Ready for the Best Vegan Mac and Cheese on the Internet? This Mac's vegan cheese sauce is rich, gooey, and super easy to make and uses only 4 ingredients! Just grab your favorite elbow noodles, cook and strain them, and then mix the other ingredients in the same pot. Everything should come together in just 15 minutes! No blender, no nuts, no fuss!

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Hey Internet, we've got another great way for you to have a super easy dinner. Mac and cheese was our go-to easy dinner before we went vegan. All we had to do was boil water and mix in cheese and we had a filling comfort meal in no time. It was something we fell back on during a more stressful time of part of our lives. It wasn't good on our bodies or too kind to the cows that were used to make that dairy milk.
But since then, we've made so many amazing vegan pasta recipes and a lot of them are super easy too. Some of our first recipes were noodle dishes, like these 15 Minute Vegan Garlic Noodles and One Pot Creamy Vegan Mushroom Pasta. We would later go on to make some really comforting creations, like this Vegan Pasta Bake, Vegan Pastina, and this Vegan Sun-dried Tomato Pasta.
This isn't our first time making vegan mac n cheese. We did make this Soy-Free Nut-Free Vegan Mac and Cheese with Peas, and while it tastes great it's more of an easy healthy vegan mac for vegans who have more dietary restrictions. We've also made this Vegan Cacio e Pepe that gets really close to what we were looking for.
But this time, we wanted a dish that was super cheesy, super gooey, and, most importantly, super easy. After a few tests, we think we've made the most perfect vegan mac and cheese we have ever tasted. And we've had some pretty fancy vegan macs in our time, including this truffle one from Planta Queen. Trust us when we say ours is better.
This time we wanted wanted our recipe to be just as easy as the "real thing", so we used some store-bought vegan cheese. It's not as original as making our own sauce out of raw cashews or sunflower seeds (we do have an amazing Nut Free Vegan Mac and Cheese that DOES use a blender...), but it's certainly easier and less dishes! No high-speed blender in this dairy-free mac!
But you know us, we can't just dump a bag of cheese into a pot now and call it done. To get the right mac and cheese taste and feel, we added some non dairy milk and vegan butter (not much though!) to get a gooeyness that we've haven't seen in other vegan cheeses. And now we're obsessed with this creamy sauce we made for this vegan macaroni!
We've tested this using a few different vegan cheese shreds and while the time it takes to melt might differ slightly, it seems to work either way! So let's get to making this vegan comfort food!
Why You'll Love This Vegan Mac and Cheese
- Basic Ingredients: With only 4 ingredients and plenty of substitutions, you might already have all the things you need to make this vegan mac in your house! And if not, you can find at least 1 vegan brand of shredded cheese at most grocery stores. We honestly have a pretty surprising amount of options in our small town!
- Super Fast: This recipe only takes about 10 to 15 minutes to make. The most time consuming thing is waiting for the water to come to a boil!
- Lots of Customizations: From Vegan Meatballs, to Crispy Tofu, to black pepper, vegan Parmesan cheese topping or grated vegan Parmesan block, to nutritional yeast, and so much more, there's a lot you can add to this dish to make it an even fuller meal. We'll talk about that down below in the Additions section.
Ingredients
Pick up these simple ingredients for this classic mac the next time you're at a grocery store. See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full ingredients, instructions, and accurate nutrition information (to the best of my ability; please consult your physician, registered dietitian, or healthcare professional if you have specific dietary needs or need to meet certain daily values of any nutrient). I give substitutions for the ingredients in the section below this one, so most people can still make this recipe!
- 8 oz Elbow Macaroni (or Almost any Kind of Pasta)
- 0.75 Cups Soy Milk
- 1.5 Tablespoons Vegan Butter
- 7-8 oz Vegan Cheese Shreds: Most vegan cheese you can buy at a store should work for our purposes. But so far, we've tested two brands of cheese and both have worked great. Violife has always been great for our recipes, and it did just as well here melting. But we've recently found a new cheese that has pleasantly surprised us; Meijer's True Goodness vegan cheese (not sponsored). It melts super well in sandwiches, quesadillas, and certainly pasta. We recommend you trying it if you have it near you!
- Salt, to Taste, OPTIONAL: Depending on a number of factors, like if you salt your pasta water or how salty your vegan cheese is (and of course your individual taste buds!), your need to salt may vary. We personally didn't need to salt our pasta, but you might have different needs.
Substitutions
- Pasta: Virtually, almost any type of pasta will work for this recipe. If you like brown rice pasta, lentil pasta, or some sort of gluten-free pasta, you should be good to just swap out the boxes!
- Soy Milk: Almost any other unflavored and unsweeteened dairy free milk should work, like almond milk or other nut-based milks. Just be careful not to get a vanilla flavored one! We will note that we like using soy milk for its high protein, so that might influence the thickness of the cheese sauce. When in doubt, either cautiously add the milk a little at a time or have some reserve cheese on hand to help further thicken the sauce if needed.
- Vegan Butter: We've used vegan margarine for one of our tests instead of vegan stick butter and our recipe turned out just as great. You could also try using olive oil or even unsweetened canned coconut milk instead (you really wouldn't taste the coconut in this small of an amount.
- Vegan Cheese Shreds: While it would be a lot more time, you could always try making one our our vegan cheeses to use instead. This Vegan Brie, Vegan Mozzarella, and Vegan Cheddar can all be melted.
Additions
- Vegan Meatballs: For this photo shoot, we used some of Aldi's meatless meatballs that we popped in an air fryer. They only need a quick shake in there and they'll turn out quite tender. You should cook them for about 8 to 10 minutes at 350 F. You could also try making our Tofu Meatballs beforehand if you want an even juicier meatball.
- Vegan Sausage: Try our tofu-based Vegan Sausage Crumbles or our seitan based Vegan Sausage for a fun and protein-packed addition. You could alternatively use store bought vegan sausage (we like the brand Field Roast!).
- Crispy Tofu: We also have this amazing Crispy Tofu that would make for another great way to get in some protein. The nice crunch that it gets can be a great juxtaposition to this creamy pasta dish. Plus they also only take about 10 to 15 minutes to make.
- Vegan Parmesan Cheese: We suggest either finding Violife's vegan parmesan block or trying our own homemade Vegan Parmesan for even more cheesy flavor.
- Fresh Ground Black Pepper: A little sprinkle on top can add a depth of flavor that can help cut through the creaminess if you find this pasta too cheesy (impossible).
- Other Seasonings: Some folks add garlic powder or onion powder or even paprika to their mac and cheese, but you do you!
- Nutritional Yeast: If you want an even more nutty cheesy taste to your pasta, then you'll want to try nutritional yeast. We use it for a lot of our own cheese sauce recipes and it's not pricey.
- Hot Sauce: Buffalo sauce and mac and cheese are a pretty common combo, if you want to go a little more spicy. You could also try some Sriracha drizzled on top of your bowl. Finally, you could always try some red pepper flakes on top.
- Vegan Bacon: While you can use any store bought vegan bacon you like, we're obviously partial to either of our homemade bacons: Soy Curl Bacon or Portobello Bacon. Both are fantastic!
- Veggies: Add roasted broccoli, green peas, sweet potatoes, or anything else you like to your vegan mac and cheese!
- Buttery Breadcrumb Topping: Take panko breadcrumbs and toast them in a skillet with some melted vegan butter for a fun and crispy topping!
- Getting Funky: There are a lot of interesting additions that you could try to make your pasta more interesting. Mushrooms, like baby bella and shiitake, would add an earthy yet umami flavor to your bowl. A splash of soy sauce can be a great way to add salt and savory flavors to your mac or you could add a tang with a splash of lemon juice. You could also use miso paste as an alternative way to salt your mac for even more funk. We've used it in the cheesy sauce for our Nut-Free Mac and Cheese and it turned out great!
How to Make Vegan Mac and Cheese
- Boil Pasta: Start a small to medium size pot on medium high heat and wait until it comes to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente (and use package directions since every type of pasta differs!).
- Strain Pasta: Using a fine mesh strainer, drain pasta of water. Leave pasta in strainer for now.
- Melt Butter: Add butter into pot and heat on medium heat. Break up butter and continue to stir until it is fully melted. Then add milk and stir to combine.
- Add Cheese and Stir: Gently add cheese to pot and continue to heat. Your cheese should slowly begin to melt and combine into a smooth mixture.
- Add Back Pasta: Carefully add back the pasta from the strainer and then mix until it's fully combined. Now would be a good time to add meatballs if you made them.
- Serve: Add pasta to bowl and enjoy with whatever toppings you'd like.
Storage Instructions
Wait for remaining pasta to cool. Add to airtight container and place in refrigerator. It should stay fresh for at least 3 to 5 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, but it would make for more dirty dishes. You might only want to do that if you have other plans for the sauce.
Yes! We have this Vegan Cauliflower Cheese Sauce, Vegan Melty Cheddar Cheese Sauce, and Easy Soy-Free Nut-Free Vegan Cheese Sauce.
Oh boy, there are a lot of great uses for this cheese sauce. You could make something like our Vegan Philly Cheesesteak with seitan or soy curls and pour the sauce over the sandwich. You could use it as a dipping sauce for fries. You could use it as a topping for a casserole, especially a vegan tater tot casserole. And that's probably just the beginning.
More Amazing Vegan Pasta Recipes
- 15 Minute Vegan Garlic Noodles
- One Pot Vegan Mushroom Pasta
- Vegan Sausage Pasta
- Green Pea Pasta
- Vegan Sun-dried Tomato Pasta
- Easy Yet Fancy Miso Mushroom Pasta
- Vegan Brie Pasta
The Best Vegan Mac and Cheese Recipe Ever (Fast and Easy)
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 8 oz 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Ready for the Best Vegan Mac and Cheese on the Internet? This Mac's vegan cheese sauce is rich, gooey, and uses only 4 ingredients!
Ingredients
- 8 ounces Elbow Macaroni
- 0.75 cups Soy Milk (see note 1)
- 1.5 Tablespoons Vegan Butter (see note 2)
- 7-8 oz Vegan Cheese Shreds
- Salt, to Taste, OPTIONAL, See Note 3
Instructions
- Boil Pasta: Start a small to medium size pot on medium high heat and wait until it comes to a boil. Add pasta and cook until Al dente.
- Strain Pasta: using a fine mesh strainer, drain pasta of water. Leave pasta in strainer for now.
- Melt Butter: add butter into pot and heat on medium heat. Break up butter and continue to stir until it is fully melted. Then add milk and stir to combine.
- Add Cheese and Stir: gently add cheese to pot and continue to heat. Your cheese should slowly begin to melt and combine into a smooth mixture.
- Add Back Pasta: carefully add back the pasta from the strainer and then mix until it's fully combined. Now would be a good time to add meatballs if you made them.
- Serve: add pasta to bowl and enjoy with whatever toppings you'd like.
Notes
- Note 1: Almost any other unflavored and unsweeteened dairy free milk should work, like almond milk or other nut-based milks. Just be careful not to get a vanilla flavored one! We will note that we like using soy milk for its high protein, so that might influence the thickness of the cheese sauce. When in doubt, either cautiously add the milk a little at a time or have some reserve cheese on hand to help further thicken the sauce if needed.
- Note 2: Most vegan cheese you can buy at a store should work for our purposes. But so far, we've tested two brands of cheese and both have worked great. Violife has always been great for our recipes, and it did just as well here melting. But we've recently found a new cheese that has pleasantly surprised us; The True Goodness vegan cheese (not sponsored). It melts super well in sandwiches, vegan quesadillas, and certainly pasta. We recommend you trying it if you have it near you! We've also had great luck in the past with Follow Your Heart Vegan Cheese Shreds and the newer formula of Daiya Vegan Cheese Shreds (it tastes better and melts better!).
- Note 3: Depending on a number of factors, like if you salt your pasta water or how salty your vegan cheese is, your need to salt may vary. We personally didn't need to salt our pasta, but you might have different needs.
- Note 4: Be sure to start with hot water instead of cold water from your tap. Pre-heated water always comes to a boil faster and will save you time!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Pasta
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American, Italian, Comfort
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