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.
Vegan Mac and Cheese Q&A
What does Vegan Mac and Cheese Taste Like?
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!
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 this be made ahead?
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.
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.
Can I make this vegan mac and cheese gluten-free?
The sauce can be made gluten-free if you use a gluten-free all purpose flour blend as a direct replacement or use cornstarch (if using cornstarch then use half the amount as called for in the original recipe). And then of course you can use a gluten-free macaroni. You would then need to use gluten-free bread for the crumb topping, or alternatively you could add vegan cheese to the top instead of breadcrumbs.
How long does Vegan Mac and Cheese Last?
Leftovers keep very well in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Can you Freeze Vegan Mac and Cheese?
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.
So let us know what you think of this classic baked vegan mac and cheese recipe in the comments and please rate it too! Thanks so much.
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Classic Baked Vegan Mac and Cheese
- Prep Time: 40 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 8
Description
This classic vegan mac and cheese is ultra cheesy, saucy and creamy. Topped with breadcrumbs and baked until golden brown and crispy. Seriously satisfying.
Ingredients
For the Cheese Sauce:
- 1/2 cup (112g) Vegan Butter
- 6 Tbsp All Purpose Flour
- 3 14oz (400ml) Cans Coconut Milk (1200ml in total)*
- 1 cup (240ml) Vegetable Stock
- 3 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
- 1 cup (60g) Nutritional Yeast
- 3 tsp Onion Powder
- 3 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 and 1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 and 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 and 1/2 tsp Ground Black Pepper
For the Macaroni:
- 1 18oz (500g) Pack Elbow Macaroni*
For the Breadcrumb Topping:
- 3 Thick Slices White Bread (Toasted)
- 2 Tbsp 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.
Notes
*If you want to replace the coconut milk with a different non-dairy milk such as soy milk then you would use 5 cups of soy milk to replace the 3 cans of coconut milk.
*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 you’re using store-bought breadcrumbs then you will need around 1 and 1/2 cups to 2 cups breadcrumbs for the topping.
- Category: Entree, Savory
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Vegan
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Serve (of 8)
- Calories: 683
- Sugar: 5.3g
- Sodium: 856mg
- Fat: 38.7g
- Saturated Fat: 25.7g
- Carbohydrates: 66.3g
- Fiber: 3.6g
- Protein: 14.7g
Keywords: vegan mac and cheese
This was SO good. My boyfriend who REFUSES to eat anything vegan devoured it thinking it was real mac and cheese! You honestly can’t taste the difference. I used panko breadcrumbs mixed with melted sunflower spread for the topping which worked beautifully.
★★★★★
Awesome Lucy, that’s so great when that happens! 🙂
OMG!! this is ssooooo gooooooodddD, the only problem I had, was it didn’t thicken the way I expected it too, but maybe that’s because I used almond milk instead of coconut milk cause we didn’t have any, but it’s so good if u make it properly, I didn’t bake it cause we didn’t have breadcrumbs and I was too scared to bake it for the chance of ruining it in any way, but I just poured the cheese sauce over the noodles and it still captures the richness, smoothness, and thickness of real mac ‘n’ cheese!
but if your hesitating, and don’t have exactly everything follows these tips:
1. almond milk works just fine.
2. you don’t have to bake it, just mix in the sauce and noodles, it still is great mac ‘n’ cheese.
3. make sure the noodles are already ready before you make the sauce.
Thank you so much Alison for making and sharing this extraordinary recipe!
– love Charlotte
Awesome! Thanks for sharing Charlotte!
Your welcome! <3
OMG! I made this last night because I have been craving mac and cheese. And even though I love dairy cheese, it does not love me, so I was searching for a vegan version that would still be tasty. This exceeded all expectations! I was scrapping the left over “cheese” sauce from the bottom of my pot and just eating it while the dish baked in the oven. lol I hate mustard, so I omitted it (I know when used in dishes like this it adds complexity, but then I’d just have mustard sitting in my fridge that I’d never use again). I also added some cayenne pepper for a kick of heat. Highly recommend! Paired it with some barbecue’d tempeh and roasted asparagus. 5/5 for me!
★★★★★
Wonderful! Thanks Chelsi!
Instead of the coconut milk, do you think you could sub tofu blended with the vegetable stock?
No, I wouldn’t do that. You can sub a different non-dairy milk though.
This recipe sounds awesome & I like that it does not have a cashew sauce. Can you cut recipe in half if making for one person.
Sure you can halve the recipe. 🙂
Great recipe!! Made it together with my brothers and they were so surprised that it was vegan and tasted so good!!
★★★★★
Such a nice recipe! Even my omni-eating partner had a huge plateful declaring it a “make again” recipe. This one is going in the rotation for sure! (I’m plant based, he is omni, his son is now “off” dairy) Was thinking that peas would taste really good with it. Made it last night for dinner, and I’ve been craving the left overs all day! Thank you for posting this.
★★★★★
Thanks Helen! I agree peas would be a great addition!
Hi Alison, my daughter and I are allergic to yeast and many recipes seems to have this ingred. Is there something else I can substitute the yeast for?
Thanks
Chantelle
Hi Chantelle, you can leave out the nutritional yeast, but just wanted to mention that nutritional yeast is not the same thing at all as regular bakers yeast. It’s just a cheesy flavoring.
Alison, wow, this recipe is amazing! I have made this numerous times now. I make it with gluten free bread and chickpea cavatappi, and it’s always a hit! These flavors are *chef’s kiss*.Thanks for sharing this. 🙂
★★★★★
Thanks so much Caleb!
If use the suggested coconut milk, is there an ingredient that can be used to counter/offset the taste of coconut ( like baking soda or lemon juice) for those who don’t like coconut? Thank you!
The ingredients already contained in the recipe offset it perfectly. But you can definitely also use soy milk or another non-dairy milk in this recipe.
I made this for Christmas and for friends and everyone loved it! Bare in mind NONE of us are Vegans. What I love about this recipe was how hassle it is compared to the others that tell us to use cashew nuts, soak them etc. The nutritional yeast is VERY important to enhance the cheesy taste so definitely recommend using it. I love mac n cheese but my dairy intolerance really wrecks havoc on my body, glad I found this and can now make a dairy free alternative.
★★★★★
Hassle free*
★★★★★
So happy to hear that Anita! Thanks a million!
This came out perfect!
★★★★★
I am not vegan but I am plant based and I have vegan family. My step daughter recommended this recipe for Christmas and it was delicious!!!!! I loved it, thank you so much.
★★★★★
Wonderful Krista! Thanks so much for sharing.