The Best Vegan Mac and Cheese

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This really is the Best Vegan Mac and Cheese I’ve ever had. It’s everything you want your mac and cheese to be—cheesy, creamy, and saucy… the epitome of comfort food.

Best of all, it doesn’t sit super heavy on you since it isn’t made with real cheese!

Is vegan mac and cheese healthy?

Not all vegan mac and cheese recipes are created equal. Many are loaded with highly processed cheese alternatives, and more.

This recipe, however, uses mostly whole ingredients, like butternut squash, garlic, onions, and cashews as the base. It does contain a couple of more processed ingredients, like vegan butter and vegan parmesan, but the health level of this recipe will come down to the brands you decide to use for those ingredients.

I’ve linked the brands I used for this recipe, as I believe them to be among the healthiest store-bought options, but feel free to use whichever brands you love most! If you have any other brand recommendations, I’d LOVE to hear them. Let me know in the comments. 🙂

Does vegan mac and cheese have dairy?

No, vegan mac and cheese does not contain dairy.

To replace the dairy in this recipe, we used a combination of butternut squash, cashews, plant-based milk, and vegan butter for the base of the sauce to give it its creamy consistency.

We then flavored it with ingredients like nutritional yeast and vegan parmesan cheese to add a cheesy flavor.

How to make vegan mac and cheese sauce

It’s no secret that the key to mac and cheese is the sauce. It’s all in the sauce.

The Internet has certainly shown us that there are many ways to make a vegan cheese sauce. Some swear by cashews and nutritional yeast, others say it’s all in the spices used, some like to use miso or dijon, others like to stick to flour and vegan butter. The list goes on.

One thing they do all have in common, though, is the use of a high-speed blender. The result is a quick and easy, ultra creamy sauce that can be used for just about any pasta.

For today’s Vegan Mac and Cheese AKA The Best Vegan Mac and Cheese, you only need 9 ingredients (including salt).

Bonus: there are hidden veggies lurking in the sauce. So, if you’ve got picky eaters in the house, they’ll never know! 😉

Here’s what you need to make this super cheesy sauce:

• Onion
• Garlic
• Butternut Squash
• Plant-based milk
• Cashews
• Nutritional Yeast
• Vegan Butter
• Vegan Parmesan (I like this one and this one)
• Salt

What kind of pasta should I use?

There are so many healthier alternatives to regular pasta nowadays.

Some alternatives do take trial and error to learn how to deal with that particular pasta (like brown rice pasta), while others behave almost the same way as regular pasta, so you don’t have to think about it!

Here are a couple of my favorites that I recommend for this dish (they’re also gluten-free for those who need it!) —

Banza Chickpea Shells. Ingredients: Chickpeas, Tapioca, Pea Protein, Xanthan Gum. 

Tolerant Foods Green Lentil Elbows. Ingredients: Organic Green Lentils.

Barilla Gluten Free Elbows. Ingredients: Corn flour, rice flour, mono and diglycerides. 

Can I turn this into a baked vegan mac and cheese?

Yes! If you’d like to turn this into a baked vegan mac and cheese, it’s super easy! It just requires an extra couple of steps. Head over to this recipe to for the crumble topping recipe and instructions!

What to serve with vegan mac and cheese

If this mac and cheese is part of a larger spread, I recommend serving it with:

• Vegan Chili
• BBQ ribs (vegan, like corn ribs)
• Meatloaf (vegan)
• Coleslaw (vegan)
• Roasted veggies
• Salad

How long does vegan mac and cheese last?

You’ll want to keep this Vegan Mac and Cheese refrigerated and covered for up to 3-4 days.

Can you freeze vegan mac and cheese?

If you’re planning to only freeze the sauce, you can freeze it in a freezer-safe container. You can even freeze the sauce in ice cube trays, and transfer the cubes to a freezer-safe bag. Either way, defrost it slowly when you’re ready to eat it.

If you’re planning to freeze the pasta and sauce together, you may want to slightly undercook the pasta because it will continue to cook when you reheat it. Otherwise, the pasta could end up mushy.

If you’re looking for more pasta recipes, check out:

Spaghetti & Vegan “Meatballs”

Baked Vegan Mac and Cheese