By Team Dirty
Apr 28, 2023,
Macaroni and cheese is the great equalizer. Picky kids, busy parents, foodies, home cooks, chefs, vegans, omnivores, intellectuals, or blue-collar workers, it makes no difference—we all love mac and cheese. Comforting pasta smothered with liquid gold is what daydreams are made of. And there are as many ways to make it as there are people who love it: dressed up, dressed down, topped, baked, creamy, firm, full of high-end gourmet cheese, or dairy-free.
Since you’re here, we’ll assume you like yours plant based. There are a lot of vegan recipes out there, but we believe ours is the Best Plant Based Mac & Cheese. Not only is it creamy and delicious, it’s kid-friendly, full of whole ingredients (no highly-processed vegan cheese that’s 80% oil here!), and the sauce is easy to freeze for quick weeknight dinners. This recipe is one of our originals—it pre-dates our meal plans—and it’s remained a favorite ever since.
What you’ll need
Potatoes, carrots, onions, and garlic: yep, these veggies form the base of our delicious cheesy sauce. This is part of what makes our plant based mac and cheese the best. They provide a flavorful foundation while being mild-tasting enough to carry the cheesier notes we’ll be adding. They also create a nice saucy texture when cooked and blended. We recommend using russet potatoes, although most other starchy white potatoes will work. You can substitute red or white (not sweet) onions for the yellow.
Raw cashews: as usual, these amazing beauties help the overall texture and taste of our sauce because of their high-fat content. You can sub with raw sunflower seeds in equal amounts if there’s a nut allergy to consider.
Nutritional yeast: also known as “nooch,” this non-active yeast has savory and cheesy notes. You can find it online, in most health food stores, and in some conventional grocery stores. Be sure to purchase the non-fortified variety if you can.
Turmeric: this inflammation-buster adds color and subtle seasoning that plays well with nutritional yeast. We like to use fresh turmeric root, but you can use powdered. Pro tip: if you use fresh, you can peel the skin off by scraping it with the side of a spoon. This method only removes the skin and leaves the flesh underneath whole, unlike a peeler.
Apple cider vinegar: vinegar brings acid to the party, which helps brighten otherwise flat flavors, and balances everything to form a harmony of yum.
Pasta: every family has their own mac and cheese pasta preferences. Elbows, shells, fusilli, or rotini, go with what you like. If you want yours gluten-free, we like brown rice or quinoa pasta.
How to make the Best Plant Based Mac & Cheese
Grab a medium-sized pot and throw in the potatoes, carrots, onions, turmeric (if using fresh), and garlic. Pour two cups of water on top, cover with a lid, and place over high heat until it just starts to boil. Don’t allow the water to fully boil as the lid will increase the chances of things boiling over, and you want to preserve as much liquid as you can.
While your veggies are going, start cooking your pasta according to the manufacturer’s directions. How much you cook per serving is up to you, but there will be some guidance on the label with the nutritional info. Once the pasta is done, drain it and set aside for now.
As soon as your veggies start boiling, lower the heat and simmer with the lid on until they’re fork-tender, about 20 minutes. If you want to be super efficient, set a timer and add your cashews to the pot after 10 minutes so you don’t need to soak them separately.
Remove the veggie pot from the heat and allow to cool for about 10 minutes. Then, using oven mitts (preferably a pair with some grip), very carefully pour all the contents of the pot (including the remaining water) into your blender.
Add the soaked and drained cashews (if you haven’t already) along with the nutritional yeast, apple cider vinegar, salt, and the remaining half a cup of water. If you’re using powdered turmeric, now is the time to add it.
Blend until the sauce is super creamy and smooth. Pop off the lid and give it a taste test.
Grab your pot, place it over the lowest heat setting, add your pasta, and pour the cheesy sauce over the pasta. Give it a good stir to coat everything, and add fresh black pepper to taste.
Turn off the heat, dish it up, and serve the Best Plant Based Mac & Cheese you’ve ever had.
We love ours topped with Walnut Parm and served with Easy Oil-Free Sautéed Vegetables or a sandwich piled high with BBQ Pulled Jackfruit.
Ingredients
- 2½ cups water, divided (591 ml)
- 1½ cups russet potato, peeled and chopped (215 g)
- 1 cup carrot, chopped (115 g)
- ½ cup yellow onion, diced (70 g)
- 1 tablespoon fresh turmeric root, chopped (7 g / can sub with 1 teaspoon turmeric powder)
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole (9 g)
- ½ cup raw cashews, soaked in water for 10 minutes (65 g)
- ½ cup nutritional yeast (40 g)
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Pasta of your choice (refer to label for serving suggestions / if using gluten-free pasta, we like brown rice or quinoa pasta)
- black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Place the potato, carrot, onion, turmeric, and garlic in a medium-sized pot, cover with 2 cups of water, and place lid on the pot. Bring just to a light boil, lower the heat, and simmer with lid on until the veggies are fork-tender, about 20 minutes.
- Follow the manufacterer's instructions to cook as much pasta as you'd like. Serving guidance can be found on the label. Drain and set aside once it's ready.
- Remove your cooked veggies from the heat and set aside to cool for about 10 minutes. Then carefully add everything from the veggie pot, including the remaining water, to your blender. Drain the cashews (discard the water) and add the cashews to the blender, along with the nutritional yeast, apple cider vinegar, salt, and the remaining ½ cup of water. Blend until the sauce is creamy and smooth, about 2 minutes.
- Return your pasta to its pot and place over very low heat. Pour as much cheesy sauce over the pasta as you like and stir to coat everything. Add black pepper to taste.
- Dish up and serve!
Freezing leftovers
Depending on how generous your portions are, this recipe will make between four and ten servings. Keep leftover sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to seven days.
You can also freeze leftover sauce in silicone muffin cups to throw together super fast single-serving mac and cheese on busy nights. Once they’re frozen solid, pop off the muffin liners, and store the frozen sauce pucks in an airtight container. When you’re ready for cheesy goodness, you can thaw and reheat pucks individually in the microwave.
Use to top enchiladas, smother cooked cauliflower, or serve up with cooked pasta. Since it’s full of veggies, it’s also a healthy option for kids with a dipping fixation. Just serve warm alongside raw veggies or crackers. Yum!
Clean Food Dirty Girl member? Find this recipe in the portal as Original Cheesy Sauce and pop it into your Magic Meal Planner!
Have you been a longtime lover of the Best Plant Based Mac & Cheese or have you newly discovered it? Let us know in the comments below.
Here’s to something we can all agree on.
Xo
Team Dirty
Once you try this recipe, pop over to Clean Food Dirty Girl, start a free trial, and check out all our vegan mac and cheese recipes.
84 Comments
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Looks fantastic!! I want to make them now do you think I could sub almond milk for coconut and get the same results
If that’s what you have, I say go for it! Is it plain flavor?
Love this recepie, can’t wait to try it at home!
Just one question: is this nutritional yeast the same as we use to cook bread or cakes? I’m from Brazil and I don’t know where to find this… Do you know what is its propose to the recepie or what can I use as a substitute?
Thanks ☺️
Hi Carol,
Nutritional yeast is not the same as yeast for bread. Nutritional yeast has a cheesy flavor and it’s either yellow powder or yellow flakes. You can find it at most health food stores, but I don’t know if you can get it in Brazil. If you can’t find it, just skip it. It will still taste great!
Keep me posted. xo
Thanks Molly, you are very kind!!
I’ll look for it on the local natural/veggy markets and hopefully people will know where I can find it!
Thanks again!
Best wishes from Brazil
I’m sure you could order on line too
I never use nutritional yeast, and it is wonderful without it. I have leftovers in my fridge right now!!
Carol,me disseram que nutritional yeast seria nosso levedo de cerveja.Eu já achei em supermercados em Brasília
This tastes exactly like pureed carrots over pasta. Which isn’t bad…but it doesn’t taste anything like real cheese.
I was just about to ask about that. What are common things that could go wrong when making this that would effect the flavor. Is it really supposed to taste like cheese or traditional mac n cheese? Because I didn’t achieve that at all. If it’s not supposed to really taste like cheese and just be a good alternative, I’m thinking that misconception completely blew my taste for it now because I can’t seem to adjust and like it. And I really wanted to like it…Help!
Jillian – just like tofu will never be a boiled egg, cheesy sauce will never replace kraft to your taste buds. I would recommend as you continue down your wfpb journey to revisit this recipe down the road. The first time I made it (maybe 1 month into eating wfpb) I hated it! Now this recipe is a staple in my house – even the kiddos love it. As you eat more whole plant foods you will find your tastes change.
This. Is. Delicious!
Thank you! So glad you liked it!
Amazing!!!
The best vegan cheese sauce I have ever tried. Added a 1/4 c more nutritional yeast, a wee bit more ACV. The cashews make it so much creamier than the other potato & carrot based recipes I’ve tried. It’s SO good I can’t stop “testing” it while I wait for the pasta to cook.
My son is allergic to cashews and I keep running into them for vegan recipes especially where cheese would normally be, any chance you could use a different nut?
I regularly sub raw unsalted sunflower seeds for cashews.
Hi! Upon discovering that we were out of cashews, in the middle of the recipe, I substituted a can of great northern beans. (Drained and rinsed.) Absolutely delicious! Even the (very sceptical) nonvegans enjoyed.
the pasta would be considered processed food, though, right?
Yup. Brown rice pasta would still be considered processed. It is healthier than regular white pasta, but if you don’t eat any pasta, try the sauce over cooked quinoa and veggies 🙂
Just asking – does it have to be coconut milk, or can you use some other, like soy milk?
Hi Jute – Coconut milk makes it really really creamy, but you could easily swap it out for another non-dairy milk. Just make sure that whatever you’re using isn’t sweetened 🙂
I’m confused. This recipe does not call for coconut milk. Is it supposed to?
Hi Brittany, I totally get the confusion. I have two Mac and Cheese recipes on my blog. This one does not call for coconut milk.
https://cleanfooddirtygirl.com/creamy-vegan-mac-and-cheese/
If you click on the link above – THAT one calls for coconut milk.
Let me know how it turns out!
xo
Molly
I made this to bring to a party and everyone, vegan or otherwise, loved it. I made one small change, I added a dash of lemon juice and apple cider vinegar which gave it a nice tang like sharp cheddar.
Awesome! Thanks for coming back and sharing! XO
Hi, Molly! I’m not a vegan, but I AM, not only a lifelong cheese addict, but a lifelong mac and cheese addict. I’d eat the stuff for every meal if I could get away with it. I’m making an effort to eat in a healthier way, more plants and less meat and dairy, and I thought I’d try out your vegan mac and cheese recipe for my lunch and see what it was like. Holy cow, it’s YUMMY! I think the sauce looks and tastes similar to processed cheese sauce, which kind of cracks me up. Thanks for such a great recipe, I’ll definitely be trying more of the recipes on your site!
Hi Becky – Yayayayaay!! Thanks for the awesome feedback! It is funny how processed the texture and taste is, but it’s actually really healthy. I crave this ALL the time and make it often. You can also use the sauce on baked potatoes, cauliflower, other types of veggies, etc..
Have you signed up for my Saturday emails? I send out recipes every Saturday. Sign up here if you want in! https://cleanfooddirtygirl.com/signup/
Made this sauce tonight; it is magical on a rice bowl w/broccoli.
I now have a creamy vat of sauce to get me through the week w/minimal cooking drama.
Merci
Yay! You are most welcome – enjoy every bite!
xo
Molly
Can the sauce be frozen with good result for future use? Say with three months?
Hi Mama! Yes – freeze away!
xo
Molly
Just tried this tonight and it was very good and not hard to whip up. While I don’t think it tastes like cheese, I do think it was really tasty. My 4 year old son even liked it! I did add a little mustard to it. It made about 2 or more cups of additional sauce. I think I am going to add some hot sauce or green chilies to that to spice it up for nachos.
Awesome! Thanks for letting us know.
I love your idea to spice it up 😉
xo
Molly
Hello there!
Do you know of an alternative for the cashews? My son is nut allergic and I’d really like to try this fabulous recipe!
Hey Lesley –
Couple of things. You could try about 1/2 cup of organic tofu. That would make the sauce super creamy (this is essentially what the cashews do), or you could add about 3/4 cup of cauliflower with the veggies and just leave out the cashews. If your son is okay with soy, I would suggest trying the tofu idea because it will give it a really nice texture.
Let me know what you decide and how it worked!
xo
Molly
I sub raw unsalted sunflower seeds all the time. Or sometimes I use a can of cannelini beans.
It would be helpful to have easy print options for the recipes.
Hey Angela – thank you for letting me know your interest in this feature. We used to have this option but we took it off when we made some updated to our website. We are on it and I will let you know when we have it installed 🙂
xo
Molly
Hi Angela,
The print page option has been installed. Look below the main title on the left side of the page where is says Print, Export or Email this page 🙂
This looks great can’t wait to try it, but can I use turmeric powder in place of fresh turmeric?
Yes you can! Just use 1 teaspoon instead of 1 tablespoon 🙂
Let me know how it turns out.
xo
Molly
Hi Molly ~ The mac&cheez was delish & I’ve learned a lesson about weights vs. measures. Living in Europe, I even have a kitchen scale but old habits die hard. So, being one to play fast and loose with ingredients unless serious baking alchemy is going on, I should have weighed the vegetables rather than giving the measuring cup a cursory glance. This batch was a bit … vegetal, more vichyssoise than cheezy/creamy. But as I said, delish! so next time I drag out the scale & see how it comes out; cruciferous vegetable season is coming & I don’t like cauliflower to begin with. Thanks for the recipes, ideas, and most of all the encouragement! It’s so much easier to keep being good when someone is out there saying “You don’t have to be perfect.” ~molly
Hi Molly,
Mac & Cheese with cashews is delicious, I will be trying many of your recipes. Also, made your cashew cheese recipe, used it as a dip for corn chips and put it on my salad, put some in the mac & cheese, very yummy.
Any ideas on how to get over liking salt so much? I am better about sugar, I use stevia, it probably isn’t good for a person either.
Thank You for the delicious recipes.
Hey there! So glad you’re enjoying my recipes 🙂
The best way to cut out salt is the same way you cut out sugar, to not eat it.
Use lots of herbs and spices and only a tiny amount of salt. It will take a couple weeks to get used to it, but your taste buds will adjust.
As far as anyone knows, stevia is actually okay 🙂
xo
Molly
Thank you for a great recipe! Already made it twice! Omnivore bf approved!
If anyone was wondering, using sunflower seeds in a place of cashews works great! (It is a useful swap for tight budgets)
This is awesome!
Thanks for posting.
xo
Molly
Do you have any suggestions besides cashews for that cheesy taste\consistancy? My daughter is allergic to cashews but I would love to try this recipe!
Hey Elle –
Yup! Follow the exact measurements and steps but use sunflower seeds instead of cashews 🙂
Keep me posted.
xo
Molly
hi Molly, what kind/shape of pasta is pictured in this photo? thx!
Hi Kristie –
I believe this is quinoa pasta by Ancient Grain.
Any whole grain pasta works well.
Have fun!
Molly
I was amazed at how delicious this was and it uses all healthy ingredients. Plus it made so much sauce. Beyond grateful!!!
Hi Sharon –
I’m so glad you liked it!
xo
Molly
My niece requested I bring this spinach artichoke dip to her daughters’ bday party this Sunday which I make every year when we get together during the winter holidays. It is majorly dairy laden, and I really do not feel right about making it. Because I didn’t want to be “difficult” I said I would bring this quinoa, corn, and avocado salad as well as the dip if that would be a help and she said, “awesome”. However after making this “cheese” sauce this week I wonder if I should make a batch of it and bring it with things to dip in it instead of the dip she requested. She would totally understand. Any ideas along those lines would be appreciated. She is not planning a meal, just picky type stuff. Thanks for any ideas.
Hi Sharon –
I would make this and call it a day. Trust me, it will be a hit with everyone!
https://cleanfooddirtygirl.com/were-all-going-to-die-someday-pass-the-tequila-7-layer-plant-based-nacho-dip/
Molly,
Thanks for the vegan nachos above. It was well received by those who tried it. (Unfortunately I arrived a little late to the party and I think most had eaten already.) It was beyond easy to put together. I would maybe add more tomatoes and possibly some jalapenos. Thanks so much again for the quick reply and suggestion. Looking forward to making it for my kids when they visit next weekend!
Hey Sharon –
So glad it was a hit – thank you for letting me know!
Have you joined our private Facebook group yet?
If you’re on Facebook, it’s the best private group out there.
Here’s the link to join:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/cleanfooddirtygirl
xo
Molly
Hi Molly,
I didn’t realize you responded until I went back in the last few days to look for this recipe….five months later….phew, time flies!
Yes I did join the facebook group, but I haven’t been on fb much. Hopefully I can make it more of my routine in 2017. Thanks again for this yummy, fun nacho dip recipe.
I”m hoping to make your veggie fajitas tomorrow night.
You’re the best!
Have a healthy and happy new year!
All the best,
Sharon
Thanks for your recipe. My children love so much!
Love you,xxx
Anna
So glad to hear that Anna. What a great mom you are feeding your kiddos wfpb! Keep it up!
This looks great! However, the walnut parm link is broken. I’d love to try it. ^_^
Hi Nuu,
Here’s a link to the Walnut Parm recipe.
Karen
Team Dirty Girl
Hi there
Your link to the mc’n cheese sauce with coconut milk instead of cashews doesn’t seem to exist any longer…. I just keep getting redirected to this page. That other recipe is my family’s favourite and now I can’t find it 🙁 Is there any way you can just copy-paste it directly into your reply? Thanks!
Would anyone happen to know the nutritional information on this ?
Hi Debbie,
We don’t provide the nutrient information for recipes, Molly talks about why here. You can definitely enter the recipe into any nutrient tracker (Cronometer is a popular free one) to calculate the macro and micronutrient details of the entire batch of sauce and then break it down into serving sizes, I would estimate 4 to 6 servings per batch (it’s about 6 cups worth in the recipe), depending on how much sauce you like. Not that this would not include the pasta or whatever food you want to serve it over.
Karen
Team Dirty Girl
Made this with white beans instead of nuts due to an allergy in our house…….amazing!! I love to mix it sometimes with salsa and eat with chips. THANK YOU!!!!
That’s so awesome! Thanks for letting us know, Aanda!
Next time, I’ll try white beans too! Because one of us has a cashew difficulty going on, I co-opted some of my almond-milk-making soaked almonds for this sauce – in place of the cashews. Very nice. wow. This is a very rich and intensely flavored sauce. And the recipe makes hella’ tons!!! I have a full quart of this now. YUM!!! And thank you!! 🙂
One of the funniest questions I have been asked.
“How long can a person live without eating meat”? My response, I have not eaten meat for the majority of my life, (I am 69 years old). Some people have never eaten meat.
Bright day Molly and Luanne.
The link to the mac and cheese sauce with coconut milk instead of cashews keeps redirecting me to this page. Would it be possible to get the recipe for this? My son has a nut allergy and I would like to try this a couple of different ways to see which one he likes better. Gently pulling him along on our WFPB WOE. Thank you very much!
Hi LaFonda,
Email us and I’ll help you 🙂
xo
Molly
[email protected]
First — I love, love, LOV E your blog, and am so happy to have discovered your work! My question is this: So many of your wonderful recipes contain nutritional yeast, which I used to love, but have recently developed a seriously itchy allergy to. Any suggestions for a substitution? Thank you for your response, and for all of your wonderful work!
Hi Adrienne, Thanks for the love for Molly and CFDG, we so appreciate you stopping by and are glad you found us! Nutritional yeast is a distinct flavor as you know. Our substitution guide (check out the Packaged Ingredients tab) has a few suggestions you might try. ~Karen
This has become my go-to mac and cheese recipe. I love how creamy the sauce is. While the flavor is obviously different from traditional mac and cheese, it’s still delicious. Both of my kids have seconds every time I make it.
This was delicious and so easy to make! Would definitely recommend 🙂
Thanks for the recipe love, Frances!
Hello Dirties! I was wondering if anyone has made the cheese sauce recipe in the instant pot? I don’t know why that wouldn’t work, do you?
Hi Laurie – This could be made in an Instant Pot. We haven’t tested this specific recipe but check out this recipe and this similar one for a gauge of time. ~Karen
Added pepper to boost the turmeric anti-inflammatory effect.
New to your site! Love the vibe!
Just made this with Yukon golds as I didn’t have russets
Tastes great. Will pour it on chickpea pasta tonight.
Thanks for your work in the WFPB arena
Diane
Yay! We’re so glad you found us.
This is always delicious, how would I cook it in an instant pot? Thank you for the great recipes.
Hi Nicole,
We haven’t written an Instant Pot version, but you can try putting all the ingredients except the vinegar (and pasta, of course) into the Instant Pot and cooking on high for five minutes. Use the natural release method and then move everything to your blender and add the vinegar.
Since the Instant Pot preserves more water than simmering, you may want to experiment with draining out some water before adding your veggies to the blender or else your cheesy sauce could get soupy.
Let us know how it goes!
Stephanie
Saw this recipe in today’s Love Letter and decided to make this tonight. Dinner with the family, I’m the lone vegan eater. They had sceptical firsts, then enthusiastic seconds and thirds. I made 6 servings of pasta, it was all gone with 4 diners. Lots of cheese sauce left so maybe the 7 layer casserole tomorrow.
Yay! We love to hear it!