Vegan macaroni and cheese that tastes just like the real thing. Featuring a flavorful, creamy bechamel sauce and a crispy topping of “poor man’s parmesan”, this is the ultimate comfort food. The best part is that it requires no vegan cheese or soaked cashews to create the “cheesy” sauce, making this a really easy and accessible recipe.ย
Macaroni and cheese is the ultimate comfort food – it’s a warm, cheesey carb-fest and I crave it a lot on long, dark days. I’m so excited to share this vegan version that requires no vegan cheese – though that’s not to say you can’t add any if you wanted! A lot of vegan recipes use soaked cashews to create the creamy sauce but I use a standard bรฉchamel sauce with a few dairy-free tweaks. I like this version so much that I’ve stopped making the dairy version altogether. This recipe is lighter and I tend to have all the ingredients on hand so it’s easy to whip up on whim. For extra indulgence, you can add your favourite vegan cheese for that cheesey gooiness – I’m loving the Violife grated mozarella at the moment.ย
the bรฉchamel...
A simple white bรฉchamel sauce is an essential for your cooking repertoire. It is a creamy sauce made from milk that can be used as a base for lots of dishes and sauces. You’ll have most likely come across it in a lasagne. When cheese is added to a bรฉchamel, it becomes a mornay sauce which is what you’ll find in a standard mac ‘n’ cheese.
When I switched from cow’s milk to vegan milk, I used my usual bรฉchamel recipe and found that the sauce came out the same, if not better. I use Alpro almond milk and Vitalite spread for this recipe, but in theory you could use any plant-milk and butter alternative. The butter can also be replaced with oil if you don’t want to buy a whole tub of spread just for this recipe.
You start by melting butter gently on the hob and then adding an equal amount of flour, to form a paste called a “roux”. The paste is cooked for 2 minutes, before adding the milk gradually whilst whisking, until the sauce thickens into a creamy texture. The technique is fairly simple and the key is to keep whisking to ensure that the sauce is lump free.ย
livin' the cheese-free life ...
I developed this recipe so that vegan cheese is not necessary, as I appreciate vegan alternatives can be pricey or not to everyone’s taste. The flavor comes from some common store cupboard seasonings. The characteristic acidity of cheese is added by the dijon mustard. The “cheesiness” comes from Engevista yeast flakes (available in Waitrose, Tescos, Asda and Holland & Barratt, aswell as Amazon). Garlic granules add further depth. These seasonings form the basic flavour but you can pimp up your mac ‘n’ cheese with extras if you wish (more on that below). You’ll be surprised how much flavour these few ingredients impart and although it’s not quite the same as cheddar, it’s still addictive and tasty in it’s own vegan way!
poor man's parmesan...
The breadcrumb topping was inspired by recipes for gremolata breadcrumbs, which are toasted breadcrumbs combined with gremolata, which is an Italian pesto made from parsley, garlic and lemon zest. Seasoned breadcrumbs called “pangrattato” are used in Italy to top pasta, soups and casseroles, as a way to save money on parmesan and real cheese, thus the term “poor man’s parmesan”. I think the zingy breadcrumbs are perfect for topping this “cheesey” pasta dish. Make an extra batch and try it as an alternative to normal breadcrumbs. It’s fab on lasagne!
variations ...
As tasty as mac ‘n’ cheese is, it doesn’t offer much it terms of health and nutrients. Luckily, this recipes is easy to add to and adapt. Here are a few suggestions to pimp up a classic mac ‘n’ cheese:
- Replace half the pasta with some chopped cauliflower for a cauliflower cheese hybrid. Boil the cauliflower with the pasta for the last 5-7 minutes of cooking time. If the cauliflower leaves are tender enough, chop them up, sautee for a few minutes in olive oil and add them to the mac ‘n’ cheese too for some easy greens.
- Or go ahead and replace all the pasta with cauliflower, for a tasty vegetable side dish.
- Add some chopped kale.ย Cut out the tough stems and boil the leaves with the pasta for the last 3-5 minutes of cooking time.
- Add crispy fried onions to the breadcrumb topping for extra punch (sold in little tubs at most supermarkets)
- Fry up some chopped faux bacon and mix into the sauce for bacon mac ‘n’ cheese.
more vegan recipes this way...
Vai x
Vegan Mac 'n' Cheese
Equipment
- Loaf tin or similar capacity oven dish
Ingredients
- 250 g dried macaroni
- 1ยฝ cups plant milk of choice plus some extra to loosen sauce
- 3 tbsp vegan butter (or olive oil)
- 3 tbsp flour
- 1 tsp dried garlic granules
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
- ยฝ tsp dijon mustard
- 3 tbsp panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 clove garlic minced
- zest of one lemon
- leaves only of 2-3 sprigs of parsley finely chopped
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees. Cook the macaroni according to packet instructions in a pan of salted water
- Meanwhile, melt the dairy-free butter in a pan over a medium heat, then add the flour and stir with a whisk until it forms a paste.
- Add the milk gradually, whisking continuously until the mixture is lump-free and smooth. Add the dijon mustard and garlic granules and whisk until dissolved properly.
- Bring to a boil and then simmer for 10 minutes, until the sauce is thick and creamy. Keep an eye on it and whisky occasionally to ensure there are no lumps. Add the nutritional yeast flakes and whisk until fully incorporated. Season generously with salt until it tastes "cheesey".
- Toss the cooked pasta with the sauce.
- To make the breadcrumbs, heat a teaspoon of olive oil in a frying pan on medium heat. Add the minced garlic and fry for a minute.
- Add the breadcrumbs and stir until it absorbs all the oil. Toast gently for a few minutes until the breadcrumbs are golden and making sure the garlic doesn't burn
- Tip the hot toasted breadcrumbs into a small bowl with the chopped parsley and lemon zest. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and mix together.
- The pasta sauce will thicken as it cools so if it's too thick, loosen with touch of milk. Transfer to an oven-proof dish. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs on top of the pasta and place into the oven for 15 minutes. Serve up and enjoy!
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