Cheesy Easy Vegan Mac and Cheese– you’re going to LOVE this creamy pasta dish that’s completely dairy free but still a great way to satisfy your cheese craving! It’s made with easy to find ingredients and comes together in no time.

vegan macaroni and cheese in a pot this recipe

Oh HELLO creamy vegan pasta of my dreams! I grew up eating varying degrees of mac and cheese: the powdered cheese Kraft kind, the creamy orange cheese kind, and occasionally, the homemade freshly grated cheese kind. I loved ALL of them as a kid.

This particular vegan mac and cheese that I’ve created is kind of a mixture of all 3 of those originals and I LOVE it for that :D

spoonful of easy vegan mac and cheese

You can use whatever kind of pasta you want in this dish. I went with classic macaroni noodles for this. The smaller noodles are also easier for my toddler to eat (fyi- she LOVED this vegan mac and cheese!).

So, what’s in my vegan mac and cheese?

  • Soaked cashews
  • Steamed carrots
  • Nutritional yeast
  • Vegan butter
  • Broth
  • Spices
  • Pasta

Super basic. Super creamy. SO DELICIOUS!

vegan mac and cheese sauce in a blender

How to make vegan mac and cheese:

Soak the cashews: The most difficult part of this recipe is remembering to soak the cashews in time (I pretty much always forget). I’ve found that you get the most creamy sauce when you soak the cashews overnight but if you DO forget, here’s a work-around: place the cashews in a small pot and cover with water. Bring the water to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit 15 minutes. Then just drain, rinse, and use as usual!

To make the mac and cheese: cook your pasta according to package instructions.

For the sauce, simply combine all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until creamy and smooth. I’ve found that it can take a couple of minutes to really blend all of the cashews and to get it super creamy. It’s totally worth the wait! :)

bowl full of the best vegan mac and cheese

 

Once everything is ready, simply pour the sauce over top of the pasta and stir to combine. EASY PEASY!

To make this recipe gluten free, simply use a gluten free pasta. There are SO MANY good ones on the market these days. I would love to know what your favorite is!

bowl full of the best vegan mac and cheese

See how to make the BEST Vegan Mac & Cheese here:

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Vegan Mac and Cheese

★★★★★

5 from 8 reviews
  • Author: Brita Britnell
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
Print Recipe

Description

Easy Vegan Mac and Cheese that the whole family will LOVE!

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1/2 pound of dried pasta of choice
  • heaping 1/2 cup raw cashews soaked overnight and then drained & rinsed(or see notes for quick soaking)*
  • 1 large carrot, peeled
  • 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1/2 cup veggie broth
  • 1 tablespoon of vegan butter, softened
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp smoked paprika
  • ½ tsp of garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp onion powder

Instructions

  1. Start by steaming your carrot. Cut it into smaller pieces (I cut mine into about 6 pieces) and then place it into a pot. Cover with water and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook until fork tender. Let cool.
  2. Cook your pasta according to package instructions.
  3. In a food processor or high speed blender, combine the soaked cashews, steamed carrots, nutritional yeast, broth, salt, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder. Blend until creamy and smooth.
  4. Once pasta is done, drain and rinse and then pour the cheese sauce over top. Stir to combine and season with additional salt and pepper as needed.
  5. ENJOY!

Notes

* you can quick soak your cashews by covering them in a pot with water and bring to a boil. Let boil for a few minutes and then take off of the heat. Let sit for 15 minutes. Drain and rinse.

  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Category: pasta
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: American

Keywords: vegan cheese, vegan mac and cheese, vegan pasta