Recipe for a vegan Mac and Cheese – an absolute American classic. With homemade vegan cheese! Perfect as a main, or as a side dish. Be warned, comfort food!

I’ve topped the Mac and Cheese with a breadcrumbs layer consisting of panko flakes, spices and dried rosemary. Of course, I couldn’t help myself but to add sriracha on top. Soooo good!
Mac and Cheese Add-Ins
This is a very basic version of Mac and Cheese, but you could funkify it and add in:
- peas
- spinach
- caramelized onions
- crispy cubed tofu
- mushrooms
- or make a Mediterranean version with olives and dried tomatoes
What else? How do you typically eat your mac and cheese? Let me know in the comments!

Vegan Mac and Cheese
Recipe for a vegan Mac and Cheese - an absolute American classic. With homemade vegan cheese! Perfect as a main, or as a side dish. Comfort food!
Ingredients
Ingredients for the vegan Cheese Sauce
- 1/4 cup vegan butter e.g. EarthBalance, Alsan,...
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika powder
- ground pepper
- 1 pinch garlic powder
- 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/2 cup water
Ingredients for the Mac (...)
- 4 cups macaroni pasta
- baking spray
Ingredients for the Breadcrumbs Layer
- 1/2 cup panko flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika powder
- 1/4 teaspoon curry powder
Instructions
Instructions for the Vegan Cheese Sauce
- Heat the butter in a small pot on medium high heat.
- Add the salt, pepper, paprika powder, curry powder & garlic powder.
- Once the butter is completely liquid, add in the flour and whisk.
- Reduce the heat to low and add nutritional yeast, whisk again until clumpy.
- Add the water and whisk on low heat for a few minutes. If it gets too thick you can add a little bit more water and whisk again.
Instructions for the Mac & Cheese
- In a large pot, heat some water and boil the macaroni noodles according to the instructions on the package.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C or 480°F.
- Mix the panko flakes with the spices for the breadcrumbs layer.
- When the noodles are cooked, drain them and pour over the vegan Cheese Sauce. Transfer it to a lightly oiled oven-save dish and sprinkle with the breadcrumbs. Spray the top with oil.
- Bake the mac and cheese in the oven for about 10 minutes, until the top is nice and brown. Enjoy!
Notes
My oven dish has the dimensions: 10" x 18" (25cm x 17cm)
Nutrition
Calories: 370kcalCarbohydrates: 62gProtein: 11gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 393mgPotassium: 222mgFiber: 3gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 485IUCalcium: 24mgIron: 1.7mg
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Margaret
Tuesday 8th of December 2020
This is the best vegan mac and cheese sauce I've tried yet. The only change I made was to stir in a little lemon juice before serving. BTW, I also love your user-friendly Indian-inspired vegan entrees. You're a wonderful cook. Thank you!
Sarah
Tuesday 29th of January 2019
This is awesome!! But I recommend tripling the cheese. The recipe as described barely covers one bag of noodles. Doubling it is better. Tripling it makes it actually cheesy.
My husband was critical of it before I tripled the cheese, but now he can't get enough. I can't, either.
It's very easy, too!
Bianca
Tuesday 5th of February 2019
Awesome! I'm glad you like them! More cheese = more better :)
Hannah
Wednesday 26th of July 2017
Mac and cheese is one of my all time favorite foods <3. Yours looks delicious!
Bianca
Friday 28th of July 2017
Thank you! I love making traditional American meals from time to time. It's a nice change :)