This homemade vegan baked mac and cheese is outrageously DELISH! Featuring a vegan cheddar sauce made from scratch, pieces of cauliflower and a crunchy panko topping. Plus, it hides a good load of healthy veggies! Such a keeper, both kids and adults will love it!
This classic vegan baked mac and cheese checks all the boxes to be the BEST and DREAMIEST cheesy vegan comfort food! It is saucy, sooooooo creamy and topped with a crispy cheesy breadcrumb topping. Dangerously delicious.
We have made this healthy butternut squash mac and cheese more than often, especially during busy weeknights, but I'm happy to now add one more mac and cheese yumminess recipe on the blog!
And I have to say that this version gets even closer to a classic 'bechamel + cheddar cheese' mac and cheese, at least in terms of flavor. The mostly tasteless cauliflower florets are blended to smooth with cashews. This magically mimics a basic bechamel sauce, without having to stir and cook the sauce in the pot. Then, lots of flavoring ingredients are incorporated, plus some extra vegetables for texture and color (oh and nutrition too). It is so unbelievably cheesy!
And I love the fact that no vegan cheese was used in this recipe at all. Only wholesome ingredients, and the sauce is all made from scratch! This is a must-try next time you crave a cozy bowl of pasta!
This family favorite pasta casserole is:
- Unbelievably gooey and flavorful.
- Approved by kids (top notch yummy per my 3 and 5 y/o mini-eaters) and hides extra veggies no one will notice.
- Dairy-free, entirely plant-based and easy to make gluten-free.
- Perfect crowd-pleaser.
- The vegan 'cheddar' sauce can be made ahead for easy meals during the week.
- ...and just so darn satisfying!
Ingredients you'll need
For the saucy mac and cheese:
- Macaroni elbow noodles: actually, any short noodles will work well, so choose your favorite.
- Cauliflower: you will need a small head for this recipe or about 4 cups.
- Raw cashews: they are rich in healthy fats, which makes the sauce irresistibly rich and creamy, even if dairy-free.
- Potato: just like in this vegan queso, blending cooked potatoes adds a little bit of a stringy feeling or a pull to the cheesy sauce.
- Carrot: mostly for color, but also boost the nutrition.
- Plant-based milk: choose any kinds, as long at it is unflavored and unsweetened.
- Garlic: for flavor.
- Nutritional yeast: essential ingredient for a cheesy flavor.
- Apple cider vinegar: lemon juice works too. Brightens up the overall cheesy taste.
For the breadcrumb topping:
- Regular breadcrumb + panko breadcrumb: the combo makes for a perfectly textured topping.
- Onion and garlic powder: flavoring ingredients.
- Nutritional yeast: just to add a cheesy little something.
How to make it
Make the vegan cheddar cheese sauce
Start by soaking the cashews in boiling water for about 10 minutes or until ready to use. This will make the nuts more 'blend-able'. Also, cook the noodles al dente, drain and set aside.
While the cashews are soaking: Transfer the cauliflower, potato and carrot pieces in a medium pot and cover with water. Then, bring to a boil and let it simmer for about 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Drain well.
Use tongs to remove about 2 cups of the cauliflower florets and set them aside.
Transfer the remaining vegetables to a blender alongside the drained cashews, nutritional yeast, apple cider vinegar, garlic clove, salt and plant-based milk. Blend on high until smooth. Take a break or two to scrape the walls and make sure all pieces are blended. You are looking for a uniform and very creamy consistency.
Now, taste and adjust saltiness, cheesiness and add more vinegar if you like a more tangy sauce. This is a lot of sauce! So add enough salt!
Make the breadcrumb topping
In a small bowl, combine the regular and panko breadcrumbs with the nutritional yeast, salt, onion and garlic powder.
Combine and bake in the oven
In a large pot, combine the noodles, the 2 cups of cauliflower florets that you set aside and the blended cheese sauce. Stir well to combine and transfer to a large baking dish.
Sprinkle the breadcrumb topping uniformly over the whole dish and bake in the oven at 375º until golden brown, about 25-30 minutes.
Let the dish rest for about 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy while still warm.
Watch how to make it
Cooking tips
- Be sure to cook the noodles al dente, even slightly undercooked. They will keep cooking in the oven.
- When preparing the cauliflower, keep the florets large enough so they are easy to grab when setting the 2 cups aside. You can then chop them smaller in bite size as needed.
- This is a large dish and a good mac and cheese loves salt! So, depending on your diet, don't hesitate to add more salt to really enhance the flavor.
- For a crispier topping, add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the breadcrumb mixture before spreading over the noodles.
Add-on ideas
- Spices: try adding smoked paprika or a pinch of turmeric to the blender when making the sauce. Turmeric would add nutrition, but also make the result more 'yellow'. Careful not to add too much, you don't really want to taste it, a tiny pinch goes a long way!
- Vegetables: you can use less noodles (about 12 oz), but add more veggies such as broccoli, red pepper, mushrooms or green peas. Cook the veggies first.
- For a spicy mac and cheese: add a pinch of cayenne pepper or a few dashes of spicy sauce to the blender. OR, try adding some spicy jalapeño or a can of spicy green chiles to the dish.
Storage
Like most baked pasta dishes, it is better and saucier when freshly baked. The noodles soak up the sauce over time, making the noodles softer and the dish less saucy. It still makes for amazing leftovers, but just something to keep in mind.
Keep leftovers very well covered (it dries easily) in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or in the oven (covered and at 350º until warmed up).
FAQs
I don't recommend it. It is essential for a cheesy flavor, which is what you are looking for in a mac and cheese. If you don't use it, then you will still have a nice creamy sauce, but it might lack in flavor.
Use gluten-free noodles and look for gluten-free panko and gluten-free regular breadcrumbs.
No. Cashews are a main ingredients in this recipe and cannot be swapped for any nut-free ingredients (I don't think seeds would work well here). If looking for a creamy and nut-free pasta sauce, then check out this cauliflower Alfredo sauce.
You may, although the texture will change significantly after thawed: the noodles will be softer and the dish much less saucy.
Other vegan pasta casserole dishes
I hope you like this vegan baked mac and cheese as much as we do! If you try it, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let me know how it was.
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Vegan Baked Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups raw cashews
- 4 cups cauliflower florets (about 1 small head)
- 1 large carrot - peeled and roughly chopped (for color)
- 1 medium size potato - peeled and sliced in quarters
- ½ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar - lemon juice works too
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 ½-2 tsp salt - or to taste
- 2 cups plant-based milk - plain and unsweetened
- 16 oz macaroni noodles - cooked al dente
Crispy topping
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ½ cup regular breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp salt
- black pepper - to taste
Instructions
- Soak the cashews in boiling water for about 10-15 min. Then, drain and set aside. Also, cook your noodles al dente and pre-heat the oven to 375º.
- Transfer the cauliflower florets to a large pot alongside the carrots and potatoes. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Keep simmering for about 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Then, drain well.
- Using a fork or tong, carefully remove about 2 cups of cooked cauliflower from the vegetable mix. Set aside (they will be combined within the sauce later).
- Transfer the drained cashews and remaining vegetable mix to a blender alongside the nutritional yeast, apple cider vinegar, clove of garlic, salt and milk. Blend on high until smooth and uniform. Adjust salt to your taste.
- Combine the al dente noodles with the 2 cups of cauliflower florets that you set aside and pour the cheddar sauce over. Stir to combine and transfer to a large baking dish.
- In a medium bowl, combine the crispy topping ingredients and distribute over the whole dish.
- Bake for 25-30 min or until golden brown. Can also do a few minutes on broil at the end (watch closely). Let the mac and cheese sit for about 10 minutes before eating, enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Storage: the dish is saucier when freshly baked as the noodles keep soaking on the sauce while resting. Keep leftovers in the fridge covered for up to 4 days and reheat using the microwave or the oven.
- Be sure to cook the noodles al dente, even slightly undercooked. They will keep cooking in the oven.
- When preparing the cauliflower, keep the florets large enough so they are easy to grab when setting the 2 cups aside. You can then chop them smaller in bite size as needed.
- This is a large dish and a good mac and cheese loves salt! So, depending on your diet, don't hesitate to add more salt to really enhance the flavor.
- For a crispier topping, add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the breadcrumb mixture before spreading over the noodles.
- Feel free to add smoked paprika, cayenne peppers, more veggies such as steamed broccoli or peas or even diced jalapeño or canned green chiles. You might want to use less noodles if adding lots of veggies (to keep the dish as saucy).
Pin it for later!
Yum! I used a sweet potato because I didn't have a regular potato but left everything else the same and it was delicious. Perfect for meal prep. I ate this mac and cheese for the whole week and it didn't turn mushy. This recipe will go in my regular rotation. Thank you.
Oh that's great, I'm glad to hear that! Thank you so much for your comment 🙂
I made these tonight and they did not disappoint. The sauce is so creamy and good and it makes enough so that the noodles are creamy when they come out of the oven. I halved the recipe as there are only 2 of us and baked it in 3 single casserole dishes. Delicious. Thank you Jess!
Thanks for sharing Nancy 🙂