This is the only vegan macaroni and cheese recipe you’ll ever need because it’s the real deal! It’s super creamy, extra cheesy, kid-friendly, non-vegan approved, and it’s ready in only 25 minutes! Complete your weeknight dinner or holiday table with this classic veganized side dish!
This tasty vegan mac and cheese recipe is super creamy, extra cheesy, easy to make, kids love it and so do people who aren’t vegan! I just know you’re going to love it as much as I do!
I got my love for macaroni and cheese from my non-vegan dad. He has tried many of my past macaroni and cheese recipe attempts over the years, even the very first really awful one that I made for Thanksgiving in 2015. I made this version for Christmas dinner last year, and he loved it! That’s how I knew that this recipe truly is the best and that I needed to share it with you!
What is Vegan Macaroni and Cheese Made of?
While I do enjoy plant-based mac and cheese recipe variations that are made with potatoes, carrots, butternut squash, cashews, or cauliflower, I think that using vegan cheese to make the cheese sauce tastes the most like classic macaroni and cheese. If you’re not a fan of store-bought vegan cheese, you should give this recipe a try!
The process to make vegan macaroni and cheese is still the same as before you were vegan, you just need to make a few substitutes:
- Make a roux
- Add non-dairy milk
- Add vegan cheese + seasonings
- Let the cheese melt
- Pour the vegan cheese sauce over cooked noodles
The only difference is that you need to use vegan butter, non-dairy milk, and vegan cheese instead of dairy products. Pretty simple if you ask me!
How To Make Vegan Macaroni and Cheese
Start by melting the butter in a pan. Once it has completely melted, add the flour and whisk it into the melted butter to form a roux.
Next, add the plant milk, shredded vegan cheese, all of the dry seasonings to the saucepan to make the cheese sauce.
While you’re making the sauce, cook the elbow noodles in a separate pot of salted boiling water. When the noodles are done cooking, drain the water and pour the melted vegan cheese sauce over the hot noodles. Stir the pasta until the cheese sauce has evenly coated all the noodles.
Can You Make it in Advance?
Yes, you can make the macaroni and cheese 1-2 days in advance and store it in an airtight container in the fridge until you’re ready to reheat it. You’ll need to add at least 1/4 cup of liquid to the pasta as your reheat it to help the sauce loosen up.
Can You Freeze it?
Yes, you can freeze the leftover pasta in an airtight container in the freezer for 3-4 months. You can also make the vegan cheese sauce in advance, freeze it, and then defrost it 24 hours before you need it, reheat it, and pour it over freshly cooked hot noodles. I often do this for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner because it saves time to have the cheese sauce already made.
How to Reheat it
Fridge: You need to add at least 1/4 cup of unsweetened coconut milk or water to the pasta to help loosen up the sauce as you reheat it in a large pan over medium heat.
Frozen: Remove the frozen pasta from the freezer and put it in the fridge to defrost for 24 hours. Add at least 1/4 cup of unsweetened coconut milk or water to the pasta as you reheat it in a large pan over medium heat.
Substitutions & FAQ’s
- Gluten-Free: This vegan mac and cheese recipe is not gluten-free as-is, but you can make it gluten-free by using gluten-free flour for the roux and gluten-free elbow noodles, they taste great (You can also find them at Sprout’s Costco, and Whole Foods) and hold their shape perfectly!
- Vegan Butter Options: Miyokos butter is my favorite vegan butter, but you could also use Earth Balance or make your own with this recipe.
- Vegan Cheese Options: My favorite vegan shredded cheese to use is Violife shredded cheddar cheese, but I also like Follow Your Heart or So Delicious shredded cheddar cheese too.
- Does Almond Milk Taste Good in Mac and Cheese? Yes, it’s a great replacement for coconut milk. Just make sure that you use unsweetened almond milk. However, don’t use unsweetened soy milk, even though it doesn’t have any added sugar, it still makes the sauce taste sweet.
Success Tips
- Make sure to use unsweetened plant milk so the vegan cheese sauce won’t taste sweet.
- Use elbow noodles or any type of noodle that twists or curves because it will catch and hold the sauce the best.
- The turmeric powder isn’t for flavor, it’s what gives the vegan mac and cheese its classic yellow color.
- Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days or freeze it for a future meal.
More Vegan Pasta Recipes You’ll Love
Spinach Artichoke Dip Vegan Stuffed Shells
15-Min Creamy Vegan Alfredo Pasta
Vegan Macaroni and Cheese
Equipment
- Small Sauce Pan
- Large Pot
Ingredients
- 16 oz elbow noodles
- 4 tbsp vegan butter (I used Miyokos cultured vegan butter)
- 4 tbsp AP flour
- 3 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk (from a refrigerated carton)
- 3 cups shredded vegan cheddar cheese (I used Violife vegan shredded cheddar)
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder (Optional)
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp himalayan pink sea salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper (use white pepper if you don't want to see the specks)
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley roughly chopped
Instructions
- Melt 4 tbsp butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add 4 tbsp flour to the melted butter and whisk it for about 3 minutes to make a roux. Slowly pour in the 3 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk while whisking continuously. Let it heat up for a few minutes until the sauce thickens.
- While you're making the cheese sauce, cook the elbow noodles in salted, boiling water in a separate large pot. When the noodles are done cooking, reserve 1 cup of the salted water (in case you want to thin out the sauce to your desired consistency), and drain the rest of the water.
- Add the vegan shredded cheese, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper to the small saucepan. Keep stirring until all the cheese melts and sauce is thick and creamy.
- Pour the hot cheese sauce over the cooked noodles and mix it well so the cheese sauce coats every noodle. Garnish with fresh parsley.
Notes
- Make sure to use unsweetened plant milk so the vegan cheese sauce won't taste sweet.
- Use elbow noodles or any type of noodle that twists or curves because it will catch and hold the sauce the best.
- The turmeric powder isn't for flavor, it's what gives the macaroni its classic yellow color.
- Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days or freeze it for a future meal.
Nutrition
*This recipe was originally posted on 4/13/19, but I updated it with better recipe instructions on 5/26/20.
I don’t usually comment on recipes but this turned out so amazing I couldn’t resist.
I have been dairy free for ten years and this is the first mac and cheese recipe that tastes the closest to regular Mac and cheese I’ve found. The VIOLIFE cheese is DEFINITELY the way to go. I’ve tried with cashews and nutritional yeast, with Daiya cheese, and pretty much any other alternative you can think of and this is by far the easiest and yummiest!
I used Unsweetened oat milk instead coconut, a little bit of nutritional yeast for flavor and color instead of turmeric (didn’t have any on hand) and paprika instead of Cayenne as I’m not a huge spicy person. I also added artichoke hearts and bacon bits. This recipe made so much and was so amazing both my daughter and husband LOVED it despite neither of them being dairy free! 10/10 would suggest.
Thank you, Heidi! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
OMG!! This was the best vegan Mac and cheese I have ever made. After I made the Mac and cheese I decided to bake it and so I put some vegan breadcrumbs on top of it and baked for about 15 minutes at 400°F. This made the breadcrumbs crispy and my whole family loved the dish. Thank you so much for such a great recipe, I will be saving this for the future.
I’m so glad you liked the recipe, Isabella! Thanks for the feedback! =)
Is almond or soy milk fine instead of coconut milk?
I wouldn’t use soy milk, but unsweetened plain (not vanila) almond milk will work fine! I tried making it with unsweetened soy milk and it gave the pasta the strangest sweet flavor even though it was plain and unsweetened.
OMG this was epic AND I have leftovers *rejoicing wildly* Think you so much for this fantastic recipe!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe!
Omg this is the exact recipe I’ve been looking for! Thank you so much! And so good!! I bought so much Violife cheese and Earth Balance butter sticks and wanted a really easy simple straightforward traditional recipe. I find it weird too about using unsweetened soy milk when I used it. Even though it says “unsweetened” it still came out strangely sweet and ruined my Thanksgiving dinner. Everyone was asking if I added sugar or vanilla extract even though I used plain and unsweetened. After the first round no one wanted to touch it lol. I was so embarrassed! This time I used unsweetened coconut milk and it turned out delish!
I’m so glad you liked it and that it turned out better the second time! Merry Christmas, Amethyst!
I want to make this today for thanksgiving tomorrow… any recommendations for how to do so and keep it as yummy as when it is first made??
Hey! You can make it today and add about 1/4-1/2 cup more unsweetened coconut milk when you heat it up tomorrow. The liquid will help to loosen up the sauce and make it super creamy again. You could also make the cheese sauce today and store it separately from the noodles and then just reheat (you might need to add a little bit more liquid) the cheese sauce tomorrow and mix it with the hot noodles. Either way will be delicious! Enjoy!
I wonder if I can make the cheese a few days before for prep for thabksgiving
Yes, you can!
Hello! I’m going to make this over the weekend but just wondering if you had tried freezing this and if it worked ok? I’ve got loads of Violife cheese that needs using up so I was thinking of making a huge batch and freezing some. Thanks so much for sharing! I will update when I’ve made it 🙂
Hey, Dee! Yes, you can freeze it, just add more unsweetened plant milk to it when you reheat it. Enjoy!
My family loved this macaroni and cheese, it’s so cheesy and it really reminds me of the dairy mac n cheese that I used to love! If you have leftovers, you need to add more liquid to it when you reheat it so it doesn’t dry out. I’ll definitely be serving this for Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, it’s a keeper!
Thank you! I’m happy you enjoyed it. I’ll be making it for the holidays this year too!
Aaaww thank you for the butter shoutout Stacey! It couldn’t be in a better place because Mac and Cheese is my all time favourite meal.
You’re welcome, Mel!