This is the best vegan mac and cheese recipe ever! Directions for stovetop version and the most delicious baked vegan mac and cheese ever! Not cashew based, so allergy friendly!
Let’s get straight to the point in this post. We created the best vegan mac and cheese. And guess what? It’s super allergy friendly.
We wanted to sit and create something that was truly reminiscent of the baked mac and cheese that we were used to before being vegan. Finally, we think we have done that.
And it wasn’t without a lot of thought and consideration. I think we may have mad at least a dozen versions over the past year before finally settling on what we think is an absolutely amazing dairy free mac and cheese.
We had the bar set really high. Mac and cheese was the dish that was requested that we bring for the holidays.
We also knew that going into this recipe creation that we wanted this recipe to be allergy friendly, or at least be able to be made allergy friendly in the way that it was written.
Thankfully, we were successful on all accounts and now we are just so excited to share this delicious vegan macaroni and cheese recipe with you.
We will be sharing two versions –
1- how to make this stove top vegan macaroni and cheese
2- how to make this baked vegan macaroni and cheese
Never miss another post! Sign up for our weekly newsletter and get them all delivered easily! Plus, 15 easy recipes delivered immediately!
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP!
What ingredients do you need for vegan mac and cheese?
This isn’t going to be one of those super simple ingredient lists; however, we don’t think that it’s super expansive either. The ingredients that you will need for this delicious dairy free macaroni and cheese is:
- macaroni noodles (or other tubular noodle – use GF if needed)
- butter beans
- vegetable stock
- nutritional yeast
- vegan butter
- lemon juice
- salt
- pepper
- paprika
- vegan parmesan cheese
- unsweetened dairy free milk
- chickpea (garbanzo) flour
- vegan shredded cheddar cheese
- seasoned panko breadcrumbs
So 14 total ingredients. Which, in our opinion, isn’t that bad! Let’s get to the recipe.
How do you make vegan mac and cheese?
To start this recipe, you want to get a salted pot of water on the stove. And then cook your macaroni or preferred noodles, according to the package. Drain your noodles are set aside once done.
While that is cooking we are going to make a cheese sauce.
You are then going to add the beans, stock, milk, nutritional yeast, butter, lemon juice, salt, pepper, paprika and parmesan cheese to a high powdered blender. Blend this until very well combined. We let our Vitamix go for 5 minutes.
We are going to continue with the recipe by setting that cheese sauce off to the side and grabbing a large skillet.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees if you are making the baked version.
Over medium low heat, melt your vegan butter. Then, add in the garbanzo bean flour. Whisk that together.
Slowly pour in your vegan milk. Whisk until a thick consistency happens, like a gravy.
Stir in your spices, 2 cups of the vegan cheese sauce we set aside and vegan parmesan cheese. Combine well.
Add in the cooked noodles and combine.
If making a stovetop vegan mac and cheese-
If you are making a simple dairy free mac and cheese on the stove and you are not worried about a baked version, add shredded cheddar cheese, let melt, and then you are done here. Remove from heat. Adjust salt and pepper to your liking and serve.
If making a baked vegan mac and cheese –
Pour half your mixture into a 9×13 casserole dish. Sprinkle half the vegan shredded cheese. Pour half a cup of remaining cheese sauce over.
Then, the remaining noodle mixture and spread out evenly.
Top with another 1/2 cup of cheese sauce, the remaining vegan shredded cheddar cheese and seasoned breadcrumbs.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until breadcrumbs have started turning golden brown on top.
Remove from oven and let set for 5 minutes before serving.
Can I make this Top 8 Allergen Friendly Mac and Cheese?
Yes!
One of our main goals for this besides making just a delicious 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. Gluten free pastas tend to be chewier, so if you are doing the baked version, we would recommend that you cook it a few minutes less on the stove.
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.
Make sure if making the baked version that you pick a shredded dairy free cheese that is safe for your allergies.
Also, you can omit the breadcrumb topping or use a vegan, gluten free breadcrumb.
Hopefully that helps you create the perfect vegan macaroni and cheese that is suitable for your allergies.
Can I prep this vegan mac and cheese ahead of time?
This vegan mac and cheese is best served right out of the oven; however, we know with holidays and such, you may be wondering about prepping ahead.
You can make the cheese sauce ahead and leave in the fridge up to 7 days in advance. That goes for the cheese sauce in the blender and then continue sauce for the baked version.
The stove top or baked version are still good heated up for the next few days; however, if you are trying to wow a crowd, we recommend making and serving it without the first few hours.
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
- Easy Vegan Mashed Potatoes (4 Ways)
- 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 vegan mac and cheese for later:
The Best Vegan Mac and Cheese
Equipment
- 9×13 casserole dish
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups macaroni noodles, uncooked (Use gluten free if needed)
- 1 15oz can butter beans, drained
- 1/2 cup vegetable stock
- 1 cup dairy free milk (we like oat for this)
- 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/4 cup vegan butter
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1/2 cup vegan parmesan cheese (we use Violife for this recipe)
Additional Ingredients for Second Half
- 2 cups unsweetened vegan milk (we prefer oat here since it's creamier)
- 1/4 cup vegan butter
- 1/4 cup chickpea (garbanzo) flour
- 1/2 cup vegan parmesan Cheese (we used violife again here)
- 2 cups prepared cheese sauce from above
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cracked black pepper
- 2 cups vegan shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/3 cup seasoned panko breadcrumbs (ensure dairy free)
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 beans, stock, dairy free milk, nutritional yeast, butter, lemon juice, salt, pepper, paprika and parmesan cheese to a high powdered blender.
- Blend this until very well combined. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees if making a baked version.
- In a skillet, over medium low heat, melt vegan butter.
- Add in chickpea flour. Whisk together.
- Slowly pour in vegan milk. Whisk until a thick consistency happens, like a gravy.
- Stir in spices, 2 cups of the prepared cheese sauce and vegan parmesan cheese. Combine well.
- Add cooked noodles and combine.
For Stovetop Vegan Mac and Cheese
- Add in the shredded cheddar cheese, then remove from heat. Adjust salt and pepper. and Serve. *Use remaining cheese sauce in another recipe or as a dip.
For Baked Vegan Mac and Cheese
- Pour half noodle mixture into a 9×13 casserole dish and spread out evenly.
- Spread 1/2 cup of the cheese sauce over and spread out, then top with half vegan shredded cheddar cheese.
- Add the remaining noodle mixture and spread evenly.
- Top with another 1/2 cup of the cheese sauce over and spread out remaining vegan shredded cheddar cheese and seasoned breadcrumbs.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until breadcrumbs have started turning golden brown on top.
- Remove from oven and let set for 5 minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Let’s see your creations!
Share to Instagram and tag us @makeitdairyfree so we can see and share it!
*This recipe was updated slightly on 11/16/2021.
I’m so glad I discovered this recipe especially since Thanksgiving is around the corner. Can’t wait to devour this Mac n cheese.
We are so happy you found it too! Enjoy and let us know what you think!
Absolutely the best mac and cheese I have tasted dairy and dairy free. Super simple instructions to follow too! My non-vegan mother loves it!
Totally just made our day! Thank so you much for your comment!
BEST VEGAN MAC AND CHEESE RECIPE OUT THERE! My family loved it. I replaced Violife cheese with Applewood vegan cheese and it was amazing.
So glad that you enjoyed! Thanks for leaving a review!
just wow
Thank you so much!
Can we use a different kind of flour instead of chickpea?
all purpose flour will work, we just prefer chickpea
Seriously the BEST vegan Mac and cheese recipe I have had….and I’ve tried MANY over the last 9 years!!! I used Arrowmills Stuffing breadcrumbs on top and used violife cheese shreds. I didn’t have oat milk so I used unsweetened almond milk. Definitely going to be in my rotation of keeper recipes!
We’re so excited that you loved our recipe! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. We appreciate you! Stay safe!
SOMEONE CALL 911!!! THIS!!!! THIS IS THE ONE!! THIS IS THE BEST!! ALL OTHERS ARE TELLING STORIES!! OMG!!! I’ve been vegan for just 3 months and I was struggling trying to find a decent Mac n cheese recipe!! I’m in heaven! I can make this work with this masterpiece in my dinner rotation! THANK YOU!!
You just made our whole day! Thank you for your awesome comment and taking time out of your day to leave a review, we appreciate it so much! Have a great week!
I can’t say enough good things about this recipe! It’s so creamy and tastes just like the real thing! I used follow your heart vegan cheddar and it was perfect! The only thing I’d add to the recipe is to broil for a couple minutes on high to brown the top. I would absolutely recommend this and make it again!
We are so excited to hear that. Thank you so much for taking time to leave a comment and review. Have a great day!
Sometimes you need to look before you speak! I was commenting about your mozzarella tests and asked if you would please taste test cheeses to make mac and cheese. In my mind I knew I should search further on your site to see if you had a recipe for mac and cheese already, but no I just sent in the request! Well not only did I find your recipe, but I have read all of the positive comments and cannot wait to try it. So, when you see my comment asking you to taste test cheeses for mac and cheese, please ignore it! LOL
I do have a question about the mac and cheese. I am a household of one, the recipe serves 16, does it freeze well? I see in your comments in the recipe you suggest serving the baked version right away, does that mean it won’t freeze well or have you ever tried freezing it and are not sure? I know I can attempt to change the ingredient amounts to make a smaller portion, but find this does not always work, there is always something that is left out or maybe should not have been cut in half or to whatever portion I would need to get fewer services, etc. Any suggestions on this would be appreciated. Thank you.
Hi Leslie, I literally laughed out loud reading your message. You can freeze this recipe. Hope that helps -Larisha
Hi Larisha, I am happy I was able to make you laugh, all of us needs to have a good laugh everyday!! Thank you for replying to my question, so often I send in a request and it is never answered. Thanks again.
Now for another question, I L-O-V-E, LOVE, LOVE a good pizza. I have had a hard time trying to find a good vegan mozzarella or Pepperjack cheese that melts and taste like or close to the non-vegan mozzarella cheeses. I was using Go Veggie Pepperjack cheese and loved it, but now cannot find it, not even on the Go Veggie website. Any suggestions?
Hi Leslie, we try out best to answer everyone although we know some slip through the cracks. We would suggest you read our shredded cheese taste test! You can find it here: https://makeitdairyfree.com/vegan-shredded-cheese-taste-test/
I recently had to give up cheese for the foreseeable future and the hardest part has been losing some of my favorite comfort foods. This was AMAZING!!! Absolutely hit the spot. My whole family loved it, thank you for the awesome recipe!
We are so excited to hear that. Thank you for taking the time to write a review. We appreciate it!
Love that you use butter beans and no cashews!
Thanks so much!
I was curious to taste this Mac n cheese vegan mixture. I must say this dish was absolutely delicious 😋my family really enjoyed it! This is now a Favorite Dish in my household and I plan to make it for the Thanksgiving Holiday 😊
So happy to hear it was a hit, we appreciate you taking time out of your day to leave a review!
My meat loving husband always said he would know the difference. He said he would never eat vegan food. Jokes on him because he has eaten this recipe on two separate occasions and LOVE IT and still doesnt know its vegan. So happy i found his website and cant wait to try other recipes
oh man! LOL We appreciate you so much for taking the time to leave a review and so happy to hear that you’re enjoying the recipe.
This was our 4th vegan mac n cheese recipe try and we can now stop looking! Hands down the best vegan mac n cheese recipe and we have tried all the different variations( carrot & potato, cashews, nutritional yeast, etc.). Fed 3 non-vegan friends and they all requested the recipe. THANK YOU!
Well that was just amazing to read today. Seriously thank you for taking the time to leave this, we truly appreciate it.
BEST VEGAN MAC AND CHEESE EVER!! I’m not kidding y’all! My dad has been reluctant to try ANY vegan food but he ate this not knowing this was vegan. He’s literally considering eating plant based because of all these awesome vegan recipes I’ve been making from you guys. Thank you for creating these awesome, tasty recipes!! Don’t stop! Thank you for making me look good! 😉
That seriously makes our day! So happy he’s enjoying (and you!) We appreciate you taking the time to leave a review. Have a great week.
Hi Larisha,
Is it possible to make this delectable looking mac and cheese without any vegan butter or oil? I am oil free but honestly this mac and cheese looks oh so yummy! Plus there are grandkids to feed!
Thanks Larisha!
Just found your website and everything looks delectable!
Thanks so much!
We’re so happy you found our site. There is oil with the butter and with the vegan cheese. We have not tried to make this without but we were told someone else did omit the vegan shredded cheese and it was still good. We would recommend increasing the amount nutritional yeast for a cheesier flavor.
Excellent!
So happy you enjoyed. Thanks for taking time out to leave a review, we appreciate it. Have a great day!
We made your Vegan Mac and Cheese last night and it was Awesome! Creamy, crunchy topping, so yummy and easy! Definitely our favorite vegan Mac and cheese recipes. Love it and it’s Sunshine approved!!
We’re so excited that you loved the recipe! Thanks for taking time to leave a comment, we appreciate that so much! Happy Sunshine approves 😉
In a single word – DOPE. This was absolutely delicious. My Mom is a killer home cook and she gave it the “Mom” approval. ^_^
We’re so happy to hear you are liking the recipe and that it’s mom approved! Thanks for taking time to leave a review. Have a great week.
I am dairy free and when I saw this, I had to try it. Little did I know that I would be so in love and so happy. This was absolutely amazing and delicious. I am currently doing cooking class online and we had to make mac and cheese, so I asked to use this recipe and my teacher said it was fine. Could not imagine to have used another vegan mac and cheese to substitute real mac and cheese. All your foods that I have cooked have been amazing!!!!!
Yes, finally baked macaroni and cheese. Thank you!!!
You’re welcome
Hi! I can’t wait to try it! What are your thoughts on using half and half- coconut milk and oat milk for a substitute and adding other dairy free cheeses, like cheddar or cream cheese?
Thank you!
We wouldn’t recommend coconut as the flavor may come through too much. Cheddar is fine but not sure about the cream cheese
My go-to Mac and cheese recipe. Made it today for Thanksgiving as well! So cheesy and delicious!
We love to hear that! Thanks for taking time out of your day to write a review, it’s much appreciated!
I found you guys by searching for vegan mac and cheese for thanksgiving. My entire family enjoyed this recipe! Deliciously creamy. Great vegan alternative. Thank you!
We’re so happy to hear it was enjoyable! Thanks for taking time out of your day to write a review, it’s much appreciated!
Hands down, best mac n cheese! I am recommending this recipe to everyone – vegans and non-vegans! I appreciate y’all for sharing such a wonderful and easy to follow recipe! This is the best Mac n cheese I’ve had and that includes Mac n cheese at amazing vegan restaurants in my city!
We’re so happy to hear it was enjoyable! Thanks for taking time out of your day to write a review, it’s much appreciated!
Didn’t know what to expect with Lima Beans in the cheese, but this was incredible. Amazing recipe.
So happy that you loved it! Thanks for taking time out to leave a review. We appreciate that so much!
This mac and cheese is next level!! Since becoming vegan in January, I have tried so many mac and cheese recipes – with cashews, butternut squash, etc. – and none of them were great. The texture was usually wrong. Well, your recipe was absolutely perfect! So creamy and flavorful. I had to go to 5 stores on my tiny island to find vegan parmesan, but it was worth the effort! My non-vegan friend even asked for the recipe because it was so good. Thank you for saving our Thanksgiving with this recipe!
We are so happy to hear this! You totally just made our day!
Thank you! I can’t wait to try. Which vegan cheddar cheese did you use? That’s the only thing I can’t find on the page.
Daiya Cutting Board Blend. But we’ve also made with Violife and Follow Your Heart.
AMAZING! I made this for christmas. my family loved it! this is the first ever vegan mac & cheese recipe that actually tastes like mac and cheese!!!! <3
We are so happy to hear that! Thanks so much for leaving a review. We’re so glad you liked it.
I’m was very particular about my mac & cheese during my pre-vegan life and pretty much would only eat it if my Mom made it . After we went vegan, my hubby tried a vegan mac recipe one time and it tasted like disappointment so I pretty much gave up on having it again. But this recipe definitely piqued my interest and I decided to give it a try for Christmas. Well this recipe did not disappoint! I loved that it involved making a roux which brought back many memories of watching my Mom make it. I loved how creamy and gooey it turned out! It was really good! This will definitely be my go to recipe whenever I’m craving mac and cheese! Thanks for sharing another wonderful recipe!
We are so happy to hear that and so glad it brought back found memories. Merry Christmas!
Loved this recipe, very inclusive to my belly so it’s much appreciated. I subbed in some things like using gluten free 1 to 1 baking flour instead of chickpea flour, daiya block gouda cheese that I shredded instead of parmesan, and chickpeas instead of lima beans.
So happy to hear you enjoyed it and love hearing what you substituted. We really appreciate you taking the time to leave a review! Have a great day!
THIS IS THE BEST VEGAN MAC N CHEESE I’VE EVER TRIED. The butter beans truly add that extra umami flavor that other mac n cheese recipes are missing, and you can barely taste them! I did not use nutritional yeast as I dislike the taste. 5/5 🌟 (I also substituted the lemon juice for apple cider vinegar and it worked perfectly!)
Oh wow! So happy to hear you enjoyed it. We really appreciate you taking the time to leave a review! Have a great day!
I have been missing macaroni and cheese in my life, and I am so excited to have found this recipe. I have tried a few recipes, and I have also bought some boxed macaroni and “cheese”, and to put it mildly, they were not very good…..or even reminiscent of what real Mac n cheese tasted like. This is hands down the best recipe I have tried. I also love that it does not have cashews in it!! Thank you so much for sharing this delicious recipe!
We love hearing this! So happy you found something you love. We really appreciate you taking the time to leave a review! Have a great day!
Literally so delicious!! So glad I found out about you guys through YouTube 😃
Happy to hear you’re enjoying this one! Glad you found us too 😉 We really appreciate you taking the time to leave a review! Have a great day!
Best vegan mac and cheese I’ve ever made.
wow, thank you! We’re so happy to hear this, thank you for taking the time to leave a review! We really appreciate it.
I used gluten free pasta, Great Northern Beans (couldn’t find butter beans), and added a block of Violife cream cheese to my batch. What an amazing recipe! Also, let me add that as a Black woman, I love seeing a beautiful Black couple in this arena. There is definitely a need for me to see others like myself in this space.
We’re so happy to hear that the recipe worked out well with your substitutions. We do appreciate your thoughts, but we always are transparent and feel the need to let you know that Larisha is not Black. We hope that you continue to enjoy the content and find inspiration in our work.
Hi what can I substitute for Lima beans? Lima beans are not readily available in my area :))
Any white bean (not chickpeas) so Great Northern, Cannellini, that sort of bean
This was honestly incredible! I’m transitioning into veganism and I’m trying to find ways to recreate my favorite meals and this was just so easy and great!! With a few modifications to the spices (added Creole seasoning, garlic and onion powder, and cayenne), it tasted exactly how my old recipe used to! Thanks so much for sharing your recipe 😊💘
So happy to hear that you enjoyed it! Thanks for leaving a review!
I was so excited to try this recipe after seeing all the reviews but I honestly didn’t like it. I’m a new vegan so it could just be because I remember what real mac n cheese tastes like but this didn’t taste like Mac n cheese at all and I honestly didn’t like it. I’m not a picky eater and love vegan food even if it doesn’t taste like the non vegan alternative, but this didn’t quite hit the spot for me and I just wanted to be honest. I LOVE this channel and blog, so it hurts me to write this but I do want to be honest. This could be a good alternative for someone with allergies, but otherwise I don’t think this is the strongest recipe on the blog.
Thanks for the feedback
I had my doubts, but this was a hit, and super yummy!
We’re so happy to hear that! Thank you for leaving a review!
Hello! I really want to try this recipe….but I will need to make some substitutions because where I live doesn’t have a wide selection of vegan products. Vegan cheese (parmesan and shreds) isn’t available here, so could I leave it out or do you have a recipe where I could make my own? and also vegan butter? Thanks!
Hi! All of these substitutions will change the recipe taste, so please keep that in mind.
For the parmesan, you can use this, but it doesn’t melt as well so be aware of that: https://makeitdairyfree.com/dairy-free-parmesan-cheese/
You could try adding more nutritional yeast in place of the shreds, but since we haven’t done this, I don’t have an exact measurements.
There have been people who have left out the vegan butter, so I suppose you could try to omit that.
Mine is a question I don’t have a comment bc I’ve never tried it but I will after this.
When you use the butterbeans in any of your recipes, do u strain them or use the water from the canned beans?
Drain and rinse first
I’ve been vegan since March of 2021, and I’ve tried several mac & cheese vegan recipes. This IS by far the best mac & cheese vegan recipe. Thank you for sharing.
YAYY!! We love to hear that! Thanks for sharing
This recipe is so simple and delicious I’m kicking myself for taking so long to make it. Can’t wait to make this for my family on the next holiday!
So happy to hear that you enjoyed it! Thanks for leaving a review!
BEST THING IVE EVER MADE AS A VEGAN, and I’ve made a lot of amazing sh**! 🙂 Make this for vegan skeptics! Thank you thank you thank you Larisha and Andrew!
So happy to hear that you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing. Best compliment ever!
I accidentally came across this recipe even though I’m not new to your site. I must say, I was hesitant because of the use of butter beans. After reading the raving reviews, I decided to give it a try. OMG!! This is the best vegan Mac and cheese I’ve had! It’s soooo delicious!! This will be a keeper in our home for sure. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
This is incredible!! I’ve tried so many mac and cheese recipes and although good, they have never satisfied my hankering for the dairy mac and cheese I remember. This is the only recipe I need from now on. The flavor and texture are on point! I can’t wait to makr this for Thanksgiving next week,
So happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe ! Thanks for sharing!
This is amazing! My vegetarian husband who is trying to kick the dairy loved this. Really delicious, loved the crunchy topping—nice to have a cashew free version, too. Thank you guys!
So happy to hear that it was a hit!!!