This classic vegan mac and cheese is ultra cheesy, saucy and creamy. Topped with breadcrumbs and baked until golden brown and crispy. Seriously satisfying.
This classic baked vegan mac and cheese is everything you want a mac and cheese to be.
It’s creamy, saucy, ultra cheesy and topped with a delicious crispy breadcrumb topping and baked to perfection.
This is really a ‘classic’ vegan mac and cheese recipe in the sense that a classic mac and cheese usually involves a bechamel sauce with heaps of cheese added to it, and then it’s placed into a dish and topped with breadcrumbs and baked.
And that’s really very close to what we did here.
We made a vegan bechamel sauce and added all sorts of cheesy flavorings to it in lieu of actual cheese so that even non-vegans will find this cheesy as all heck, and then we topped it with delicious breadcrumbs and baked it. Just like the classic version.
How To Make Vegan Mac and Cheese
This vegan mac and cheese is ultra cheesy yet we did not use one shred of actual vegan cheese in it. So if you’re living somewhere where it’s hard to find vegan cheese in the supermarket, no worries, this recipe is for you.
I did try a version with some vegan cheese added to the sauce, and quite honestly I just didn’t think it worked as well as the version without, so this is it.
I created a bechamel sauce with some vegan butter, all purpose flour, coconut milk and vegetable stock and once that was thick and creamy like a white sauce should be, I added some cheesy flavorings in the form of dijon mustard, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt and pepper.
The spices in this sauce really make it, you won’t have any doubt that this is a cheese sauce. We used our cheesy garlic vegan alfredo sauce as major inspiration for this.
Add the cooked macaroni to your big pot of sauce and toss it all together and then transfer into a 9×13 baking dish, top with breadcrumbs and bake for 20 minutes until beautifully golden brown on top.
Super easy and extremely satisfying.
How To Make Vegan Breadcrumbs
I made my own breadcrumbs for this which is easy and works great!
I toasted 3 thick cut slices of white bread and then broke them into pieces and put them into the blender. Blitzed them into breadcrumbs in the blender. Transferred to a bowl and added some melted vegan butter and tossed them up with it and then placed on top of the mac and cheese.
You can use brown or whole wheat bread but white bread actually works best for this recipe.
Ingredient FAQ
What can I use instead of vegan butter? You can use a dairy-free margarine which is basically the same thing. Just read the ingredients of the margarines and find one that is dairy-free. Alternatively you can make your own homemade vegan butter and use that in this recipe.
What kind of coconut milk did you use in this recipe? I used full fat coconut milk that comes in cans. That created the richest sauce for this recipe. Definitely do NOT use any kind of coconut milk that is sweetened, that would not work in this recipe. It needs to be canned full fat unsweetened coconut milk. If you’re not a coconut fan then see below!
How can I make this vegan mac and cheese without coconut milk? You can use soy milk instead of coconut milk, the end result is slightly less rich but you can definitely do it, I have tested it this way and it was great. I have not tested any other plant milks and while almond milk may work fine, my only worry is that it will create a sauce that is a little thin.
Can I leave out the nutritional yeast? The nutritional yeast really brings it with the cheesy flavor in this sauce! But yes you can leave it out without it ruining the recipe, but I do recommend you leave it in.
Vegan Mac and Cheese Recipe Q&A
Like the best comfort food ever! It’s super cheesy and so close to the ‘real thing’ you might not even know it’s vegan. Seriously!
The sauce can be made gluten-free if you use a gluten-free all purpose flour blend instead of the regular flour. And then of course you can use a gluten-free macaroni. You would also need to use gluten-free bread for the crumb topping, or alternatively you could add vegan cheese to the top instead of breadcrumbs.
Yes! If you need to make it ahead of time you can make up the sauce and macaroni up to 2 days before and mix it up and assemble in the 9×13 dish. Cover with foil and keep refrigerated. Then when you’re ready to bake it, add the breadcrumbs and bake. In this case, since it is going into the oven cold from the fridge, add an extra 5 minutes of baking time.
Leftovers keep very well in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Yes you can! This freezes very well.
What Goes With Vegan Mac and Cheese?
If you’re thinking of what to eat with vegan mac and cheese then there’s some great sides that go perfectly with this!
If you’re thinking in terms of comfort food then our vegan garlic bread or vegan cornbread is a perfect addition.
Some vegan coleslaw or a delicious vegan kale salad or black bean and corn salad would also go very well. If you’re looking for an appetizer then something like our vegan tomato soup or vegan tomato basil soup would fit the bill perfectly.
More Vegan Pasta Recipes
- Our vegan butternut squash mac and cheese recipe is made with butternut squash and cashew nuts! It’s quite different to this one, and it’s not baked but it’s so good.
- Our vegan pesto pasta will not disappoint and is a wonderfully quick and easy recipe.
- Our vegan pasta bake is perfect for when you want to feed a crowd. Our vegan pasta salad is an ultra quick 15 minute recipe that you will love! And if you’ve ever been a fan of spaghetti bolognese then our vegan bolognese will be right up your street!
- And then our recipe for the easiest vegan lasagna is totally divine but we also have a recipe for the best vegan lasagna which is fancier but oh so worth it!
- Also check out our vegan mushroom stroganoff and our vegan mushroom pasta.
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Classic Baked Vegan Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
For the Cheese Sauce:
- ½ cup Vegan Butter (112g)
- 6 Tablespoons All Purpose Flour
- 5 cups Coconut Milk 3 cans (1200ml), Unsweetened*
- 1 cup Vegetable Stock (240ml)
- 3 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard
- 1 cup Nutritional Yeast Flakes (60g)
- 3 teaspoons Onion Powder
- 3 teaspoons Garlic Powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
For the Macaroni:
- 16 ounces Elbow Macaroni (450g)
For the Breadcrumb Topping:
- 3 Thick Slices White Bread Toasted, or 1 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
- 2 Tablespoons Vegan Butter Melted
Instructions
- Add the vegan butter to a pot and let it melt. When it’s melted add in the all purpose flour and stir it vigorously with the melted butter.
- Then pour in the cans of coconut milk and the vegetable stock. Use a hand whisk to whisk out the lumps. Keep whisking until it starts to boil and then keep whisking for a few minutes after it has boiled until it thickens. It will continue to thicken as it cools, so it doesn’t have to be all the way there when you remove it from the heat, as long as it has thickened considerably from when you started.
- Remove it from the heat and add in the dijon mustard, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt and pepper and whisk in. Now your sauce is ready, you can prepare your macaroni.
- Cook your macaroni according to the package directions and then rinse and drain.
- Add the cooked macaroni into the pot of sauce and toss it up with the sauce.
- Then transfer the macaroni and sauce to a 9×13 baking dish and smooth down.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Prepare the crumb topping by breaking up the 3 thick slices of toasted white bread and placing into the blender. Pulse blend until you have crumbs. Then transfer to a mixing bowl, and add in the melted vegan butter and toss up the crumbs with the melted butter.
- Place the breadcrumbs evenly over the top of the macaroni cheese.
- Bake for 20 minutes until the topping is golden brown and crispy.
Video
Notes
- If you want to replace the coconut milk with a different non-dairy milk such as soy milk then you definitely can. We have tested this recipe with soy milk and it works great.
- The coconut milk must be canned full fat unsweetened coconut milk. I would never use a sweetened coconut milk for any recipe and have never used it. Canned full fat unsweetened coconut milk is the way to go. There is a link to a good brand in the ingredients list. Alternatively, use soy milk (as per instructions above).
- If you have someone to help you then you can work on the sauce and they can cook the macaroni at the same time. But the sauce is very ‘hands-on’ so if you’re on your own it works best to just focus on the sauce and then do the macaroni. But if there are two of you it will save considerable time to do both at once.
- You don’t have to use macaroni, you can use a different pasta but of course it should be one that is suited to this kind of meal, like penne or shells and not something like spaghetti or linguine. If your package of macaroni comes in 18 ounce (500g) bags, then that’s great, just use it all.
- If you’re using store-bought breadcrumbs then just eyeball it for the right amount to use so that it easily covers the top of your mac and cheese. In the case of panko breadcrumbs the amount to use is 1 cup.
- Leftovers keep very well in the fridge for 3-4 days. It’s also freezer friendly for up to 3 months.
Hi, I hate to be the only one, but I didn’t care for the flavor of this recipe. I followed it almost exactly—just went a little lighter on the pepper. I would describe the flavor as different and unique, but it didn’t really make me want to make it again. That said, the texture and color were impressive. But another recipe I’ve made from this site more than once is your banana spice cake—I HIGHLY recommend! 👍
I would add tofu so it’s more of a thicker southern dish. We tried silk but firm May be more like ricotta. There is a second Mac and cheese recipe out there with tamari sauce. We use the coconut amino acid and have it as an extra cheese layer on top since it’s too salty for some but divine as a cheese sauce.
Are bread crumbs vegan or do you have to read the ingredients for whatever ones you’re buying?
Hi Millie, check the ingredients as they’re not all vegan. Panko breadcrumbs are usually vegan.
Hi! I was wondering if you can use unsweetened coconut cream rather than milk. My grocery stores are sold out of the milk and I want to try this for Thanksgiving. I am from a small town and we don’t get items in as often.
Thank you!!!
Yes that will just make it a bit richer, which is not a bad thing at all! Or you can make it with soy milk or another non-dairy option.
So so good- I was a little naughtier and added some vegan cheese, which took this over the top!
Awesome! So happy you enjoyed it Em!
Hi! Making this for Thanksgiving. When did you add the vegan cheese? Thank you.
Can this be made a few days ahead of serving and bake that day?
Yes, this is covered under the Q&A in the blog post. You can make it up to 2 days before, assemble in the 9×13 dish, cover and refrigerate and then when you’re ready, add the breadcrumbs and bake it in the oven.
I made this this summer for extended family who have multiple allergies. It was a hit! Kids came back for seconds, never mind the adults. I used almond flour. Arrow root and Z gum to thicken the sauce as the almond flour doesn’t have any binding properties. My extended family has multiple allergies so this was perfect for them.
So happy to hear it was a success Susan!
I’ve heard very good reviews on your mac & cheese. I want to make this but I can’t have nutritional yeast. What do you suggest for me to replace with it? I’ve googled it in the past and it suggested to substitute with vegan cheese.
Hi Dorothea, yes you could use vegan cheese instead!
This is by far the best and easiest vegan Mac and cheese recipe ever. It is my go to recipe for vegan Mac, great taste.
Thanks so much Layah!
The BEST vegan mac & cheese recipe I’ve ever tried–and I’ve tried quite a few. Even beats conventional cow dairy mac & cheese hands down. No coconut taste whatsoever–not sure why one commenter noted that. Excellent, just excellent. So glad to finally have a keeper. Thank you!!
Thank you so much Lisa!
Holy cow! This is better than anything! I’m still smacking my lips! I’m not just saying this! Wow!
Yay! Thanks so much Linda!
Have not made yet but looks to be great and easy. Boyfriend is vegan I am not but he hasn’t had a good Mac and cheese in years. Question, if I make the sauce today and put in fridge to make the whole dish tomorrow, will it heat back up alright? Or should I just make it all at once?
Hi Kimberly, yes you can make the sauce in advance, you can even make both sauce and macaroni in advance, assemble in the dish, cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days and then just add breadcrumbs and bake it when you’re ready.
Hey, First of all, thank you for the recipe. As someone who just started their journey with vegan food, this helps a lot! I do think I messed up this recipe though. After adding the spices and nutritional yeast, the sauce became all clumpy and a layer of grease started to form on top. After heating up the sauce again, it became less clumpy but the grease layer remained. Do you have any idea where I could’ve gone wrong? I used all the ingredients listed in the recipe. Thanks in advance!
Hi Leander, I’m not sure what happened there, I would be inclined to wonder if it may be something to do with the brand of non dairy milk or coconut milk that wasn’t playing nice when heated. In general though, a good whisk should bring it back together if this happens to a sauce.
Hey! Not the creator, but I know what you did wrong because I made the same mistake myself many times early on when I was a young wife learning to cook. Melt the butter in your pot, then add the flour and whisk it altogether until you have a paste. This is called a roux. Once it’s blended, then you add your milk and vegetable stock, but it’s crucial to make that paste first. If you try to mix everything at the same time, the butter won’t blend with the milk or stock.
I love this recipe! It’s a hit with my family and they can eat cheese! No alterations necessary …thinking of using the sauce on baked potatoes.
So glad to hear that! The sauce would be amazing on baked potatoes too!
Wow – delicious! I think this is my favourite macaroni and cheese recipe! I followed it exactly as listed/instructed.
Thank you for this delicious recipe.
You’re so welcome! Thanks for the great review.