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 Tbsp All Purpose Flour
- 5 cups Coconut Milk 3 cans (1200ml), Unsweetened*
- 1 cup Vegetable Stock (240ml)
- 3 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
- 1 cup Nutritional Yeast (60g)
- 3 tsp Onion Powder
- 3 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 ½ tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 ½ tsp Salt
- 1 ½ tsp Ground Black Pepper
For the Macaroni:
- 18 ounces Elbow Macaroni (500g)
For the Breadcrumb Topping:
- 3 Thick Slices White Bread Toasted, or 1 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
- 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.
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 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.
Hi Alison, this sounds delicious and I will definitely try it. Two questions – first, can I use regular (non-panko) breadcrumbs and still have it turn out a bit crunchy on top? Or maybe 1/2 panko, 1/2 regular? I need to use up some plain Italian breadcrumbs and this seems like a good way. Second, can you recommend a flavorful protein source to add to balance out the carbs? I could put cubed tofu (similar to how some people put ham in mac and cheese), but I’d like something with more flavor than just cubed tofu. Perhaps something like field roast meat alternative? Thanks! Ginger
Hi Ginger, any breadcrumbs will work! And Field Roast sausages would be great to add in, just slice them up and mix them into the mac and cheese before baking.
Hi, Alison! Will this freeze, as well? I’ve got friends coming home from hospital and will need some freezer meals for their dairy-free kiddo.
Hi Kirsten, yes it freezes very well! 🙂
Delicious, topped it with your cheddar cheese crumbled for extra cheddary flavor. Used Oat Milk in the sauce. Excellent recipe! And yes, the sauce does thicken after boiling for those 3 minutes and adding the seasonings. I dumped the noodles into the 13×9 pan then poured the sauce in and stirred which worked great!
Fantastic! The vegan cheddar is a great addition. Thanks so much for the wonderful review Karen!
We didn’t know what to expect, but it turned out to be a favorite recipe for us. So creamy and flavorful! Try this recipe!
Thank you so much!
Hi, can I use coconut flour instead of white flour? Thanks.
Hi, I’m not sure, coconut flour doesn’t work the same way as all purpose so I’m really not sure for this recipe.
Very good. I cut the recipe for this household of 2 and have leftovers. It made plenty. Yum
I have made this recipe a couple of times now, having “discovered” it when my 18 yr old daughter recently became a vegan and it has pretty much become my favorite mac and cheese… not just vegan mac and cheese, but mac and cheese. Full stop. It is identical conceptually to the mac and cheese my mom used to make and that I have been making my whole life, but the flavor profiles are really just more complex and delicious. Like many others I haven’t used the coconut milk, only because I haven’t had any on hand, but oat milk has worked great. Awesome recipe. Thanks. This recipe has brought my family together around the table.
This is so awesome! Thank you so much for the amazing comment and review!
This recipe is to die for!!! I was making this almost weekly for a while, until we found out my son has mustard allergy :/ tried making it without mustard and it was not the same… do you have any substitution suggestions?
Hi Rachey, you could try something like white miso instead. It will taste a little different but should add that extra flavor that you’re missing.
This is a great recipe, but the taste of the canned coconut was too overpowering for me even though I love coconut. It wasn’t sweet, but canned coconut still has a very strong taste and it made it very oily. My partner loved it though. I will definitely try this again with soy milk.
Hi Lindsay, thanks so much for the comment and review, I think you will definitely LOVE it with soy milk if the coconut milk wasn’t for you. 🙂
This recipe earns its name. Great taste, and a crowd pleaser. Not sure why my sauce takes forever to reduce; my wrist is aching after a half hour of stirring. But it’s worth it!
So glad you enjoyed it Terrill! Thanks for the wonderful review! I find that if it’s taking forever to reduce then the heat is likely a bit too low, increase the heat and it goes faster. 🙂
Phenomenal! The best mac and cheese, ever. It’s rich and creamy. This is my go-to recipe for mac and cheese and i’ve made it multiple times already. If you’re thinking about making it, do it!
Thanks so much Johanna!
Tried this last night and it was a hit for the adults. Next time I think I’ll stick with soy milk rather than the coconut as the flavor does comes through and I prefer it to be a bit more savory. Think I’ll increase the dijon a bit too! Yummm, thanks!
Okay, this is hands down the best vegan mac n cheese!
Thanks so much Jessica!
Fabulous!
This recipe was good. I messed up and accidentally left out the vegetable broth, but it was still delicious! I’m new to the vegan thing, so I’m still getting used to not having the real thing 🙂
Made this as an alternative for my dairy-free daughter (so she didn’t have Christmas mac-n-cheese FOMO) and the entire extended family tried it and loved it.
Brilliant! Thanks so much Taffie!