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Baked Plant Based Mac and Cheese Recipe

There is literally nothing better than mac and cheese. Period. This is the hill we will die on. Creamy, rich, oozing sauce. Fat, carby pasta chunks. A crispy herby top! This all-American cheesy pasta classic is legendary and our taste buds are tingling just thinking about it…

After a bad day, mac and cheese is pretty much the best comfort food you can have, and, after a good day, mac and cheese is only going to make it better.

However, let’s be honest. As a vegan, it can be hard to find a plant-based mac and cheese recipe that lives up to the real thing. UNTIL NOW…

This recipe for vegan baked mac and cheese harnesses the plant-based power of nutritional yeast, mustard, and coconut milk to recreate the legendary taste of dairy mac and cheese, in a way that hits all the right spots. This is vegan mac and cheese just like you remember it - only better! And, it’s cruelty-free, better for the environment, and better for you. 

Think it’s too good to be true? Think again. 

Let’s talk taste

This vegan baked mac and cheese recipe is plant-based craftsmanship at its finest. 

Vegan butter, coconut milk, and vegetable broth create that classic luxury mac and cheese sauce base in this plant-based pasta recipe. Stirred into this sauce, mustard, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, and smoked paprika recreate that classic rich and smokey cheesy flavor that we all know and love. Topped with breadcrumbs, this baked mac and cheese will crisp up in the oven, creating that perfect combination of crispy top and creamy bottom. 

*chef’s kiss*

Recipe Details

This vegan baked mac and cheese should take around 40 minutes to cook up, with 20 minutes of prep time and 20 minutes of cook time. It can be enjoyed on its own, or, why not try pairing it with a deliciously crisp side salad, like these delicious Kale Crisps?

This recipe will serve 8, so why not invite your friends over to enjoy this one together? Trust us, they’ll be thanking you for it. Or, if you prefer to enjoy this alone, we can confirm that it tastes even better as leftovers the next day. 

Baked Plant Based Mac and Cheese Recipe

  • Category: Dinners
  • Prep Time: 40 minutes
  • Servings: 8

Here’s what you need:

Main Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup of vegan butter.
  • 6 tbsp all purpose flour
  • 3 14oz cans of Native Forest Unsweetened Organic Coconut Milk
  • 1 cup of Imagine Vegetable Broth
  • 3 tbsp dijon mustard
  • 1 cup of nutritional yeast
  • 3 tsp onion powder
  • 3 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 2 boxes (18oz) of Banza Chickpea Elbow Pasta
  • 1 cup of Breadcrumbs

Directions

  • Melt vegan butter in a pot and add in all-purpose flour while stirring vigorously into the melted butter mixture.

  • Pour in your coconut milk and vegetable stock into the pot, using a whisk to remove any lumps from the mixture. Keep whisking until the stock begins to boil and keep whisking for a few more minutes until the sauce begins to thicken. It will begin to thicken more once it is remove from the heat.
  • Remove your sauce from the heat and add in your dijon mustard, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt and pepper while whisking everything together. Your sauce is now ready, time to prepare the pasta.

  • Cook your pasta according to package directions, rinse and then drain.
  • Add your cooked pasta into the pot of sauce and toss it together to coat evenly.
  • Transfer your cheesy pasta mixture into a 9x13 baking pan and smooth until it is even across the pan.
  • Preheat your oven to 400 F.
  • Top your pan with your preferred amount of breadcrumbs, or until it is evenly coated over the macaroni and cheese.
  • Place into the oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until your toppings are golden brown and crispy.
  • Serve and enjoy.

Top Tips

  • Nutritional Info

    The best thing about this vegan baked mac and cheese recipe? How much better it is for you than the real thing. 

    In this plant-based version, salty cheese and high-fat cow's milk are substituted for hearty vegetable stock, low-calorie coconut milk, and low in saturated fats vegan butter. 

    On top of this, our vegan mac and cheese recipe is packed with nutritional yeast, a great source of vitamins and minerals which is fortified with vitamin B-12. Vitamin B-12 helps maintain your body’s production of red blood cells, and also happens to be vitamin vegans are often deficient in. This gives you one more reason to try out this mac and cheese recipe.

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