Vegan Baked Mac & Cheese: It Doesn’t Get Any Creamier

Everyone needs a good comfort dish recipe in their repertoire. Learn how to make a creamy, delicious, and vegan baked mac and cheese with this easy-to-follow recipe.

Stovetop mac and cheese is one thing, but baking it in the oven is next-level. You get to enjoy all the ooey-gooey comfort of traditional macaroni and cheese, with the added bonus of a crunchy breadcrumb topping. We’ll show you how to make vegan baked mac and cheese using our homemade vegan cheese sauce. Chances are, you won’t even notice there’s no cheese used in this recipe! 

Creamy Vegan Baked Mac and Cheese

Ingredients

• Pasta Base
  • 12 oz. elbow macaroni (or any other small pasta) 
  • homemade vegan cheese sauce
• Crunchy Topping
  • ¾ cup Panko bread crumbs 
  • 1 tbsp nutritional yeast 
  • ⅛ tsp kosher salt 
  • ⅛ tsp paprika 
  • 1 clove garlic, minced finely
  • 2 tbsp olive oil 

Instructions

1. Bring a pot of water to boil on the stove, and add approximately 1 tbsp of salt to the water. 
2. Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the box, then drain, reserving a small bit of pasta water to help bind the sauce. 
3. Return the drained noodles to the pot and add in the vegan cheese sauce. Toss until well covered, using some of the reserved pasta water to help loosen the sauce if need be. 
4. Grease a 9 x 13″ baking dish with olive oil, and then add the creamy mac and cheese to the dish.
5. In a small bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, nutritional yeast, kosher salt, paprika, olive oil, and garlic until well combined. Then sprinkle the mixture on top of the noodles. 
6. Bake in an over at 400°F until nice and golden brown on top, approximately 18-20 minutes. 
7. Allow to cool slightly before serving. 

If you want to kick it up a notch and add some heat or extra vitamins, consider adding the following optional ingredients to your vegan baked mac and cheese: 

• steamed broccoli or cauliflower  
• wilted spinach
• chopped jalapeños 
• fresh or canned corn 
• hot sauce 
• peas and carrots 

Read more: 

• What is Slow Living – and How Do You Slow Down?
• The Best Homemade Vegan Cheese Substitutes
• Vegan Mushroom Risotto Recipe: Easy & Creamy Recipe

** Links to retailers marked with ** or underlined orange are partially partner links: If you buy here, you actively support Utopia.org, because we will receive a small part of the sales proceeds. More info.

Tags: Cooking Guide Recipes Vegan