Ever wanted mac and cheese but like, right now? This is the recipe for you! This easy vegan mac and cheese requires just 20 minutes from start to finish! The cashew sauce is easy to make and out of this world: vibrant golden color, savory and cheesy, and incredibly creamy. This is the perfect dish for when you’re craving homemade comfort food fast. Let us show you how it’s done!
This mac and cheese starts with cooking the noodles. Any type of noodle will work, but shell-shaped is our top choice because the shells hold the sauce like they’re little spoonfuls. Yum! The noodles can be wheat-based, gluten-free, or even legume-based (like Banza) for extra protein and fiber.
When cooking the pasta, make sure to reserve some of the pasta water because it will be used to make the sauce!
The 8-ingredient sauce is creamy, cashew-based, and full of flavor from nutritional yeast, lemon juice, garlic, turmeric, chili powder, salt, and pepper. The pasta water thins it out while also contributing flavor.
Once blended up, the sauce lathers the noodles for a seriously dreamy, reminiscent-of-childhood bowl of goodness.
An optional sprinkle of vegan parmesan cheese takes it to the next, next level!
We hope you LOVE this vegan mac and cheese! It’s:
Creamy
Cheesy
Quick & easy
Comforting
Balanced
& SO delicious!
Enjoy as an entrée or side anytime you’ve had a rough day or are craving something comforting yet nourishing! It would be especially delicious paired with our 1-Pot BBQ Baked Beans, Vegan Sloppy Joes, Easy Vegan Coleslaw, and/or Creamy Vegan Broccoli Salad (Mayo-Free!).
More Easy, Cheesy Vegan Recipes
- The BEST Vegan Grilled Cheese Sandwich
- Easy Vegan Cheddar Cheese (Spread & Sauce!)
- Cheesy Broccoli Hashbrown Bake (Oil-Free)
- Spaghetti Squash Pasta with Garlicky Alfredo Sauce
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
20-Minute Mac and Cheese (Vegan)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups raw cashews
- 8 ounces shell pasta (gluten-free as needed // we like Banza GF shells)
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice (~1/2 lemon as recipe is written)
- 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 medium cloves garlic, peeled
- 1/4 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 healthy pinch black pepper
- 1/2-1 cup reserved pasta water (from step 2)
FOR SERVING optional
Instructions
- Place cashews in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Let soak for 15-20 minutes, until very soft. Drain and rinse the cashews and set aside.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and generously salt. Add the pasta, stir, and cook according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup (240 ml) of pasta water (amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size), then drain and return the noodles to the pot, off of the heat.
- After soaking, transfer the cashews to a high-speed blender. Add the lemon juice, nutritional yeast, garlic, turmeric, chili powder, salt, pepper, and 1/2 cup (120 ml // amount as recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size) reserved pasta water. Blend until smooth. Add more pasta water if necessary to reach your desired consistency. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed, adding nutritional yeast for cheesiness, lemon juice for acidity/brightness, turmeric for more vibrant color, and salt to taste. It should be very flavorful!
- Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta and toss to coat. Add more pasta water as needed to coat the noodles.
- Serve immediately as is or garnish with vegan parmesan cheese (optional). Leftovers will keep in a sealed container up to 3-4 days. Reheat leftovers in the microwave or on the stovetop over medium-low heat until hot, adding a little plain unsweetened dairy-free milk (almond typically works best) to rehydrate as needed. Not freezer friendly.
Jazzy J says
Absolutely adore this recipe, but pasta water isn’t in the ingredient list so I keep forgetting to add it!!! If you add Frank’s Red Hot or other Buffalo sauce this makes a fantastic queso dip too!
We’re so glad you love this recipe! And great idea to turn it into a dip. We don’t typically add pasta water to the ingredients (just instructions), but we’ll revisit that. Thank you for sharing! xo
Donna-Marie Jenyo says
Love the sound of this but I’m not vegan so could I just use cheddar instead or will that totally change the flavor?
If I can, what measurement please?
Also, I have SO much chili oil in my house, I wonder if I could use a bit of that instead of the chili powder??
Thanks! :)
Hi Donna, you could probably add cheddar cheese to this for more cheesiness, but for best success, we’d recommend using a recipe that includes cheddar. Since chili powder is a blend of spices, we wouldn’t recommend swapping in chili oil unless you’re wanting it to be a little spicy. Hope that helps!
Jessie says
This recipe was EXTREMELY easy to make. I regret not having more lemons in my kitchen when I made this recipe so I decided to add yellow mustard to my cheese sauce. Tasted amazing after that. So if you find yourself with in the same position give that a try. I will 100% be trying this recipe again. I didn’t know you could make vegan mac and cheese this easily with so few ingredients.
Amazing! Thanks so much for sharing, Jessie! xo
Sophia says
The best vegan Mac N Cheese HANDS DOWN that I have ever had, and I’ve tried lots (homemade and restaurant prepared)! We make this with your oven roasted broccoli and it is the chef’s kiss! Thank you!
Whoop! We’re so glad to hear you love this one, Sophia. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review! xo
Kristen says
Tasted ok but not fantastic. It was definitely difficult to reheat
Sorry to hear that, Kristen! If you have any leftovers, maybe try adding a bit more salt to see if that bumps up the flavor. This one is best when fresh – pasta can get a little mushy when reheated and this sauce does thicken in the fridge. Adding a little dairy-free milk or water when reheating helps to rehydrate the sauce.
Tashina Schimming-Dale says
DELICIOUS and crazy comforting! I was blown away by how rich and creamy the sauce was. I used gluten-free Brown Rice elbow pasta. It was heavenly and totally scratched my Mac and Cheese itch! Thank you for sharing this incredible recipe.
Amazing! We’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Tashina. Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Kelly says
This recipe is amazing! So quick, easy, and delicious. I also use this cheese sauce on potatoes and broccoli, and it makes a fantastic base for nacho cheese sauce. Couldn’t love it more!
We’re so glad you enjoy it, Kelly! Love all your creative uses for the sauce. Thanks so much for sharing! xo
Leah says
How long in the high speed blender ? I used the soup setting on my vitamix but I’m not sure if that’s too long. Thanks!
Hi Leah! Depending on your blender it could take 1-3 minutes. You want it super smooth!
VICKY says
I love this cheese sauce so much and I make it for other recipes like your tuna melt sandwich. I was wondering if the pasta water is key to this sauce, since sometimes such as now, I am making it for other stuff and not noodles. If so, is there a good optional replacement? My husband for some reason doesn’t like your vegan cheddar sauce too much, I believe its bc of the tapioca starch that gives it more consistency. So any suggestions? I am making it now with just water and it seems to be working just fine, but maybe it will be too liquid. Please let me know and thank you for your awesome life changing recipes!
Hi Vicky, pasta water will add a little more thickness and starchy flavor, but water works too! You can start with slightly less water and add more salt to taste. Hope that helps!
Olivia says
Um…WHAT…How is this so. damn. delicious!? I had an evening craving (didn’t eat enough earlier in the day) and decided to go for it. Did 2 soaks of the cashews to get rid of the nut flavor (still only ~10-15 min total) and Vitamix blended for super smooth goodness. Was out of fresh garlic so used 1 teaspoon garlic powder instead. I also added a touch of dijon mustard at the end because I remember somewhere that that’s a secret mac’n’chz ingredient. My pasta water was SUPER salty and thick so I split it 50/50 with hot water…Banza penne…YAAAASSS this will be my go-to mac from now on. Thank you!!
Right?! We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Olivia! Thank you for sharing! xo
Jasmine says
I found that I had to double all of the spices, especially the nutritional yeast. As leftovers I discovered that if you add a small amount of margarine and plant based milk it levels up this dish ten-fold. Amazing dish.
Thank you for sharing, Jasmine!
D.E. Vance says
This was absolutely delicious! I was so excited! I just knew I would probably have to tweak for my taste buds but did not! It was just perfect! I couldn’t stop talking about it. I’m packing up some to take over to my daughter’s house tomorrow. I take some extra vegan cheese for her. Wowzers! Thank you!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Jessica says
I use minimalist baker for just about everything and have NEVER been disappointed. This one disappointed. The flavor was too garlicky and tasted nothing like cheese. It almost had the flavor of a pesto sauce. The lemon was overpowering. We followed the recipe to the T.
Oh no! We’re so sorry that was your experience, Jessica. Other readers have really enjoyed this one so we wonder if something could have gone wrong? Were you using the metric or US measurements? Was your blender able to get the cashews completely creamy? Is it possible your garlic cloves were on the larger side?
Claudia says
The whole family loved it! Perfect recipe.
Yay! Thank you for sharing, Claudia! xo
Sabrina says
This looks amazing. Would you guys consider creating and posting a version of this with tofu instead of cashews for more protein? I find it tough getting the proportions right for optimal taste and texture. If you do decide to pursue it, you would have my support and gratitude! Thank you.
Love that idea, Sabrina! We’ll add it to our ideas list. Thank you for sharing! xo
Dayna says
This is unbelievable, definitely going to be one of my dinner favourites. I can’t believe how rich it is??? I haven’t had mac n cheese in forever, this set a new standard for me. Definitely going to be a “treat yo self” dinner staple. My blender struggles at life so I used the full cup of reserved pasta water, I didn’t need to adjust any of the amounts of other flavours though because they were on point. I made the chili powder recipe from here so I think that probably made it extra good. Used Chickapea organic shells, one box was exactly the right amount of noodles. Soso happy to find oil and sugar free recipes on here, thank you!
Amazing! So glad you enjoyed this recipe, Dayna, thanks so much for the great review!
Jess says
Made this for dinner tonight. Doubled the spices and it was delicious! Super easy and was eating the sauce out of the blender. Definitely going in the dinner rotation
Amazing! We’re so glad you enjoy it, Jess! xo
Mary says
My (non-vegan) husband and I really enjoyed this mac and cheese – I’m looking forward to trying it with vegan parm on top! I used 10 oz of pasta and added a steamed bag of frozen broccoli at the end. I love how quick and easy this recipe was!
Yay! So glad you both enjoyed. Thanks for the great review, Mary!
Patricia says
This is one of the best things I’ve ever eaten! I added broccoli and some tomatoes and doubled the garlic. Can’t say enough for this. Thank you!
Whoop! We’re so glad you enjoy it, Patricia! Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Kim says
Delish! Love it when you can turn comfort food into something that’s still full of flavor but using plant based options ! I mixed in some sautéed veggies into the pasta and sauce and I’m calling it a meal !
Yum! Thanks so much for the lovely review, Kim!
Mary says
This has become a go to side dish for the family. Love it
Amazing! We’re so glad you and your family enjoy it, Mary! Thank you for sharing! xo
Julia says
This recipe has amazing flavor and the sauce was super thick and creamy. There was a little bit too much sauce and it was a little too thick for me as written so I will increase the amount of pasta and water by 1.5-2x next time.
Thanks for sharing, Julia! Glad you enjoyed it overall!
Annie says
I have written a handful of reviews in my life but I just had to say my whole family loved this. Both little kids are huge bowls full. My 6 year old has been diagnosed with juvenile arthritis and we have committed to a vegan diet along with low to no oil to help the inflammation. Your recipes are so great. If you had a kid friendly section that would be amazing!
Aw, we’re so glad everyone enjoyed it, Annie! Thank you for your kind words and lovely review! We’ve thought about a kid-friendly category and struggled with what makes a recipe “kid-friendly” since it seems to be different from kid to kid. Open to any ideas on this!
Michelle says
I soaked the cashews in hot broth and then blended the broth along with the cashews and other ingredients. Loved it! There was a lot of leftover cheese so I’ll be adding it to more pasta later! Will definitely make again!
Yum! Thanks for the lovely review, Michelle, we’re so glad you enjoyed! xo
Natalie says
So good! Kids and I loved it!
Woohoo! Thank you for sharing, Natalie! xo
Jennifer says
Don’t hesitate – make this now! :-) I have made this twice now and it is so creamy, flavorful and satisfying. The best part is how quick it is to prepare. I have used both Banza and red lentil rotini and both work well and taste great! I add a bunch of various roasted or steamed veggies for serving. Great recipe – thank you!
Woohoo! We’re so glad you enjoy it. Thank your for the lovely review, Jennifer! xo
VICKY says
Best vegan mac I’ve had!
Yay! Thanks for sharing, Vicky!
Dallas C Goodwin says
I am constantly looking for new exciting recipes to make for my 1 yr old who has gluten intolerance, cows milk protein allergy, can’t have lactose, soy, nuts, eggs & I’m sure I’m forgetting something because there are so many can’t haves! I want to try this recipe for her but is there anything you could recommend using in place of cashews because she can’t have nuts?!
That’s tricky! Maybe sunflower seeds? Hope that helps!
Catherine says
Have you tried with roasted cashews? I’ve made your cash milk with roasted soaked cashews and it worked just fine.
Hi Catherine, we haven’t tried it, but some readers have reported success with roasted cashews in our vegan queso, so we’d say it’s worth a try! Let us know if you try it out!
MH says
Holy moly! This is so tasty. I made this for dinner tonight because I wanted something comforting that didn’t make me feel bad afterward. This is that dish and more.
I blended a handful of spinach into the sauce because I hadn’t gotten enough greens today. It incorporated nicely.
10/10 recommend and will make again. Thank you for all that you put into making this recipe so wonderful.
Aw, thanks so much for your kind words and lovely review! We’re so glad you enjoyed this one and we love your spinach addition! xoxo
Liz L. says
In Minimalist Baker I trust! I just made a bunch of MB recipes for our vegan thanksgiving and I wanted the taste of the scalloped potatoes recipes without all the work, so naturally I thought I would try an easy mac n cheese recipe. I blended almond milk instead of the pasta water, but did add some to the pasta. It was 10/10.
Amazing! Thanks so much for the lovely review, Liz, so glad you enjoyed!
aria says
I made this with 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar because I had no lemon juice and it tasted delicious
Wonderful! Thank you for sharing, Aria!
Lara says
I have tried several homemade mac and cheese recipes and this one is, by far, the best! The flavor is so delicious and it was very quick and easy to put together. This one will be my go-to from now on. Thank you so much!
Woohoo! We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Lara. Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo
Anne says
I loved this and will make it again. It uses a lot of cashews, but the creamy results are worth it. I did need to add about twice the amount of water. I also subbed garlic powder because I don’t love the taste of raw garlic especially in leftovers. Also threw in a handful of kale the last few minutes of cooking time.
I was not able to get the suggested brand of pasta, mine was 100% chickpeas so it was kind of heavy. I’m sure I would have loved it even MORE with semolina pasta, but the chickpea pasta is so much more nutritious I would use it again. I might try to see if a red lentil pasta is lighter, or maybe even a whole grain whole wheat (I’m not gluten free). This recipe is definitely a keeper, highly recommend it!
Thanks for sharing your experience, Anne! xoxo
Cori says
Y U M ! I added extra pasta water to my sauce to thin it (I use a non high speed blender). I scooped the cheezy noodles on top of steamed broccoli and gave it a hearty squirt of sriracha – this is HEAVENLY! Came together easily and quickly! Definitely adding this recipe to my regular repertoire – thank you so much!!!
Woah, sounds like a delicious use of the sauce! Thanks for the lovely review, Cori! xo
Gerry says
I made this and it was pretty good, for me it needed more oomph so I will keep laying with it. I used roasted garlic and so maybe I need to use more cloves to get more flavor, and I think I may have needed more salt. I try to go light and salt but sometimes that doesn’t always work. Definitely thickens as it sits! Thanks for an easy, creamy recipe.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Gerry! Roasted garlic is more mild, so a little raw garlic and salt should both help!
Gerry says
Ok, so I reheated leftovers and added salt today and that changed the game! I wanted to come back and change my rating & say that ;-)
Yay! Thanks for the update, Gerry!
Steph says
Anyone tested this recipe with picky kids – 5-10y.o. range?
Nira Lall says
Can I make the sauce separately and freeze it (without the pasta)?
Hi Nira, we think that might work!
Cait says
Testing out a dairy-free diet and missing cheese. It isn’t the same as cheese but it’s gooooood. I made this for my family and everyone loved it, even my toddler. I added in some peas at the end. Sauce was not as smooth as I expected – next time I will try to soak the cashews longer and blend longer as well.
We’re so glad everyone enjoyed it, Cait! For the cashews not getting creamy, we’re wondering if it could be the type of blender? If it’s not powerful or has a large volume, those could be reasons. If volume is the issue, you can try doubling the sauce. Hope that helps!
Ophelia Wellington says
this was honestly the best vegan Mac I have ever made! It was so easy! I added fresh oregano and basil for some more flavor and it was excellent! Thank you!!
Woohoo! We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Ophelia. Love your additions! Thanks so much for sharing! xo
Robin Mamott says
Delicious. Easy quick and doesn’t taste like butternut as many others do. I sliced a hot pepper in at serving. I will definitely make this again. Thanks !
Thanks so much for the lovely review, Robin. We are so glad you enjoyed this recipe! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! Xo
Leah Lynch says
Finally!!! Vegan Mac & Cheese that taste like the real deal. I loved it and followed the recipe to a “T”.
Yay! Thanks for the kind review, Leah! xo
Carlene says
What can I use in place of nutritional yeast? I like it, it doesn’t like me :(
Hi Carlene! You can simply omit the nutritional yeast, or possibly add 1/2 teaspoon of miso paste instead. xo
Kavya says
Dana this recipe looks amazing. I’m a life long vegetarian and unable to go vegan due to my infatuation for melty cheese. Slowly but steadily, however, you are convincing me, one delicious dairy-less recipe at a time… can’t wait to try this one out!!
xxxx
Your favorite fan,
KJ
Woohoo! Love to hear this, Kavya. Hope you love it! xo
Milena says
Really enjoyed this recipe!
I found that the sauce needed more pasta, but that’s fine, as I’ll have leftovers.
I would like to know what is meant by high speed mixer, because I couldn’t get to a creamy consistency, but not a big deal, as it was yummy!
So easy to make! I added some stir fried veggies with harissa and soy sauce, because I alway have a heap of veg!
Thank you so much for your never ending inspiration! You’re making me a more adventurous cook and in lockdown this is amazing!
Thank you! We love to hear this, Milena! A high speed blender is typically a blender with a more powerful motor than an average blender. We are glad you’re enjoying so many recipes! xo
Chelsea says
This recipe is amazing! I whipped this up quickly today, and added a pinch of mustard seed and smoked paprika. SO good and so easy!!
Yumm, thanks for the kind review, Chelsea! xo
Whitney says
It came out so good! I’m really impressed! I had leftover pasta to use up so I added unsweetened oat milk to thin out the sauc
Yum, thanks for the lovely review, Whitney! xo
Kiran says
This was actually much easier than I thought it would be and very delicious! It was my first time making a vegan cheese sauce and it did not disappoint at all! I did add a bit extra pasta water to help with blending out the sauce. I would definitely make this again!
Woohoo! We love to hear this, Kiran. Thanks for the lovely review! xo
Virginia Diaz says
I’ve tried so many vegan Mac n cheese recipes and never have I been thrilled by the results until tonight!!! I had 3 servings and then ate straight out of the pot. Best recipe hands down!!! I will definitely be making this for my guest! Thanks
Awesome! We love to hear this, Virginia. Thanks for the kind review! xo
Kate says
This is dangerously good. I could have eaten the whole batch myself! It is so delicious and I love the ratio of pasta to sauce. This will definitely be my new go to for mac and cheese.
Amazing! We love to hear this, Kate. Thanks for the kind review! xo
Rebekah says
I would really like to make this. My body reacts poorly to cashews though. Is there another nut that will yield a similar result?
Hi Rebekah! We haven’t tried it so we aren’t sure how it would go, but macadamia nuts are the most similar in texture. Let us know how it goes if you try it! xo
Magdalena says
I’m also wondering if the cashews could be replaced as I try to omit them for ecological and ethical reasons. For vegan “parmesan” I use almonds so maybe I’ll try to use them also in this recipe.
Hi Magdalena, we don’t think almonds will get quite as creamy, but might be okay. Let us know if you try it!
Nicole says
How do you know what the serving size is? Do you measure by gram or by ounce?
Hi Nicole, we don’t have a precise gram or ounce measurement. For this recipe, it’s 1/4 of the full batch. Hope that helps!
Claire says
Could this be made without the garlic? Any recommendations?
It will change the flavor but you can definitely omit garlic! Perhaps a 1/2 tsp of miso paste for added umami instead? xo
sage says
Yessss ! Yet another total winner ! Adjusted the recipe to serve 2 (as its only me having it) just incase it was another wierd vegan mac and cheese recipe – ITS ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS. Didnt change a thing! Having left overs for lunch today. This is will be a weekly meal now!
Woohoo! We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Sage. Thank you for sharing!
Heather says
I have a child with a cashew allergy (well, an intolerance), is there any other but that could provide this level of creaminess that isn’t cashews? Because this recipe looks amazing!!
Heather says
Nut** autocorrect fail
Hi Heather! We haven’t tried it with another nut, but macadamia nuts are probably the closest in texture and could be worth a try. Let us know how it goes if you give it a try! xo
Katy Large says
This may sound crazy, but have you ever subbed cashew butter (the plain, unsweetened, nothing-but-cashews kind) for the soaked and blended cashews in vegan “cheese” recipes? Raw cashews can be tricky to find near me, but I do have plain cashew butter that I think could work.
We haven’t tried that for this recipe so we aren’t sure how it would go, but it does sound like it could work! Let us know how it goes if you try it. xo