Meet Alex Caspero
Alex Caspero is a Registered Dietitian, New York Times Bestselling Plant-Based Chef and mom of two. She aims to cut through the nutrition noise by providing real-life, nourishing tips for body and mind. Learn more about Alex.
A must-try baked vegan mac and cheese! A fantastic non-dairy casserole for new moms, families or anyone who wants cheesy vegan mac and cheese with a breadcrumb crust.
First posted in 2013, updated 2021.
Cheesy baked mac and cheese without the cheese! It’s still delicious, I promise. I remember the first time I tried vegan mac and cheese– I was not impressed. I grew up in Virginia, OK? I know what good, southern-style mac and cheese should taste like and that sorry excuse for a mac and cheese that I had was absolutely not it.
And then I tried sweet potato mac and cheese, and I loved it a lot more. Perhaps it was the word play? Or the fact that I could appreciate the fact that it wasn’t trying to replicate cheddar-style mac and cheese. It was just pasta in a creamy sweet potato based sauce and I loved it for what it was.
I love this baked vegan mac and cheese but I’m not going to convince you that it’s mac and cheese. It’s not. It’s a creamy, completely dairy-free sauce with elbow noodles and baked with a herby breadcrumb topping. It’s fantastic pasta and it just happens to be mac-and-cheese like.
I first published this recipe back in 2013, back when I did a lot of experimenting with vegan eats and was completely blown away that you could make a cheese sauce out of nuts and nutritional yeast. Like, what is this sorcery?
Over the years, I’ve refined this recipe and added in a few spices that I think take it over the top. Isa constantly reminds me that chipotle powder is a secret weapon in any mac and cheese sauce and I love the way smoky paprika makes vegan mac and cheese sing.
First, you’ll make the cheese sauce. Throw everything into a blender and puree until very creamy and smooth. Depending on the strength of you blender, you may need to stop and scrape down the sauce as it blends; it may take a few minutes.
Toss with cooked small noodles of choice, then pour into a greased casserole dish. You’ll have more cheese sauce than you think you need and that’s because the noodles will absorb sauce as they bake.
Cover in toasted breadcrumbs mixed with a little melted butter and Italian seasoning, then tent with foil and bake for 10 minutes, then uncover and brown for an additional 5.
Of course! You’ll have a little more cheese sauce than you need as you want to keep it as creamy as possible as it bakes. However, if you prefer stove-top mac and cheese or don’t have the extra time then it’s still delicious without baking it.
Hope you love this vegan mac and cheese as much as we do! If you try it, come back and leave a comment and rate it. Your feedback helps other readers and seeing you make my recipes makes my day!
Baked Vegan Mac and Cheese! Creamy, cheesy vegan mac and cheese topped with breadcrumbs and baked until golden brown and delicious. A fantastic non-dairy casserole for new moms and families!
*I’m so lazy and rarely soak my cashews but my blender is strong and can handle it. If yours can’t, then I recommend soaking cashews for at least 30 minutes. Alternatively, you can soak the cashews with boiling water for 10 minutes or so, then drain.
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will be making this soon i love mac and cheese sooooooooooo much will dm you if i make this and let you know how it goes Thanks ramya