This classic vegan mac and cheese is ultra cheesy, saucy and creamy. Topped with breadcrumbs and baked until golden brown and crispy. Seriously satisfying.
This classic baked vegan mac and cheese is everything you want a mac and cheese to be.
It’s creamy, saucy, ultra cheesy and topped with a delicious crispy breadcrumb topping and baked to perfection.
This is really a ‘classic’ vegan mac and cheese recipe in the sense that a classic mac and cheese usually involves a bechamel sauce with heaps of cheese added to it, and then it’s placed into a dish and topped with breadcrumbs and baked.
And that’s really very close to what we did here.
We made a vegan bechamel sauce and added all sorts of cheesy flavorings to it in lieu of actual cheese so that even non-vegans will find this cheesy as all heck, and then we topped it with delicious breadcrumbs and baked it. Just like the classic version.
How To Make Vegan Mac and Cheese
This vegan mac and cheese is ultra cheesy yet we did not use one shred of actual vegan cheese in it. So if you’re living somewhere where it’s hard to find vegan cheese in the supermarket, no worries, this recipe is for you.
I did try a version with some vegan cheese added to the sauce, and quite honestly I just didn’t think it worked as well as the version without, so this is it.
I created a bechamel sauce with some vegan butter, all purpose flour, coconut milk and vegetable stock and once that was thick and creamy like a white sauce should be, I added some cheesy flavorings in the form of dijon mustard, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt and pepper.
The spices in this sauce really make it, you won’t have any doubt that this is a cheese sauce. We used our cheesy garlic vegan alfredo sauce as major inspiration for this.
Add the cooked macaroni to your big pot of sauce and toss it all together and then transfer into a 9×13 baking dish, top with breadcrumbs and bake for 20 minutes until beautifully golden brown on top.
Super easy and extremely satisfying.
How To Make Vegan Breadcrumbs
I made my own breadcrumbs for this which is easy and works great!
I toasted 3 thick cut slices of white bread and then broke them into pieces and put them into the blender. Blitzed them into breadcrumbs in the blender. Transferred to a bowl and added some melted vegan butter and tossed them up with it and then placed on top of the mac and cheese.
You can use brown or whole wheat bread but white bread actually works best for this recipe.
Ingredient FAQ
What can I use instead of vegan butter? You can use a dairy-free margarine which is basically the same thing. Just read the ingredients of the margarines and find one that is dairy-free. Alternatively you can make your own homemade vegan butter and use that in this recipe.
What kind of coconut milk did you use in this recipe? I used full fat coconut milk that comes in cans. That created the richest sauce for this recipe. Definitely do NOT use any kind of coconut milk that is sweetened, that would not work in this recipe. It needs to be canned full fat unsweetened coconut milk. If you’re not a coconut fan then see below!
How can I make this vegan mac and cheese without coconut milk? You can use soy milk instead of coconut milk, the end result is slightly less rich but you can definitely do it, I have tested it this way and it was great. I have not tested any other plant milks and while almond milk may work fine, my only worry is that it will create a sauce that is a little thin.
Can I leave out the nutritional yeast? The nutritional yeast really brings it with the cheesy flavor in this sauce! But yes you can leave it out without it ruining the recipe, but I do recommend you leave it in.
Vegan Mac and Cheese Recipe Q&A
Like the best comfort food ever! It’s super cheesy and so close to the ‘real thing’ you might not even know it’s vegan. Seriously!
The sauce can be made gluten-free if you use a gluten-free all purpose flour blend instead of the regular flour. And then of course you can use a gluten-free macaroni. You would also need to use gluten-free bread for the crumb topping, or alternatively you could add vegan cheese to the top instead of breadcrumbs.
Yes! If you need to make it ahead of time you can make up the sauce and macaroni up to 2 days before and mix it up and assemble in the 9×13 dish. Cover with foil and keep refrigerated. Then when you’re ready to bake it, add the breadcrumbs and bake. In this case, since it is going into the oven cold from the fridge, add an extra 5 minutes of baking time.
Leftovers keep very well in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Yes you can! This freezes very well.
What Goes With Vegan Mac and Cheese?
If you’re thinking of what to eat with vegan mac and cheese then there’s some great sides that go perfectly with this!
If you’re thinking in terms of comfort food then our vegan garlic bread or vegan cornbread is a perfect addition.
Some vegan coleslaw or a delicious vegan kale salad or black bean and corn salad would also go very well. If you’re looking for an appetizer then something like our vegan tomato soup or vegan tomato basil soup would fit the bill perfectly.
More Vegan Pasta Recipes
- Our vegan butternut squash mac and cheese recipe is made with butternut squash and cashew nuts! It’s quite different to this one, and it’s not baked but it’s so good.
- Our vegan pesto pasta will not disappoint and is a wonderfully quick and easy recipe.
- Our vegan pasta bake is perfect for when you want to feed a crowd. Our vegan pasta salad is an ultra quick 15 minute recipe that you will love! And if you’ve ever been a fan of spaghetti bolognese then our vegan bolognese will be right up your street!
- And then our recipe for the easiest vegan lasagna is totally divine but we also have a recipe for the best vegan lasagna which is fancier but oh so worth it!
- Also check out our vegan mushroom stroganoff and our vegan mushroom pasta.
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Classic Baked Vegan Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
For the Cheese Sauce:
- ½ cup Vegan Butter (112g)
- 6 Tablespoons All Purpose Flour
- 5 cups Coconut Milk 3 cans (1200ml), Unsweetened*
- 1 cup Vegetable Stock (240ml)
- 3 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard
- 1 cup Nutritional Yeast Flakes (60g)
- 3 teaspoons Onion Powder
- 3 teaspoons Garlic Powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
For the Macaroni:
- 16 ounces Elbow Macaroni (450g)
For the Breadcrumb Topping:
- 3 Thick Slices White Bread Toasted, or 1 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
- 2 Tablespoons Vegan Butter Melted
Instructions
- Add the vegan butter to a pot and let it melt. When it’s melted add in the all purpose flour and stir it vigorously with the melted butter.
- Then pour in the cans of coconut milk and the vegetable stock. Use a hand whisk to whisk out the lumps. Keep whisking until it starts to boil and then keep whisking for a few minutes after it has boiled until it thickens. It will continue to thicken as it cools, so it doesn’t have to be all the way there when you remove it from the heat, as long as it has thickened considerably from when you started.
- Remove it from the heat and add in the dijon mustard, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt and pepper and whisk in. Now your sauce is ready, you can prepare your macaroni.
- Cook your macaroni according to the package directions and then rinse and drain.
- Add the cooked macaroni into the pot of sauce and toss it up with the sauce.
- Then transfer the macaroni and sauce to a 9×13 baking dish and smooth down.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Prepare the crumb topping by breaking up the 3 thick slices of toasted white bread and placing into the blender. Pulse blend until you have crumbs. Then transfer to a mixing bowl, and add in the melted vegan butter and toss up the crumbs with the melted butter.
- Place the breadcrumbs evenly over the top of the macaroni cheese.
- Bake for 20 minutes until the topping is golden brown and crispy.
Video
Notes
- If you want to replace the coconut milk with a different non-dairy milk such as soy milk then you definitely can. We have tested this recipe with soy milk and it works great.
- The coconut milk must be canned full fat unsweetened coconut milk. I would never use a sweetened coconut milk for any recipe and have never used it. Canned full fat unsweetened coconut milk is the way to go. There is a link to a good brand in the ingredients list. Alternatively, use soy milk (as per instructions above).
- If you have someone to help you then you can work on the sauce and they can cook the macaroni at the same time. But the sauce is very ‘hands-on’ so if you’re on your own it works best to just focus on the sauce and then do the macaroni. But if there are two of you it will save considerable time to do both at once.
- You don’t have to use macaroni, you can use a different pasta but of course it should be one that is suited to this kind of meal, like penne or shells and not something like spaghetti or linguine. If your package of macaroni comes in 18 ounce (500g) bags, then that’s great, just use it all.
- If you’re using store-bought breadcrumbs then just eyeball it for the right amount to use so that it easily covers the top of your mac and cheese. In the case of panko breadcrumbs the amount to use is 1 cup.
- Leftovers keep very well in the fridge for 3-4 days. It’s also freezer friendly for up to 3 months.
I am planning to make this recipe tomorrow. I have a question on the quantity of nutritional yeast. Recipe says 1 cup (60 grams). The 4oz bottle of yeast says it’s 128 grams. I’m confused. Do you actually use a full 8oz cup of the nutritional yeast? Thank you.
Hi Mindy. We used nutritional yeast flakes. There is a possibility that what you’re using is finer than what we used. That could be the reason for the weight difference.
Can I make my own coconut milk?
Sure!
This is my first time EVER rating a recipe. I figured it’s an obligation at this point, as I’ve made it so many times I’ve committed it to memory. EVERYONE loves this recipe, so much so that my meat and dairy eating family and friends prefer this over regular mac and cheese. Acquaintances from potlucks have remembered me by this mac and cheese. I sometimes wonder if people keep me around just for my mac and cheese making abilities. I have slightly tweaked it to my preferences, including adding a bit more salt to the cheese sauce and seasoning the Panko breadcrumbs separately as well, adding plenty of black pepper and smoked paprika while tossing in the butter. I have yet to encounter someone who has not enjoyed this recipe. If you’re hesitant to try it, just know that this is quite possibly the safest vegan recipe I stick to. Happy cooking!
Thank you so much for sharing and for your amazing review Haven! Happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe!
Loved the consistency but I’ve learnt I don’t personally like a coconut taste in savoury things that aren’t meant to taste coconut-y when coconut milk or cream are used as a substitute.
It really confused my husband and I with the strong coconut taste in Mac and cheese
The coconut milk must be canned full fat unsweetened coconut milk. However, if you want to replace the coconut milk with a different non-dairy milk such as soy milk then you definitely can. We have tested this recipe with soy milk and it works great.
The overall flavor was pretty darn tasty, but unfortunately all the nutritional yeast made it smell terrible. It also didn’t taste like traditional plain cheese macaroni (not that I expected it to with all the different seasons) but it’s definitely something I see myself making again just with less nutritional yeast.
Thanks for sharing and for your review JB!
I tried out the mac and cheese recipe, and while it looked absolutely amazing, the taste wasn’t quite what I expected. I’m wondering if I might have gone wrong with a couple of the ingredients. I’m especially curious if I may have added too much nutritional yeast or baking flour, as the flavor was a bit bland and off.
Could you help me troubleshoot this? I’d love to try again and get the flavor just right!
Hi! Not sure what went wrong there. Did you measure the ingredients correctly?
Can you use boxed coconut milk unsweetened?
Sure!
This is the GOAT of vegan mac and cheese!
Thanks so much Ruth! Happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe!
This recipie is amazing! Made last night for a vegan friend and i had never cooked with Nutrional yeast and it was easy and super delisious. I ended up just using corn flakes as the toping and mixed with a little bit of the source and it worked well as an ulternative toping!
That sounds great Tali! Thanks so much for sharing and for your great review!
I’ve made before but never using coconut milk. I was a bit wary and only used one can, using unsweetened soya milk in place, but the sauce was still luxuriously creamy. I did grate a little vegan cheese on top, because I’m not one for following recipes exactly. The kids said this was the best macaroni cheese they’d ever had, which pleased me greatly! Thank you for this recipe, I’ll be sure to use it again.
Happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe James! Thanks so much for sharing and for your great review!
This is my go-to cheese sauce for lots of other dishes because my family fell in love with it! My meat-eating brother even requests it for all the holidays, and he’s never been shy about criticizing anything vegan. It’s definitely a crowd pleaser!
That awesome Katy! Thanks so much for sharing and for your great review!
I’m not vegan, but I’ve had a severe dairy allergy all my life, and this tastes really REALLY similar to a mac and cheese I used to eat as a kid that I just haven’t been able to reproduce the flavor of— omg I wanted to cry. I did use soymilk instead of coconut milk because it was all I had on hand, but I think that may have helped the nostalgia factor since I used to be allergic to coconut lol!
I’ll have to make this again with coconut milk sometime!! I’ll definitely be trying out more of your recipes as well
That’s great to hear! So glad you enjoyed the recipe and we hope you get to try our other recipes as well. Thanks so much for your awesome review!
Tbh I didn’t bake it, but I made it twice and it was v good. 👍🏾
Glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe!