Description
Cheesy, creamy, and rich, this Baked Vegan Mac and Cheese will quickly become a family favorite. You’ll keep coming back to this easy recipe.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Pasta
- 16 ounces (1 pound or about 454g) dry pasta of choice (use gluten-free if needed)
Cheese sauce
- 1 3/4 cups raw sunflower seeds (see note 2)
- 2 1/4 cups unsweetened non-dairy milk (see note 3)
- Juice of 1 large or 2 small lemons (or 2 tablespoons bottled lemon juice)
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled (or about 2 teaspoons garlic powder)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons miso paste (use chickpea miso for soy-free or omit)
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar (or use any sugar or omit, just rounds out flavors)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon turmeric, optional (for color)
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons tapioca starch/flour (see note 5)
Topping
- 2-3 tablespoons panko bread crumbs (or gluten-free panko or rice crumbs)
Instructions
- Cook pasta and prep oven: Boil a large pot of water and cook pasta until al dente or lightly chewy (it will finish cooking in the oven). Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit (218 degrees Celsius).
- Make the cheese sauce: While the pasta is cooking, blend up the cheese sauce ingredients (everything except the panko) in the blender until smooth and creamy. Taste it and make sure you like it.
- Mix the sauce with the cooked pasta: Drain the cooked pasta and add it back to the pot. Add the sauce, mix well, and add to a deep baking dish. I used a square 9x9 baking dish for this.
- Add pasta mixture to your baking dish: Use the back of your cooking implement to press the pasta in evenly, then sprinkle the panko (or whatever you’re using) on top.
- Bake: Bake uncovered for 25-35 minutes or until the top has lightly browned.
- Enjoy: Serve hot, and enjoy!
- Store: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Note 1: Short pasta is best for serving, but use whatcha like/whatcha got. Use gluten-free pasta to make this dish gluten-free. Feel free to use a bean or legume pasta for more protein.
- Note 2: Raw sunflower seeds are the perfect base for a creamy vegan cheese sauce. You’re perfectly welcome to use cashews, they’re great (use the same amount). But sunflower seeds are significantly cheaper and just as creamy and delicious. For a lower fat cheese sauce, consider using tofu (any except super firm; I’d use 1 ½ to 2 blocks), white beans (I’d use 2 or 2 ½ cups), or some cornstarch (maybe a quarter cup mixed with some non-dairy milk) to thicken it (I would cook it on the stove to thicken it in this case before pouring it into the pasta).
- Note 3: For a super luxurious vegan mac, I’d recommend canned coconut milk or full fat oat milk. But I just use soy or whatever from the carton for this and it’s fine. Feel free to use whatever non-dairy milk you like, just make sure it’s not vanilla or sweetened or anything like that.
- Note 4: Omit if preferred but it does really add to the cheesy flavor and is not at all the dominant flavor here.
- Note 5: This helps bind the cheese sauce and thickens the vegan baked mac and cheese, but it’s optional. For a similar effect (but a little less so), try substituting cornstarch or arrowroot powder. Or you can omit for a somewhat thinner sauce.
- Note 6: I’ve used Panko bread crumbs for a topping because it gets nice and crispy. Use gluten-free panko or rice crumbs for a gluten-free option, or you’re welcome to just top it with a little nutritional yeast. Alternatively, don’t top it with anything.
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Entree
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Vegan, Oil-Free, Nut-Free, Refined Sugar-Free, Can Be Soy-Free, Can Be Gluten-Free, Baked Vegan Mac and Cheese, pasta