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If you're looking for the best vegan mac and cheese out there, look no further! This one tastes almost better than the real thing.
The one single food item that makes a vegan diet kind of hard for some people is at the same time the one that keeps people from switching to a vegan diet: the cheese. We were loving it, we were sneaking it in the early days of our transition, and we couldn’t imagine a life without that block of solidified dairy milk. It wasn’t before we learned just how much cruelty was behind this food, that’s made of 70-80% artery-clogging saturated fat and cholesterol. Many cheeses are made with rennet, which is an enzyme that comes from a calves’ stomach lining.
Mac and Cheese is one of the BEST comfort foods out there in my honest opinion. I’m not talking about the packaged stuff, but rather the homemade goodness. It truly is special. One of my favorite things about mac and cheese is that you rarely find someone who doesn’t like it- kids. Green Mac and Cheese: Kids will love that this mac and cheese is green, and adults will heart the flavor. It’s made with sharp cheddar cheese, which adds some piquant 9. Mexican Street Corn Mac and Cheese: Sweet and savory is always the best combination, and this recipe has got it big time.
So technically, your cheese might not even be vegetarian. It is also likely to be, especially the slimy cheeses. What really made us reconsider things was the fact that there is an allowance of somatic cells and pus in every glass of milk. The average somatic cell count in. The fact that milk cows have to be impregnated regularly in order to actually give milk and that their new-born calves will never taste their mother’s milk is just heartbreaking. So in order to make veganism tasty and very healthy for you, we decided to come up with an easy and delicious vegan mac and cheese recipe that’s made with mostly that you likely have laying around somewhere. Won’t believe it?
And since we’re known to be into our meals for an extra boost of antioxidants and micronutrients, we decided to also add some broccoli. It also makes for some nice color and extra texture! If you have picky kids or grown-ups, feel free to leave out the broccoli. The sauce already has some veggies in it! Okay so let’s get right into this goodness because who isn’t excited for some pasta? This quick and delicious comfort food will be super creamy and can be made within 15 minutes if you have pre-cooked potatoes on hand.
I have been eating a plant-based diet for 4 months now and have tried what feels like thousands of cheese sauce recipes. I’m always so hopeful, but ultimately disappointed – UNTIL NOW. I was skeptical when I read the recipe because it’s just similar enough to the other recipes that i’ve tried, that I thought the results would be the same, but this is the most cheese-like sauce!
Right away I took a 1/2 cup and mixed it with my favorite salsa and it was an amazing queso! I’m looking forward to making broccoli cheese soup with it, too – thanks so much! (My only changes were to use mild flavor coconut milk and also cooked the potatoes and cashews with the other ingredients in step 1.
Instructions. Bring a medium pot of water to boil.
Add the noodles and salt. Cook until the pasta is al dente, according to package directions. In the meantime, make sure all of your ingredients are measured and ready (I combine the dry spices in a small bowl). Drain the pasta and leave it in the colander for now.
Return the empty pot to medium heat. Immediately add the cream and let the mixture come to a boil. Once boiling, set a timer for 1 minute. Once the minute is up, add all of the cheese and spices.
Stir until the cheese has fully melted to produce a creamy sauce. Add the pasta, stir until the pasta is evenly coated in cheese sauce, and remove the pot from the heat. Taste and season with salt, if necessary. Serve immediately.
Notes Make it gluten free: Substitute your favorite sturdy gluten-free noodles, such as a corn and quinoa blend. Change it up: To make this mac and cheese a little more sophisticate, sprinkle your bowls with some finely grated Parmesan cheese and toasted bread crumbs.
See my note above in the “lighten-up” section on how to incorporate broccoli or other veggies. How to reheat: This mac and cheese is best enjoyed fresh, but you can gently reheat it in the microwave or on the stove. Don’t overdo it; the ingredients are more likely to separate if they are overheated.
▸ Nutrition Information. Thanks for introducing me to the easiest homemade mac and cheese I’ve ever tried! I made this for dinner a couple nights ago, and it turned out deliciously. Sadly I didn’t have any heavy cream so I used half-n-half, and it was still good— but I’ll definitely go for the cream next time (and probably white instead of whole wheat pasta, just to make me feel like a kid again). I was curious to see if this technique (boiling the cream, then stirring in cheese for an easy sauce) could work for a parmesan-based white sauce, and it totally did!
So much easier than making a roux and spending forever whisking the ingredients. Ohh, thanks for the evaporated milk suggestion. I haven’t had velveeta in decades, but rememember it fondly from my childhood. I make my Mac and cheese with a Julia Child bechemel and I agree it is slightly grainy.
The best part, is that I always have the ingredients in the house. Whipping cream sounds delicious, but I would have to plan ahead and make a trip to a store that sells one of the the carrageenan/additive free brands(Sassy Cow, Deans Dairy Pure). On the other hand, I always have milk in the house, which can easily be evaporated. Plan to try it both ways, evaporated milk and whipping cream. Hi Cookie and Kate, I did make your recipe. It was wonderful! I did make some changes because of what I had on hand.
I used 2% milk, 1/2 cup, crumbled cooper cheese a little more than the recipe called for. It looked a little thin when it boiled, so I added 1 tablespoon butter and 1/2 tablespoon sifted flour which thickened it up nicely. It boiled up again, I let it boil for a minute and poured it into the leftover rotini I had on hand. When it’s time to pour the cheese sauce out of the pan, be sure to have your pasta nearby. The sauce will burn the bottom of the pan as it is poured out. Just do it quickly and it won’t burn the bottom of the pan very much.
I did use garlic salt because that’s all I had, but I didn’t think it was too salty. It was so good!