
*On broccoli: You can omit the broccoli altogether, or replace it with finely chopped kale or peas (about 1 ½ cups). If you omit it, you might not need to use all of the sauce.
**Raw cashew notes: Most recipes like this suggest soaking the cashews for 4 hours in advance to make them easier to blend and to digest. I honestly never soak mine since I have a powerful Vitamix that blends them right up. The cashews in this recipe are cooked in hot liquid, so they’re softer and even easier to blend. However, if you don’t have a great blender or if you’re concerned about the digestibility factor, go ahead and soak them in advance.
▸ Nutrition Information
This post was created in partnership with Frontier Co-op and I received compensation for my participation. Opinions are my own, always. Thank you for supporting the sponsors who support C+K!
Maddie London
Would this work as a bake, just adding some breadcrumbs on top and putting it in the oven?
Kate
I haven’t tried this one baked, sorry! Let me know what you think, if you try it.
Sebastian
I made it as a bake last night, freaking amazing. It was gone by lunch today between 2 of us.
I also used lentil pasta and several heads of broccoli just cause I like the protein and extra veggies, but this recipe is fantastic, thank you!
Cheryl
This recipe is wonderful! Thanks so much!!
Carrie
I just made this and it was delicious and pretty simple to whip up! I’m not vegan but I think I could be with how delicious this is :) I also used gluten free pasta because i’m trying to avoid dairy and gluten. I’m wondering if I could make a double batch of this sauce and freeze half of it?
Kate
Hi Carrie! I’m really happy you like this and were able to make it work for you. I don’t think this will freeze well, unfortunately. However, if you do try it, I would be curious!
Darby
Please don’t waste your time food and money making this disgusting dish. Not creamy at all. Pecans are overpowering and make for a dry flavor.
emily
Well maybe that’s because you’re not supposed to use pecans ?
Charlene Sanford
Kate, this my dear was another WINNER! Bravo, you!!! I’m not vegan, my husband is but I thoroughly enjoyed this recipe. Super delicious and incredibly easy. I went heavy on the garlic and you cannot tell me it’s not incredibly close if not better than a from-scratch Alfredo sauce. So good! Definitely adding to our weekly rotation! Thank you again!
Cindy
Darby, not sure where you saw pecans in Kate’s recipe. It calls for cashews for the cheese sauce. Also, per Kate’s recipe, ”
If the mixture won’t blend easily or if you would prefer a thinner consistency, add water in ¼ cup increments.”
Robin
Can you recommend a substitute for the cashews? I can’t eat nuts or pea protein, which seem to be the common alternates for dairy.
Thanks!
Kate
Hi Robin! Unfortunately, I don’t have a great substitute for you here. Cashews are really what make this sauce creamy and cheese-like.
Brian Lawrence
Walnuts work well
Michele
There is a recipe I found on YouTube that uses rolled oats rather than nuts and makes a pretty nice cheesy sauce. I made it once and just made it thicker than the “nachos” recipe and used for mac and cheese. We had a guest for dinner and she just LOVED it. Only thing I will warn you is that her recipe makes 64 oz. (My Blendtec blender with the regular sized container does not hold that much, so I made a one-half recipe and that worked out great!): “Jill’s 5-minute Game Changer Cheese Sauce (nut-free, gluten-free)” — is also great for lower calories!
Tayla
Just wanted to drop in and say YOU ARE A GENUIS. This is the best vegan mac and cheese I’ve ever had, and in matter of fact I would go as far to say the best mac n cheese I’ve ever had even before I was vegan! Im sharing this with everyone!!!
Kate
Ha, thank you Tayla! Thanks so much for your review.
Jennifer Neustaedter
This was amazing! I made a couple modifications based on personal preference increased the ground mustard by 1 tsp, 2 tsp salt, splash of coffee rich, 4 ounces of vegan cream cheese, and sautéed Portobello mushrooms.
Jennifer Neustaedter
Oops forgot to mention I omitted the broccoli in favor of the mushrooms. Best grown up mac and cheese!
Kate
Sounds like a great way to change it up!
Kay Taylor
Is there a substitute for the cashew? I have 30 intolerances and it would be awesome if I could make this.
Kate
Unfortunately, cashews are key here.
SG
I tried it with using extra earth balance vegan butter instead of cashews and loved it!
Gail
Can I simply use cashew cheese in place of the work with the raw cashews?
Kathy Nemko
Hi! I’d like to make this in advance if possible and since you say it doesnt freeze well, would it work if I made sauce a day ahead and then just poured it over hot pasta when ready to eat? Thanks!
Kate
Unfortunately, I don’t think this one will be great frozen. I’m not sure the sauce would hold-up well.
Amber Reid
I am looking for a recipe for my very picky 7 year old who is allergic to dairy and gluten, and many other foods. She loves Amy’s Gluten Free Dairy free frozen Mac n Cheese. She very much dislikes Daiya boxed Dairy free Gluten Free Mac N Cheese. Can anyone tell me how this compares?
Kate
Of course, I highly recommend this one!
Gene and Caroline
You are right, it truly is amazing! We made it twice and it’s our favorite vegan Mac and cheese. We added cayenne for an extra kick.
Kate
Thanks for sharing, Gene! I love the extra kick.
Fern
This was amazing! Easy to prepare, creamy, and great flavor.
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Fern!
Deb Fowler
Thank you for the recipes!
Kate
You’re welcome, Deb!
Ny
Genius…incredible. All you gotta know.
Kate
Thank you, NY!
Meg
OMG this was so good. I’ve been struggling to stay on the vegan track (real cheese is slightly (very) addicting) and this really helped reassure me that I can do it. I also felt much healthier indulging in this delicious pasta than eating some box mac and cheese. I was super turned off by my first few vegan macs I tried, but this is soooo good. 10/10
Kate
I’m glad you loved it and it was helpful for you, Meg! I appreciate your review.
Rachel
Love this recipe! Make it all the time and put a TON of nutritional yeast and oftentimes jalapeño !! Always turns out delicious and a hit with everyone we make it for !
Kate
I love the jalapenos! Thanks for sharing, Rachel!
Remly
I’m making this for Thanksgiving since I can’t have dairy, and I think I might add some jalapenos! I bet that would put it over the top for some of my other family members too! Great suggestion!
Marie
I have made this a couple of times for my son, who is a strict vegan. My whole family (vegan/vegetarian/omnivore) LOVES this mac n cheese. My son is leaving for college tomorrow, and I offered to make him anything he wanted for dinner tonight. No hesitation, he picked this mac n cheese. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Kate
I love this was his go-to before college meal! How fun. Thanks for your review, Marie.
Rachel
Main complaint I have with this recipe is hot potato/onion “sauce” going directly into a plastic vitamin to liquify. Also it was very bland. We added a lot of paprika and spices to make it tolerable. I won’t make this again.
Kate
I’m sorry you didn’t love this, Rachel. Thank you for your feedback.
Erin
This was AMAZING! Honestly I think this is indistinguishable from dairy mac and cheese. I am vegetarian and my husband is vegan so I had high expectations! The salt is so important too. I ended up adding a sprinkle more on top of my bowl! New favorite comfort food :)
Kate
Thank you for your review, Erin!
Kerstin
What a lovely sauce! I do not know what mac’n’cheese is supposed to taste like as we don’t have it in France. But I absolutely loved this sauce! It’s super easy to make, I soaked my cashews in hot water for about 20 mins before as I was making this in my smoothie maker and it’s not very powerful. I grained my mustard seeds for this and omitted the onion powder as I did not have any. I used 4 cloves of roasted garlic instead of the fresh one. My children (2 and 4) loved it and so did my husband who usually adds a ton of cheese to his pasta. This time he said it didn’t need any. Win! I did not have any broccoli so I added some sweet corn. Next time I’ll try broccoli or roasted cauliflower. Definitely a great recipe!
Kate
I’m glad this one was a hit, Kersitn! Thanks so much for your comment and review.
Kerstin
I actually had quite a bit of leftover sauce even though we were 4 and had this for lunch. I used half of the leftover sauce with chickpea pasta and scrambled tofu for a high protein lunch for me and half on hasselback potatoes. Both times the sauce worked fantastically!
Jill
I made this tonight and holy smokes it was DELICIOUS!!! i was a bit skeptical because it was a little different from other vegan mac recipes (no almond milk or carrots) but this one is WAY better than those in my opinion! Very well done!
Kate
I’m so glad you loved it!
Lisa
The dish turned out truly amazing! We all loved it! Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Kate
Glad you loved it, Lisa!
Sharifa
can I substitute plain flour for the yeast???
Kate
You will want the yeast here to get the cheese-like taste and texture.
Justin
You don’t need whole cashews. I’ve been substituting Wellbee’s Cashew Flour for cashews in vegan recipes for a while now and it works great. Save yourself the trouble of that (and the expense of a high-power blender).
I’ll be making this recipe tonight, adding in Cholula hot sauce and chopped parsley. I think that adding more flavorful ingredients like these helps hide the difference between this sauce and real cheese.
Kate
Thanks for sharing, Justin! Sounds interesting.
Jessica Bevan-Jones
Mmmmmm! I made this for dinner last night, was just the recipe I was after!I added half a shredded carrot, for colour and more veg, which worked out well. Thanks for a great recipe!
Kate
I love it, Jessica! Thanks for your review.
Kim Shea
This was darn good stick-to-your-ribs food. I didn’t add broccoli because I knew that would be the deal breaker on this recipe for my crew. My family loved it, even the die hard Kraft mac and cheesers. I don’t think it tastes exactly like mac and cheese. It’s just really good and hearty. My son even said he would buy me a food processor to make the sauce smoother than the blender in the future. Now on to the vegan queso recipe…!
Kate
I love your description, Kim! Thanks for your review.
Kate
okay wow- I feel like I’ve tried 20 different vegan mac n’ cheese recipes by now. This one by far is the best. The sauce has a creamy gooeyness that’s SO SIMILAR to dairy cheese. It’s AWESOME. Seriously! Thanks for creating :)
Kate
Hooray! I’m happy to hear that.
Holly
What can you sub the cashews with if you have a nut allergy?
Kate
Sorry, I don’t have a great alternative for you!
Tom
Tasted nothing like mac n cheese. Nothing at all
J
Would roasted cauliflower work in this instead of cashews, or rutabega, tho pretty strongly flavored, it mellows after a salt water bath and several rinses before cooking? I might give it a try. Thanks for what you do!
Kate
I love the ideas! I didn’t design this recipe for those, so I’m not sure. I would think more would need to be adjusted to get the same flavor. Sorry to not be more helpful!
Kim
I made this tonight and it was a huge hit with my family. I decided to soak my cashews beforehand and even with that added time it was still super quick to put together. Instead of regular noodles I used chickpea noodles I found at Costco. It tasted great and my almost 2 year-old couldn’t get enough of it.
Kate
I love that! Thanks for sharing, Kim.
Gracie
If I’m taking this to a party about an hour away, should I keep the sauce and pasta separate until I get to the party and blend it there? This is my first vegan recipe to try for friends and I’m super excited! It looks and sounds like it will be delicious!
Kate
You will want to make sure it is warm. As long as you can keep it warm, you should be good! If you have the ability to do it at the party, I don’t see why that wouldn’t work.
Lynn
Would love to try this recipe, but am allergic to cashews, can I use walnuts or almonds instead?
Kate
I’m not sure without trying it, sorry! Cashews give a creamy texture where other nuts may not provide the same impact.
Mitch
I don’t even love mac and cheese, but I decided to make this last night. Surprisingly simple to put together, and absolutely delicious. My girlfriend and I could NOT stop eating it, and I think it instantly became one of our top C&K recipes. Added a little bit of cayenne, too. Loved the broccoli.
Kate
Hooray! That’s great, Mitch. Thanks for sharing.
Holly
Sure want to make this today, but I don’t have russet potatoes. Can another kind be used instead?
Kate
The suggested potato really works best here. Possibly another white potato, but wouldn’t know for sure with out trying it.
Kim
Maybe I don’t have a powerful enough blender but I soaked my cashews for 24 hours even and still came out not smooth. Also, the taste is not necessarily cheesey either. I use a Ninja blender and added extra water and salt and still it’s not what I expected. Any suggestions on how to save it?
Kate
Hi Kim! I’m sorry to hear that. How much water did you add? I would suggest since you added more water, to add additional of the other ingredients by almost equal amounts. If you doubled the water, then double the salt, lemon, etc. Make sense? Let me know how it goes!
Amy
This was delicious and so easy to make! Just a note: I didn’t have a russet potato the second time I made it so I substituted a sweet potato and it was just as good as the first time!
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Amy!
Carrie
I can’t believe how delicious this was! I followed the recipe to the letter and it worked perfectly. I used gluten free brown rice pasta. I prepped / measured all of my ingredients, spices, etc before I started cooking so watching the sauce while the pasta cooked was not a stressful experience.
Kate
I’m happy you enjoyed the recipe and the experience!
Kardina
I’m wondering if cashews can be substituted with anything? My daughter is anaphylactic
Kate
Hi Kardina! Sorry, I don’t have a great solution for you to not change the recipe completely.
Rosanna
I replaced the cashews with silken tofu.. Even better than cashews. Added a teaspoon of arrowroot powder and blended all the spices with it. Also added roasted eggplant cut in small pieces.. Yum!
Stephanie Hesser
I’ve been searching for a good vegan mac & cheese recipe and this mac and cheese nailed it 100%. We loved it. I’ll use the cheese sauce for other recipes too! Thank you….
Kate
Hooray! Thank you for sharing, Stephanie.
Susan
Made this last night. I was skeptical about the potatoes. I’ve made just about every vegan mac anc cheese recipe out there–and like most of them. This one BLEW MY MIND. Best ever.
Kate
Winner! That’s great, Susan. Thanks so much for your review.
JUSTINA
Quick questions… HOW IS THIS REAL???! First off, I’m not a vegan. I gave up dairy and eggs to breastfeed my allergic infant. It’s been 10 months. I. Miss. Cheese! I was so hesitant when I first read the recipe because I’d originally found a recipe to try that used a bunch of very expensive vegan cheeses to make the sauce. I mean… that sounds like macaroni and cheese, right? So I just accepted my fate and bought a bunch of vegan cheese. Then I found your recipe and read it over at least 3 times to make sure I didn’t miss the cheese in the ingredients list. I had to ponder it for a while, but when I realized how clever it is to use the potato this way to get a much more realistic cheesy texture I changed my plans. I’m so glad I did! This is a much more practical recipe to make regularly, and baby loved it too! Thank you!
Leslie Jansen
Do you think you could use cauliflower rice in place of the potato? Or do you need the starch from the potato?
I love your recipes. Thank you for giving us the gift of good food! :)
Ginny
Oh my goodness! I made this (a double batch) last night & it was good. Tonight I added some kale, Roma tomatoes, lentils & some fresh rosemary to some of the leftovers & wow, what a game changer! So good! Thank you! This will be my staple for the rest of the week & a recipe to file away in my favorites for sure!
Lauren
Excited to make this tonight! Has anyone tried – or know if you can- use sweet potato instead of regular?
Thanks in advance!
Lauren
LM
I thoroughly enjoyed this recipe, thank you Kate. I didn’t have any of the powders: mustard, onion or garlic and substituted 1 tsp wholegrain mustard, and a flat tsp vegetable stock. Was delicious.
Kourtney
Excited to try this! Does the potato need to be cooked before grating?
Kate
Hi Kourtney! No need to cook and then grate. The cooking will take place in step 3. :)
Joanna
Hi Kate,
I live in the uk where we do not have Russet potatoes. What would you suggest as a alternative. Was thinking maybe a King Edward potato but i am not sure.
Thank you! xx
Kate
Hi Joanna! I would recommend a white cooking potato. I hope that helps!
Darcy
This is so good! We have recently adopted a plant-based diet and my husband was a little skeptical about a mac and cheese with no cheese. It is the first time I had ever used cashews for making “cheese” but boy, did it turn out really great. Not to mention how simple it was.
Kate
I’m glad you loved it, Darcy!
Allison Padovani
I love this recipe! I wanted to eat WAY more of it that I should have :)
Quick question: is this ok to freeze and then reheat at a later date?
Lisa
Could I do the sauce in the food processor if I don’t have a blender? So excited to try this!
Kate
That should work! Let me know what you think, Lisa.
Sarah
This was delightful! Probably my favorite vegan Mac n cheese of all time! My two teenagers also really enjoyed it! I added the broccoli and the only thing I did differently was add the garlic in with the onion by accident, but it worked out well! With the leftovers, I did add some uncooked frozen peas to them the night before. The next day I just nuked it and the peas added a really nice touch and still had a nice toothsome-ness to them since I didn’t pre-cook them. My 13 yr old asked for seconds. The leftovers were not soggy at all! And I think it would be perfectly great cold as well. Thank you for this delicious recipe! It will be on regular rotation for sure.
Christen Ring
Would love to try this. Would pine nuts works as a replacement for cashews?
Kate
I’m not sure without trying it, sorry! You could check the other review to see what other readers may have tried.
Eileen McAuley
This is an extremely easy recipe to make. I had all ingredients readily available. Turned out so delicious. Thank you for sharing it
Tayla
This is awesome!!! It also makes plenty of sauce. I had so much fun making it.
Kate
Wonderful, Tayla! Thank you for your review.
Lisa Thuro
When your vegan self craves some comfort food, this was delicious! I added chopped mushrooms to the mix and blended in, which gave it a funky color, but enhanced the flavor.
Kate
Sounds interesting, Lisa! Thank you for sharing.
Kate
DANG! I don’t usually leave comments on recipes, but Man, that was so good. I have recently had to remove all dairy from my diet. I am a MacN’Cheese lover, lol, so I have been in search of a vegan Mac that actually tastes good. And this is the one!! Thank you! My 7 and 5 year olds at their whole helping as well and even said how good they thought it was.
Kate
I love to hear that, Kate! Thanks for sharing.
Ross Linton
Its a good vegan cheese.
The Newly Wife
Wow! Just made this for dinner. It’s BOMB! I added some smoked paprika and black pepper, and some cooked peas instead of broccoli. It’s creamy without being too “HI-I-AM-CASHEW-CHEESE” in your face lol. Thanks for the recipe!
Kate
Winning! Thank you for sharing. I’m happy you loved it that much.
Christina Parga
My family loves it, we’ve been plant based for about six weeks now and although it seems easy for me to change over it has been quite challenging for my kids. So your Mac and cheese recipe has been a great addition to my family along with your nacho cheese recipe!! We love them both!! Thank you
Kate
You’re welcome, Christina! Thank you for your review.
Kathy
Im going dairy and gluton free so I was excited to try this one. Its good!
I love the broccoli and that there is potatoes in the “cheese” sauce.
I used extra garlic and chili flakes because I love spice.
Will be making again ☺☺
Kate
Wonderful to hear, Kathy!
Joseph
Does the sauce taste like cheese?
Kate
I think it is very cheese-like! I’m a cheese lover, so I think that’s high praise. Let me know what you think!
Tara Smith
Looks amazing! Will it change the consistency if I use roasted cashews?
Lisa
Just made this!!! Delicious!!,
Natalie Cranston
I typically dislike “vegan cheese” substitutes, but this one is amazing! I doubled up the recipe, and topped each bowl off with bread crumbs. I had to add quite a bit of salt which I find you have to do anyway with potato based things (or maybe it was because I doubled the recipe). Next time I would add more chili flakes or vinegar to give it a bit more of a punch. I’d definitely make again.
Kate
Hooray! I’m happy to hear that, Natalie!
Ashley
This macaroni and cheese is amazing! Not too hard to make and absolutely worth the effort. The only thing I’ll do differently next time is add more garlic, vinegar, and nutritional yeast.
Kate
I’m glad you loved it, Ashely!
Adi Loevsky
I often experiment with cooking vegan mac and cheese and go out and try it at vegan restaurants and OMG this is one of the best I’ve ever had! I added sautéed frozen kale and it turned out fantastic. Will totally be making this again.
Kate
I’m glad you loved it, Adi!
Sherri
OMG!!!! This is ridiculously good. I made a breadcrumb mix out of vegan breadcrumbs and olive oil and then topped it with that, and broiled it at the end. This is honestly better than my tried and true Fannie Farmer mac n cheese with butter and cream that i used to make before I went vegan. Thank you so much I am never making a different mac n cheese EVER!
Kate
I’m so glad you loved it! And I love your breadcrumb idea, delicious!
Caitlin
:( I found this too onion-y. Tried to trick my Annie’s mac and cheese loving 4 year old, and he was not having it either. All the positive reviews made it seem promising.
Kate
I’m sorry to hear that, Caitlin!
Christine Abernathy
My partner and I whipped this up last night. I was amazed by how creamy the texture was! Delicious.
Kate
Great, Christine! Thank you for your review.
Estes Park
This is amazing and I will have it again. It was my first ever vegan recipe. Thank you for working it out the details and sharing it. My wife and daughter groaned when I told them I was going vegan, they liked it too. I was a bit taken back by the calorie count. I though vegan was lighter on the calories.
In my opinion, this makes enough sauce for 16 oz of pasta – although I didn’t have broccoli to add to pasta – this time. I’m boiling another 8oz of pasta to use up the sauce.
Kate
Hi Estes! I’m glad you enjoyed it. Just because it’s vegan, doesn’t mean the calories change or are less. It means there aren’t animal products. If you want to decrease the calories, you can always have smaller portions. More on my nutrition information here: https://cookieandkate.com/nutrition-disclaimer/
Maddie
How is everything you create so delicious and easy to make? Love this recipe- never thought I’d like vegan mac and cheese this much. I seriously love every recipe I’ve ever tried from you.
Kate
Thank you, Maddie! I’m happy to hear you enjoy them.
l
best vegan mac and cheeseie tried so far !!
Kate
Hooray!
Stephanie Kula
This was creamy and delicious! 3 kids liked it too. I’ve been a vegetarian for years but hubby recently went vegan so am learning a whole new world of cooking. I made the recipe as written, with the broccoli and soaked cashews, but added a bit of turmeric for color and realize now I forgot the vinegar.
Katie
This was amazing! I’ve never had great luck with turning out good vegan pasta sauce that would normally have dairy products in it, even when I follow recipes to a T. Due to that I didn’t have super high expectations for this recipe but oh my gosh…it is delicious. I’m standing here writing this review while shoving the pasta in my face.
I didn’t have onion or mustard powder so I doubled the garlic powder instead and it still turned out great.
My cashews had been sitting in the fridge so I did add quite a bit more than 1 cup of water and let the cashews cook a little longer than 5-7 minutes so they would get nice and soft.
This gets 5 stars for taste, for being a pretty easy and quick recipe and of course for being vegan.
Lakin
My girlfriend made this for dinner tonight and it was fantastic! The consistency was perfect and the flavors were similar to that of aged cheddar topped with Parmesan. I’d highly recommend including the broccoli because the broccoli tasted fantastic with the cheese. It was a large amount as well so for the next two days at work we’re going to have it as a side to a vegan hot dog. Thanks so much for sharing. :)
Racheal Schnarr
I’ve literally made this like 50 times. Whenever someone doubts vegan or dairy free I make them this!! So satiating and delicious.
Seth
what would happen if we made this for a picnic and had it 5 hours later?
Kate
Hey Seth, can you keep it refrigerated until then? It’s generally not safe to keep food out for longer than 2 hours. Flavor/texture-wise, I think it would hold up well!
Char
Very impressed! I used almond milk in place of water just because I had it on hand. I also halved the recipe, served it with chickpea shell pasta, and sriracha baked broccoli. AMAZING. Thank you for all your recipes!
Sonya B
Oh my, Kate, you’ve done it again! This was a hit with my non-vegan picky eater children. And, they didn’t know it wasn’t real cheese sauce. My husband and I loved it, too! I also love that this recipe is much less time consuming and has a simpler ingredient list than other vegan cheese sauce recipes I’ve read and tried. I already had all of the ingredients on hand! The only change I made was swapping out the broccoli for cauliflower because that’s what I had. Thank you for sharing this awesome recipe!
Lucy Sunshine
What a find. Thank you for doing all the trials necessary to bring us a recipe that actually works and tastes good. We really liked this one and simply followed directions.
The next time I make this, I will reverse the order of broccoli and pasta cooking. Smarter cooks, than I, won’t have to do this, but because I am such an amateur cook, I don’t know when the pasta is done until it is done, so I am constantly checking. So I don’t overcook my broccoli, my plan is to first, cook the broccoli too my liking, then fish the broc out with a strainer (and rinse to stop cooking). Using the same water I I will bring it to boil and toss the pasta in.
Bethany
I’m not vegan, but my breastfeeding baby is intolerant to milk proteins and I’ve been craving cheese so bad! I can’t say that this tastes like regular mac and cheese, but the texture is amazing and it is really yummy. Definitely a keeper recipe!
Dana
Made this last night and my conventional mac & cheese loving husband loved it! I used gluten free (chickpea) pasta shells, and added peas instead of broccoli. I did do a quick soak of the cashews because I do not have a high-power blender. The sauce was very creamy and abundant! Thanks so much for this delicious recipe.
Kennaith
So good!!! Taste like real cheese!!! Love it for ever my favorite recipe!!!
Tom
The “cheese sauce” is truly awesome. Made this for vegan neighbors. They went back for seconds! I will definitely make this for our vegetarian grand-daughter.
Kate
Wonderful to hear, Tom! Thanks for your review.
Holly
Hi Kate,
This was excellent, a ten for me. Your recipes are always on point which I find to be rare amoung recipe sites. Lots of pretty pics out there with not so great recipes to back them up – just my opinion :) My family of 5 agreed that we will thin this out a bit next time to try this as an “Alfredo” sauce on linguine. Only sub I made was to use Dijon in place of mustard powder and d’Italia pasta in place of macaroni because it’s what I had. Thanks for the great recipe! -Holly
Emily
Tastes good, but tastes more like an alfredo sauce than it does a mac & cheese sauce. Followed the recipe exactly.
Viktoria
Delicious mac and cheese, a big hit with non-vegans too! Next time I’ll double the recipe, made it for 4 and it was gone way to quickly.
Sarah
I made this yesterday — so good! I added a couple of grated carrots to the sauce and left out the broccoli. I think it’s way better than regular mac n cheese.
Kate
Better than regular? I love it! Thank you for sharing, Sarah.
Z
I am vegan and have recently been on a cheese phase, eating lots of boxed daiya. This was way better and surprisingly easy to make! Doesn’t taste like the kid’s stuff, tastes like something fancy you would get at a restaurant.
Also! I did not grate the potatoes– small cubes worked fine!
Thank you for this great recipe!
Nerys Wells
Every time I make this I’m surprised by how insanely good it is!! Better than any non-vegan cheese sauce I’ve tasted. And the recipe is so easy to follow. Only change I make is I don’t bother with onion powder or garlic powder as I prefer the flavour of fresh =)
Thank you so much for this recipe!!
Lily
Made it just now and it’s amazing! Will make it again for sure!
Rachel
This recipe was horrible :(
Evan
Awesome recipe! At first, the idea of potatoes seemed an odd partner for a mac and cheese dish but they marry perfectly with the other ingredients! The sauce is rich, flavorful, and creamy…I haven’t had too many other vegan dishes of this type before, but I don’t see how you’d get better than this! Thank you!
Julia
You can make Awesom Mac ad cheese out of butternut squash blended its very creamy. Use the same ingreadents with out nuts.
Anne
Amazing recipe! My husband, who has has been very tolerant of my gradual switch over to vegan cooking, loved it, though I did leave out the broccoli because he isn’t a fan. I made a double batch so we would have leftovers. I reheated the leftovers by first warming them in the microwave. I then topped them with seasoned panko (including some red pepper flake) and sprayed the top with a bit of olive oil. I then finished them under the broiler for a couple of minutes . We were both sad when we were done eating, since it meant we didn’t have any more.
Danielle N
The taste wasn’t bad. That being said the texture was slightly chunky. My mixer probably the problem. I mixed it for 10 minutes added two tablespoons of water and it still had super tiny bumps.
If I could of gotten it to the cheesy runny consistency I would have given 4 stars.
It cost $33 dollars for all the ingredients too.
Very expensive. This was my first time attempting vegan Mac and cheese. I have bought prepackaged ones and the smell of those made me vomit.
Still searching for the best Mac and cheese
Taylor Sattler
Wowowow! This dish was outstanding! I subbed the red pepper flakes with cayenne, and didn’t include mustard powder (didn’t have on-hand), but this still was delicious and SO creamy!
Kate
I’m happy you loved it, Taylor!
Rebekah
I found this to be pretty bland
Sarah
Kate, I love your recipes. I saw you had a vegan mac and cheese recipe and just had to try it and I was certainly not disappointed! This recipe is so delicious. I’ve never had creamier vegan mac, and after 13 years of veganism, I’ve tried a lot! And for those of you who don’t have a russet potato in their cupboard, I used a yukon gold instead and it turned out great. Just scrumptious. (And my omnivore boyfriend loved it too and went back for seconds!)