An easy-to-prepare, sticky, vegan cheese sauce coats macaroni noodles to make this delicious, kid-friendly Vegan Mac & Cheese!
Even as an adult, I still love mac & cheese.
Especially when it's EASY and VEGAN mac and cheese.
There are so many different ways to enjoy "cheese" while still eating a plant-based, vegan diet.
We love this Simple Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce and my 4 ingredient Vegan Parmesan Cheese.
But when it comes to making a full meal that is both balanced and delicious, I love to whip up this easy, Vegan Mac & Cheese Recipe!
Let me walk you through how to make it!
Ingredients You'll Need for Vegan Cheese Sauce
As a busy mom of two little kids, I need quick and easy meals.
The vegan cheese sauce in this mac & cheese recipe is so easy to make and beautifully coats whatever pasta you have on hand!
To make this easy vegan cheese sauce, you'll need the following ingredients:
- Vegan butter
- Flour
- Non-dairy, unflavored, unsweetened milk
- Nutritional yeast
- Garlic powder
- Salt
- Paprika
- Optional: shredded vegan cheese
If I want the mac & cheese to taste more like boxed mac and cheese, I'll add in the optional shredded vegan cheese.
However, if I want a slightly less processed meal, I'll omit the vegan cheese!
How to Make Vegan Cheese Sauce
This vegan cheese sauce is super easy to make.
Make a roux: To start, you're going to make a roux by melting some vegan butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
Once the butter has melted, whisk in some flour until a thick, smooth paste forms. Allow the mixture to cook for a minute or so.
Add in the milk: Next, slowly whisk in your non dairy milk until a smooth sauce forms.
Spice it up: Lastly, whisk in the nutritional yeast, spices and optional vegan shredded cheese.
The cheese sauce will thicken the longer you keep it over the heat, so once it has reached your desired consistency, remove it from the heat!
How to Make Vegan Mac & Cheese
This recipe is really easy to prepare and comes together quickly.
I highly recommend boiling your macaroni noodles as you make the cheese sauce. That way you can have everything ready to go in the time it takes to boil your noodles!
Once you sauce is ready and your noodles are cooke, drain and rinse the noodles before adding them to your cheese sauce and stirring everything well to combine.
That's it!
You now have some delicious, creamy vegan mac & cheese that I know the whole family will enjoy!
The Best Ways to Enjoy Mac & Cheese
There are so many different ways to enjoy mac & cheese.
Some of these ideas I'm sure you've tried before, while others may seem a bit strange.
Either way, I hope you give some of these mix-ins and toppings a try!
- Add in some peas (as seen in this recipe)
- Add lots of black pepper on top (this is how I ate mine growing up!)
- Stir in some ketchup (my brother's favorite way to enjoy mac & cheese)
- Add bulk by stirring in roasted veggies and a protein source
- Bake it! Pour the mac & cheese into a baking dish, top it with bread crumbs and bake it until the top is golden brown and crispy!
- Make a Mac & Cheese grilled cheese!
- Make a Mac & Cheese bar and serve this recipe will a bunch of different toppings for people to choose from
- Spice it up with red pepper flakes or sriracha
Get creative and use this vegan mac and cheese recipe as the base for a bunch of different meal creations!
How to Store Leftover Vegan Mac & Cheese
I love to make a full batch of this recipe, even if it's just a few of us eating it.
The leftovers keep beautifully!
Simply allow any leftovers to cool completely before transferring them to an airtight container and storing them in the fridge for 2-3 days.
How to Reheat Leftover Mac & Cheese
Whenever I'm reheating leftover pasta, I love to place a serving into a microwave-safe bowl, sprinkle some water over top and zap it until heated through.
The extra sprinkling of water add some moisture back into the pasta, making it nice and creamy again!
More Cheesy Vegan Recipes
If you love cheese, be sure to try out some of the recipes below:
- Easy Vegan Baked Ziti
- Cheesy Vegan Black Bean Dip
- Vegan Parmesan Cheese
- Super Simple Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce
- Cheesy Vegan Spaghetti Squash Casserole
- Easy Vegan Enchiladas
📖 Recipe
Easy Vegan Mac & Cheese
Ingredients
- 16 ounces macaroni noodles 4 cups dry macaroni noodles*
- 2 cups frozen green peas optional
VEGAN CHEESE SAUCE
- ¼ cup vegan butter
- ¼ cup flour
- 3 cups unsweetened plain almond milk
- garlic powder
- 1 cup nutritional yeast
- ½ teaspoon salt plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 cup shredded vegan cheese optional
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add in the macaroni noodles and cook them according to the package directions. If including the frozen peas, add them to the pasta about 5 minutes before the pasta is done cooking. Drain and rinse the pasta and peas and set them aside.
- While the pasta is cooking, prepare the vegan cheese sauce. In a sauce pan over medium heat, melt the vegan butter. Add in the flour and whisk until a smooth paste forms. Allow this mixture to cook for about 1 minute.
- Slowly whisk in the non-dairy milk until a smooth sauce forms.
- Lastly, whisk in the remaining sauce ingredients and allow the sauce to thicken until it reaches your desired consistency, whisking constantly to keep it from sticking or burning.
- Add the cooked noodles and peas to the cheese sauce and stir everything together to combine.
- Serve with your favorite veggies, protein source and garnishes!
Mackenzie Lizotte says
It's a cold, rainy day and both my kids are sick, so I was craving something cheesy and comforting. This hit the spot!
Faith VanderMolen says
So glad you enjoyed this recipe!