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.
Kelly Stevens says
Hi Alison, made this recipe for dinner last night. I halved the recipe since it was only two of us. It was delicious! I will definitely be making this again. It was the first recipe of yours I’ve tried, but I’m sure it won’t be the last. Thanks so much for sharing!
Kelly
Alison Andrews says
Thanks so much Kelly!
Pat says
Hi Kelly, I also want to make just half the serving. Did you literally just half ALL of the ingredients? Thanks in advance!
Samantha says
This is literally the best mac and cheese my girlfriend and I have had in our entire LIVES! Yes! I seriously mean that! She is always on me to make it again! Its sooooo incredibly delicious, rich and creamy! I love drizzling sriracha on top, its SO great! This is a must try! We will definitely be treating our future children to this amazing dish some day :)!
Alison Andrews says
That is the BEST compliment! Thanks so much Samantha! xo
Alex says
This looks great! Does the unsweetened coconut milk still have a sweet taste to it or do the other flavors (mustard, garlic, etc.) balance it out?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Alex, I don’t find that it has a sweet taste at all, but if you have any dislike for coconut, then this also works great with soy milk. 🙂
Sierra says
This recipe is amazing! I added a little worcestershire and hot sauce to kick it up a tad. I also substituted Panko bread crumbs for the crust. My non-vegan friends will love this. Will be making again very soon!
Alison Andrews says
Awesome! Thanks for sharing Sierra! 🙂
Meg says
Made this tonight… so simple and absolutely delicious! My dad’s words were “this is one of the best mac and cheese I ever had and go figure it’s not even cheese” LOL. I halved the recipe, used soy milk, and added some crushed red pepper for a little heat. Thank you for sharing!
Alison Andrews says
That is so awesome! Thanks Meg! 🙂
K4 says
I was looking for a vegan mac & cheese recipe that doesn’t rely on processed vegan cheese. I have always liked nutritional yeast so this fit the bill. I halved the recipe (except for the nutritional yeast, I used 3/4 cup). Like others, I used almond milk instead of coconut, I used only 1 tsp mustard and 3T arrowroot powder in a slurry instead of flour to thicken. Other than that, you nailed it! Thanks for a new favorite 🙂
Alison Andrews says
So happy to hear! Thanks so much! 🙂
Lori says
I made this for my daughter and I last night and we both loved it! In fact, she asked that I cancel her lunch order at school today so she could bring leftovers 🙂
Oh, I also halved the recipe as it was just for the two of us and we still have LOTS of leftovers!
Alison Andrews says
Awesome Lori! So happy to hear that. Thanks for the amazing review. 🙂
Kathy says
I’m wondering if this can be frozen? Then go straight in the oven from there?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Kathy, yes I think this would be fine to freeze prior to baking and then bake straight from frozen. I would just allow an extra 10 minutes or so to account for the fact that it’s frozen going in.
Charlene says
I’ve cut leftovers into square servings then froze, once frozen put one or two into vacuum saver bags. Have microwaved for lunch too, but watch the time it microwaves real fast.
Alison Andrews says
Thanks Charlene! 🙂
Rebecca says
This has become one of our staples! I only use 1 can of coconut milk due to our preferences. Yum!
Alison Andrews says
Awesome! Thanks so much Rebecca. 🙂
Charlene says
I made this for the first time this week and loved it! My partner could not believe it wasn’t a dairy macaroni and cheese saying, I should make it again (smiles). Thanks much for the recipe, Alison.
Alison Andrews says
That’s so awesome Charlene! Thanks for the wonderful review! 🙂
Virginia A Ebert says
I want to make this for a potluck for work. How would I adjust the recipe to make enough for 50 people.
Alison Andrews says
Hi Virginia, sorry that’s not really in my wheelhouse, you’re looking at around 6 times the recipe, but it would be tricky to do that all at once, I would probably make it in batches.
Caroline Mckay says
Is it okay to half the recipe directly, I know sometimes you can’t simply halve everything ( I don’t fully understand the chemistry side) as we want to try it but not risk 8 servings the first time.
Alison Andrews says
Hi Caroline, it should be totally fine to halve this recipe. all the best! 🙂
Caroline Mckay says
Thank you, just trying to make it if I can find my onion powder that has vanished.
Caroline Mckay says
It was a hit, so much so it keeps being requested but half of it was plenty for lots of meals, my daughter had minimum three portions per meal, she loves it.
Alison Andrews says
Yay! Thanks for updating us Caroline! 🙂
Neisha Crosbie says
I just made this and it’s delish! Although next time I think I will add a little less of the mustard, it’s a very overwhelming taste for me. Overall great recipe, thank you so much!
Jessica says
Love the recipe but kinda has a strong mustard flavor, is it supposed to be 3 tbsp or 3 tsp of Dijon mustard? Is it ok to reduce the amount of mustard?
Thanks
Alison Andrews says
It is 3 Tbsp but you can reduce it to taste. 🙂
Brenda says
Can the nutritional yeast be replaced or eliminated? Thank you
Alison Andrews says
You can leave it out, it will have less of a cheesy taste though. 🙂
RJ says
I’ve already mad this 4 times this month and heavy meat loving family and friends love it and we always have an empty container at the end. Yes, you should tell people so they know the sweetness isn’t just bad seasoning but great flavor for a vegan dish. My one note is stick to the recipe as I thought adding more nutritional yeast would make it taste better but it didn’t.
Alison Andrews says
Thanks for sharing RJ and the awesome review! 🙂