The Creamiest and BEST Vegan Mac ‘n Cheese Casserole Recipe.
Creamy.
Cheesy.
Vegan.
This recipe is hands down the creamiest, dreamiest, most delicious vegan mac ‘n cheese recipe on the planet.
And it is absolutely bursting with flavor.
I’ve been wanting to perfect my mac ‘n cheese game for a while now, and I really have knocked it out of the park, if I do say so myself! The best part is, it’s SO EASY!!
Let’s get into it!
Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links for products I use and love. If you make a purchase after clicking one of those links, I may earn a small affiliate commission, perhaps enough to buy some extra gochujang or gochugaru 🙂
Why You’re Going to Love this Vegan Mac ‘n Cheese Recipe.
Because it’s the creamiest mac ‘n cheese ever? And because it’s so easy to make!
Look, the fact is, vegan cheese has come such a long way. We no longer need to make a cheese sauce using cashews or eggplant or some other ingredient. That was always the large impediment, for me at least, to making mac ‘n cheese. But this vegan mac ‘n cheese requires none of that. In fact, this recipe is literally a 1:1 substitution of a GREAT vegetarian recipe. Not a single non-vegan will eat this and say, “meh… I can taste that it’s vegan.”
Pfft.
This vegan mac ‘n cheese is:
CREAMY.
CHEESY.
FLAVORFUL.
CONVENIENT!
Yes, I said convenient. Basically just throw everything into a pot, mix it together, and then pour it into a casserole dish and bake it.
Done!
Key Ingredients and Notes on Substitutions for Vegan Mac ‘n Cheese Casserole.
Pasta.
You absolutely can use macaroni for this vegan mac ‘n cheese recipe. But feel free to switch it up and use a different kind of pasta. I used a spiral-y pasta for this recipe (cellentani) along with some ramen noodles.
Yup, I said ramen noodles.
I mean, I did tell you that this was the BEST mac ‘n cheese recipe of all time, didn’t I? But you don’t have to use ramen noodles or even cellentani. You can use penne, fusilli, ditalini, orecchiette. Generally speaking, the smaller pastas work better for this recipe, but if you have your heart set and spaghetti, go for it!
And, of course, it goes without saying, use a gluten-free variety to keep this recipe gluten-free!
Butter.
Yup, this vegan mac ‘n cheese recipe calls for a lot of butter. Part of keeping things creamy and dreamy is fat. Can you use extra virgin olive oil? Sure. But it won’t be the same. It just won’t be!
All Purpose Flour.
This vegan mac ‘n cheese recipe calls for making a roux, to make that creamy cheese sauce for our vegan mac ‘n cheese. If you don’t want to use all purpose flour, you can also use cornstarch to keep this recipe gluten-free!
Milk and Heavy Cream.
How do we make this vegan mac ‘n cheese so creamy? I use both milk (Chobani’s Extra Creamy Oat Milk) along with heavy cream (Country Crock’s Plant Cream). For this recipe, a creamy oat milk or soy milk works best. As for heavy cream, there are now a lot of different varieties out there that are dairy free, including the aforementioned Country Crock, as well as Califia and Silk; but if you can’t get your hands on a good one, I would just replace with oat milk or soy milk. I would not substitute with coconut cream or milk, as they both impart too much coconut flavor.
Cheese.
You can’t have a vegan mac ‘n cheese without cheese and as I said, vegan cheese has come such a long way! Back when I first went vegan, there were just a few options. Now, there are so many! And I use almost all of them here!
- Mature cheddar by Violife
- Pepperjack by Follow Your Heart
- Parmesan by Violife
- Smoked Gouda by Follow Your Heart
- Creamy Cheese (Provolone) by Chao
The key is to use blocks of vegan cheese, in lieu of pre-shredded. Why? Pre-shredded cheeses are not as flavorful (in my opinion) and, more importantly, do not dissolve as easily into a creamy sauce. What I do is buy the cheese slices (i.e., the stuff for sandwiches) and stick them in the freezer for about 30 minutes. They then become much easier to grate yourself!
Flavor Agents.
I call this next category of ingredients, “flavor agents,” because they are here to enhance the cheesy flavor of our vegan mac ‘n cheese:
- Smoked paprika provides both heat and smokiness.
- White pepper provides a little bright pepperiness.
- Dijon mustard provides a slight tang and cheesiness.
- Miso provides intense umami, saltiness, and funk.
- MSG just makes everything taste better (you can sub in nutritional yeast if you must)
- Hot sauce provides heat and intensifies the cheesiness.
Step-by-Step Instructions for Making Vegan Mac ‘n Cheese Casserole.
Step 1.
Preheat your oven to 350° F. Cook the pasta and ramen according to package instructions for 1 minute less than required cook time.
Step 2.
While your pasta is cooking, make the cheese sauce: add 6 tablespoons of butter to a deep pan or pot over low heat. Once it has melted, whisk in flour. Continue whisking until the butter and flour becomes brown (around 1 minute). Whisk in plant milk, followed by heavy whipping cream, along with smoked paprika, mustard, miso, msg, and hot sauce. Continue whisking until the mixture starts bubbling (do not let it scald).
Step 3.
Add 4 cups of the grated vegan cheese, 1 cup at a time, stirring it in until your sauce is smooth. Remove from heat. Scoop out about 1 cup of the cheese sauce.
Step 4.
When your pasta is ready (i.e., 1 minute from totally cooked), drain and place back in the pot it was cooking in over low heat. Add 1 tablespoon of butter and stir in until your pasta is evenly coated. Then, add the cheese sauce (minus the 1 cup you reserved). Stir until the pasta is evenly coated.
Step 5.
Add half the pasta into your pre-greased 4 quart (11¾” x 8” x 2 ½”) casserole dish. Then, sprinkle with half the remaining cheese. Add grated parmesan. Add the remaining pasta and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Drizzle the top with reserved cheese sauce.
Place in your preheated oven and bake for about 35 to 40 minutes, until the top is just beginning to brown.
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Frequently Asked Questions.
How can I reheat vegan mac ‘n cheese?
Vegan mac ‘n cheese is best enjoyed right out of the oven; however, if you want to reheat any leftovers, microwaving is best. Simply place a serving in a microwave safe container, loosely covered, and heat for about 2 minutes.
Can I make vegan mac ‘n cheese gluten-free?
Yup! Simply use gluten-free pasta and replace the all purpose flour (for the roux) with corn starch!
Recipe Card.
Creamy Vegan Mac ‘n Cheese Casserole.
Ingredients
- 16 oz elbow or spiral pasta (can use gluten-free pasta)
- 1 packet ramen noodles (optional)
- 7 tbsp butter (I use Earth Balance or Country Crock Plant Butter)
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour (can substitute corn starch)
- 3 cups milk (I use oat milk)
- 1 cup heavy cream (I use Country Crock's Plant Cream)
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp white pepper
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp miso
- 1 tsp msg
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp hot sauce
- 6 cups grated cheese (I use a mix of vegan pepperjack, smoked gouda, mature cheddar, provolone–see notes on Ingredients for brands)
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan (I use Violife)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350° F. Cook the pasta and ramen according to package instructions for 1 minute less than required cook time.
- While your pasta is cooking, make the cheese sauce: add 6 tablespoons of butter to a deep pan or pot over low heat. Once it has melted, whisk in flour. Continue whisking until the butter and flour becomes brown (around 1 minute). Whisk in milk, followed by heavy cream, along with smoked paprika, mustard, miso, msg, and hot sauce. Continue whisking until the mixture starts bubbling (do not let it scald).
- Add 4 cups of the grated vegan cheese, 1 cup at a time, stirring it in until your sauce is smooth. Remove from heat. Scoop out about 1 cup of the cheese sauce.
- When your pasta is ready (i.e., 1 minute from totally cooked), drain and place back in the pot it was cooking in over low heat. Add 1 tablespoon of butter and stir in until your pasta is evenly coated. Then, add the cheese sauce (minus the 1 cup you reserved). Stir until the pasta is evenly coated.
- Add half the pasta into your pre-greased 4 quart (11¾” x 8” x 2 ½”) casserole dish. Then, sprinkle with half the remaining cheese. Add grated parmesan. Add the remaining pasta and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Drizzle the top with reserved cheese sauce. Place in your preheated oven and bake for about 35 to 40 minutes, until the top is just beginning to brown.
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