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.
Emily says
Made this yesterday and it’s absolutely delicious! That’s lunch sorted for the next few days! Just wanted to ask for tips reheating it? I did a portion in the micro today and I think it killed the flavour a little. Would I better taking out my portion and putting in the oven to reheat? If so any recommendations for how long and what temp? Thanks
Alison Andrews says
Hi Emily, you can reheat it in an oven safe dish (covered) at 350°F 15-20 minutes or until heated through. You can remove the cover for the last few minutes if you like. So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Jessi says
Can vegan butter be replaced with coconut oil? We can’t do soy and it’s hard to find soy free vegan butters.
Alison Andrews says
You can use any oil.
Jessie says
Not the creator here, but I just tried a substitute today that worked for me. Put 2-3 tablespoons of cornstarch in a bowl, add your vegetable stock slowly and whisk as you pour. The flavor won’t be there, but the roux that you need will be. And the end result was fine, not noticeable without the butter. I’ve also used unsweetened coconut yogurt, but if you do that, wait until the VERY end to add it, like right before it goes into the oven. OMG, I love this recipe. I’ve made it so many times, I have it memorized.
Lori says
So I just made this it’s very good but I should not have used the recommended amount of pepper it is way too hot.. I will definitely cut back on the pepper the next time I make it.
Peter R Gillis says
Everyone says theirs is “the best”… as far as veg mac n’cheese goes I can’t argue with you here…wow! Ran out of soy milk and used oatmilk and it’s still stellar! Great job.
Alison Andrews says
Thanks so much Peter!
Leah says
Hi just made this and tastes fab. very quick and easy..
Sarah says
Is it possible to use almond flour or coconut flour?
Alison Andrews says
I don’t think so at all.
Raven says
Oh. My. God. Not only was this recipe sooo quick and simple, it tastes so good. I made this for my vegan siblings and they absolutely loved it. The nutritional yeast brings so much flavor and it cooked perfectly. I was worried I was going to taste the coconut milk, but you can not taste it at all. All I taste is creamy, delicious, vegan mac and cheese. Definitely my new go to recipe as a new vegan. Thank you so much for this recipe!!!
Alison Andrews says
Thanks for the wonderful comment and review Raven, so pleased to hear you loved the recipe!
Joanne Wiso says
Can this recipe be frozen?
Alison Andrews says
Yes, it freezes well for up to 3 months.
Raven says
Hi there! This recipe looks great but I was wondering if I could use oat milk instead? Not a huge fan of coconut or soy but still wanna make this recipe. Thanks in advance!
Alison Andrews says
Sure!
Ruby says
Did you try it with oat milk? I’m wondering how it worked!:)
Zoe says
I discovered this recipe about a year and a half ago and must have made it 50+ times since as my go to homemade comfort food. It’s super easy once you’ve made it a few times and, unlike other non-dairy versions, it doesn’t require the extra prep of blended cashews. Even my non-vegan husband (who dislikes regular mac and cheese) said vegans have improved mac and cheese. The only complaint I’ve ever got from vegan and non-vegan guests is that sometime it ends up “too cheesy”. I try not to judge vegan food on how accurate it is to the meat/dairy it’s attempting to substitute plant-based ingredients have so much flavour to offer in their own right. This is why I love this recipe so much: it’s close enough to the creamy wholesomeness that makes mac and cheese so awesome, but without the bitter sickliness I associate with real cheese.
The only thing I always do differently is not cooking the pasta before baking it as I found this made it too mushy. Instead, I just soak it in lukewarm water whilst I’m preparing the sauce. This makes the finished result more al dente. Also, using cornflour instead of all purpose (but a smaller amount) seems to work the same, just depending on what I have at hand.
Thank you so much for sharing and making my list of go-to recipes brighter!
Alison Andrews says
Thanks so much for the awesome review Zoe, and for sharing your adjustments! 🙂
Natasha says
I loved everything about this! I have had vegan Mac and Cheese before from different places but I have never made it before. I have to say this did not disappoint. Definitely what I was expecting from a vegan dish plus more. My entire family enjoyed eating it! We will be making this again. Thanks for the recipe.
Alison Andrews says
Thanks so much Natasha!
Nicolas Whitehead says
This tastes very little like mac and cheese but the texture is okay. There could have been better milk and cheese options for the dish. Great effort, though.
Tanya says
Refer to Alison’s recipe for “sliceable cashew cheese” for some inspiration for upping the flavor. She also has about a dozen other vegan cheese recipes for your inspiration.
Charli says
I don’t think I’ve ever left a comment on a blog but wow!!! I couldn’t not say how DELICIOUS this recipe is!!! I’ve been searching for a yummy vegan cheese recipe and this did not disappoint!! Thank you thank you thank you!!! ❤️
Alison Andrews says
Thanks so much Charli!
Sallie says
This is a nice creamy dish, honestly, it tastes nothing like macaroni and cheese, there’s no bite to it that I expect from a very sharp cheese, but I don’t think that flavor can be duplicated. That being said, it still tastes nice, I added some lightly steamed broccoli before I baked it and that added an extra dimension to the texture.
Tanya says
Take a look at Alison’s excellent recipe for “sliceable vegan cheese” for inspiration for adding to the flavor of the mac ‘n’ cheese. There are an additional dozen or so of Alison’s recipes for vegan cheese – check them out! The nutritional yeast is the source of the cheese flavor, by the way. The addition of broccoli sounds great – thank you! Now i am thinking of a variety of chopped vegetables for that!
Eliana says
My daughter loves this. Easy recipe and very tasty. I halved recipe and made with soya milk 👍😋