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    Home » Recipes

    15 Minute Easy Vegan Mac and Cheese

    Published: Mar 5, 2021 · Modified: Sep 15, 2022 by Andrew Bernard · This post may contain affiliate links · 36 Comments

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    a collage of 15 minute vegan mac and cheese.

    This quick stovetop 15 minute easy vegan mac and cheese is so quick to make and will satisfy all your vegan mac and cheese cravings.

    Quick and easy vegan mac and cheese in a bowl.

    Hold the front door. Are we really going to show you how to make a delicious vegan mac and cheese in just 15 minutes? Is that really what you read? Absolutely! You are going to love this 15 Minute Easy Vegan Mac and Cheese recipe.

    And guess what? It’s super allergy friendly. 

    Listen, we’ve tried all the boxed vegan mac and cheese brands (well, almost. we know there’s a few out there we haven’t tried, but we’ve tried 10!)

    We know that there’s some decent ones out there, but truth be told, if we weren’t overly impressed and we knew we could make a better tasting recipes in the same amount of time. And guess what, we succeed.

    Note – this is a stove top version. If you want a baked vegan mac and cheese, click and follow that link!

    A wooden spoon with homemade cheesy macaroni and cheese.

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    A white pot of creamy vegan macaroni and cheese.

    Frequently Asked Questions:

    Can I make this Top 8 Allergen Friendly Mac and Cheese?

    Yes!  

    One of our main goals for this besides making just a delicious and easy vegan macaroni and cheese was to make it allergy friendly as well. 

    There are a few ingredients that we need to look out for in how our recipe is written, but let’s get to it. 

    To start, you want to use a gluten free pasta.  There are so many choices available now, so just use the one that you like the best. 

    For the vegan butter, ensure that it is soy free.  We prefer earth balance soy free when it comes to this. It comes in a red tub. 

    Then, we have dairy free milk. We actually prefer oat milk for this because it’s creamier. Most dairy free oat milks are certified gluten free, so just double check your labels. 

    And then we have the vegan parmesan cheese. We are use Violife in this recipe, which does contain coconut oil, but no other allergens.  If you have a coconut allergen, you can use Follow Your Heart parmesan. 

    We also have a vegan parmesan on our site that you can make with sunflower seeds; however, it doesn’t melt well which is why we recommend using one of the store bought brands. 

    Lastly, make sure you pick a shredded dairy free cheese that is safe for your allergies.

    15 minute easy vegan macaroni and cheese on a wooden spoon.

    Can I prep this 15 minute easy vegan mac and cheese ahead of time?

    Yes! You can make this 3-5 days ahead of time and store in an air tight container in the fridge. Heat up on the stove or in the microwave when ready to eat. You may need to add an additional splash of milk when reheating.

    IS VEGAN CHEESE HEALTHY?

    Depending on your health goals, different foods are good for different reasons. This dish is based off beans and nutritional yeast in itself is very healthy.

    We do use some processed packaged cheese and a vegan butter substitute that could be seen as not as healthy. You could try the sauce without these to see if you like it.

    If health is a concern for you, then we encourage you to speak to a nutritionist.

    CAN I MAKE THIS IF I DON’T HAVE A HIGH POWDERED BLENDER?

    Yes! If you don’t have a high powered blender like a Vitamix or Blendtec, then we recommend that you put all the ingredients except the cheese shreds into a normal blender or food processor and blend until creamy.

    Afterwards, move the sauce to a sauce pot on the stove over medium heat and add the vegan cheese shreds. Stir until your vegan cheese has melted and you have a smooth, uniform vegan cheese sauce.

    WHAT ARE THE BEST BRANDS TO MAKE A VEGAN CHEESE SAUCE?

    When you make something like a vegan cheese sauce recipe you likely want to know exactly how we made it in order to get the best test.

    We have not found a major difference in what brand of butter beans you use, so no worries there.

    As far as dairy free milk, we typically go with Target’s Good & Gather Oat or Almond milk depending on what we have on hand. However you can use whatever your favorite is. We do recommend unflavored, unsweetened dairy free milk.

    We usually use the Now Food’s brand of nutritional yeast.

    As far as vegan butter, this again is one that we think you use your favorite, but we have used country crock plant based sticks and Earth Balance with a lot of sucess.

    For vegan parmesan – we use the Violife wedge as our go to but if you can’t find any you can also make your own vegan parmesan cheese

    Lastly, for vegan cheese, you can use a block or shreds. We have particularly really loved the Violife Epic Cheddar block and shred it ourselves inside, however we had had success with other brands like Violife and Dairy cutting board blend.

    WHAT CAN I SUB FOR BUTTER BEANS?

    Some people can find butter beans and others can’t. Depending on where you live, maybe it’s not easy for you either.

    Butter beans provide a creamy and smooth consistency so that’s why we recommend those; however, other white beans can also be used like cannellini or great northern.

    We do not recommend using chickpeas in this dish.

    A white bowl of 30-minute vegan mashed potatoes and gravy.

    What are other vegan side dishes to try?

    There are endless possibilities, but here are some of our favorite vegan side dishes that we think everyone will like: 

    • Vegan Cornbread
    • One Pot 30 Minute Vegan Mashed Potatoes
    • Vegan Green Bean Casserole 
    • Italian Vegan Pasta Salad
    • Vegan Potato Salad
    • Vegan Green Bean Salad
    • The Best Vegan Baked Beans
    • Vegan Glazed Carrots
    • Vegan Scalloped Potatoes 

    Pin this easy 15 minute vegan mac and cheese for later!

    A heafty spoonful of 15 minute easy vegan mac and cheese.
    Print Recipe
    4.77 from 30 votes

    15 minute easy vegan mac and cheese

    This quick stovetop 15 minute easy vegan mac and cheese is so quick to make and will satisfy all your vegan mac and cheese cravings.
    Prep Time7 minutes mins
    Cook Time8 minutes mins
    Total Time15 minutes mins
    Course: Main Course, Side Dish
    Cuisine: American
    Servings: 4 servings
    Calories: 534kcal
    Author: Andrew Bernard

    Ingredients

    • 2 cups macaroni noodles, uncooked (Use gluten free if needed)
    • 1 15oz can butter beans, drained
    • ½ cup vegetable stock
    • 1 cup dairy free milk (we like oat for this)
    • ⅓ cup nutritional yeast
    • ¼ cup vegan butter
    • 2 tablespoon lemon juice
    • 1 tsp salt
    • ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
    • ¼ teaspoon paprika
    • ½ cup vegan parmesan cheese (we use Violife for this recipe)
    • 1 cup vegan shredded cheddar cheese

    Instructions

    • Bring a salted pot of water to a boil.
    • Cook macaroni noodles according to the package. Drain noodles once done and set aside.
    • While noodles cook, add all remaining ingredients to a high powdered blender.
    • Blend this until very well combined (about 3-4 minutes). Set aside.
    • When noodles are drain, drain then thoroughly and return to pot.
    • Pour sauce in and stir well to combine. Cook just until heated through.
    • Remove from heat. Adjust salt and pepper. Serve.

    Video

    Notes

    *See post for notes about Top 8 Allergy Free variation. This can be Top 8 Allergen Free.
    **Nutritional facts are just estimates. Please utilize your own brand nutritional values to double check against our estimates. 
     

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 534kcal | Carbohydrates: 73g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1105mg | Potassium: 832mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 897IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 134mg | Iron: 4mg
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Megan

      September 29, 2023 at 6:02 pm

      5 stars
      Awesome recipe!!! I can’t thank you enough as we have a severe cashew allergy in our house and I haven’t been able to find a good nut free Mac cheese recipe until now!!! Thanks you thank you thank you!!!

      Reply
      • Larisha Bernard

        November 09, 2023 at 1:39 pm

        So happy you love it!

        Reply
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