No, it isn’t cheese…even though it kind of looks like it.
Instead, it’s a creamy, flavorful alternative to the dairy stuff that will leave you richly satisfied in your decision to leave the cows alone.
I always feel bad when a non-vegan tastes vegan “cheese” for the first time. Like, how can this stuff be described except to call it a cheese alternative? We all know that, in reality, not a single one of the veg “cheese” alternatives out there tastes like real cheese.
Therefore, may I introduce you to not-real-cheese-but-still-delicious-creamy-yellow-sauce-over-macaroni??
Okay, that’s just way too cumbersome.
Whatevs. Call it “cheese.” Just give your non-veg friends a fair warning, mkay?
A few weeks ago, I discovered this recipe for vegan macaroni and cheese which was described by VegNews to be the “best on the planet.” I knew I had to give it a try, but that I couldn’t exactly follow the recipe (because, as you probably know by now, I don’t follow recipes). The original recipe calls for over 1/3 cup of vegan margarine. I just couldn’t do it. I use plenty of vegan margarine in cakes and desserts, when I eat them, but for mac and cheese? For Little M?
I just had to replace it with something else. And then, I had to add a few more items, because y’all know that’s my nature.
So, today I bring you my crazily adapted recipe and what has become my favorite vegan mac and cheese–with no refined oil.
Who knew that potatoes, carrots, onion, cashews, coconut milk, and seasonings could make such a fabulous creamy combination? And that, when mixed with macaroni, that crazy combination will make your taste buds leap for joy?
Can I just eat it out of the pan like a bachelor?
Okay, I’ll lay aside my strong animal-like urge to devour and take a moment to sprinkle paprika and parsley on the top.
And that, my friends, is as far as got with photographing this bowl of yumminess before I starting eating it. Sometimes, you just can’t wait any longer, you know?
Creamy Vegan Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 10 ounces dried macaroni or about 2 2/3 cups
- 1 cup peeled/diced yellow potatoes or russets
- 1/4 cup peeled/diced carrots
- 1/3 cup chopped onion
- 3/4 cup water preferably use liquid from pot of boiled veggies
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 1/4 cup coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon salt or more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper optional
- 1 pinch paprika
Instructions
- Cook macaroni al dente, according to package instructions (usually requires boiling for 6-8 minutes in salted water), drain, and set aside.
- Bring several cups of water to boil in a small pot. Place chopped potatoes, carrots, and onion in the boiling water, and cook for about 10 minutes, or until vegetables are tender and soft enough to blend. Cooking time will vary slightly, based on how small you have chopped your veggies.
- When veggies are soft enough to blend, use a slotted spoon to remove them from cooking water, and place them in your blender. Add 3/4 cup of that cooking water to your blender, along with your remaining ingredients (including cashews).
- Blend until smooth.
- Pour sauce over your cooked macaroni noodles in a dish of your choice, taste for salt, and serve immediately.
- Or, place macaroni mixture in a baking dish, sprinkle with bread crumbs, and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes, or until crumbs are turning golden brown.
Notes
This recipe is adapted from VegNews’ Vegan Macaroni and Cheese: https://vegnews.com/articles/page.do?pageId=40&catId=10 (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases associated with links on this page, also known as affiliate links.)
http://mysavoryspoon.blogspot.com
Can you make this a day in advance and then pop in oven when required?
could I use sweet potatoes instead of white?
Yes! I haven’t tried it with sweet potatoes myself, but several people have commented on here that they tried it with sweet potatoes, and they liked the results. :)
Yes I actually wil use sweet potatoes!!! Great isea!!!
http://www.plant-strong-health-blog-by-gary.com/
Butternut squash and pumpkin are great for this recipe as well
Can you use cashew flour instead of cashews, the ingredient list is cashews
that’s a great question! I’ve never used cashew flour, but I imagine it could work for this recipe. I might use slightly less cashew flour than cashews called for. If you try it, let us know how the cashew flour works!
Honestly don’t know how this recipe doesn’t have 5 stars. This is the best Mac and cheese I’ve ever had! My non vegan friends are obsessed with this recipe too!
http://veganinthefreezer.com
This looks delicious! I’m not a vegan, but I do enjoy healthy meals, love what you did here. great job!
Ditto
This looks so good and I know what you mean about the food not lasting through your photography session. I can see why.
http://runningwithtongs.com
Do you use coconut milk from a carton, or from a can? Thanks in advance!
Hi Terri, I use coconut milk from a can–the kind that you find in the Asian section of your grocery store. :) I used the full fat variety, but I imagine that lite would work as well, if you’d rather.
When do you use the yeast flakes was reading the ingredients and it didn’t mention it
It goes in the blender with all the other sauce ingredients. :) I hope you love it!
http://ecofriendlyhomemaking.com
I have another cheese recipe I got from a friend on Facebook and it is much like yours only no cashews or coconut milk and has 2 cups potatoes, cooked, 2 cups carrots, cooked and most of the same ingredients you use. I used fresh garlic and blend it in blender with 1/2 cup water or juice from carrots. (I found if you buy carrots that are whitish looking the result is not as good as nice orange carrots.) Also my recipe calls for 1/3 cup of Olive oil whereas you don’t have any oil in yours.. I will try this and see how it tastes. I like the tangyness of my recipe and if it sets up some in the refrig. just melt in microwave or saucepan. Makes good burger sandwiches toasted with cheese on each slice . And its healthy. I will rate this after I have tried it. Also, white potatoes and golden potatoes dont thicken up the cheese as well as russets or baking potatoes. Thanks for your recipe.
Will the sauce ‘keep’ if I make it one day ahead and refrigerate over night?
absolutely!
Oh my goodness this macaroni looks so delicious! I am really excited to try out this recipe.
Thanks, Alicia! :) I hope you like it.
I’ve been vegan for a dozen years, and have made dozens of vegan Mac and cheese recipes. This is the best I’ve ever made. It also would be good with added jalapeno and made into a queso. It’s really the perfect creaminess. I will be sharing this with my non vegan neighbors!
Hey, Lindsay…I made this recipe last night and it was a hit! Skye told me even while I was making it : “what you making Mommy, looks so delicious!” thank you…can’t wait to try more recipes from you :-)
Aloha!
Yay! I’m so glad you liked it, Marina! Aloha! Ugh…I want to go to Hawaii…;)
I love, love, LOVE this recipe! I love this cheese sauce so much I’ve made double batches of it many times. Very delicious, easy to make, and pretty healthy too! I don’t feel sluggish after eating this. Thank you, Lindsay, for this lovely recipe!
http://breakfastdramaqueen.com
Oooh, this look absolutely amazing! I love how you’ve made it so much healthier!
My daughter and I loved this! We typically use a different mac n cheese recipe but it calls for a lot of oil and comes out more like an Alfredo taste. I am dairy free but not a fan of using vegan margarine. Your substitutions from the original are spot on and I am so glad I stumbled across this! Thanks!
Are cashews required or can they be opted?
I tried without cashews and unfortunately it just wasn’t having that “cheese” factor. I think the cashews are necessary in order to get that cheese texture and taste. Not sure if other nuts will grab the same results though
http://www.shelikesfood.com
This looks so creamy and delicious! I love that you didn’t use any refined oil and used things like potatoes and carrots instead, so creative! I’ll have to make this for my picky husband and see what he thinks! I know I will love it :)
This looks great!
Folks who are nut free, try soaked sunflower seeds :)
This sounds wonderful …. since I am very allergic to cashews, what would you recommend I try as a substitute in your recipe? My spouse makes a wonderful vegan mac n cheese …we are curious which we will like best ;)
Would you share your wife’s vegan/gluten free/nut-free Mac recipe?
@quattlejizz
http://www.myfrenchlaunderette.com
i’ve been experimenting on macncheese recipes as well, mine does not include these veggies but it looks interesting so i may just give it a try – nice texture by the way, good job!
This is my first attempt at making vegan mac & cheese. It’s CRAZY good. My non-vegan husband loved it too. I’ve been so disappointed with every one I’ve ever ordered at a restaurant. They are always so bland. Cooking does not come natural to me, so how is it possible that the best vegan version came out of my own kitchen and made with my own two hands?? And it’s not made with fake butter and fake cheese?? I baked it like you suggested with a mixture of whole wheat bread crumbs and wheat germ on top. Then I sprinkled smoked paprika over each serving and served it with a side of steamed broccoli. DELICIOUS!
Thanks for your kind words, Ivy. I’m SO glad that you enjoyed it! I actually had this very recipe for lunch today too, and it was yummmmy. :)
http://www,njvegetariangirl.wordpress.com
this recipe was exquisite and i’m not even vegan!
Hurray! It’s always a good sign when non-vegans like a vegan recipe. :) Thanks for your sweet comment, Genna.
Absolutely, the best vegan mac n cheese ever! Have tried MANY versions and none of them have pasted the kid test until this one! Thank you so much for sharing it with us!!
This was amazing it was my dinner tonight!!!
when do you add the cashews?
This sauce was crazy good. I’ve tried a lot of vegan cheese sauces, and this was the second one that I’ve liked. I reduced the nooch by 1/2 and used almond milk, but otherwise I followed your recipe. I put it over baked sweet potatoes and garnished with a little puréed Chipolte. I had leftovers today and it heated up perfectly.
I’m excited to have found your site. I bookmarked you and I’ll be a regular visitor. I linked to you on my WFPB Facebook group, so hopefully the word will spread.
I had about given up on finding a Mac & Cheese recipe that I liked and then I came across this one and decided to give it one more try. Tried this last night and loved it. The best i’ve found yet. Thanks and keep up the good work.
http://philosophyandcake.blogspot.com
That looks soooo awesome. Could really go for some for lunch right now. With ketchup and hot sauce. Mmmm, I have to make this. :)
http://mommytrainingwheels.com
Thank you so much for sharing! I’ve been wanting to let my son try mac ‘n cheese for a while now, but because of his dairy allergy, it’s kind of complicated. I am definitely giving this a try! Quick question: what is the nutritional yeast for?
The nutritional yeast is what gives this recipe a mildly “cheesy” flavor. You could leave it out, and just add extra salt to taste, but I can’t tell you what the flavor would be like without it, since I’ve not tried it. I hope your son likes it! :)
This is, hands down, the BEST mac n cheese we have ever had. Even non vegans love it. It is super good with salsa on top too… But I like salsa on just about anything!
I really enjoyed this recipe. I also have a vegan mac n’ cheese recipe which uses more cashews than this and more yeast flakes. But not the veggies. I tried a sort of combo of the 2 recipes – using the higher quantity of yeast flakes for stronger ‘cheesiness’. I also added some cornstarch and used the veggies and it is absolutely heavenly. This recipe is quite forgiving if you want to try new things. You can also add olives or tomato chunks to add to the pasta once the sauce is made.
Wow! I just came upon this today, and JUST finished a yummy, warm bowl of happiness. I didn’t put it in the oven, and I enjoyed it over cauliflower in place of pasta (I’m out of pasta, plus kinda watching carbs). Sooooooooo good!!!! And my non-vegan yet open minded fiancée said “Tastes cheddary”. He likes it :) Thanks so much for a fantastic recipe!!!! I’ll be getting some whole wheat noodles and having this again. Definitely a keeper :)
This looks amazing! I am dairy intolerant but obsessed with Mac n Cheese (I always regret eating it). I’m going to try to make it for dinner tomorrow! Thank you so much for this recipe!!!
Do you think sweet potatoes would work if substituted in? Recipe looks fantastic!!!
http://Www.jadeandfern.com
What. This is delicious. I was a little skeptical as it was blending up, but it tastes SOOO good! Definitely the best vegan cheezy sauce it tried (and I’ve tried a lot!).
http://www.vintage-variety.com
Hey, love this recipe!! I generally prefer soy milk over coconut, do you think plain soy milk would work as well as coconut milk?? Thanks!
A little late but I use unsweetened soy milk or silk half and half and it tastes great. I never liked having a partial can of coconut milk to try to use up before it went bad.
In my 3.5 years of being plant-based, I have tried a LOT of Mac n Cheeses. This one is definitely the best or at least in the top 3.
Darn I wish I hadn’t already eaten supper, but hey, there’s always tomorrow. This is definitely on the Monday night menu board..soaking my cashews as we speak. I like to give them a good overnight dunking, makes for easier blending in my Ninja. One day I’ll know the joy of a Vitamix, one day, one day……(excuse my first world complaining :) I’m lucky to have a blender at all! I’ll be back to rate on the flipside, I’m sure it will be off the charts!
Hi! I am super excited to make this recipe for my 2yr old daughter. She loved regular mac n cheese before we found out her eczema was due to dairy and egg whites allergies! I have a question though; can you make a big batch of this recipe and freeze it? Thanks so much!
http://twitter.com/1aurar0cks
How about using cashew butter or almond butter instead? My blender is not the best; do you think this would potentially affect the texture?
great recipe, thank you.
we used yams in place of regular potatoes and poured boiling water over the cashews, letting them sit until cool and then blended everything together, it was delicious.
(also added a few dashes of chipotle tabasco for acidity and depth of flavor.)
it was fantastic, no lethargy or bloat after, either. will make again. thank you!
OMG! Being the only vegan in a house full of carnivores can get a little overwhelming. But its recipes like this that make this journey so much easier and worth. I loved this vegan mac recipe as well as the members of my household. I also added a little more garlic powder to the final product and it set this dish off! Thanks Lindsay!
Hi Lindsay,
Just wondering if i can use almond milk instead of coconut milk. Would it affect tje taste as well as texture ?
Cheers.
OMG. I just found this recipe the other day and was skeptical, but hopeful. I was not disappointed – it was AMAZING!
My husband is a full on carnivore and I did’t think he’d like it so I made him a dairy and butter-full mac. I gave him a taste of mine and he said that he liked mine better. If that’s not a perfect endorsement, I don’t know what is. Thank you so much for an unbelievable recipe. I never thought I’d find a creamy substitute for mac, but you provided it. Awesome.
Hi there – just wanted to say thank you for sharing your recipe! I tried it two nights ago, and it is DELICIOUS!! I ended up using sweet potatoes as I couldn’t get any yellow potatoes easily, which worked a treat. Went a little crazy on the cashews too so it was quite filling, but really tasty nonetheless :). My newly vegan boyfriend was very impressed at the texture and cheesiness. We will definitely be using the sauce recipe for many more cheesy applications! Toasties, nachos, burritos….. mmm. Anyways – thank you for providing cheese-missing vegans with a delicious alternative! You’re brilliant!
What about grinding your cashews to powder in a coffee grinder first then add to blender with other ingredients? I think this would work well.
http://veganyumminess.com
I made this tonight and my two boys ages 3 and 5 loved it and didn’t even know it was good for them! Thanks!!!!
Absolutely amazing everyone non vegan said it taste better than the regular mac and cheese…tried to rate 5 star but it doesn’t let me.
Thanks, Wendy! Sorry the rating stars weren’t working for you. :p I’ll have to check into that. :) Thanks again for your kind words.
http://jillgoesvegan.blogspot.com
This looks fantastic–I have such a hard time finding a CREAMY enough mac n “cheese” recipe! Can’t wait to try this!!!
AH-MAY-ZING.
This was one of those recipes that just propelled me up out of my chair, to the grocery store to grab some potato and onion, and into the kitchen. I was so intrigued and excited after reading the reviews, but also skeptical. Who’da thunk that a bunch of boiled veggies with a little coconut milk could taste like freakin’ mac and cheese?! BUT IT TOTALLY DOES AND IT’S AMAZING. I mean seriously. I tasted the mixture at various points. The first taste was just after blending the coconut milk, veggies, blanched almonds, and cooking water- *and it actually tasted cheesy.* I added a bunch of other stuff- what’s in the recipe and then some lol- and baked it over broccoli. Can’t wait to taste. This is my new favorite recipe!! Can’t wait to try the nacho version… ohhh nachos, how I’ve missed thee… can’t wait to serve this to my omni family and psych them out! :D AWESOME!!!
LOL. Cait, I totally grinned while reading your comment. I’m SO glad you liked it. :) Yay for psyching out omni relatives!
This recipe is wonderful! However, I would avoid breadcrumbs unless you make your own. Store bought breadcrumbs often have butter and sometimes cheese. If you have a vitamix or a good food processor, though, you can make your own in about 2 minutes. I use cornflakes instead and sprits them with olive oil!
Is it necessary to use yeast??m never to keen on using it.
My wife and I have been making the FOK cheese and haven’t been liking the strong onion aftertaste. I found this and … WOW! Awesome! It’s even good reheated in a pan with a little veg broth! Love it! Thank you!
Hi! I love the veg news recipe but have also been wanting to modify it to 1) leave out the EB, and 2) add a little nutritional yeast! I have a question though – what was the reason for leaving out the Dijon and the shallots? I’m not a professional cook by any means, so I would love to know. Can’t wait to try this!
I cooked this for my sister, who can be described as nothing less than a cheese-enthusiast who eats cheese plain on a daily basis, and she LOVED it. So much so she shared it on facebook saying everyone needed to try this vegan mac and cheese because it was better than the original! Thanks so much for the recipe, it was amazing!
So I found out two months ago that my darling two year old is now lactose intolerant… my biggest upset? I MISS MAC AND CHEESE! and so does she. Definitely giving this recipe a try!
I love this recipe!! It just feels healthy- and it is! I don’t eat wheat or really any wheat substitutes so I have been eating with zucchini ‘zoodles’ from the spiralizer. its amazing.
I was looking for normal mac n’ cheese when I came across this, but this recipe sounds so good and looks so delicious I am going to have to give it a try! /)u(
We have finally found a healthy, vegan mac and cheese recipe that satisfies the whole family–including our 8 and 4 yo daughters. This will definitely become a staple in our house. Thanks!
This is a GREAT recipe! We all love it at my house. Equally good (somewhat earthier) with brazil nuts…
We are just starting out on our vegan diet journey and I’m very interested to try this recipe. Cheese is going to be the one thing we will miss the most. I am bookmarking as many sites as I can find that have recipes for recreating our usual foods so the transition isn’t so startling to our 7 yr old daughter. Any helpful tips would be great!
Thank you so much for this recipe! We are not vegans, but recently found out that my 3 year old daughter can’t have milk. Mac and Cheese was one of the things she was really missing. We had this with dinner tonight and she was so happy! We will be using this recipe a lot in the future.
This mac & cheese was not good. It was GREAT! Seriously though, I’ve made several mac & cheese dishes in my time as a vegan and this one has been the best thus far. I really enjoyed how it wasn’t entirely nut based which can make vegan sauces feel too heavy for me. I made this recipe a month or so ago and I know I added some spices and ingredients to taste but I can’t remember exactly what I did. No matter! The cheese sauce was delicious before I changed anything. We used brown rice pasta, added some green veggies (kale or broccoli, I think) and baked it with whole wheat bread crumbs. Will definitely make this again.
Note: We had too much sauce for the amount of pasta so I froze the leftover sauce. Unfortunately, it thawed in a very strange texture and wasn’t too pleasant when reheated so I’d recommend just using the leftover sauce as a dip or in a different dish.
Good to know that it doesn’t freeze well, as I haven’t tried that yet myself. Thanks for kind words! :)
Where do you add the cashews at? I’ve not used cashews in this type of cooking yet. Also do you use salted or unsalted ones?
I use unsalted raw cashews, and I blend them in a high-speed blender until creamy (along with the potatoes, carrots, etc). :)
I’m definitely bookmarking this recipe and I plan on trying it for Thanksgiving dinner… I typically make my own vegan dishes and non vegan dishes for my family… The Mac and Cheese recipe that I usually use is a bit like yours but it calls for shallots, garlic and Dijon mustard… I’m so stoked!!! I really wanted to cut back on the vegan magarine.
This recipe is so yummy! I didn’t have yellow potatoes on hand, but sweet potatoes instead. It still was great! I’ve made it with both types now and I think I prefer the sweet potatoes. We have severe dairy allergies in my household and this has been a excellent substitute, plus you’re sneaking in some veggies! The best vegan cheese I’ve tried yet!
I’ve just had a really nasty ‘flu and for some reason always fancy artificial cheese flavouring when I’m poorly.
Clearly this isn’t the most healthful choice, especially as I’m vegan so I googled vegan mac and cheese and found this.
It’s brilliant – thank you so much. Easy to make, real ingredients that are going to do me some good and so very, very tasty. I did put quite a generous sprinkle of chilli and garlic salt over the top and it is just scrummy.
Thank you again – now I”m looking for your other recipes to try :)
Oh. My. God. This is awesome!! I’m always leary when a recipe is touted as “the best on the planet”, but this truly is! And thank you for figuring out a brilliant way to bypass the massive amount of margerine in the original recipe. I more than doubled the amount of nutritional yeast to have it more “cheesy”. It’s so nice to have this comfort food classic back in our home.
i made this for my vegan neighbour after she broke her hand – I used sweet potato and doubled the amount of that to about 2 cups – made it bright orange and a little sweeter. Her hockey playing son sat and ate what was left out of the casserole dish after supper – a super hit!
Made it with whole wheat rotini. Daughter’s comment: “momma, is this another hippi meal?” When I answered affirmative, the universal comment in my family of 5 was a disappointed “Oh.” Until they tried it that is. We all stuffed our faces with it. None of us are full time vegan. I added a splash of Braggs Amino Acids. Next time I might zip it up with some green chilis.
Hello,
Just wondering if almond milk can be use instead of coconut milk?
making a trial run tonight then serving for Thanksgiving.
happy Thanksgiving Y’all
Hi Jay, you could probably use almond milk, but the flavor and texture won’t be the same. I’m sure it would still taste delicious, but canned coconut milk provides a level of fat content that makes the sauce more creamy and flavorful.
:) Best wishes! Happy Thanksgiving!!
I just made this for dinner, amazing flavor! I used raw almonds instead of cashews (because I’m allergic) . Thank you for sharing!
Awesome to learn that I can eat ALL the foods I’ve loved since childhood like mac and cheese, but cruelty free and much healthier. Who knew that cow milk is loaded with disease causing hormones, pus cells, bacteria, and casein that is very bad for the pancreas and insulin production? The dairy industry has WAY TOO much influence and the media mostly stinks at telling all sides of the food issues we face. I am thankful this year for so many vegan options, products, and increased focus on children’s health through plant strong foods.
http://www.sandtcareersolutions.com
Many recipes use more than double the cashews (and omit the potato altogether). I like that you used potato which adds creaminess while reducing the amount of cashews. This is a more cost effective recipe!
http://whoisthisanyway.blogspot.com
I’ve tried so many different vegan “cheese” sauces and none of them can even compare to this one! Its so creamy and the flavour is amazing… the only thong I’ve changed in this recipe is adding a splash of red wine vinegar.
What can I replace cashews with? I am sensitive to cashews and soy. Is there a substitute?
Can you do blanched/slivered almonds? I’d probably substitute with that first. If almonds are a no-no for you, some have had success with raw sunflower seeds instead of cashews. :)
Can’t wait to try this out. Never have heard of yeast flakes. Where do you get them? Do they make a difference in the recipe? Also what kind of onion do you use?
I made it ,it was super delicious!!!! Warning, don’t bake it in the oven guys,it will dry it out!!!Just make the sauce mixture in the food processor ,pour it on the pasta ,and that’s it, it’s perfect as it is!!I made a mistake trying to bake it for ten mins,but it took much longer for the bread crumbs to get golden so the whole thing came out dry..So I made it again without put it in the oven ,and it was the bomb!!! :) It’s not just taste totally like the real mac and cheese but healthier too!!! I was also put 2 tablespoon daiya cheddar cheese in the food processor when i made the mixture, it gave it a extra cheesy super creamy flavor ..easy recipe and super yummy!!!!
I made this recently and I don’t think this tastes like mac n cheese, but it’s DELICIOUS ! ! ! My vegan friends enjoyed it too! I love how it’s all natural ingredients. I would definitely make this again. The sauce would be great over raviolis or on roasted veggies/tofu.
Just made this tonight. Absolutely delicious! Since I went vegan 18 months ago, this is the one dish I missed the most. I now no longer miss the dairy version. My very picky, dairy eating husband even thought it was great. THANK YOU!
This recipe is soooooo good!! Have to really practice that self-control to not eat the entire portion in one sitting.
I want to make this recipe today, but when do you add the cashews?
Add the cashews with all “remaining ingredients” to the blender in Step 3. :) Hope you like it!
Thank you SO much for this recipe! I’ve never tried the VegNews one but I’ve made this twice and I can tell you that I can’t imagine ever having a better tasting vegan mac and cheese. I’m in love. :)
http://www.anandalima.com
Delicious easy to make recipe for this clueless cook, new vegetarian, aspiring Vegan. Thank you so much!
Thanks, Ananda! Good for you for making the dive into vegetarian/vegan cooking! :)
http://www.huertadesalud.wordpress.com
I added steamed broccoli tops … and enjoyed 3.5 servings!
Really, really good. The texture was really nice and creamy and it tasted delicious, especially the next day (both cold and re-heated). I do have to say that it is much better when you take the expectation of having it actually taste like mac and cheese out of your mind and just think of it as a nice creamy vegan pasta dish.
I planning to make this tonight for dinner. We are gluten free, do you think quinoa pasta will go okay or will it ruin it?
Thanks! The whole family is looking forward to trying it out :-)
I made this the other day and was blown away by its incredible flavour! I am not normally vegan, but am currently trying to eat less dairy and after tasting this recipe, I never have to eat real Mac ‘n’ Cheese again!
I did use a vegan/vege bouillon cube instead of the nutritional yeast.
Thanks for sharing this great recipe!
Good. Salt definitely brings out the nutritional yeast flavor.
This was so delicious. I haven’t had proper mac & cheese in 4 years, I finally felt like I was eating my childhood comfort food. The consistency was perfect. Added more salt and garlic but otherwise, this is the best recipe. I will use this from now on. Thanks!!!
This sauce is amazing!
I served it over quinoa, with peas and carrots.
Thank you so much for sharing the recipe!
Hi! I was just wondering if you knew how many calories this was, and what a “serving size” would be? This looks so amazing (I’ve been trying to find vegan recipies for foods I used to love and this is the best I’ve found so far!) but I would like to know how it fits into my daily calorie count.
I am not a began (but am interested in maybe living more of a plant-based lifestyle) and have to say that this was downright delicious. I really couldn’t tell the difference in taste from the dairy mac and cheese. That said, I did notice the difference after I was done eating as I did not feel as heavy and groggy as I usually feel when digging in to the old mac & cheese. Nicely done!
Outstanding recipe, thank you ever so much!!! My kids thought it was real cheese sauce.
http://www.allisonsgourmet.com
Hi Lindsay,
I love your adaptations of my recipe! I created it in 2008 and have since made several changes. I no longer use vegan margarine or potatoes and have added a boost of nutrition and whole food protein in the revised recipe in my ebook, Comfortably Yum. It’s fun to keep playing with it and to watch the evolution as people add their creative touches. Keep up the great work! =)
http://www.mylifeunderthebus.typepad.com
I found this following a link but if you haven’t tried Chao coconut cheese from Field Roast OMG it is the first vegan cheese I can eat straight out of the package!!! The Creamy original is my fave very close to a nice melty American style cheese ( it melts GLORIOUSLY!!! for a grilled cheese!) It would make a fantastic mac and cheese!
This was really yummy, I forgot to get nutritional yeast, so I’m a bit bummed on that, but the sauce was still really yummy. I used larger macaroni and it felt a little bland, so I sauteed some bell peppers and added those to the mix, it was an excellent pairing. Thank you for sharing!
I’m so excited to try this tonight! My daughter has acid reflux and can’t handle onions. How crucial are they to the flavor?
http://www.mamanautrement.com
I have replaced the coconut milk with rice cream and it’s also very good
My kids loved this recipe and I will do it again for sure
thanks !
Could you use the Silk Cashew milk in place of the raw cashews if we don’t have a higher powered blender or processor.
GIRLFRIEND!!!! This sheezny is totally awesome! Seriously! I do not usually think vegan mac n cheese is ever *really* that good…but this one is!! My favorite food on Earth can now be enjoyed with a plant-strong, low oil diet. Out-freaking-standing! Thank you so much!! Made the recipe (basically) to the letter….added sliced LightLife hotdogs and a solid shot of ketchup to the Mac. Crazy. Crazy awesome. My husband just kissed me a fat one for this Mac. ❤️❤️❤️
I just finished eating several bowls of mac’n’cheez made from this recipe and I am delighted! It was very easy and quick to make and definitely qualifies as a “comfort” food for me now. I would compare the flavour to a milder, more savoury Indian korma sauce. Will be making this recipe regularly!
new favorite recipe! its so creamy and full of flavor. i could eat the whole pound of pasta by myself, its that good
This is amazing! Loved it!
This was soooo good. I made it with sweet potatoes and a dash of dijon instead and it was the bomb.com. My new favorite recipe!
Vegan for almost a year and have really missed homemade mac and cheese. This is AMAZING!! I added one more TBSP of nooch, because I love it, and subbed almond milk for half of the liquid, because I didn’t have coconut milk on hand. Oh, and I added in some steamed broccoli with the pasta for extra nutrition.
I also subbed out regular pasta for gluten free pasta – mac and ‘cheese’ with no dairy and no wheat and no oil – what!?. My tastebuds don’t believe it is healthy, because it is pure comfort food.
Hi just wanted to know exactly What makes the sauce yellow? The potatoes mixed with the carrots? Looks quite simple by the way! THank you I will make and Let you know if my kids loved. I usually use vegan Cheddar cheese and melt with the coconut milk.
Hi Dulce, Yes, the carrots (mixed with potato) are what makes the sauce yellow. :) I hope you love this recipe as much as I do.
This is an excellent recipe. I make a triple batch in my blender (with the contents almost spilling out the top!!!) and to the triple batch I add 2 heaped tbs of Massel Vegetable Stock powder and 1 tbs sugar. It’s just awesome!!!! All my kids love it and this is going to become a regular in our house :)
This is super! I used cashew milk instead of coconut; there are already cashews in it, right? I also added a teaspoon or so of ground mustard to the sauce which made all the difference in the world and topped the quinoa pasta dish with dry-sautéed wild mushrooms. Yum!
Hi Lindsey! Thank you for this masterpiece! We make this nearly every week, and as a former cheese junky, I can’t thank you enough for this delicious comfort food without all the guilt and cholesterol. My kids love it, too!
Just made this….so delicious !!! Creamy goodness for sure. You nailed it! I know I will make this many more times in the future! Thanks!!
so………u wrote a recipe and included ingredients……….but when u explain how to cook it you dont use some of the ingredients..im confused
So seriously delicious! I made this for my husband and myself tonight and we both loved it. I have severe ulcerative colitis and dairy makes me sick – I was amazed at how creamy and thick this sauce was with no dairy at all. I also love that it isn’t oily or full of imitation cheese, because that can also make me sick. My husband has no dietary restrictions and he loved it too. I subbed almond milk for the coconut milk and used rice pasta. Thank you so much for this recipe, it’s now another safe thing I can eat when I’m not feeling well and that is truly a gift! I’m really grateful.
Great! The only adjustments I think it needed were raw garlic, about 3 times the nutritional yeast, and 3 times the lemon juice. I also added some white pepper. Pretty soon, it tasted like the mac and cheese I used to eat as a kid, but BETTER.
hi, do you think it will work with peanuts as well?
Do you think you can freeze the left over sauce? My son (and I) loved it (he’s dairy intolerant) and I have a bunch of sauce left over. Also, do you think it would be ok to cut back the nutritional yeast to one tablespoon?
Is the coconut milk, the kind from a can or can I use almond milk?
We can’t get enough of this sauce- how many ways did we eat it in 1 weekend?
– in (and on) burritos filled with pinto beans, Spanish rice, chiles and onions
– mixed with a little salsa for dipping tortilla chips
– on the broccoli burgers from this blog (delicious btw)
– to dip carrots and broccoli for a snack
– as sauce on a pizza topped with spinach, steamed broccoli (we had lots leftover from the burgers) and grilled chik’n (drizzled extra sauce on top too)
– in a breakfast burrito (tofu scramble with veggies and salsa)
Then ,we ran out!!! SO GOOD!!
I made this last night for my non-vegan boyfriend and he loved it!! It was soo easy and really delicious. I’ve made another mac n cheese vegan recipe before and this was better. I need to get a processor that makes the nut bits smaller though. Also considering swapping nutritional yeast for mustard powder as I don’t really like the taste of nutritional yeast.
This is a fantastic recipe! My family loves the taste and were surprised to learn that it was vegan. Thank you!
I developed severe lactose intolerance a few months ago, and while I wasn’t terribly bothered with no longer being able to eat yoghurt, milk, etc., I was greatly saddened at the thought that I would never be able to have cheese again. Thankfully, this recipe and Chao vegan cheese have saved me from such misery!
This recipe is AMAZING. It tastes better than any dairy mac and cheese I ever had. My fiance agreed. The only change I would make is to go easier on the lemon juice. Next time I plan on going with a teaspoon, instead of a tablespoon. Otherwise, it is perfect.
Do you think another type of nuts could be used for people who are allergic to cashews? I see all of these vegan cheeses around but many of them do contain cashews and I don’t know what to use as a substitute.
This recipe looks fantastic, & the reviews boister its possibilities. I’ll be trying it immediately. I’m wondering if the content of carbohydrate isn’t too much for those with a constrained diet (putting potato on pasta is starch overload). Is there a potato-free option? Or possibly an option using something less starchy?
My daughter is allergic to carrots, can I use parsnips instead? I also think she has intolerance to milk so we are going to try a vegan diet for a month and see how she does.
This is an amazing recipe! The best vegan Mac I’ve ever had. My 1 and 4 year old love it. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I make this often! I’ve gotten several compliments. So wonderful!
I am a vegan but my boyfriend is a vegetarian who LOVES cheese. I just finished making this (literally…JUST finished…about 10 minutes ago…) and he says it’s the most cheese-tasting vegan “cheese” he’s ever had. I doubled the recipe and we’re taking this for lunch to work for the next week! Another great thing about this recipe is that it’s super inexpensive to make. We always have cashews on hand and the only things we had to buy were the potatoes, onion, and pasta. Love it!!!
I, too, did not follow the directions. I sautéed the veggies, added 1 tsp powdered veggie broth powder to the 3/4c water (liquid that was supposed to be from boiling veggies), 1/4 c Dijon mustard, sprinkling of pepper, and I reduced the lemon juice to just a splash.
THIS IS RLLY GOOD JUST MADE IT!
I LIKE TO MAKE THE SAUCE AND DIP STEAMED VEGGIES INTO IT. THANKS TO ALL. GOD BLESS.
I can’t wait to try this! My grand daughter was recently tested for allergies we discovered that all of her respiratory issues come from a severe dairy allergy. Try telling a 3 year old that mac-n-cheese is now off her menu- so sad :( Will make this for dinner tonight when she comes to stay with me.
We make this in our house on the regular. I use the cheese for broccoli and even Vegan Nachos! Kids LOVE IT!
I LOVE THIS! I didn’t expect it to look like the picture, but it does! Exactly! It was so creamy and delicious I can’t believe it. It feels so naughty to eat it but it is packed full of healthy stuff! I used Yukon Gold potato and 1 clove of fresh garlic. I also boiled the cashews with the veggies to get them extra tender. Other than that, I followed the recipe to a t. I’ve only been eating vegan recipes for 4 days but recipes like this one are making me not regret it. Thank you!
http://www.arunagee.com
I absolutely love this recipe. Thank you SO MUCH for sharing it. As a recent vegetarian-turned-vegan, who had cheese lust, this is a godsend.
Hi! Does the recipe work without the yeast flakes?
I’m vegetarian but prefer not to use yeast in my cooking.
This is delicious! About to make it for the second time. Any idea about freezing? Should be okay but wondering if you have any insight. Thanks!
Do you have to use yeast flakes because I can’t find them in any stores?
Just wanted to point out that most vegan
Butters/margarines use Palm oil. Using
Palm oil is one of the worst affects on urangatans
Just made this and it came out awesome! I’ve been vegan for 5 months and this really hit the spot! The only thing I did different was I did not have carrots only orange bell peppers. So I roasted them on my GForeman grill and then added to the water with the other veggies. And then added 2 tablespoons of grey poupon mustard and used only 3 tablespoons of the water to make it thick. This is the best vegan recipe for Mac n cheese ever! Even my 16 yr old teen son said he loved it and he’s not on the vegan train yet. He asked me to make it again. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and helping those like me who have just started out.
Amazing!! I’ve tried a few vegan Mac and cheese recipes with limited success, but this one was perfect. It really nailed the taste and consistency of the real thing, but so much healthier! The family loved it, this will definitely be one of our regulars. Thanks!
I just tried making this recipe tonight for an experimental dinner. Let’s just say as a 27 yr old male who LOVES real cheese this was darn good. The only thing I did differently was follow one of the fellow commentators recipe by omitting the cashews and coconut milk. I did try it with almonds because I had them. And didn’t use as much oil as she used in her recipe. But the end result was super flavorful. The color alone would fool a cow cheese lover very easily. I want to try it with a vegan cheese instead to see if I can get that gooey cheesy consistency. Because that would be my only con about this, I missed that melty affect of it. But in my personal regards this recipe gets 10/10 forks from me. I will try it the original way as posted when I remake it again and see how the cashews and coco milk lend to the flavor.
I am a vegan. I made this dish once before and i did not bake it at the end. It was so good. My husband also a vegan, says this is the bomb. My son came over tonight to try it. This time I baked it and the men has 3rd’s and nothing was left over. I posted my picture of our dinner on Facebook. Got a lot of requests for the reciepe. Im always glad to share because I keep hoping to enlighten more people about the wonderful world of healthy vegans.
Hi, I made this tonight and it was great. The only substitution I made was soy milk for coconut milk. (I already had that open.) Even my omnivore husband loved it and had seconds. Thanks so much!
Made this tonight! It was super yummy! And hit my craving perfectly! I put a little too much garlic but otherwise great
http://amandanicolesmith.com
i too have used the one with olive oil but I halved the amount of water and increased the milk ( I used carton coconut milk) and it was awesome! I also added a bit of cumin and extra mustard as well.
Yum!! I absolutely love using cashew cheese; this looks divine! I’ll probably use some raw red bell peppers in my cheese, rather than potatoes, but I love the idea. Thanks for sharing this lovely recipe along with the beautiful pictures!
Deliciously divine. I added garlic and turmeric (for color), added more nutritional yeast, mixed it with asparagus and topped it w/ red pepper flakes. I was skeptical it would taste like carrots whilst blending, but not at all. Warm, comforting, nutritious and the perfect catalyst to introducing others to how delicious veganism can. I may add cannellini beans next time for additional flavor and benefits. As an additional benefit, the sauce can be used for more than just mac and cheese. (:
Lindsay you are the best! I’ve tried so many different Vegan Mac and “Cheese” recipes and it ends up in the trash (total waste of money). I love this recipe. I’ve made it twice in the past two weeks and I shall never depart from it. My meat eating husband couldn’t believe it’s Vegan :-)
Thank you very much for posting this delicious recipe. The hardest thing I had to do was give up cheese when I started down the vegan path. This is yummy and my husband likes it too. Keep up the good work.
This looks amazing! But is there an alternative to coconut milk, like would almond milk work instead? I always get really sick after eating coconut products. Seriously though, keep the recipes coming.
What can you use instead of white potatoes? Sweet potatoes?
http://veganyumminess.com
I made this today for some vegan company that is coming over. It is delicious!!!!!! I actually like it more than regular mac and cheese!
Went to a friend’s today for football and bbq and he made this for me. It was my first time trying vegan mac and cheese and I could NOT believe how delicious it was! Several of my non-vegan friends preferred it over the regular mac and cheese. Can’t wait to try making it myself!
THANK YOU SO MUCH. This recipe is amazing! I’m in love! I just made a TRIPLE batch of it to freeze for lunches and dinners. I gave it to one of my friends without telling her it was vegan and she thought it was the best mac and cheese ever! She wanted to become vegan after and just live of the mac and cheese! I do add a tablespoon more of nutritional yeast because I like living on the “chessy” side of life ;) I also add “panko” brand of vegan mac and cheese (because its vegan) LOVE YOU
Just made this, followed the recipe exactly, and it was horrific. Not creamy or smooth at all. I have an amazing food processor and everything was processed just fine. Complete lack of taste. I’m so disappointed but I LOVE mac and cheese, but being lactose intolerant hinders me from enjoying the “real stuff”.
Made this recipe tonight exactly as written (except I also added peas at the end), and I really couldn’t be more pleased with the results. My kids, who generally find all food offensive, gobbled it all up without a single complaint. My four year old even high-fived me after dinner. I’m speachless.
Can you use sweet potato instead of regular potatoes? Trying to stay away from regular potatoes.
this sauce is so good. I’m not vegan, but I like to be health conscious when possibly and I LOVE comfort food, but hate the way most of it weighs me down after eating. I made this recipe with kelp noodles instead (which have a completely different texture, but are worth it at about 6 – 12 calories per serving). I also added some dill because I always put dill in mac nd cheese. I also put in bread crumbs and baked because yum. I don’t normally comment on recipes but this one was a game changer, and i’ll probably make it a staple in my weekly routine. thank you for posting this.
Tried this recipe out on my non-vegan, cheese-loving, but dairy sensitive family. It was a hit! Thanks for a fast, easy recipe that will be going into my weeknight rotation!
This is the BEST vegan macaroni and cheese I have ever made. The cashews really make a difference. I subbed unsweetened almond milk and it was so good. Thank you for this recipe!!! I can’t wait to make it for Thanksgiving :).
I made this the other day and it was amazing! I prefered it to real mac n cheese, its that good! Do you think I could make a double batch of sauce and freeze half for another day?
a couple questions:
1) every good non-vegan mac & cheese recipe I come across always lists a little bit of dijon mustard as one of the ingredients in the cheese sauce… could that be added to this recipe, or would it not work?
2) I blend using a magic bullet… does this mean I have to soak cashews? I don’t know if it counts as a high-speed blender or not (although I’m assuming it does).
I made this for dinner tonight alongside veggie loaf and I still can’t believe how delicious it is! I’ve tried several vegan Mac and cheese dishes and have never found one I really liked or thought tasted like the real thing until now! This reminded me so much of the white cheddar mac and cheese I used to eat as a kid. I followed the recipe exactly except that I used light coconut milk instead of regular and added a drizzle of olive oil, a bit of extra garlic, black pepper and a pinch of turmeric for color. Thanks so much for this recipe! I can’t wait to try it out on some non-vegans :)
http://plantasticcooking.com
Hi I made your recipe last night and it turned out great! I doubled the sauce recipe because I had a bigger bag of pasta and didn’t quite use all of it so I stored the leftover to use on some more pasta in the next couple of days. I’m also a home chef and food blogger(new to this) and absolutely loved this recipe. Like you mentioned in your description I don’t always follow recipes to the exact but have been on a mission the last couple of weeks to follow and I did with yours. I would like to post this on my blog and of course give you the credit! Let me know if that would be ok?
Therefore, may I introduce you to not-real-cheese-but-still-delicious-creamy-yellow-sauce-over-macaroni?? I love that you posted it this way! I am not a fan of mac and cheese so have not looked for a vegan substitute. I like the idea of just a creamy sauce to put over veggies or pasta. Thank you! I am a work in progress for vegan eating/cooking. I want to take vegan food as it is and not necessarily a substitute for meat, etc. Thanks again!
Another non-vegan (with Vegan relatives). Usually I am not a fan of their “mac and cheese” concoctions and their fake cheese that they say tastes “exactly” like the real thing. Whatever, I’m not drinking the Kool-aid. However, I ate 3 (3!!!) bowls of this stuff! It was that good. I finally got the recipe myself and am going to make it tonight. Hope it turns out as good as I remember it. If all Vegan food tasted this good, I might make the switch. Maybe…
Hi
do you need to soak the raw cashews? Many recipes calls for soaking for several hours or overnight.
I’m not vegan but I like trying vegan recipes. I definitely enjoyed making this one.
This tastes way better than “normal” mac and cheese and doesn’t leave me feeling bloated after eating it! I will definitely be making this again and again! Thanks so much!
Just made this for dinner and its tasted great, really creamy. Will definitely become one of our family favourites
What can I use as a sub for cashews? My son has severe nut allergy.
Hi Kazi, I’m honestly not sure what I would try in place of the nuts…mayyyybe garbanzos? or sunflower seeds? I haven’t tried those methods myself, but I think it’s worth some experimenting.
OMG, best vegan mac cheese recipe EVER! This cheese tastes better than the real thing! I’ve tried other nutritional yeast cheeses and they always come out weird tasting. This is the best by far. THANK YOU!
I am not a vegan, but I cooked a special dinner for a couple of friends
That are vegans. I am an accomplished home chef and when I found this recipe I thought this sounds ok. My plan, add dried porcini mushrooms that I ground to dust to the veggies while it cooked. In addition, I sauted a variety of mushrooms with olive oil and garlic and tossed them on top of the Mac n cheese. This was delicious!
I just made this and it was great but I added some fresh garlic into the vegetable mix as well as some bacon grease and ground sausage. I am allergic to dairy so this is a great substitute!! The reason I added the bacon grease is the yeast after taste was a little too strong from me so I was attempting to dull that smell and flavor
Do you think i could substitute almond extract for the cashews? If so do I need more dry ingredients?
I don’t think I would substitute almond extract. It’s not the flavor of the nut as much as it adds to the creaminess, and really does that without adding much additional flavor at all, allowing the nutritional yeast, veggies and seasonings to do the flavor job.
I made this last night and I can honestly say it’s the BEST vegan macaroni and cheese I’ve ever had! I think if you were to make this for non-vegans and not tell them it’s vegan, they wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. All my dinner guests last night were floored by how much the taste resembles cheese. Great recipe – thank you!!! :)
my teenage daughter recently went vegan but is peanut and tree nut allergic so although this recipe isn’t for us it aounds delicious. can we simply omit the cashews or is there a substitution we could make? i saw another comment about a saise that was a little different and nut-free. i’ll try that but it had oil. would like a couple of recipes to try and rate.
Hi Brenda, you could omit the cashews, but you’d probably need to add a little more potatoes, and possibly a little more coconut milk. You might have to play with the recipe just a little bit to get it how you want it, but potatoes, carrots, onions, and coconut milk could make a winning vegan cheese, guaranteed. :) One of these days, I’ll play with it for you and post the recipe that I come up with.
Luckily enough, I had all this stuff on hand–had to go rotini, though. I stir-fried up some broccoli and tossed it right in. So very much yum. The toddler just asked for more. I’m considering doing this with tahini instead of raw cashews (which are a luxury up here in Canada). I’ll let you know how it goes.
I want to try this recipe. Did you use unsweetened coconut milk or regular coconut milk? Can’t wait to try this.
Hi Hawah, I use regular canned coconut milk that you find in the Asian section of your grocery store. :)
This sounds great! Do you use just the fat from the coconut or do you stir it and than measure it?
Thanks,
Jen
I use canned coconut milk, and I stir the whole thing together–although, if you want a super rich mac and cheese, I imagine you could just use the fat. :)
http://VeganishDish
http://VeganishDish
This was yummy but I’d suggest you add the cashew soak at the very top, not very bottom. Thanks!
Boil the cashews with the veggies to save time. Worked great for me. :)
Can I substitute coconut milk for unsweetened almond milk?
Yes. You can. I used a coconut/almond milk combo. I also boiled the raw cashews with the veggies since I didn’t have time to soak them. I also highly recommend using smoked paprika from Trader Joe’s.
I made this and roasted garlic and butternut squash in the oven with salt and oil at 400 for an hour and added that in the blender and then season all of it to taste at the end adding turmeric and pepper. it was all super delicious!
Oh my lord that is the most amazing sauce I have ever tasted in my life. I can’t believe it’s healthy!!!!!
Used red potatoes and almond milk instead of yellow potatoes and coconut milk, and it probably tastes different but I’ll never know. I’m seriously in ecstasy here.
Great recipe. In addition to following the instructions, I also:
added salt, oregano and thyme to the veggie boiling water
boiled the cashews with the veggies
added a dash of soy sauce to the cashew cheese.
browned a couple tablespoons of tomato paste in a saucepan and returned the blended cashew cheese to the paste to mix in.
Ever since I read this recipe a few weeks ago I have made it 3 times. Today will be my fourth. I recently quit dairy and have been a mac and cheese/cheese lover all my life (I once had cheese as my fb profile picture, I was that much in love). This recipe is better that any “real cheese” mac and cheese I have ever had. Some people wouldn’t go as far as to say what I did but this is the truth from my perspective.
After reading the comments I thought it was a bit too good to be true so i spent an hour scrolling through more comments to find that one comment saying this recipe wasnt all that its cracked up to be (which i did find) so I could mentally prepare myself for when all hell broke lose.
With that being said, I tried this recipe for Thanksgiving and it was absolutely yummy! The sauce is seriously amazing and I just followed the recipe step by step. I have a pretty standard blender so I soaked my cashews overnight for maybe 10-15 hours (I started cooking later than expected). I dont know how much of a difference it made but my sauce was very smooth. Im a big fan of baked macaroni so after mixing i put it in the oven for 25-30 minutes and topped it off with some daiya cheese to give it that extra ummph. With or without the daiya, just being baked alone is delicious. Or not baking is delicious. Overall the sauce is delicious and I truly recommend to anyone looking to fill that mac and cheese void! haha
Delicious!! So happy! I added the cashews to boil with the potatoes, carrots, onions to soften. Added one 10 oz can of Rotel tomatoes, drained, and one 4 oz can of green chilies to blender for Nacho sauce. OMG! Yummy!!
Wow, Wow, Wow……..So killer…….been vegan forever and always trying new recipes. This one has been on my radar for a while, so glad I finally made it!!! Perfect for a cold, rainy So Cal day!! Many mahalos!!
Wow..Wow..Wow..This was so awesome!! Been vegan forever and always looking for new yummy recipes that do not include kale LOL! I subbed homemade almond milk for the coconut milk and it was fabulous. Doubled the recipe so I have leftovers for hubby..He loved it also. Am going to bring this to Christmas Eve at the fam bam, maybe convert a few carnivores!!!
I just finished making this for Christmas dinner and I have to say this is the closest thing I’ve had to my mom’s baked macaroni since I’ve been vegan! I couldn’t hold out–I just finished a whole serving! I did add more nutritional yeast and garlic powder because I love them both; I also had to add more salt, but that’s probably because I didn’t have enough salt in the pasta water. I added black pepper too because I just like black pepper in my mac n cheese. But this sauce is a winner; even my omnivorous sister gave me props! Will def be making this again. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Yay! So glad you enjoyed it!
Wow Wow Wow…Loved it soooo much I have made it 3 times in the last 5 days!! I doubled the recipe and used homemade almond milk instead of coconut milk, plus added the frozen peas towards to end to give it a dash of color!!! This is a keeper everyone!!!
can I use soy coconut milk from the carton? or does it have to be from the can?
I was wondering the same thing?
I tried it with light coconut milk but didn’t add water, and it seemed to work pretty well. I think it would be the same for milk from a carton.
Yay! Thanks for sharing a picture!
I added roast veggies to mine; it was lush. Thank you so much, this will be a staple now!
I wish I had read that prior to making mine (though it was great!). I steamed the veggies to not boil out any flavor and it was fantastic. Roasting would be better, though.
This was delicious! The only changes I made were to use half the potato amount and twice the carrot amount, and I threw a whole garlic clove into the boiling veggies rather than use garlic powder. Oh, and I used whole wheat noodles. I avoid all fake cheeses – so many ingredients I do not want in those. This was delicious without them. Thank you!
What can I use as a substitute for potatoes? I have an allergy to potatoes. Thanks
I tried this recipe over the weekend. Being very skeptical when it comes to vegan food (i automatically assume everything vegan tastes nutty and grainy..and generally kind of gross)…i was completely surprised and have changed my opinions on vegan cooking. I expected it also to be kind of mealy or grainy, but not the case. It was so creamy, smooth and glossy just how i like my cheese sauce! We also calculated the calories, and if you get 4 servings out of this recipe (big servings!) it’s roughly 375 calories/serving where as a regular non-vegan mac and cheese would probably be twice that amount for the same size of serving.This recipe is SO good, and being lactose intolerant, my tummy thanks you in more ways than one! I immediately added this recipe to be small but ever growing collection of “favourite” recipes. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!
can you use unsweetened almond milk for this recipe??
Wow, I was doubtful. This is AMAZING, I added Cumin as it adds a nice butter flavor. This could easily be poured over steamed broccoli, used on a baked potato, or for Nacho’s. Looks and tastes like cheese. I’m over the moon ecstatic. Thank you for the recipe! :)
Sorry…has no one noticed the baby foetus in the cheese sauce pic?! The birth of the greatest mac n cheese recipe perhaps….*snort snort* x
Call it Mac & Vheese
Would I be able to make this without nutritional yeast? I can’t seem to find it anywhere in my area.
You can find it at most bulk barns :)
Amazon!
Nooch has a really unique flavor but it’s only two tablespoons in this recipe so I suppose you could. Do yourself a favor and buy it online though. You’ll want to use it on everything!
Check at a health food store
Health stores sell it.
Whole Foods has it
I got Bragg nooch at Amazon. Is there a Whole Foods near you? They have it. https://amzn.to/2Ik6FUn
Can I substitute sweet potato for the potato?
Hi, I decided yesterday that I wanted to try out this recipe (because it looks and sounds AMAZING) so I went to the grocery store to buy the items needed. For some reason, Walmart does not have raw cashews so I got the roasted and salted ones instead. Do you know if the cashews would make a difference if I made it with the roasted and salted cashews? Also, they didn’t seem to have yeast flakes. I looked in Kroger, Walmart, and Neighborhoood Walmart since I was very desperate to try this out but none of the stores seemed to have it. Do you think this ingredient if required to make this? I’d be fine with ordering it online or looking at another store though if needed. Thanks :)
The nutritional yeast flakes is what gives it the cheese taste. Try whole foods, sprouts, or Amazon.
Okay, thank you! :)
An – I’ve not had any problems finding nutritional yeast flakes at our local Kroger. Our store stocks it in the aisle with other health food type items right adjacent to the produce section, not in the aisle with backing products along with the regular active baking yeast products. Hope you find it.
Nob Hill carries nutritional yeast~in the bulk section.
I want to seriously thank you, I have been in agony wondering how I would ever survive on a vegan diet, but my digestive tract does not cope well with animal byproducts and I do not enjoy eating meat for multiple reasons. It is hard to switch from a diet you’ve basically had since birth but I am determined to do it. This “mac’n’cheese” was very delicious and hits the spot. On to your other recipes!
So the cheese substitute was close to the real thing?
Do you use full fat coconut milk from the can?or light? or the boxed kind?
I was excited to try this recipe, and when I finally did, I didn’t like it. It was grainy and not smooth as it looks in the pictures. Still looking for a better recipe; perhaps daiya or vegan cream cheese is needed.
Try soaking the cashews for several hours or overnight before blending. Graininess in cashew sauces is usually because the blender used isn’t powerful enough to completely pulverise the cashews.
This is bad ass!!! Really cheesy! I added chopped steamed broccoli bits at the end and sprinkled more cayenne on mine as I didn’t want to feed it to my toddler. Thanks so much for one of the best vegan recipes I’ve tried!!
This tasted like pure de papa!Never imagined I would put it on macaroni but it makes sense since pure de papa is creamy.Yummy!
Hi Lindsay! I love that you adapted my recipe to make it your own. Versatility and adaptability are two of several great things about it, don’t you think? Happy cooking and joyful eating! =)
Thanks, Allison, for sharing such an amazing original recipe! :) :) :)
=) <3
Hi Jessica,
I don’t think you will get a terribly cheesy recipe if you use a tiny bit of the yeast flakes. However, in my opinion, it will still taste delicious without the nutritional yeast, as long as you season well with salt, garlic and onion powder. If I were you, I’d probably start by cutting the called for nutritional yeast in half, and see how I liked it. :) Hope that helps. :)
When do you add the other ingredients like coconut milk and spices? Thanks
Man oh man this was the best mac&cheese ever! I added himalayan salt & freshly ground black pepper and sprinkled vegan parmesan over the top. Thank you for this awesome recipe!!! (Anchen – South Africa).
Love himalayan salt!
Hi Lindsay! I’m not vegan but lactose intolerant and have been looking for a dairy free recipe for macaroni and cheese for the longest time. Do you think I can swap out the coconut milk for a regular lactose free milk as I’m not fond of the taste of the other?
Gah! I’m paleo, so I can only use sweet potatoes! I’ll try adding some tapioca starch to compensate. (And, of course, use paleo noodles. :) ) Hope this works! *fingerscross*
would it taste the same without nutritional yeast? I can’t get my hands on that in my country :(((
I’ve done some research as I will be moving to a country where I anticipate it to be difficult to get nutritional yeast. From what I’ve found, you can make nutritional yeast by toasting regular yeast used for bread making. Toasting it kills it, and adds flavor which should get it pretty close to the original thing.
thank you so much, I’ll give that a try
bread yeast costs a lot more than nutritional yeast.
maybe you could stock up on nutritional yeast, before you move.
or you could order it: https://www.pureformulas.com/nutritional-yeast-powder-10-oz-by-now.html
Planning on making vegan Mac & Cheese tomorrow but trying to fathom the measurements. I didn’t realise the American cup was so diverse depending on the type of food or maybe it isn’t that complicated. It looks really tasty. (I’m in Scotland so we use metric or imperial measuremens).Does anyone have equivalents in my language? !
WOW!! this was absolutely amazing!! i followed this to a tee, my only regret is that i used whole wheat pasta hahaha. no, it doesn’t taste like traditional mac and cheese and yeah i probably like real mac and cheese better, but as a vegan who was really reluctant to make the tradition due to my love of cheese this is a great option! its more of a pasta with a creamy sauce that has hints of cheesy flavor. i think i used a little too much potato and not enough water as well, which is probably why my sauce was a little thick. but overall amazing and ill definitely be making this often!
Is the coconut milk the type you would use in cereal, or the kind you would buy in a can / squeezed from the meat of the coconut?
Thank you! This seriously filled the spot and I have enough cheese sauce to put over some roast/steamed veg plus mac and cheese for 3 more meals! Anyone making this hoping for that synthetic cheese taste from the pack will be disappointed but this is BETTER – I don’t feel unwell and like passing out after a bowl haha!
Honestly so incredibly dissapointed in this recipe. Followed the recipe perfectly and my sauce is grainy and runny not at ALL creamy like your photograph implies.
This is officially my go to “cheese” sauce recipe!! I made a vegan lasagna with it as it was AMAZING! So pleased that I have finally put something together that satisfies my craving for lasagna. Love that this sauce is so healthy and good for you! I have to remind myself that I shouldn’t feel guilty eating it!
It should work! Just experiment a bit!
Has anyone tried freezing this to use later? I made this last night and it’s *exactly* what I was missing from my life, but it’s a little too much prep time for me. I would love to make this once and have it for a month though!
This recipe freezes quite well! I just made a second batch (and doubled the recipe) so I can have this at-the-ready whenever I want!
This recipe tastes wayyy better than the EB vegan Mac and cheese in a box. I used everything in the instructions except I used sweet potato instead of carrots and flax milk with a tablespoon of melted coconut oil and chili powder instead of cayenne pepper because I couldn’t wait to go to the store to make this
ok- my husband and i are new vegans and have been questioning how some bland-sounding vege sauce can be a sub for mac and cheese. WE WERE WRONG! and i am so glad! its sooo amazing. subbed vinegar for lemon juice. wish i made a bigger batch! Thank you!
When do you add in the cashews though??
Throw them in the blender. Everything goes in the blender, except the macaroni. :)
PS – I left out the Cayenne powder this time. I like spice, but I wasn’t sure about spicy mac and cheese… but next time I think I’ll try it. :)
So, like, what do you do with the other half of the ingredients? Are they part of the broth or the blend? Cashews, coconut, garlic, lemon…
Was this copypasted?
And where did you pull those time estimates?
It all goes in the blender. :)
Can I use almonds instead of cashews? I don’t have any cashews!
Can you omit the cashews? or maybe replace them with another nut or seed?
mine didn’t come out like that… and i used a food processor.. i came out gritty and not milky..
Hi Natalie! It’s hard to get it to come out creamy when you don’t have a high speed blender like a Vitamix or a Blendtec. However, if you soak your cashews overnight first, you are more likely to have a creamier consistency if a food processor is all you have right now.
So what are the calories?? Anyone know.. this stuff is great.. my 8 year old is totally into it. ..
This looks sooooo good! My question is this: When you call for coconut milk, do you mean canned coconut milk (which I typically use for making curries), or do you mean coconut milk “beverage” that you’d drink or have with cereal?
I’m still waiting on an answer to this, I’d like to know as well LOL
She means the kind in the can! I think some people have used the waterier kind in the carton and it’s fine… but I always use canned so it turns out creamy and delicious.
It will work with both.
What if for the cashews, they were boiled along with the potatoes and such, then before straining everything through a collinder the water was taken out for the blender. Would the cashews disintegrate in the boiling water or would this be an effective way to soften the cashews?
I’ve done this more than once and it seems to work just fine.
This recipe is awesome as a base. I found it extremely bland and next time I make it, I will have to up the spices and perhaps add others. That being said… the texture is perfect, and I doubt I will miss eating “real” mac and cheese now that I have this recipe!
This recipe has been a staple recipe in our house for a little over two years now! If you don’t want to soak those pesky cashews so this can be a bit more last minute, I find boiling them with the veggies produces the desired texture and makes the water used for the sauce a bit more flavorful. I always add a teaspoon of earth balance mayo because we tend to have almond milk on hand and don’t want to lose that creamy quality. Thank you for such an amazing recipe; I can’t wait to pass this on as we age. =)
I too, keep almond milk on hand, so I’m going to try it with a teaspoon of Chipolte flavored Just Mayo.
This was so yummy! I was worried my magic bullet wouldn’t work but it worked great, this was so delicious – I added an extra Tablespoon of nutritional yeast. Thanks for the recipe!
You are a GODDESS. I just found out my favorite vegan restaurant closed before I could try their mac and cheese so I decided to make my own. This is amazing. I added sauteed shiitake mushrooms and toasted pecans but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!
This is THE BEST vegan mac and cheese recipe I have tried so far! My entire family loves this and I am the only vegan one :)
Well, I just made my first vegan mac and cheeses using this recipe – and wow!! amazing. I am a huge mac and cheese fan… eating a lot of it in different phases of my life.
This tops traditional mac and cheese inmo… it has all the satisfying parts, without the gobs of butter/cheese/dairy that turn it into an anesthetic…
note: I had to tweek the recipe, I did not have carrot or onion, so only potato and 1/2 a fresh tomato. I added fresh garlic, and extra nutrition yeast. Soy milk, black pepper and substitute dry white whine for lemon juice.
awesome stuff! Thank you for sharing!
Eh, I’m a cheese lover but work in a Kosher meat kitchen so no dairy allowed. My co-chef found this recipe and we tried it. Again eh. We make a much tastier MAC and cheese with vegan sour cream or vegan cream cheese and vegetable broth with nutritional yeast and dusseldorf mustard. This recipe was bland and gritty, didn’t taste like cheese at all! It has potential and if it wasn’t so complicated I’d work at it a bit. Final conclusion? Bland, gritty and too complicated. There are many vegan dishes I enjoy but this is not one of them!
Sounds amazing Blanche! will you email me some sort of recipe. I can never seem to get back to these parts. [email protected]
I would love the recipe as well! [email protected]
I would love to try that recipe two Blanche. Country vegan in the back woods of NC. With the holidays around the corner I need and alternative to practice and fast! :-)
[email protected]
If it was gritty, you probably didn’t soak or boil your cashews for long enough. I make mine in a Vitamix (don’t even have to soak the cashews when using that kind of high-powered blender) and it comes out smooth and creamy every time. Give it another shot, I make it at least once a week because it’s so good!
I don’t think you made it properly. I can’t believe you think this is complicated?
too complicated. whatever.
Amazing recipe! <3
Did you add the spinach to the sauce, or mixed it with the noodles?
Oh my gosh, this was beautiful! Creamy, tangy and cheesy sauce, perfect over pasta and cauliflower. I added a half teaspoon of ready made mustard and lots of ground pepper because I like food with a bit of heat!
Oh my goodness!!! I just made this and it is absolutely delicious! I used almond milk instead of coconut milk though (didn’t have coconut in the house)! Thank you for sharing this!
Hey! did it taste good with almond milk or could u rly taste the almond milk? I don’t have coconut either and wanna make this asap!
I want to ask the same thing! Would almond milk change the flavor?
I feel like I’m missing the part about the raw cashews – they’re listed in the ingredients, but i don’t see them in the instructions…
Bri – it’s there. I had to read the recipe several times as I was looking for the cashews, too. They are lumped in with “remaining ingredients”. “When veggies are soft enough to blend, use a slotted spoon to remove them from cooking water, and place them in your blender. Add ¾ cup of that cooking water to your blender, along with your remaining ingredients.
Blend until smooth.”
Looks amazing. Is there a substitute for the potatoes? Thank you x
This recipe is just so awesome! i love it, thank you for this!
the second time i made it, i didn’t add the yeast (because its very strong) and i replaced the coconut milk with soy milk..
it turned out perfectooooo!
Our blender is not the best and this has been our GO-TO recipe for over two years, now. I’ve found that boiling the cashews with the veggies does a great job of ‘soaking’ without the aforethought, if people are a bit more last minute. We also add a spoon of vegan mayo and use almond milk, so the creaminess isn’t lost if you don’t usually buy coconut milk. ^.^ (Thank you for such an amazing recipe. I love passing it on to people.)
I have tried probably 5 other vegan mac and cheese recipes. THIS is the winner! My husband (not vegetarian much less vegan, he is in fact hunting this week!) LOVED it and is super excited about trying it over veggies and such too as a sauce. Our 3 year old son liked it too. SO happy to have found this recipe. Thank you!! :)
What gives this cheese sauce the yellowish color? ive tried many others and it comes out white-ish
Also, is it canned coconut milk?
Try Nutritional Yeast if you haven’t already. It usually gives it that yellowish color. :)
I’ve always used that but it doesnt seem to change the color. I’ve tried Turmeric and the color came out perfect but the taste is way too strong. Maybe a couple drops of food coloring instead
Use carrot like the recipe says? It’s an awesome recipe :-)
add a small amount of tomato paste if its not orange enough
The carrots color the sauce; it’s genius!
This looks amazing! I’m going to make it for my mom for Thanksgiving – she can’t have soy or dairy. I wanted to ask: can this sauce be made ahead and either refrigerated or frozen? How does it re-heat? (Normally I would just try it and see, but I don’t want to mess it up just before Thanksgiving…)
Hi Katie!! I made too much sauce and am thinking of freezing half of it. Did you ever wind up trying to freeze it and how did it come out if you did?
Hi Lisa, I didn’t end up making it ahead – I just made it on Thanksgiving morning. If you try freezing it, please let us know how it goes!!
This was great! Made it tonight and the kids loved it!!!
Okay! This recipe is a WINNER!!! I used sweet potatoes instead of potatoes and boiled my cashews with my veggies. Didn’t need carrots and the color was very “cheesy”! The taste was awesome! Looking forward to Feast of Gratitude with my family cause I can’t eat cheese so I’ll have my personal Mac and Cheese to go along with everyone else! ;-) Thanks for this Lindsay! I’ll upload a pic when it comes out of the oven.
could i just use cashew milk?
Thanks for this delicious recipe! I made this just as you suggested, but since I hadn’t soaked the cashews, I just boiled them with the vegetables. That softened them up and the blended sauce came out really creamy.
I did the same thing!! This recipe is so delicious, but it definitely needed more salt and I always add a kick with a little hot sauce or crushed red pepper to most of my vegan main course recipes.
Did not expect it to taste so good, wow! Thank you! :D
Yes! Can’t wait to try this, because THANK YOU for admitting that there is no such thing as vegan ‘cheese.’ I’m like guys I know we all love animals/don’t want to exploit them, but can we please get on the same page and openly admit that there’s no replacement for it? Because I feel like a bad vegan when everyone around me is eating slightly sweet/almondy, weirdly mushy, coconutty “cheese” products and being like “OMG I can’t even tell, wow, this would fool anyone!!” and I’m sitting there choking it down and wishing I had just never tasted cheese so that I couldn’t make the comparison….
Thank you. I am not even a vegan yet, but transitioning slowly. Looking for recipes that we enjoy. I see vegan cheese things all the time, but I’ve tried it and I think the expectation of cheese flavor is what kills it for me. I rather it just be considered its own thing. i know like everything else there is acclimation, but why even go there. Pasta with creamy sauce would be very appealing. At least in my opinion. I don’t want to speak for anyone else. It was just refreshing to here Cat’s opinion on vegan cheese. :)
I would say that FYH is pretty damn close, and plenty of other close cheese’s
I think it really comes down to personal taste. I have eaten many vegan things that I genuinely think taste the same as cheese. My boyfriend that is picky when it comes to something tasting like actual cheese has also eaten some things that he thought tasted the exact same. I really don’t think it’s true that all vegans that say they think something tastes genuinely cheesy are lying to themselves and the world and “not openly admitting it’.
It wasn’t good, so disappointed after reading these comments because it tasted like a creamy vegetable soup. Not like a flavourful cheese sauce at all. And I used up the last of my cashews :(
I wonder what you did wrong? I give this to dairy eating teenagers and they love it. A couple of them are seriously considering a vegan lifestyle.
Followed everything exactly except the cayenne pepper which is meant to be optional anyway. Maybe it’s just too bland for my taste.
I’m excited to try this recipe this evening! I’m try to decipher the ‘cup’ measurements. Can anyone me translate this recipe in to grams or ounces? Thanks!
Awesome recipe, really creamy!:)<3
Best mac & cheese recipe ever. Some modifications I recommend: 3 or more TBSP of nutritional yeast. Avocado and tempeh bacon are great toppings to add.
I made it. I might have messed it up a little bit because it tasted too much like carrot. I added some seasoning salt to fix this and its not bad. Probably will make again
Why hasn’t anyone mentioned that the cashews aren’t even included in the directions?! Did anyone actually make it?
Reread, you must have missed it.
“Add ¾ cup of that cooking water to your blender, along with your remaining ingredients.”
I roasted broccoli with olive oil and garlic and added to the meal – omg was delicious! Thank you for being so generous with your recipe.
this sauce is delicious! definitely needs salt imho. i added a teaspoon, even with the nutritional yeast. i used almond milk instead of coconut because that’s what i had in the fridge. very versatile! i also made a creamy broccoli casserole with it. so good!
Does this freeze well?
I was wondering the same – just the sauce. Did you try freezing it?
Like many others, I used sweet potato instead of a potato. I also recommend the full teaspoon of salt (instead of 3/4). Finally, I used excess water from boiling pasta to boil vegetables. In order to keep vegetables crisp, I recommend boiling hard vegetables like broccoli and harder mushrooms for only two minutes. This recipe was so delicious and a total winner. It’s my first time to try one of your recipes and I’m completely sold!
This is my favorite vegan Mac and cheese ever! That was definitely the hardest thing to give up, and I’m so happy to have found a substitute! I like to add a couple tablespoons of vegan butter to the sauce for an extra splash of creaminess :)
Does anyone know if this uses canned coconut milk or if it’s just the carton?
I use the carton kind and I have used almond milk with delicious results.
I think regular coconut milk out of a carton (i.e. same as almond milk and silk containers) would be gross and not intended for this recipe. Its the rich coconut milk out of a can, I wouldn’t even use light. Unless a person was dieting and wanting low fat, but in my strong opinion on this you will sacrifice flavour if you go to any low fat version. Full fat canned organic coconut milk is what I use, and I make quadruple recipes and freeze it in ice cube trays and small containers, it freezes really well. Everyone I serve to loves this recipe. I recommend vitamix blender which makes it creamy in 30 seconds as opposed to 1/2 hour in a ninja. I use raw white onion as opposed to cooking it with the potato/carrot, for stronger flavour.
I want to make this, but can anyone explain why you would use sweet potato over regular potato? Just trying to decide which way to go with the recipe. Thanks!
It’s doesnt call for sweet potato. It says yellow ( or gold) which is comprble to white. I don’t think you’d want a sweet flavor in here..
I added broccoli as well as a touch of follow your hearts American cheeze slices! Awesome vegan meal! Thank you
Holy moly, I was not expecting the sauce to taste so good that I would lick it off the spoon! I followed it to a t except I used smoked paprika instead of sweet paprika and I used a clove of garlic instead of garlic powder. It’s currently in the oven and I can’t wait to taste it with the bread crumbs.
Am I crazy or are the instructions not complete? Don’t see anything about the ingredients on the list starting from the cashews
Last sentence of step three: ¾ cup of that cooking water to your blender, along with your remaining ingredients.
Blend until smooth.
I had to reread the recipe to catch it myself.
This is amazing omg the sauce isn’t even on the pasta yet and I just want to drink it!! Soo damn tasty thank you for this vegan miracle <3
This stuff is addicting! My family has determined we like this BETTER than Mac and cheese!! I make double batches and freeze half so it is ready whenever we have a craving. I add about a tablespoon of mustard, some flax seed meal, and butternut squash to the recipe, although it is absolutely excellent as written. If you don’t eat it all in one sitting, it is even better the next day! Cold, too! Thank you, thank you for this dream of a dish!
My wife and I have been dairy free for nearly two years (along with GF). We’re now leaning vegan too (around 5 days a week vegan). I made a goat cheese mac and cheese that was dreadful last year. This recipe looked intriguing. I’m newer to vegan but have cooked 35 years. Tried this and just tweaked it a bit (though it would have been great as is). I used a whole can of coconut milk (and just replaced the water with that). I also added just a bit more salt. That’s basically it. Was fantastic. My wife, son and his girlfriend (who just went non dairy) all loved it. We have recently been to the best vegan restaurant in town and this recipe is much, much better than theirs (which I found bland, overpriced and forgettable).
I just made this delicious recipe and I substituted coconut milk with soy milk and doubled the recipe! It was so good I decided to bring it to a potluck dinner tonight! They’ll love it as much as I do! Thanks for the recipe!
Really good I had it over cauliflower and green beans. I added more nutritional yeast, maybe doubled it. Other than that I used almond milk because that was what I had. Definitely will make this again!
I’m sure that this has already been asked (and I apologize if it has), what if I don’t have the nutritional yeast? What benefit does this give. I’m on a dairy-free (ish) diet for a few weeks and was looking at this recipe. Also, what happens if I use non-lactose milk instead of coconut milk. I know it then becomes not a vegan dish but does anyone know if it affects the flavor? Sorry, this diet is new to me and it’s making me miss my mac-and-cheese. Thanks in advance!!
It really gives it the “cheesy,” flavor, so for me it would taste of without it.
This was great! I added fakin’ bacon for a
a more “”traditional”” taste, then baked with whole grain crumbles…yumm…next in going to adapt this for a slightly spicy nacho cheese sauce with tempe “beef”.
Does anyone know if the sauce freezes well?
I made this recipe but I added broccoli it was amazing!!!!
I wanted to like this so bad, but it was bland. I followed recipe exactly and even added extra nutritional yeast, spices, and a ton of salt.
Any tips?
So you don’t add the nutritional yeast or the cashews in the recipe?
“along with your remaining ingredients.” The remaining ingredients includes the nooch and cashews
just made this for my kids, who im having a hard time making vegan recipies that they like, and my son loves it!!! and me too, i topped it with some fresh basil and it went down fast!
was good! I added miso and nutritional yeast as per other’s comments…I also added 1 tbsp tapioca starch to thicken the sauce…I loved the texture but needs some tweaking for the flavour…maybe more garlic and nutritional yeast…
nice post mocksetplus
Hmmmm I’m not sure if I did something wrong, but just made this and it tasted of nothing :( gutted as it sounded amazing from all the reviews. Will try again and maybe add more nutritional yeast, garlic and seasoning. Also, I noticed when I put in the overly with the breadcrumbs, the sauce all dried up! Oh well, here’s hoping second attempt turns out better
I really loved this recipe but the same thing happened when I put into the oven, all the sauce dried up!! Any suggestions on how to prevent that??
do you have nutrition info for this?
I’m allergic to potatoes. Do you suppose sweet potatoes would work?
I think you could use cauliflower instead?
Was thinking cauliflower in place of potato as well even before I saw the recipe called for potatoes it would just add more flavour to the sauce I feel as potato at time can be bland
Did you steam the cauliflower first ?
I made my second batch with sweet potato it was the best decision i ever made.
Has anyone made the sauce a day or so ahead of time? …or does it not reheat well?
It reheats great! It freezes well, too.
This was so amazing. I boiled the cashews to make them easier to blend and added extra nooch and salt. I didn’t have coconut milk or lemon juice, so I used almond milk and lime juice instead and it worked perfectly! This was such a quick and easy recipe that tasted wonderful! I ended up with extra sauce, so I used to over nachos which was to die for. Thank you for this, I can’t wait to make it again and again!
Can I use veg broth instead of the water?
I did and it was delicious!!
I’m a new vegan and this was super good. I added a little more nutritional yeast…used leftover roasted potatoes…next time will roast all veggies. Used some extra sauce to dip tortilla chips in. Definitely crushed my cheese craving. Thank you!
I made the mistake of following someone’s advice here to add more coconut milk, by adding almost an entire tin. Big mistake! The consistency was just right but the coconut taste totally overpowering. My daughter has only just been put on a dairy free diet, so the taste was very wrong for her. But pleasantly surprised by the breadcrumb topping and next time we will try a different milk.
I am highly allergic to cashews and that seems to be the ‘in’ vegan item. This looks Amazing.
I’ve actually made this exact recipe not using cashews and it’s still delicious. Just maybe cut back on the water. I have also added a little orange Daiya when blending, this recipe is so adaptable.
Oh My Goodness this is AMAZING! Made a few tweaks. I cooked the potato, carrot, 3 cloves of garlic, onion and cashews in 1 cup of veggie stock (kept topping up the veggie stock as it boiled down). Once cooked I blended it all together with 4 tblspns of nutritional yeast, 1 teaspoon of red miso paste, 1/2 teaspoon of dijon mustard, juice of 1/2 a lemon, 1 teaspoon of Herbamare (herbed salt) and 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika. Mixed it through gluten free quinoa and rice macaroni, topped with breadcrumbs and grilled for 5 mins to make top crunchy. Everyone loves it! Kids AND Husband AND me!
Absolutely love this recipe! My boyfriend and I just went on vacation and made a double batch of the cheese sauce and froze it before leaving so we could use it on the trip. Made dinner so easy just defrosting the cheese sauce and boiling some pasta (and broccoli). Last thing we wanted todo was spend our evenings cooking or have lame dinners while on holiday and this recipe helped a lot!
Just made this, turned out amazing! I added a pinch of ground mustard to the sauce for a little extra tang. Fabulous recipe that will be a staple in our vegan lives now. Thanks for sharing!
Can peeled red potatoes be used in place of white or yellow?
Absolutely!
Replacement for Cashews? I’m allergic.
You could try walnuts or peanuts that’s if you are only allergic to cashews
You could also try sunflower seeds or blanched almonds.
Can this be frozen in a big batch and re-heated for later? Does it still taste good?
Yes, it reheats great. I freeze mine in jars but I’ve also heard ice cube trays work well.
I made this recipe so many times for various recipes. Today I turned the sauce into queso and it’s glorious!
I’ve also been playing with variations. Today I used a combo of sweet potato and butternut squash instead of yellow potato.
I told my husband I wanted to try and make vegan Mac and cheese. His response was to make it when he went out of town for work. I searched online until I found a recipe that wasn’t super crazy and one that didn’t have a bunch of stuff I didn’t know existed. I found this recipe and based on the ingredients and the reviews I decided to give it a go. The hubby went out of town Friday morning and i prepped everything the day before because I was working until 7 that night because I was determined to make it. Followed the recipe and even before I tried it i sent the hubs a picture. Let me tell you… THIS WAS AMAZING! I made it last Friday and tonight on Wednesday I am making it again so my husband can try it. I’ve told everyone about it and I cannot tell you how delicious it is. This is a must. Oh and I did have to substitutes the cashews for cashew butter I had on hand because it was one thing I forgot at the store and simply wasn’t willing to go back after work. It was yummmmmmmy!
Yay! So glad you liked it!
I made this tonight and it was so delicious! I added 1/4 of a capsicum and roasted it until it was a little charred for an additional smoky flavour but followed the rest of the recipe to a T and oh my goodness this is the best vegan mac and cheese I have tried so far. Thank you for this amazing recipe! https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/982d6ef75c568d696009061a564264a3d7f0cb22416e9f8f6ce9e2483efc1436.jpg
Looks delicious! Thanks for sharing a picture!
Thank you. I just put in the oven. I can tell it will be amazing.
JUST made this (exactly) and it was seriously delish. Even the resident caveman liked it. 5 stars and will be in the regular line up. TY!
Oh My YUM! Just finished licking the pot clean! I didn’t have any potatoes so I subbed in cauliflower. I also stirred about a 1/2 tablespoon of vegan butter into the pasta while I finished cooking the sauce. I served with peas for DH and the kids and sauteed spinach for me. Kids weren’t convinced until I topped with some Lawry’s salt then they gobbled it all up. This was the perfect creamy comfort food.
This recipe looks amazing. Just wondering if cashew milk can be used instead of coconut milk?
I use almond milk every time and its delicious, I just add a little less :)
My sauce curdled but not sure why. Despite the graininess it was still yummy though I did add extra nutritional yeast And salt.
Could this be frozen and then put straight in oven to roast or would it need to freeze first? Talking about the breadcrumb version which I intend to use wholewheat crumbs…Does anyone know?
I’m i’m an oscillating vegan vegetarian he’s just completed a seven day cleanse and want to carry-on-healthy!
I found you on Twitter and and committed to cooking sum of your recipes. Many thanks!
This recipe was so good. The cheese sauce was just missing something more tangy, so I added some nutmeg and white miso paste. I cooked it for my boyfriend and his kids, and they all loved it.
I didn’t have pre-soaked cashews, so I threw the raw chopped cashews into the Instant Pot with the veggies and water and set it to manual/high pressure for eight minutes. I mostly followed the recipe otherwise. Blended using our Oster blender. Subbed soy milk for coconut milk and added a 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum to get a more Velveeta-like texture. Great recipe! We can’t wait to make queso with it!
Do we add the coconut milk to the blender? Its not mentioned. Also like another person asked, will the recipe work without nutritional yeast?
That sound good and I love all the comments, I find them well worth the time as they are a good teaching tool!
I felt so dumb trying to figure it out. I found out I’m allergic to milk and this was the first recipe I tried making and I was running around my kitchen yelling “what do I do with these cashews!!! How long do they soak!! What am I doing!?!” Luckily it turned out pretty good though!
Lol I only know from watcmhing heaps of YouTube videos! I bet it was, ours turned out great too :)
i gotta admit, i came here because im lactose intolerant lmao
but by judging by the reviews, im sure the mac n cheese will be delicious
You are not lactose intolerant. You are not a baby cow!!
“Lactose intolerance” is a marketing term to get people to buy lactose free dairy products and other supplements that allow humans to digest a food that is not meant for them.
I just made this, it was SO GOOD. My omni husband was even surprised. I feel like some of the instructions were missing but I think I executed it right.
This looks yum!
I just wanted to add that for those wishing to dispense with cashews, there’s a potato cheese recipe on the “veggie on a penny” website that is very similar. When I can leave the cashews out, I do – they’re expensive and I find I can do without them in many instances. I save them for when I really need them, like for Bryanna Clark Grogan’s no-added-fat vegan mayo.
I always add extra nutritional yeast, a mild ground chili powder, and some Earth Balance (or extra if it’s already called for.) These make it extra cheesy.
Cashews have 550kcal per 100gram. If you add that to your daily caloric intake (which is largely what your daily food intake is based on, even if you only eat based on how hungry you are), they are cheaper than any other food, besides grain products. Their price per calorie is usually better than or equal to that of potatoes.
I have just made this delicious recipe. I used sweet potato and roasted red pepper (as I didn’t have any carrots) Hence it was orange! I have always been a bit sceptical about vegan ‘cheese sauces’ but, whatever your views on the matter, it just a super tasty creamy vegan pasta sauce. Thanks for sharing Lindsay!
I just tried this recipe, I substituted raw almonds and instead of the coconut milk, I added 1 cup of the starchy water from the combined boiled potato and carrots.
It turned out so creamy, thank you so much for this recipe.
Also, next time plan to try cauliflower instead of the potato and or butternut squash. Yum!
I actually used the cheese sauce (plus a little Daiya garlic and chive cream cheese – swapped out 1 tbsp of the brown rice flour for tapioca starch (which apparently adds to the gooiness) – and made broccoli soup instead – thanks for the recipe – delish!
Not great. It comes out too starchy and thin like water. To make it palatable I had to add more coconut milk to get it creamy and more salt to get the flavor of the nutritional yeast to shine. I would recommend substituting the water with coconut cream and salting to taste, none of this “1 teaspoon of salt” malarkey. The point of a cheese sauce is not to be super healthy for you, so why would a dairy free cheese sauce attempt to satisfy different needs? 1 star.
You must have made it wrong. User error.
Does this freeze well?
I made this and it tasted pretty good, but came out with a powdery texture. Can anyone guess why that might have happened? thank you!
Not high speed/commercial blender?
So, no mention of when to add the coconut milk, nutritional yeast, and cashews. I can assume you add it with the veggies but, if I didn’t watch/follow seasoned vegans I wouldn’t have. Not helpful for new and curious people interested in vegan recipes.
I just made this and it was A M A Z I N G! And so so easy! :)
I have instant yeast , will that work?
NOOOO instant yeast and nutritional yeast are two completely different things. One is inactive and has a nutty flavor and instant yeast is for making bread. It will ruin your meal.
Not at all no
No
I used almond milk instead of coconut … My sauce didn’t out as creamy as picture… Do you think that’s why or is it cause I used instant yeast instead of nutritional yeast
You definitely need nutritional yeast. It’s totally different than bread yeast. Nooch (nickname) has a cheesy flavor on its own. Buy it at health food stores or Amazon.
Coconut milk is creamier than any other nonmilk. Just buy unsweetened in the half gallon carton.
It’s best to have a high speed (2 or 3hp) blender (Vitamix/Blendtec)
Side note: I searched 2hp and 3hp blenders on Amazon and found knockoffs for under $100
I am trying to leave a 5 star review, but struggling. It was so wonderful! I added a bit more salt and tapioca starch and it was great!! I added some spinach and leftover cauliflower and it was excellent. What a delicious and versatile recipe. Thank you!
when it says coconut milk does it mean from the can or carton?
This is one of the best recipes i’ve made recently. I’m bookmarking it!
So bordering on veganism now for about 13 months…(still eating fish). My mom came in last week and made a huge batch of mac n cheese. I declined but I have had mac and cheese on my mind since then lol! It is haunting me. I went digging around for recipes yesterday and came across a few that I liked. I decided to make this one. With the exception of a little additional salt, I made this exactly as written. I also baked it for about 20 mins with gf bread crumbs. I have to meant to take a picture when I had it baked but as you can see, I couldn’t wait!! THIS was awesome. Couldn’t care if I ever see another pan of mac and cheese now that I have your baked orange yellow creamy sauce over macaroni recipe!
Hi, l love this and have made it a couple of times now. I’m wondering if l freeze this should l just freeze the sauce , or can l freeze the lot. Thanks for your recipe.