It’s that time again.
Time for a new vegan mac ‘n’ cheese recipe (because, delicious), and a new recipe VIDEO!
Be stoked.
Having already created an eggplant– and cashew-based mac ‘n’ cheese recipe, I wanted to do something a bit more traditional using a flour and (almond) milk roux. Although it doesn’t have as much plant power going on, it is insanely creamy and way faster than my other methods once the garlic is roasted, leaving just a 30-minute prep/cook time. This recipe also only requires 10 ingredients.
To inject extra flavor I infused the sauce with two kinds of garlic: an entire head of roasted garlic and fresh minced garlic. This provides both a spicy, garlic bite, and a sweet, creamy roasted garlic flavor. I’m in love.
Want to see this recipe in action? Check out our latest recipe video. (See our previous videos here, here and here). More to come!
If you try this easy Garlic Mac ‘n’ Cheese, let us know what you think! Leave a comment and rate it – it’s so helpful for us and other readers. And don’t forget to take a picture and tag it #minimalistbaker on Instagram – we love seeing what you come up with. Cheers!
- 1 head roasted garlic (see instructions for method)
- 10 ounces (~ 2 1/4 cups dry) macaroni noodles* (use gluten-free pasta for GF)
- 4 Tbsp olive or grape seed oil
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 4-5 Tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour (or sub arrowroot powder for GF)
- 2 - 2 1/4 cups Blue Diamond Almondmilk Original Unsweetened
- Salt and pepper to taste (~1/2 tsp each)
- 1/2 cup vegan parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- 4-6 Tbsp nutritional yeast, plus more for topping
- optional: 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs (gluten-free for GF)
- To roast garlic, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (204 C) and cut off the very top of a head of garlic. Drizzle the top with a bit of oil, a sprinkle of salt and loosely wrap in foil.
- Place directly on oven rack and roast for 45 minutes - 1 hour, depending on size of garlic. You'll know it's done when the garlic is very fragrant and the bulb appears soft and golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool.
- To prepare pasta, add macaroni to a large pot of boiling, well-salted water. Stir to prevent noodles from sticking, and boil according to package instructions (about 8-10 minutes). Drain and cover with a towel to keep moist - set aside.
- To prepare sauce, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot add 4 Tbsp oil and minced garlic. Stir and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until light golden brown.
- Immediately add 4 Tbsp flour (or arrowroot powder) and whisk - cook for 1 minute. (Later on, if the sauce is not thick enough, add an extra 1 Tbsp later on during the blending process. I found 4 Tbsp to be the perfect amount).
- Add almond milk 1/2 cup at a time, whisking to prevent clumps, until 2 cups have been added. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. (Add the additional 1/4 cup almond milk later on if the sauce appears too thick.)
- Transfer sauce to a blender and add roasted garlic (squeeze from base to push out cloves), 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper, vegan parmesan cheese, nutritional yeast, and blend on high until creamy and smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed - you want it pretty well salted + cheesy, so don't be shy.
- Return sauce back to skillet and cook over low heat until warmed and slightly thickened - about 2-3 minutes.
- Add cooked, drained pasta and toss to coat. Then top with 1 more Tbsp nutritional yeast and 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs.
- Broil on high on the top rack of your oven for 1-2 minutes, or until golden brown (see photo). Watch closely as it can burn quickly.
- Serve immediately. I love topping mine with an extra pinch of vegan parmesan cheese and a little red pepper flake.
- Leftovers keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, though best when fresh. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop - add extra almond milk if it's dry.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate for 1/4 of recipe with panko bread crumb topping.
This looks amazing, and I’ve been looking for a good mac n’ cheese recipe without the cashews, not that they aren’t delicious, but it’s nice to have a lighter option. Thanks!
I’m sure cashews have less fat than 4tbsp of oil! This looks delicious but definitely not light. Good thing I’m not on a diet because I’m going to try it :-D
Kim, if you’re weary of oil you can cut it back to 2 or 3 Tbsp and compensate creaminess with more arrowroot or flour :D
Oh my god, you’re killing me!!! I am 100% making this for my vegan dad and myself tomorrow for Father’s Day dinner! I’ve never attempted a homemade mac and this looks sooo easy :) pinning!!!
Yay! Let me know he liked it!
Oh my gosh! I’m trying this ASAP! Roasted garlic is one of my boyfriend’s favorite things – I’m sure he’d approve!
Yay! Let me know if you give it a try!
Making this ASAP!!! I love the video, it is a great way to see everything come togther!
Great! I’ll be doing more in the future. Glad you enjoyed it!
I’ve still never tried nutritional yeasttttt. Keep up the amazing work on the vids, you guys :)
Oh man, DO IT! So good! Thanks friend!
Oh this looks amazing! I love garlic but I’ve never put it in my mac and cheese- pinning this to try ASAP :)
Whoop! Let me know if you give it a go, Mel!
OH man! I should write a book, Confessions of a Macaroni & Cheese Addict. I can’t get enough of the stuff, especially with bread crumbs on top! Are you kidding?? I discovered crusty bread crumb macaroni & cheese in college. How do you spell weight gain? Your version looks great. And the addition of videos in your post.
Ha! Hope you love this recipe Kathryn! thanks for the kind words :D
Oh, this looks incredible. <3
ohhhh sounds so good!! The bf is a garlic and pasta fiend (probably cause he is Italian), so I will for sure try this out!! Thinking of stirring in some swiss chard from our CSA! Thanks for the awesome recipe :)
Smart lady! Let me know how it goes!
That photo after it’s been grilled looks SOOOOOOOOO gorgeous!!!!
Thanks Ana! :D
Delicious!!
Whoop!
these look so creamy!!! I had no idea there was vegan parm!!! need to try it :D
I just made this, for the raw parmesan I tan out of garlic granules and used oniin granules instead. Still tasty! Am eating it as I type :) x
Great! thanks for sharing Jade!
Your recipes simply amaze me! This looks exceptionally delicious, and I can’t wait to try it!
Looks delicious!
Hi Dana! I’m making this right now (it is so good!) but I just realized I have only used 1/2 tsp of the vegan Parmesan. The ingredient list calls for 1/2 cup plus more for serving – just wondering (because I will definitely make this again!) if you intended it to go into the blender or on top before broiling? Thanks for the recipe!
I just use the vegan parmesan for serving! Adds a little bit more flavor, but it’s not necessary!
What a great recipe! This mac n’ cheese with roasted garlic sounds fantastic. Love the photos and video!
Thanks Ana! xo
The vegan Mac and Cheese was great! I’ve made so many of your recipes, and they all turn out great! Thank you for giving me new found confidence in the kitchen! Last night was falafel, Saturday was Sea Salt Caramel Coconut Ice Cream (healthy ice cream, what!?!). I’ve been making your recipes at least 4 days a week. It’s such a good feeling that I can feed my family a whole food, plant based diet – and everyone loves it. Even our three year old – thanks a million!
That is so wonderful! thanks for sharing Stephanie! xoxo
I LOVE THE VIDEOS I LOVE THEM. I have a video from March that I’m just waiting on to post because I got all disillusioned, but you’re re-inspired me!
Great recipe! Here’s a little trick to save time for roasted garlic: Roast several heads as described, cool, re-wrap in the foil, then place them in a freezer bag, and freeze. I keep roasted garlic on hand in my deep freeze all winter long. To use, just thaw on counter and squeeze garlic paste as you do with freshly-roasted garlic.
Great tip!
Yesssss, this sounds so good! Garlic and nutritional yeast, two of my most favorite things
GARLIC AND MAC AND CHEESE?
Omg.
So going to cook this for the boyfriend and myself this weekend :D
This is sooo good!! It’s so creamy, garlicky, and cheesy. Definitely going to make this OFTEN.
So great! thanks for sharing, Katie! xoxo
we just made this and it tastes yummy! thank you for sharing!
Wonderful! Thanks for sharing!
Just made these for dinner–I was craving some comfort food. This dish is fantastic!! YUM! Thank you so much for this recipe!
Wonderful! So glad you enjoyed it.
So great! The roasted garlic adds a great savoriness to the Mac. Other vegan Mac and cheese can be bland or a bit off. This one is the best yet! All hail nutritional yeast :)
I sprinkled some chopped fresh basil on top before serving for a little freshness.
This one is a keeper.
Yay! So glad you enjoyed it, Margaret!!
I can’t have almonds. Can I use coconut milk instead?
It will give it a strong coconut flavor – I wouldn’t recommend it :(
Maybe Soy milk then?
You could try rice milk… I use it in all kinds of starch based recipes! Sometimes it can be a bit more watery, so compensate with the flour or thickener. Good luck!
I’ve been looking for this kind of recipe too. I’m doing it right now, I use vegan Parmesan cheese – just wondering if still it taste good?
Made this recipe, using the microwave. Added 1 tsp. Dijon mustard. And used Spelt/brown rice penne style noodles. This was the best, cheesiest Mac and Cheese I have tasted since going vegan. Thank you!
Yay! So great!!
I made this tonight and honestly it is amazing. I used arrowroot starch because I had it on hand and the recommended amounts of that and almond milk made the consistency and taste almost exactly like cheese sauce! Great recipe.
This is the best recipe for vegan “mac and cheese” on the internet. So amazing. All your pasta recipes turn out beautifully but I think the roasted garlic just took the sauce to a whole new level, and then broiling it with the breadcrumbs and nutritional yeast… Amazing. Also I loved the video tutorial as well. Keep working your magic, Dana
Thanks so much, Jena! So kind!
This dish is fantastic!! It’s so creamy, garlicky, and cheesy. Definitely going to make this OFTEN. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! Love the photos and video!
Whoop! Love to hear it!
OMG – I made this tonite and it was GOOOOD!! Cheezy and garlicky and just plain awesome! It took no time to make, and wow, I am one happy camper. Thanks!
Whoop! Thanks for sharing!
I made this tonight for dinner! It was the best, creamiest vegan Mac and cheese I’ve ever made! Thanks for the recipe. (The only thing I did differently was I sautéed an onion instead of garlic- just my own preference. The roasted garlic was a brilliant idea!
YAY! So great. Thanks for sharing!
Do you think this would work with whole wheat pasta?
Sure!
Dana,
This recipe came out PERFECT! The sauce was delicious – I absolutely loved it!
Will be making this again when we want a more indulging dinner ;)
-Eva
Too kind! Thanks Eva!! xoxo
I’ve been a diehard mac & cheese fan since I was a kid. Since becoming vegan, I’ve yet to find a recipe that meets my “comfort food” expectations for my favorite dish. This recipe does look promising. I’ll make it and get back to you! :) Thanks for the recipe.
Made this for dinner tonight and I must say you’ve done it again! Soooo delicious and creamy. The panko was a perfect finishing touch. You have the best tasting vegan recipes.
I did omit the roasted garlic because I was afraid it would be too garlicy? Anyone have feedback on that?
PS, I love the videos! I’m new at cooking at it really helps to see it in action to follow along.
Wonderful! There’s definitely more to come!
Roasted garlic is actually rather sweet, so it doesn’t make it overwhelmingly garlick. I’d recommend it next time!
This is THE BEST mac and cheese ever!!! I was looking for a sauce that I didn’t have to soak cashews for hours and I found this. Make it. And we all loved it and had a second helping! (including a 3 year old who is the worlds pickiest vegan and my mom who is not vegan) Thank you for another great recipe :)
SO great! Thanks for sharing, Shari!
Wow, that looks amazing!! It’s too hot here to contemplate making this but i’m bookingmarking it for later! :)
Another amazing pasta recipe. My kids have declared it to be their favourite macaroni recipe ever. (And it was so good, neither kid asked for it to be topped with ketchup — that’s saying something!)
Thanks so much! Best comment!
I made this last night and it is SO good! I was actually spooning the sauce from pan to mouth for a few minutes, so that should indicate that it is pretty damn good :)
haha, that’s how you know it’s good! Thanks for sharing, Abby! xoxo
Thank you. Hubby loved it. He hasn’t been able to have Mac N Cheese in years and this was a real treat. I loved the video, because it helped me with the difficult step. Up until today I’ve never been successful at making a roux.
Because we’ve had temperatures in the triple digits I did make a few changes, since I’m not turning my oven on during the summer. I omitted the roasted garlic. And just placed the mac n cheese in small individual sized bowls which fit into the toaster oven.
I found your site a few months ago and your vegan parmesan and pesto have been life changers for us. Such simple and delish recipes that when I thought of attempting vegan mac n cheese I knew your site was the first place I wanted to look.
Ah, thanks Viviana! So glad you found us and are enjoying the recipes. xo!
where do those 22.2g of protein come from in this recipe ? :)
It almost doesn’t seem possible…creamy, cheesy, comforting goodness without dairy?! As a dairy-free family, my kids long for mac-n-cheese like this to hit the dinner table. I shall try this tonight and expect high reviews from the fam. Thanks for saving dinner!
Can I use coconut milk instead of almond, and leave out the garlic?
I made this a few weeks ago. What a wonderfully creamy sauce! It was delicious. Thank you for this recipe.
Made this for dinner and was blown away by how good it was! The flavor is incredible and it’s sooooo creamy. Left the vegan parmesan out and it was still amazing. Yum!
Whoop! So glad you liked it, Lauren! Thanks for sharing.
I have made a lot of REALLY good recipes from this blog but I must say this one was blah. I was so looking forward it too! :(
Bummer? I thought it was packed with flavor. Did you make any changes?
I followed the recipe exactly but found it unbalanced – way too sweet. I double checked my almond milk and it was unsweetened. Fast forward to today when I used the almond milk again and realized it was VANILLA!! In my defense, this is something new and the vanilla is written in TINY font, otherwise same colors on the packaging. I am sorry!!!
i agree, we didn’t like it at all
wow! I can’t believe how simple and tasty this, I’m in love <3 I cannot believe how healthy the ingredients are compared to a regular Mac and cheese! Now this is my type of Mac and cheese, vegan and healthy. Thanks Dana your recipes never dissapoint me I'm glad I could finally find a healthy Mac and cheese recipe! Xx I will continue making your recipes, they are amazing!
So kind! Glad you enjoyed this, Ella! xoxo
So I made this tonight and half way through I realized that my almond milk was not unsweetened. EEK!! That being said, it was still so good. I didn’t bake it so it was extra saucy. Totally delish and I will make this again with unsweetened almond milk.
Hey girly, I’m sure you get this a lot, but this is delicious, one of my stand-by recipes! Thanks so much for sharing!
This suited mine and my husbands tastes, but did not please the person I had made it for: a very picky 8 year old nephew. He wasn’t fooled from the start, and said “I know what mac and cheese looks like. That is not it. I know I won’t like it.” And so… he refused to even try it. I am not sure if he would have liked it if he did. I used whole wheat pasta because it was what I had. Mine turned more of a brown color instead of a vibrant yellow. I think a smidge of turmeric would help the color a bit, but I was worried it would alter the flavor. I will keep searching for a vegan mac n cheese that picky kids will eat.
Yum!! Just made this and I love it! The bread crumbs are truly a game changer. Thanks for sharing!!
You’re a genius. I’ve had this twice and can honestly say it’s one of the best vegan foods I’ve ever had. Full of flavor and just overall delicious. Changed my life!!! (And for anyone worried about the oil I’ve tried it without adding oil and it’s just as delicious!!!)
Hey Dana – following you and your healthy, fresh, no fuss and quick culinary journeys from the southern tip of Africa – where Winter is stepping in! Love your cooking philosophy but try to limit carbs – what would you recommend as a
1. ‘thickener’ for the recipe above (you listed arrowroot)
2. ‘binder’ for your e.g. fish cakes recipes
and still enjoy limited to zero carbs?
Thank you for expert advice and so much food enthusiasm!
li x
Hello !
My husband made these for dinner last night… I had never had Mac & Cheese before so I can’t say how they compare to the original… but Wawww, it was so delicious ! It’s by far the best vegan cheesy recipe I’ve had so far and my husband kept on saying how easy it was to make so it looks like we’ll be making those on a regular basis !
Thank you so much for the wonderful recipes you share with us. I really can’t wait for your cookbook to come out!
If I don’t have arrowroot, can I use tapioca flour, or just GF all purpose flour?
thanks!
I used Pamela’s Artisan Blend GF all purpose flour and it worked fine. Yummy!
I’m normally quite happy with your recipes but this one was awful. All 3 of us took a few bites and went no further. The most uncheesy, cheesy mac recipe I have tried.
So weird! Did you make any adjustments to the recipe?
nope, no adjustments. i have found with a few other recipes, i just hate the nutritional yeast/vegan parm combo…….it’s like dirt LOL. clearly most others disagree and I LOVE most of your stuff so i’m sure it’s just us here LOL. we actually have yet to find a nice cheesy sauce for pasta……will keep searching!
We love this recipe so so much!! It has become our go to comfort food dinner meal! We also make it with whole wheat macaroni noodles to try and help the health quotient a bit, but holy bananas do I do all kinds of happy dances at work when I remember we’re making this for dinner at night!
Just one quick suggestion, that the prep time may want to be increased to include the time it takes to roast the head of garlic – it does add a good amount of time.
i just made this and its DELICIOUS! that’s the one thing i really miss from being vegan is kraft dinner. This is WAY better. Garlicky and delicious. I would use less flour though, maybe 2-3 tbsp. 4 gives you thick and creamy, I like mine little more runny. Thank you for the delicious recipe.
I’ve made this a handful of times and it’s amazing! My boyfriend requests it all the time! We add a tiny bit of cayenne sometimes for another kick. Definitely our go to Mac and cheese recipe! And the roasted garlic is soooooo good in this.
My friend Kathleen turned me on to this recipe when she served it at a gathering recently.
She subbed reg garlic for the roasted to save time, added rice spiral pasta instead of the other and lemon, tahini and miso (3 Tbs ea) which I found lovely. I used two Tbs coconut oil instead of the other, skipped the blender and made it in one pot.. LOVELY comfort food on a rainy day–thanks! <3
I made this last night and oh my! One of the best vegan recipes I’ve ever made! I have a huge weakness for garlic and this turned out with a surprising depth of flavor with so little ingredients. The texture was super creamy and stayed that way (I’ve found a lot of creamy vegan pastas can get kind of dried out and “grainy” if allowed to cool even slightly) well through dinner. Served with some french bread to get the last of the sauce. Rich? Yes. Delicious? Incredibly so!
I will be remaking some to serve at our family’s vegan Thanksgiving dinner!
Hi Dana!
I’ve been using some of your recipes for a while and they’re great! I made this one today because, well, mac ‘n’ cheese really is one of my favorites! Just wanted to add that I love garlic but wasn’t patient enough to roast it this time. I just minced a whole head and sautéed it in olive oil instead. Was wonderfully garlicky! Also, I decided not to use the blender and the sauce came out great in terms of consistency. Finally, lacking parmesan cheese and bread crumbs didn’t seem to take away from this recipe in the least! I added some cayenne to spice it up and had some leftover vegan taco meat (green lentils and walnut) which I topped it with before broiling!
I just have one word for you… YUMMY! I couldn’t stop eating. It’s just so good! Thank you!
Really appreciate all the work you’ve put in with the recipes. My friends have also started to use your site now. Wishing you all the best! Thanks again!
The recipe actually turned out to be about 6 servings for me, so I froze some of it in individual portions. It freezes and reheats beautifully, with or without adding more almond milk. Of course it doesn’t taste exactly the same after it’s frozen and reheated, but it’s still absolutely amazing.
I’m new to cooking in general, and this was easy to make and turned out to be extremely garlicky and delicious. I will make this again the exact same way when it’s just for me, but I plan to experiment with using less garlic so I can serve it for friends and family who don’t prefer as much garlic.
I have made this twice now. Once at home for iftar during last Ramadan and more recently to a vegan potluck (where I cooked a whole bag of penne!)
In.Sane.ly DELICIOUS! The creamy base is perfect to make it your own and add more of your signature mac and cheese flavour to it. So easy to make and a guarantee to blow omnivores out of the water!
Always wonderful recipes from you Minimalist Baker :) xx
Holy. Shit. This recipe changed the fucking GAME. I recently made the life-change to not eat animals and have been struggling to cut out dairy as well. But this recipe… oh man… SO. GOOD. The sauce is so creamy and cheesy and it tastes so good that I keep thinking I probably should feel guilty but I don’t because its VEGAN and no animals were harmed in the making of this delicious dish! I had to stop myself from licking my food processor clean. Roasting the garlic for an hour is so, so worth it! I almost forgot to add it to the sauce so I tasted it both before and after adding and while it was quite good on its own, the roasted garlic gives it this whole other delicious dimension. I never leave comments, but I needed to tell you, THANK YOU! My boyfriend has no idea what he’s in for once he gets home. :)
I made this for my aunt and my grandma (Who was fasting today and was going vegan for 3 days!) and the rest of my family who is not vegan and they all jumped all over it over the leftover chicken and they ate the whole thing and loved it!! I feel like some mushrooms or crumbled veggie sausage would bring it over perfect!
This is the first vegan mac&cheese recipe that didn’t disappoint me. In fact, it was so creamy and cheesy that, after so long without dairy, it was a bit too much. I’m planning on adding some veggies next time. Or just putting the sauce on veggies. Or on nachos. On everything really. Thanks for sharing this.
PS. My house still smells like garlic.
Um, YUM! I’ve made vegan macaroni and cheese in the past (with other recipes) and they were always so blah! But this one was delicious! I made a few changes 1) I added dried parsley and paprika with the breadcrumb on top 2) I omitted the roasted garlic, and just stuck with minced garlic (I prefer a light taste of garlic, personally) and 3) instead of the broiler, I baked at 350F for 20 minutes. It came out amazing. I swear it tasted even better left over.
Hi,
I’m allergic to almonds. Is there another plant based milk that would work just as well?
Thank you!
Hi Liss! Soy or rice milk will work!
SO…I had a craving for mac n cheese and once I typed in to google “best vegan mac n cheese” your site was of course right there. I was so excited with different options to choose from. Loving garlic as much as I do, I followed the recipe minus broiling. I loved it, next time I can try with the broiler because I do love a crust on top. But once again your recipes are so easy and don’t take up my whole evening.
So thank you again.
I made this expecting great things. Was very disappointed. Would not recommend it tasted wheaty and strange.