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This Baked Vegan Mac and Cheese is so simple that you’ll want to make it all the time, and so delicious that you’ll have to! Gluten Free, Nut Free, and made with only 8 Ingredients.
If you were a child of the 90s, Mac and Cheese was probably a staple in your diet. I vividly remember mixing that neon orange powder into my fun-shaped noodles, trying to stir in every last bit (because a mouthful of that was absolutely the worst). Nowadays, I try to avoid boxed processed foods, and I definitely avoid dairy.
No one said anything about avoiding Mac and Cheese, though.
Here’s the hard part where I now have to convince you that this Vegan Mac and Cheese is the best. You see, there are about a million and two cheezy pasta recipes out there on the internet, each touting the same thing. There’s the cashew mac, the potato mac, the fat-free mac, the junk food mac…. You name it, it’s probably floating out there somewhere in cyberspace.
I’m actually a very humble person, but let me say this: I’m pretty sure I hit the nail on the freakin’ head with this one. Forget best of both worlds, this Mac is the best of all worlds. It’s thick, luscious, creamy, and nut free! So you don’t have to waste all your money on cashews and can share it with your friends with allergies. Oh, and I think it tastes pretty darn cheesy, too.
Not only is this Mac and Cheese AMAZING, but it’s affordable too! I actually posted a variation of this recipe in one of my budget-friendly Youtube recipe videos. However, this time it has an upgrade…because now it’s (1) baked, and (2) has a delicious and Gluten-Free Crumb Topping.
Let’s talk about that for a second, shall we?
Who knew that blending up sunflower seeds, nutritional yeast, and a pinch of salt would create such a magical taste, man. So. Gooooood. If you follow the recipe, you’ll have some leftover crumble – but this is a good thing, in my opinion. Either sprinkle some extra on your pasta dish after you serve it, or save it for a later use! I think it would also be great as a vegan parmesan.
A Few Final Thoughts:
- This recipe is easily made gluten free by using GF pasta, but if you can tolerate gluten, feel free to use any pasta that you desire. I usually use this chickpea pasta and love it.
- If you are feeling lazy, you don’t have to bake this recipe. Simply make the cheese sauce, pour it over your cooked pasta, ét voilá! However, you are really missing out if you don’t make the crumb topping…just sayin’
- I would really recommend sticking with Tahini for this recipe. You can use with another neutral “butter” like cashew or sunflower seed, but the Tahini really contributes to the “cheddary” flavor.
- This recipe is best eaten fresh right out of the oven and will dry out with time. You could make the sauce ahead of time and store it in the fridge for up to one week, but I wouldn’t bake the pasta in advance.
If you’re looking for more comforting Vegan recipes, you’ll also love this One Pot Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff and this Loaded Vegan “Chicken” Noodle Soup!
Finally, if you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I love seeing your delicious recreations 🙂
PrintBaked Vegan Mac and Cheese (Gluten Free, Nut Free)
This Baked Vegan Mac and Cheese is so simple that you’ll want to make it all the time, and so delicious that you’ll have to! Gluten Free, Nut Free, and made with only 8 Ingredients.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 2-3 servings 1x
- Category: Main
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 8 oz Pasta of Choice* (I like Chickpea Pasta)
For the Cheese Sauce:
- 1 cup Russet Potato, peeled and diced into 1″ cubes (about 1 medium)
- 1/2 cup Carrots, chopped into 1/2″ pieces (about 1 medium)
- 3 tbsp Nutritional Yeast
- 1/2 cup Unsweetened Plant-Based Milk (Almond, Cashew, or Hemp recommended)
- 2 tbsp Tahini
- 1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 3/4 tsp Salt, plus more to taste
For the Crumb Topping:
- 1/3 cup Sunflower Seeds
- 1 tbsp Nutritional Yeast
- Pinch of Salt
Instructions
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil while you peel and chop your Potatoes and Carrots. Place the chopped veggies into the boiling water and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until the Carrots are easily pierced with a fork.
- In the meantime, prepare the crumb topping. Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until well-combined, then set aside in a small bowl.
- Drain the Potatoes and Carrots, then set aside. Briefly rinse out the pot, then re-fill with water and bring to a boil again.
- Once boiling, add the Pasta and cook according to package instructions. As you will be cooking the Pasta again in the oven, I would recommend cooking it for the minimum amount of time, so it is al dente.
- Preheat your oven to 375F, then prepare the Sauce. Combine the Potatoes and Carrots with the rest of the remaining ingredients in a food processor or high-speed blender and blend for 1-2 minutes, until the sauce is thick and velvety. Add extra Salt to taste, if desired.
- Drain your Pasta, but do not rinse it. Return it to the pot and pour the Cheese Sauce over it, stirring until well-combined.
- Spread the Pasta mixture evenly into an oven-safe 8″x8″ pan, then cover with a generous sprinkle of the Crumb mixture.
- Bake at for 8-10 minutes, then broil on HI for 2-5 minutes, until the top is golden brown and crispy. Be sure to watch carefully so it doesn’t burn!
- Carefully remove from the oven and serve immediately, topping with more Crumb Topping as desired.
Notes
- If you are gluten-free, be sure to use certified GF pasta. I use Banza and would highly recommend it!
Want to save this Baked Vegan Mac and Cheese recipe for later? Pin the recipe to your Pinterest boards:
Saved as a favorite, I like your blog!
I love the Banza chickpea pastas but I find they go bad after a couple of days so I always make them day of. For this type of dish, do you find that they are ok when you have leftovers?
As with most Mac and Cheese, the noodles will dry out with time. Honestly when I make this, I usually eat the leftovers the next day!
The cheese holds up so well – better than real cheese! It doesn’t dry out at all and keeps a thick texture, even after microwaving. I added some sun dried tomatoes and peppers for a little extra flavor. I’m so impressed, thank you!
★★★★★
Yay! Glad you liked it Amanda 🙂 It’s one of my favorites!
Loved the cheese sauce. I made some extra to eat with nachos or oven baked fries, do you know how long will it keep in the fridge?
Thanks!
It should last about 5-7 days no problem!
Your cheese sauce is delicious on ????!!!! Thought about taking a pic AFTER I ate it! Thanks for the amazing recipe! Trying it on black bean nachos next ????
★★★★★
OOhh yes! I’ve been meaning to come up with a Nacho Cheese Variation 🙂
This is an awesome recipe. Tried it tonight for the first time.. sooo yumm.. definitely going to be a weekly meal ..
★★★★★
It’s a snow day and I’m so ready to have some Mac and Cheese! This recipe looks simple enough and it’s vegan so that’s a deal breaker! I’ve been eyeing this for so long and I finally found some Tahini in my local Kroger but I don’t have a blender, could I mix all of those ingredients in a stand mixer?
★★★★★
Hi Kendra, I’m not sure if all of the ingredients will combine well enough in a stand mixer, but it’s worth a shot! I would cook the potatoes and carrots for a few extra minutes though, to make sure they are realllllly soft
Hi Caitlin,
Do you have substitute or replacement recommendation for the tahini? I’m just starting out with vegan recipes and have not cooked with tahini yet. Thanks.
★★★★
Hi Faye! Tahini is the best option in this recipe, as it has a kind of bitter “tang” associated with cheese. If you’re looking to substitute it, I would suggest either vegan sour cream or some vegan butter
I had been wanting to make this recipe for quite some time and finally whipped it up yesterday. I was impressed by the whole ingredients and how easy it was to make, but wow, was I surprised how good the taste and texture was!
★★★★★
I’m glad you liked it, Abby!
The consistency was really good but the tahini taste was too strong for me, it all i can taste. I assume the Trader Joes version of tahini is potent. I will use less next time or maybe swap for miso. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
So good! I was in a bit of a rush, so I did not bake it, but i still loved it.
★★★★★
I do that too! 🙂
I made this today and I am in love with this cheese sauce. I saved the extra in a jar and am probably going to put it on everything for the next week. Thanks, Caitlin!
★★★★★
I’m glad you liked it, Jaiden! That’s a great idea
Hello Caitlin, I have a tiny little problem now the tahini taste was too strong what should i do??
★★★★
The brand of Tahini you use can definitely make a difference! I would recommend the ones by Soom Foods, Shirley Bar Living, or Woodstock Foods.
Hi there! This looks amazing and I️ am wondering if it could be prepared and then frozen before baking it at a later date. Any thoughts? Thank you!
Hi Mandee, it should be okay overall, but the cheese sauce may “dry out” when frozen. You could probably just reheat with a little more plant based milk and everything should be okay though!
Love this! For the topping I used some vegan parm I already had and some almonds which I ground up in the food processor. I made a big batch before I read the part about it drying out, but no worries! It reheats just fine with a splash of cashew milk added to bring it back to life.
★★★★★
I’m glad you liked it, Amanda! That parm sounds great 🙂
Hi Caitlin, thank you for recipe! Do you think it will work with zucchini noodles instead of macaroni? What adjustments would it require?
Natasha, I think you could use the sauce over Zucchini Noodles, but they would not hold up well if you baked them in the oven.
This is truly amazing. Creamy, tasty, cheesy, and even kind of healthy. Thank you.
★★★★★
That’s exactly how I feel about it too 😉
I love your recipes so much, this one especially!
I just have one question, do you (approximatively0 know how many calories are there when cooking this for 2 people?
★★★★★
Hi Clau, thank you! I do not count calories and therefore do not put the macronutrient information in my recipes, because I don’t want to encourage others to do the same. If you are really interested, you could figure it out using cronometer.com
Hi Clau! I made this and I counted the calories in it, but I cut the recipe in half as I was only cooking for myself. I also only cooked one serving of pasta which didn’t equal 2 oz for me, but for me it came to about 430 calories 🙂
This looks AMAZING! I’m making it tonight and can’t wait to try it!!! I went vegan 3 weeks ago and I love your recipes!
Thank you Terry, hope you love it!
I just made this! The cheese sauce was beautiful, I wasn’t expecting it to look so much like cheese! Baking it was a lot of fun too. Overall, the best vegan mac n cheese I’ve had so far on my vegan journey. Thank you for sharing this recipe. What I like most about it is that the ingredients are not too exotic, and I don’t have to dish out cash for cashews!
Thank you for the positive feedback Abigail! I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
This looks amazing!!! I’m experimenting with a whole foods plant based diet (and NO OIL- a first for me!), and your blog and channel are my go-to’s and part of my inspiration. Thank you so much for all the work you do!
That’s awesome, Sarah! So happy to hear I have been able to help you along your journey 🙂
Ditto what Sarah said. So many of the vegan recipes online are heavy on added fat. I really appreciate that so many of your recipes are delicious, healthy versions of the WFPB diet I’ve started that requires no added oil or sugars. Thanks so much, and I can’t WAIT to try this one. 🙂