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    Home » Meals » Side Dishes

    Baked Vegan Mac and Cheese

    Published Jul 28, 2020 · Updated Jul 10, 2021 · 7 Comments

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    This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission. See my disclosure policy.

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    Easy, cheesy, and creamy baked vegan mac and cheese recipe! Nut-free and oil-free.

    Bowl of vegan mac and cheese with a fork.
    I love topping my vegan mac & cheese with breadcrumbs for a crunch.

    Everyone needs a good mac and cheese recipe in their arsenal - so today I'm bringing you the creamiest, dreamiest homemade baked vegan mac and cheese that you can impress your friends and family with. Or just eat straight out of the pan by yourself. Enjoy as the main dish, or as a side!

    This recipe calls for full-fat coconut milk, which makes for a rich cheese sauce, alongside your favorite shredded vegan cheese. What this recipe does not contain is soy or nuts, making it totally top 8 allergy-friendly.

    Table with mac and cheese ingredients
    Basic ingredients needed - like canned coconut milk, nutritional yeast, and vegan cheddar.

    Ingredients

    You don't need anything complicated to make this macaroni and cheese! For the measurements and printable recipe, see the recipe card at the end of this post.

    • Macaroni: You can, of course, use another type of small noodle.
    • Coconut milk: It has to be canned, full-fat coconut milk. Sweetened coconut milk or coconut in a carton will not work. Other dairy-free milks such as cashew or oat will also not work in this recipe without additional modifications (such as more flour to create a thickness.)
    • Flour: To help the thicken the sauce.
    • Nutritional yeast: Adds that classic vegan cheesy flavor.
    • Seasonings: Garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, paprika, and ground mustard seed.
    • Shredded vegan cheddar cheese: Use your favorite brand! I usually buy VioLife, Daiya, Follow Your Heart, or So Delicious.
    • Breadcrumbs and melted butter: To make a delicious topping! You can also top with more cheese.
    Vegan cheese all melted in a pot with a whisk.
    Thicken the sauce on the stove.

    Instructions

    See the Tips and Variations section for stovetop instructions and other important info! Get the printable version in the recipe card below.

    • Preheat oven to 425°F.
    • Cook the macaroni as instructed on the box. Strain.
    • In the meantime, add the coconut milk to a medium-sized saucepan. Whisk in the flour, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, paprika, and mustard powder.
    • Bring to a simmer on medium heat. Turn the heat off and mix in the shredded vegan cheese until melted.
    • In a casserole dish (I use a 4-quart), mix together the macaroni and the cheese sauce.
    • Mix together the melted butter and breadcrumbs. Sprinkle on top of the mac and cheese.
    • Bake for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown on top.
    • Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.
    Collage of making mac and cheese
    Baked to PERFECTION!

    Tips and Variations

    • Low-fat: If you are looking for a low-fat variation, I recommend making a potato-and-carrot-based cheese like this vegan nacho cheese (just omit the nacho seasonings and add in the seasonings from this recipe.)
    • Stovetop variation: Simply mix the cooked noodles with the warm cheese sauce and chow down.
    • Omit the shredded cheese: If you don't like vegan cheese or can't find any, go ahead and omit it. The sauce will still be heavenly! Mix in a little more nutritional yeast for added flavor.
    • Spicy: Add a can of diced jalapenos for a kick.
    • Gluten-free: Use your favorite gluten-free pasta and substitute the flour with cornstarch.
    • Substituting coconut milk: If you are worried this recipe will taste strongly of coconut, I assure you it doesn't - the additional seasonings mute the coconut flavor. (Canned coconut milk does not have that weird artificial coconut flavor to it anyway.) Substituting with another dairy-free milk from a carton will require more flour to thicken and will not be as rich in mouthfeel or flavor. However, you can substitute with 3 cups of milk and ⅓ cup of flour. I recommend a thicker milk like oat or soy. You may also want to add in some vegan butter to add richness.

    Making Ahead and Storage

    • To make ahead, I recommend storing the cooked macaroni and prepared cheese sauce in the fridge separately. Otherwise, the noodles will soak up the cheese sauce resulting in a dry dish. Assemble when you are ready to eat it and bake as instructed.
    • Store any leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days.

    Tutorial Video

    A closeup of the finished dish in a pan.
    The coconut milk is really the key to a super rich & creamy sauce.

    Did you enjoy this recipe? Please leave a comment and a ⭐ star review below!

    Dish of mac and cheese

    Baked Vegan Mac and Cheese

    Karissa Besaw
    Delicious, cheesy, and creamy vegan baked mac and cheese! This recipe is nut-free and soy-free.
    4.78 from 27 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 25 mins
    Total Time 35 mins
    Course Dinner, Main Course, Side Dish
    Cuisine American, Vegan
    Servings 10 sides
    Calories 452 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 lb. box of elbow macaroni
    • 2 cans coconut milk full fat (not light)
    • 1 tablespoon flour
    • 1 cup nutritional yeast
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1 teaspoon onion powder
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon black pepper
    • ¾ teaspoon paprika
    • ¼ teaspoon ground mustard seed powder
    • 1 cup shredded vegan cheddar

    Breadcrumb Topping

    • 1 cup breadcrumbs
    • ⅓ cup melted vegan butter

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 425°F.
    • Cook the macaroni as instructed on the box. Strain.
    • While the pasta is cooking, add the coconut milk to a medium-sized saucepan. Whisk in the flour, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, paprika, and mustard powder.
    • Bring to a simmer on medium heat. Turn the heat off and mix in the shredded vegan cheese until melted.
    • In a casserole dish (I use a 4-quart), mix together the macaroni and the cheese sauce.
    • Mix together the melted butter and breadcrumbs. Sprinkle on top of the mac and cheese.
    • Bake for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown on top.
    • Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.

    Notes

    • Make sure the coconut milk is full-fat, unsweetened in the can. Carton coconut milk will not work for this recipe.
    • Mix the coconut milk and flour together before heating the pot, otherwise it will clump up.
    • The cans of coconut milk I use are 13.66 ounces each.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 452kcalCarbohydrates: 50gProtein: 12gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 16gSodium: 473mgPotassium: 382mgFiber: 4gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 290IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 51mgIron: 4mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    About Karissa

    Hey! I’m happy you’re here! My name is Karissa and I’ve been cooking up delicious vegan food since going vegan in 2016. Not vegan and just want to eat more plants? We don't judge - everyone is welcome in our kitchen. Read more...

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    Comments

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Ruth Cap says

      November 29, 2021 at 12:50 pm

      5 stars
      This recipe was a hit in my home, from our dairy eating and non dairy eating guests alike!! I had everything from the ingredient list on hand and used GF organic chickpea macaroni noodles. The noodles were perfectly al dente and the sauce was SO cheesy! Saving this recipe to make again and again!

      Reply
    2. Tie says

      July 19, 2021 at 6:03 pm

      2 stars
      I made this recipe, I added an extra cup of vegan cheese. Though it’s tasty I wouldn’t call this Mac and cheese. I was really looking forward to the taste of Mac and cheese and this was not that.

      Reply
    3. Catharine says

      June 07, 2021 at 8:55 pm

      5 stars
      My daughter has disliked every other vegan Mac and Cheese, yet she loves this one. Has asked for me to make it the last three weeks in a row! Happy to have a vegan option for my kiddo!

      Reply
    4. Steph says

      May 13, 2021 at 5:30 pm

      2 stars
      This is not Mac and cheese. It's pasta gratin. It's tasty as a gratin but it does not taste like Mac and cheese...
      I'd give it a higher rating if it wasn't stated as "Mac and cheese". It really doesn't taste like cheese at all and I had in three times more vegan cheddar cheese than what the recipe says...

      Reply
    5. Collette Turner says

      May 01, 2021 at 12:14 pm

      5 stars
      Very rich tasting! I loved it!

      Reply
    6. Shannon says

      March 06, 2021 at 2:20 pm

      5 stars
      Made exactly as directed and came out delicious. Hubby didn’t notice it was dairy free. Used all ingredients I found at Target. Very pleased with the outcome. Will make again.

      Reply
    7. Viva Henny says

      December 27, 2020 at 7:46 pm

      5 stars
      Really great recipe it was a hit with fam and friends at Christmas Eve dinner

      Reply

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