Baked Vegan Mac 'n' Cheese with Fresh Herbs and a bread crumb topping is the ultimate comfort food. It’s creamy and full of flavor, and the bread crumb topping gives it a crispy texture. Serve it with our vegan grilled chicken or our BBQ ribz.
Published June 1, 2015 and updated October 10, 2019.
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Hi there! We’re Linda and Alex, the mother daughter duo and creators of Veganosity. Thanks for visiting us, we’re so happy you’re here. If you’re looking for Southern inspired vegan comfort food recipes, you’ve come to the right place.
We love vegan comfort food and we’re really good at making it. Take a tour through our site and you’ll find all of the recipes that scream, stretchy pants required!
The good news, they’re all plant-based recipes, so you don’t need to feel guilty eating them. Now sit back, relax, and eat happy. 🙂
Also, in case you didn't know, we're published cookbook authors. We've written two vegan cookbooks that will help you make amazing vegan BBQ (you don't even need a grill) and everyday meals, from breakfast to dessert.
Click on the titles to check them out. GREAT VEGAN BBQ WITHOUT A GRILL
and THE ULTIMATE VEGAN COOKBOOK
.
VEGAN BAKED MAC ‘N’ CHEESE IS SOUL FOOD
What’s soul food? It’s food that’s good for your soul, and vegan macaroni and cheese is good for your soul.
The tender pasta, creamy cheese, optional fresh herbs, and crunchy bread crumb topping is pure comfort food.
If you need a big hug, this creamy pasta dish will help.
WHY IS VEGAN MAC ‘N’ CHEESE SO CREAMY AND CHEESY?
There are several ingredients that make the vegan cheese sauce that goes into our macaroni and cheese so creamy.
Starting with cashews.
- When cashews are soaked or boiled in water, they become soft and puffy. When you blend them in a high-powered blender, they become incredibly creamy.
- The second ingredient that makes our cheese sauce so creamy are cannellini beans.
- When they’re blended, they break down into an ultra-velvety cream sauce. And, they bring more protein to the dish.
- The third ingredient that elevates the taste and creaminess is melted vegan butter.
- Mac ‘n’ cheese needs a bit of butter, so a few pats of melted butter just adds so much to this vegan macaroni and cheese recipe.
HOW TO MAKE BAKED SOUTHERN-STYLE VEGAN MAC ‘N’ CHEESE
If you’ve read our book, you know that Linda’s mom is from the South, and she grew up eating Southern food, including macaroni and cheese with a bread crumb topping.
Baking mac and cheese with savory bread crumbs is a family tradition and you’re going to love it.
The addition of the fresh herbs elevates the flavor to another level.
STEP ONE
Fill a pot with water and bring to a boil. Add approximately 1 tablespoon of salt to the water, add the pasta shells, and cook according to the instructions on the package, or until it’s al dente.
STEP TWO
Put the soaked cashews, cannellini beans, melted butter, nutritional yeast, garlic, lemon juice, spices, and plant-based milk in a blender and blend on a high speed until it’s thick and creamy like melted cheese, approximately 2 minutes.
For an extra creamy sauce, add one-third of a cup of pasta water.
The starch in the water makes for a better sauce.
STEP THREE
When the pasta is done, drain it in a colander and then put it in a large baking pan. Stir in the cheese sauce until the pasta is evenly coated.
STEP FOUR
In a small bowl mix the breadcrumbs, oil, salt, Italian seasoning , and black pepper until combined . Evenly spread it on top of the macaroni and cheese mixture.
Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the cheese sauce is hot and the bread crumbs are lightly browned.
Place under the broiler for a minute or two if you want the bread crumbs to get extra crispy. Be sure to watch it carefully so it doesn’t burn.
TIP: TO ELEVATE THE FLAVOR, ADD FRESH MINCED HERBS.
HOW TO SERVE BAKED MAC AND CHEESE
You can serve this baked pasta recipe as a main course with a chopped green salad
Or, you can serve it as a side dish with our vegan fried chicken for a true Southern dinner.
HOW TO STORE VEGAN BAKED MACARONI AND CHEESE
We like to enjoy this vegan comfort food recipe right out of the oven.
If you have leftovers, you can cover it and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Because nut cheese sauce can dry out, add a bit of plant-milk to the dish and stir to make it ultra creamy again.
Cover and re-heat in the oven until it’s warmed through.
FREEZE
You can freeze this in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months.
Bring to room temperature in the refrigerator and heat covered with foil in a 350°F (176°C) oven for 15 to 20 minutes, then remove the foil and broil the top to crisp up the bread crumbs.
MORE BAKED PASTA RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
SIMPLE 9 INGREDIENT BAKED VEGGIE PASTA
Make our baked vegan mac 'n' cheese and let us know what you think. We love to hear from you! And, don’t forget to take a picture of your gorgeous creation and tag us @veganosity on Instagram.
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BAKED VEGAN MAC 'N' CHEESE
Equipment
- stove
- Blender
Ingredients
- 1 lb package of pasta shells or short noodles use gluten-free if you like
- 1 tablespoon salt
- CHEESE SAUCE
- ½ cup raw cashews soaked in water overnight or boiled in water for 15 minutes
- 15 ounce cooked cannellini beans drained and rinsed well
- ⅓ cup nutritional yeast
- 4 tablespoon melted vegan butter
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- sea salt to taste
- 1 cup unsweetened plant-milk almond, cashew, oat, or pea milk are good choices
- ⅓ cup pasta water
- FRESH HERBS ARE OPTIONAL
- 2 tablespoon minced fresh basil
- 2 teaspoon minced Greek oregano
- 1 teaspoon minced spicy oregano
- Black pepper to taste
- BREAD CRUMB TOPPING
- ¼ cup 30 g bread crumbs (use gluten-free if you like)
- 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- Sea salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C)
- Fill a pot with water and bring to a boil. Add approximately 1 tablespoon of salt to the water, add the pasta shells, and cook according to the instructions on the package, or until it’s al dente.
- Put the ½ cup soaked raw cashews, 15 oz cooked cannellini beans, drained and rinsed well, ⅓ cup nutritional yeast,4 tablespoon melted vegan butter, 1 garlic clove, minced, 1 tablespoon lemon juice,¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, sea salt to taste, 1 cup unsweetened plant-milk, almond, cashew, oat, or pea milk are good choices, and ⅓ cup pasta water in a high-powered blender and blend on a high speed for approximately 2 minutes, or until it’s thick and creamy like melted cheese. You shouldn’t see or taste any solids.
- When the pasta is done, drain it in a colander and then put it in a large baking pan. Stir the cheese sauce in until the pasta is evenly coated. If you’re adding the fresh herbs, stir them in now.
- In a small bowl mix the breadcrumbs, oil, salt, Italian seasoning , and black pepper until combined . Evenly spread it on top of the macaroni and cheese mixture.
- Bake for 10 to 15 minutes until the bread crumbs are lightly browned. Place under the broiler for a minute or two if you want the bread crumbs to get extra crispy. Be sure to watch it carefully so it doesn’t burn.
Notes
- Best when eaten fresh out of the oven.
- Cover and store in the refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Because nut cheese sauce can dry out, add a bit of plant-milk to the dish and stir to make it ultra creamy again. - Cover and re-heat in the oven until it’s warmed through.
- FREEZE
- You can freeze this in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months.
Bring to room temperature in the refrigerator and heat covered with foil in a 350°F (176°C) oven for 15 to 20 minutes, then remove the foil and broil the top to crisp up the breadcrumbs.
Nutrition
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Jacinta says
I made this for my daughter and she loves it!
Linda Meyer says
Hi Jacinta! We're so happy to hear this. Thank you so much for taking the time to let us know, and for the 5 stars. 🙂
Sharon says
Your recipes sound good,but I am eating a hole food, plant based diet which does not include processed vegan foods like butter, yogurt, cheese, etc. I also am avoiding added oil, sugar and salt. The processed vegan foods tend to have added oils in them. I wonder if anyone has tried modifying this recipe to make it without the vegan butter?
Alex Meyer, MA says
Hey Sharon, Thanks so much for the comment! You can totally modify this recipe to make it without vegan butter. I would swap it out for 2 tbsp of vegetable broth. The flavor might be slightly different but I'm willing to bet that it will still be really delicious! Hope this helps and let us know if you have any other questions about modifying our recipes to fit your dietary needs : ) Have an awesome day!
Alex & Linda
Kay says
I hope your mother is getting well soon and i love the fact that you can share your vegan journey not just with your daughter but now with your mom as well. This is very special.
As I think is this recipe. I will have to try it soon.
Linda Meyer says
Thank you so much Kay, I appreciate your kind words. Alex was actually the one who convinced me to go vegan. I raised a smart woman! 🙂
We hope you try it and love it as much as we do. Let us know what you think.
Nan says
Thanks for your speedy reply! The recipe looks fantastic. I'll be making it this weekend! Cheers, Nan
Linda Meyer says
You're welcome, Nan! Please let me know what you think. 🙂 Have a wonderful weekend.
Nan says
the beans go in the cheese sauce?
Linda Meyer says
Hi Nan! Yes, they give the sauce a nice creamy texture.