The Best Vegan Mac & Cheese

I love mac and cheese (who doesn't?), and I really missed it when I became vegan in 2005. I found so many of the vegan cheeses to be stomach-turning at that time. To this day, I am very picky with vegan cheese. My friend, Sheena, gave me a recipe using nutritional yeast that I've been using for years, and there are similar recipes all over the Internet. Not only that, but my kitties seem to really enjoy having a little nutritional yeast sprinkled on their kibble.

Recently, I discovered Daiya cheese. It tastes great, and is especially good for pizzas. Our local vegan pizza shop, Allentown Pizza, uses it. The only problems are that it's expensive, and it still retains its shape even when it is melted.

When my friend, Derek, told me he had found a new vegan mac & cheese recipe that doesn't use nutritional yeast or soy/alternative milk, I was skeptical. However, after he made it for me, it quickly became one of my favorite dishes of all time. Seriously, it's so yummy!

There is a little bite to this dish, due to the cayenne, pepper, garlic, and shallots. It's creamy and comforting like traditional mac & cheese but it is still so different.


Here's what you'll need:

• 1-2 carrots (or parsnips: they make the sauce a white color, rather than yellow, and add a little more tart flavor)
• 1 shallot
• 1 big red potato or two small ones
• 1 onion
• 2 ounces of raw cashews
• Salt
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 3/4 ounces of vegan margarine or earth balance
• Mustard
• Lemon juice
• Black pepper
• Cayenne
• 8 ounces of macaroni
• 8-16 ounces of peas or broccoli (optional)
• 4 ounces of vegan bread crumbs (optional)

Estimated Prep Time: 10 minutes
Estimated Cook Time: 50 minutes


First, take eight ounces of macaroni, cook until al dente, drain and rinse cold. While that is cooking, in a saucepan, boil and simmer for 15 minutes the following ingredients:

• 1/3 cups of carrot or parsnip
• 2 tablespoons of shallots
• 1 cup of potatoes
• 1/3 cup of onion
• 1 cup of water

After your pasta has cooked, put it in a casserole dish and set aside. Once the veggies are ready, put them in your blender, along with the following:

• 1/4 cup of raw cashews
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• 1/4 teaspoons of garlic
• 1/3 cup of margarine or earth balance
• 1/4 teaspoon of mustard
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne

Once completely blended, this will turn into a beautiful sauce. At this point, you can go ahead and fold the pasta and the sauce together until it is completely mixed. Save a cup or so of the sauce to pour over the top.

I always like to add some green to my pasta dishes, for a pop of color and because vegetables are so yummy. Broccoli or peas work best in this. I just take 1-2 cups of frozen peas and mix them in with the sauce and pasta, and trust that it will cook perfectly in the oven. Sprinkle bread crumbs over top of the whole casserole, if you'd like, and you can add a little cayenne seasoning on top for color. Do not add too many bread crumbs, though, because it will soak up moisture and make it dry.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, and ta-da! you have the best vegan mac & cheese in the world. Enjoy!