Baked Vegan Mac and Cheese

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

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.

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.

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.

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

More Popular Karissa's Vegan Kitchen Recipes to Try:

• Vegan Meatballs
• Vegan Ranch Dressing
• Chickpea Salad Sandwiches
• Whole Roasted Cauliflower
• The Best Vegan Brownies