This is the BEST Vegan Mac And Cheese recipe! A creamy delicious vegan cheese sauce made with raw cashews and poured over tender pasta. It’s SO easy to make and ready to eat in no time.
Yeah, I know. Every food blogger at some point says one of their recipes is “the best.” But, in this case, I really believe it.
Why? Because that’s what my kids said about this recipe. So, I’m just gonna go with it. Honestly, I do believe this vegan mac and cheese is one of the best recipes out there. And, I would love for you to have the chance to experience it.
Are you ready? Let’s GO!
Does Vegan Mac and Cheese Taste Good
Are you kidding me?!? Yes, it is absolutely delicious. It’s creamy, smooth, tangy, and rich. Just like regular mac and cheese. Do you think I’d ever put something on here I thought sucked?
I love you too much.
How Do You Make Vegan Mac and Cheese
Start by cooking your pasta according to the instructions on the package. But, be sure and not to overcook. While the pasta is cooking, boil the cashews for about 10 minutes, and drain them. This will allow them to blend much easier and make them super creamy.
Now, add the cashews to your blender along with the unsweetened almond milk, water, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, nutritional yeast, turmeric, salt, smoked paprika, and garlic powder. Blend everything on high until the cheese sauce is smooth and creamy.
Drain and rinse the pasta once it's finished cooking. Pour the pasta back into the pot, stir in the vegan cheese sauce, and mix everything together. Now, just season to fit your taste and devour.
That’s it! The BEST Vegan Mac and Cheese even a non vegan will love!
Can I Make It Gluten Free
Yes, absolutely! The cheese sauce is already gluten-free so just use your favorite gluten free pasta to take it all the way. It’s that easy.
What To Serve With Vegan Mac and Cheese
- Vegan Parmesan
- Creamy Vegan Mashed Potatoes
- Green Bean Casserole with Onion Rings
- Sweet Potato Casserole
You will love this Vegan Mac & Cheese. It’s…
- Ultra Creamy
- Cheesy
- Hearty
- Satisfying
- Easy to make
- Perfect for the holidays
- A major comfort food
- Dairy free
- & THE BEST
Looking for more vegan cheese recipes? Try my Vegan Cheese Sauce and Vegan Cashew Queso. Both are amazing!
Looking for Christmas gifts or just want to update your own kitchen? Check out these 20 Kitchen Must Haves For Healthy Vegan Cooking.
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a comment below with a star rating. And, be sure to share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #shaneandsimple. I want to see your work!
Vegan Mac And Cheese
- Total Time25 minutes
- Yield10 1x
- DietVegan
Ingredients
- 2 cup raw cashews, boiled for 10 mins.
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- ½ cup water
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup + 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp. mustard (yellow or dijon)
- ½ tsp. turmeric
- 1 tsp. of salt
- ½ tsp. smoked paprika
- ½ tsp. garlic powder
- 16 ounces of elbow or shell pasta of choice, ideally whole grain if possible
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to the instruction on the package. But, be sure and not to overcook.
- Boil and drain the cashews. Add the cashews to your blender along with the almond milk, water, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, nutritional yeast, turmeric, salt, smoked paprika, and garlic powder. Blend on high until the cheese sauce is smooth and creamy. Set aside until the pasta is ready.
- Drain and rinse the pasta once it’s finished cooking. Pour the pasta back into the pot, stir in the vegan cheese sauce, and mix until everything is well combined.
- Season to taste and serve immediately!
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 261
- Sugar: 2.2 g
- Sodium: 146 mg
- Fat: 13.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 28.6 g
- Fiber: 3.8 g
- Protein: 9.4 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins.
- Category: Side Dish
- Cuisine: Vegan
I made this today to eat at church before we decorated for the holidays. It went quickly! I added some chili powder and 2 roasted red peppers to the sauce, and some frozen mixed veggies to the dish. I’m probably going to make another batch for me today and add a can of white beans for added protein.
This went together easily and was very creamy. I fount the flavor to be somewhat bland. Which ingredient(s) would you suggest increasing?
Shane, this recipe is AMAZEBALLS!! I have made several vegan Mac and cheese recipes, and this one blew me away!! So yummy and so easy! So glad I stumbled across you, you have another life long fan!! Chef’s kiss 😘
Wow, thank you so much!!! It’s one of our faves around the house.
Sooo yum! Can’t lie, i was skeptical Shane! But, once again you blow my mind and my tastebuds have a party!! Thank you!
I made the Korean Bolognese too, with only half the maple syrup. Took your mac and cheese and added the Korean Bolognese! Be still my cold black heart! *giggles* Very yummy!!
How many cups uncooked macaroni would 16oz be? (here in Canada everything is in grams!) Thanks!
It would be 454 grams.
Really really like this cheese sauce! Have tried so many cheese sauce and mac and cheese recipes and yours is the first that actually tasted good and did not discard. Going to try your baked version too and add homemade seasoned bread crumbs. Loving your recipes and so glad I found your website. Thanks, Shane, and Blessings
Thank you so much!!!
This was really, really good! I am going to make it on Christmas Day for guests but I would like to bake it with bread crumbs on top. I noticed the cashew sauce thickens up quite a bit upon sitting, so would you recommend increasing the water/milk to prevent. I feel like I would need to to keep in “saucey”. Thank you!
Hi, Karla! Yes, I would suggest adding a little milk until it suits your preference. So glad you enjoyed it:)
OK… I agree with your kids!! This is the best cheese sauce AVER!
I had everything in the house (I’ve been buying everything little by little) so I whipped it up. Delicious!!
LOL, thank you so much!
Forgot to leave a rating! Definitely 5 stars!
Thank you:)
This recipe is INCREDIBLE! It has so much flavor and is so easy to throw together with ingredients I always have in my kitchen. I always get requests every year to make this recipe for Thanksgiving! Thanks for another winner Shane!
Do I need to boil the cashews if I have a vitamix?
No. I sometimes boil them just because I think it makes the creamier.
Simply delicious! Thank you Shane!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you so much for this amazing recipe! I usually have it about once week, sometimes twice. I usually use unsweetened organic soy milk vice the unsweetened almond milk though to make it a little more creamier.
So yummy! This really is the best. Even my picky four year old loves it!
This is the best Vegan cheese sauce I’ve tried
WOW! I have always found Mac and Cheese to be a bit bland but this is so delicious! Thanks for another great recipe Shane!
Can I use oat milk? I am excited to try this!
Yes, absolutely!
This. Is. Amazing. I’ve tried so many cheese sauces. So, so many. And I agree with someone else who said the ingredients don’t look that different than the other recipes so I was super skeptical. But, I’ve liked all the recipes I’ve made from Shane, and had everything on hand, so I thought I’d give it a go. I’M SO HAPPY I DID. This recipe is never leaving my collection, and I will use even just the sauce recipe for multiple things. You must try this if you’re looking for a vegan cheese sauce. This is going to make my transition to giving up dairy so much easier. Thank you Shane!
Thank you so much! And, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!
Can his be topped with bread crumbs and baked?
Yes. Or, you could try this one:)
https://shaneandsimple.com/vegan-baked-mac-and-cheese/
I’ve tried several vegan cheese sauce recipes but they all turn out watery. This is the thickest sauce I’ve tried! Thanks for a great recipe. I used veggie spaghetti noodles instead of the elbows. I love your recipes!
Thank you, Barbara! I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
Really good, this was my first time, I’ll be making this again for Hubby and me!
This was so good! My first time making vegan Mac and Cheese and first time using my new VitaMix blender. I had all the ingredients on hand. Quick, easy recipe. Thank you!
Hi Shane went on Amazon to order the cashews, but the bag does not look like your bag in the description when I clicked on the amazon link, please help am I ordering the right ones? Its called NUTS U.S. It is a four pound bag, which they are out of so Im trying to order the 2 pound bag.
The link is correct the bag is outdated. I’ll try and get a better one.
Our son has nut allergies. Do you think if we replaced the cashews with white beans it would work?
Use this cheese sauce instead. It’s made with carrots and potatoes. Should work just fine:)
I cannot have nuts, either. Where is the recipe with the carrots and potatoes, instead of the cashews?
BOOM!
https://shaneandsimple.com/vegan-cheese-sauce/
I have used while beans instead of nuts to bring down the fat,
I meant to say “White beans, like Great northern beans, to replace nuts, to bring down the fat in the dish, what do you thing Shane, do you think this would work in this recipes,
soooooooo good! added fire roasted tomatoes and peas – put in the smoker for a couple of hours – the crowds went wild!
Crazy good!! Brand new to WFPB. Didn’t even know what nutritional yeast was! Live in rural area with limited access to recipe ingredients, so enjoying “simple” dishes. Nothing simple about this recipe’s taste. Fab!
Melaine, that is so great! And, welcome. Thank you for your comments, rating, and reaching out. Pumped to have you on this plant-journey! Blessings.
This is hands down, and I’ve tried them All. Yep, I’ve Tried it! Yep, I’ve tried that one too. The one with Oat’s, I’ve tried it. I also get it’s a fat-free version and it was great for what it was, but this truly is, the best hands down Creamy Sauce and Noodle Recipe I have EVERY Tasted! THANK YOU! I don’t call it Cheese because Cheese Grosses me out. Who needs that garbage when you have such Delicious Creaminess in this recipe! So I have been pent up at home like the rest of the world due to COVID-19 and I made this, I didn’t have Tumeric so I used Cumin which I love anyway and it turned out amazing. Today, As we speak I’m making it again this time with Tumeric since I was able to have some delivered. This time and last time I used Oat Milk which is what I use and keep on hand! My hats off to you! I’ve always been a fan, but now you have one for LIFE! Thank you and keep up the excellent work. I hope this finds you and your family safe and well. Take Good Care! Dan
Wow! Thank you so much, Dan!
Shane do you think this would freeze well?
OMG this is just so delicious – and cheesy!! Divine!!!
Thank you, Lisa! So glad you liked it:)
Blessings,
shane
I’ve been trying to get back on track after the holidays, but many of the recipes I have been making from another popular plant-based website have been bland or less than appetizing. I was getting discouraged, and then I found your website. The vegan mac and cheese is the first recipe I have tried and OMG!! This was exactly what I needed to get excited again about vegan eating. My husband and son even loved it and they have been a hard sell on plant-based eating. I have a full week of your recipes planned and I can’t wait to try them. Thank you for this great website and all the wonderful recipes. I enjoyed reading about your journey to plant-based eating. I’m feeling energized and confident again that I will be back on track in no time!
Traci, that’s so encouraging and I’m so happy to hear this. Good luck on your journey and please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or comments. This is exactly why I do what I do…for testimonials just like this. Keep your head up…you got this. Blessings and Happy New Year!
I’ve tried four different vegan mac and cheese recipes – this is the only one I will be making again! I made a few substitutions (raw sunflower seeds in place of cashews, rice milk instead of almond milk). I also used 1 cup of nutritional yeast (and added a little bit more water and rice milk to match). I love that cheesy flavor! Was it like a dairy-filled version of mac and cheese? Of course not. But it was delicious, and truly easy. I’ve made so many recipes that claim to be easy, but are far from it. This one really was easy! And also a wonderful version of comfort food.
Colleen, thank you so much and I’m so glad you enjoyed it. I really appreciate you reaching out and the kind words. Also, way to make it your own and make it work for you. LOVE seeing that. Have a great New Year!
Hi Shane – Would rice milk work in place of almond milk?
Thanks!
Yes, you should not have any issues.
We made this as one of our sides for Thanksgiving and LOVED it! Admittedly, the amount of sauce made from the recipe was more than we needed, but the taste was so delicious! Definitely a new staple in our Thanksgiving line-up!
Thank you, Deron! Is there such a thing as too much sauce? I think not. LOL! Happy Holidays!
How long will it keep in the refrigerator? Can you freeze unused portions?
I wouldn’t freeze it. But, it will keep up to a week in a covered container. Blessings.
I’ve made many different vegan Mac and cheese recipes before. Some have been nice while others just ok. When I received yours via email I scanned the ingredients and thought it wasn’t too much different than some others I’d made. I decided to make this tonight and I’m so thrilled I did!! This was excellent!! I must say I do believe this is the best vegan Mac and Cheese! Thanks for a keeper. So easy to bring together too.
Wow, thank you so much, Trish! I’m so glad you liked it and honored you tried it. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with comments or questions. I really appreciate it. Blessings.
Delicous
Thank you!!!
Holy deliciousness, Batman!! This is awesome. Next time I’m going to try half regular and half dijon mustards, just to see how we like it. Have you tried this as a queso? I’m thinking that adding a can of green chiles or some rotel would be outstanding. Such a happy tummy right now….thanks for another winner, Shane!!
Marsha, that is so great! I’m so glad your tummy is happy:) Funny enough, I do have a cashew queso recipe on the blog. LOL!!! Just type “queso” in the search bar. Also, if you wouldn’t mind “rating” this recipe, I’d be eternally grateful. It helps me out with Google. 🙂 Blessings.
Would soy milk affect the taste?
No, unsweetened soy milk would work just fine.