Vegan Green Chili Mac ‘n’ Cheese

I truly think this is so comforting and have made it a number of times, and considering that I hardly ever follow recipes because I am a VERY lazy meal prepper, that’s saying a lot. I usually use cashews with oil and salt (not raw) just because they’re cheaper for me to get, and I personally also add more salt sometimes (which wouldn’t be the best for people who need a low-sodium diet) as well as quite a bit more canned green chilis just to my preference. It’s delicious and I feel it is very easy!

So I’ve been making this recipe for several years. I came back to see if it was possible to make ahead a reheat; the answer: No.

That’s ok- I’ll just prep and prepare last minute- the pre-prep takes the most time.

I am not a Mac and cheese girl, but this recipe is the ONLY Mac and cheese I will break for and while and I’ve made some hardcore converts to this vegan Mac and cheese.

Any recipe I try, I will stick to the original- first round. I’ve found no need for substitutes here. Someone mentioned bacon crumbles, it may be a nice add one for others at a dinner party; I’ve yet to find a vegan bacon that isn’t loaded w sodium and it’s just not important enough to me. However, if someone can recommend a low sodium one, I’m certainly open.

Other than that- my partner lights up each time I ask if he’d like vegan mac n cheese. If it’s that easy to please him- it is my absolute pleasure!

I highly recommend.

I made this the other night. I liked it, but while I am not spice averse, it was way too spicy. Next time I will cut the chili powder down by 2/3rds I think. I also sauteed some ground turkey (I am not vegan.. just don’t eat dairy) with taco seasoning and added it. It also re-heats surprisingly well.

I had a large jar of green chilis, so probably increased the amount a bit, but otherwise followed the recipe…so far this is the best vegan sub for Mac and cheese that I’ve tried.

I made this last night, and my husband (who is not vegetarian or vegan) and I really enjoyed it! We skipped the tortilla chips but agreed that they would be nice to try next time. I think I could have gone for a bit more green chili flavor, but we’ll have to play around. It’s a really nice base recipe for vegan mac and cheese!

I absolutely love this recipe! It’s delicious and so easy to make. I usually substitute the green chilis for chipotle in adobo and add steamed broccoli.

I freaking loved it and it gets a “yeah, it’s alright” from my non-vegan husband who usually eats Kraft from a box. I call that a win.

I’ve made this recipe again and again for years now, and have passed it into friends who I cooked it for in the past. Such a simple but delicious recipe with so much room for customising with toppings/extras. I think I’ll add sundried tomatoes and steamed broccoli to it tonight!

This was soooo good!! I was not in a great mood making this but when I sat down to eat it..mood upgrade!! I added cooked mushrooms and baked it in the oven for 15 mins with sourdough breadcrumbs and a grated vegan cheese on top! It was so delicious!!! Thank you for another amazing recipe!! ❤️❤️

This is by far one of my favorite dairy free Mac and cheese recipes. The green chilis add so much flavor! The only thing I did differently, was add about a handful of chopped up homemade vegan bacon on top and oh my…..it was amazing! Thanks for this recipe!

This was such a yummy recipe! But I made several adaptations: I subbed fresh yellow pepper for chilies and sautéed it with the garlic and onion. I added extra Tbsp of nutritional yeast, 1 Tbsp of tahnini, salt and pepper as well as 1 tsp of shiitake mushroom powder to the blender. So creamy and flavorful. It makes big portions! I have plenty of leftovers!

I’m not going to leave a review because I didn’t love this recipe BUT I didn’t eat it fresh. I would try making this again and eating it fresh down the road but won’t make it as a meal prep meal again.

This recipe is delish! I doubled the green chiles and added parmesan (regular) cheese! Thank you MB for the inspiration!

Omg. Had leftover macademia nut cheese (that I made with cashews) from making your balsamic portabello pizzas (amazing also), so I threw that in the blender with onions garlic, spices and veggie broth. She transformed so well. Love love love this mac and cheese it’s magical!! Thanks for making my day a little cozier.

Just made this for a second time (this time with fresh Cubanelle peppers instead of green chilies), and it’s an absolute keeper. I like an additional tbsp of nutritional yeast for extra cheesiness, and I used Goya seasoning instead of salt for more complexity. A dream comfort food recipe for the lactose intolerant – thank you!

I modified with chicken stock (not vegan, obviously) as that’s what was in the pantry and added some hotter Hatch green chilies on top of the 4 oz of mild ones, and also sprinkled a bit more nutritional yeast upon serving. Made a great lunch and we have enough for another meal – woohoo!

I bet adding some spinach at the end or sauteed green beans would kick it up nicely!

Absolutely love this recipe, one of the best Mac n cheese recipes out there! I swear by it. Very very tasty. Will make time and time again. (When I’m not lazy and buy the packet mix that is!) Thank you minimalist baker for this delight.

YOU ARE AMAZING! Nothing bland here!!! Wonderful!!!

love this sauce!! I put a little more yeast when i make it and for the cashews i just pour boiling water over it and switched it out once it got cooled. Taste amazing!

Best mac and cheese ever!? even my 3 yo eats this

This was excellent. I made the pumpkin mac and cheese last time and the vegan ricotta with the zucchini lasanga. I think this may be my favorite cheese sauce, very rich and creamy with a unique cheesiness. . I didn’t have green chiles but I didn’t miss them. I toasted some bread with garlic/oil and crumbled it on top. Next up is the Eggplant Mac and Cheese.
Thank you for recipes I can count on tasting great.

We followed the recipe as told and I felt this recipe lacked seasoning still even after it was all done. Add some more salt and I would say add fresh roasted hatch chillies with some roasted tomatoes and mushrooms towards the end. It’ll definitely kick up the flavor. Also add some more salt.

This was AMAZING!!! And oh so easy. I have been trying to go vegan (I’m vegetarian now) but my husband is a carnivore. He is lactose intolerant and has not been very open to vegan recipes. I didn’t even call this mac ‘n cheese, I just called it green chili pasta and he really liked it!!! Score one for the cook LOL.
Thank you so much

This is absolutely magical! My son is a very picky eater and he loved this. I am so pleased with how it turned out. I will definitely be a recurring dish in our home.

Dear Dana, whatever mac n cheese is, this one was amazing !!!! It’s been our first ever.

Perfect dish for a snowy swiss evening !!!!!

Thank you !!!!!

Thank you for this amazing recipe! We are new vegans and this will be on our regular rotation. Looking forward to trying your other vegan recipes.

I made this recipe with only a minor addition : 1-tsp red pepper flakes added to the garlic and onions. Yum!!! Thank you so much for this recipe. I can’t wait to use this cashew/yeast “cheese” base as a starting point for other meals as well.

Omg! Sooooo good. Gave it to some non vegans and they thought It was awesome. Then I told them it was vegan and they asked me to cook it again. I boiled the cashews for 10 minutes and it was so creamy when blended.

Made without the jar of “chills” and kids loved it. Added carrots to the sauteed onion & garlic before adding to sauce and also added dash of turmeric. Usually would throw in additional hidden veggies but skipped tonight. Very creamy and tasty. Served with side of field roast sausage and sauteed onion/garlic/mushrooms. Easy recipe and will repeat for sure!

This was my first attempt at a macaroni with cashew cream sauce and I was happy with results. Texture was pleasing and flavor was great! Color was a little unappetizing looking, but I added 2 (jarred) roasted piquillo peppers to the mix, which brightened it up a bit. Personally, I didn’t think the corn chips really added much—probably wouldn’t add them next time.

If I could give this recipe more than 5 stars I would. I made this for my daughter’s graduation party-OMG it’s delicious. It did get a little dried out while I kept covered in a very low oven to keep warm, but still….
It was my first time making this particular mac and cheese, and this will be my go-to recipe from now on. It’s so creamy!
Thanks for creating such great recipes, I have yet to make one that isn’t satisfying and delicious.

I made the recipe exactly as shown. Wow! It was so delicious. I have made it twice now, the first time I didn’t blend it quite enough and it was a bit grainy, the second time better. Adults and kids all loved it. Thank you!

I loved this recipe. This was the first vegan recipe I ever made, I added the whole can of green chilies into the sauce and then I added a can of green chilies and tomatoes into the Mac and cheese mix before popping it into the oven. So good!! My family liked it too and they’re not going vegan.

For some reason the cheese sauce tasted sweet coming out of my blender (??). I added another TB of nooch, a 1/2 tsp of chili powder, salt, garlic powder, and onion powder. I also put the entire 4oz can of green chiles in the blender. Tried again and it was PERFECT. We topped it with those Red Hot Blues tortilla chips that are spicy, and it was great. Will make again!

This recipe is beyond amazing! The first time I made it, I was blown away and now it’s part of my regular rotation.

This was amazing. I somehow didn’t have chips so god only knows how much better it could have been;-) I also didn’t have green chilis so I used 1.5 tsp of harissa chilli sauce and it turned out great. Thanks again for another great dinner!

Fantastic. It’s classed-up comfort food.

I cheated with my cashews and microwaved them in a bowl of water for 5 minutes—they plumped up considerably and blitzed into creamy perfection (this might not work unless you have a high-powered blender).

Would be excellent in a barbecue tofu bowl for the bold & daring.

This is seriously so delicious!!! I had some tomatoes on their way out that I roasted with olive oil and garlic salt and I added those to the sauce. PHENOMENAL!! Thank you!!

I’ve made this a few times now and my husband and I LOVE it! We tried subbing the green chili’s for canned jalapenos to add more heat and it made the texture in the sauce come out grainy and weird – so I don’t recommend that! But we just topped it with some Cajun and/or cayenne pepper for more heat and it was AMAZING! Definitely recommend using the optional tortilla chips as well! Adds a great crunch flavor!

Genuinely best vegan mac n cheese I have made. So great! The chilli somehow makes it taste even cheesier?! I only soaked the cashews for half an hour and it still came out fine (but probs less creamy than it should be). Thank you for this!

This was the damn BOMB!!!!! The only thing I did to enhance the flavor was add jalapeño juice from a jar of pickled jalapeños and an extra dash of cumin, chili powder, and salt. I could eat this everyday!!!!
For my daughter who knows the difference between regular mac and vegan mac, I just added one slice of vegan american singles, one slice real cheddar, and a small piece of swiss to the prepared mac n cheese and it tasted perfect! Thanks for this awesome recipe.

This was SO GOOD. I was a bit traumatized by vegan mac n cheese after attempting a recipe from another popular vegan food blog that turned out so repulsive smelling/tasting that I couldn’t even stomach it, and I’m not a picky eater.

This, however, was fabulous. Wonderful flavor and texture. I did feel it could use a bit more seasoning, so I added some extra chili powder and cayenne to fit my taste. But overall BOMB! Will be making again.

This was lovely! I can’t believe how cream it was!!!

This was lovely! I can’t believe how cream it was!

This is my go-to Dairy Free Mac n Cheese. :) I LOVE it!

Some changes: If I soak my cashews in very hot water, prolonged heat time isn’t as necessary and it still creams up beautifully. I also bake this in the oven instead of heating on the stove – then the panko crumbs get crunchy and yummy and I feel it heats through better and still thickens. Usually about 15 – 20 minutes will do the trick. :)

Just made this and it’s aaaaamazing. Had to go dairy and soy free for nursing and I will make this even when I can eat dairy again!

This recipe is awesome! I have made this a few times now. Always delicious! I like to 1.5-2 times the diced chilies and sometimes add some mushrooms to the finished dish that have been sautéed with some garlic, salt and pepper.

I made this last night and loved it! I did make extra sauce and coated the cooked noodles in butter and then baked the whole thing with breadcrumbs on top for a few minutes…also used fresh jalapenos and cauliflower for some extra veggies :P My new-to-vegan food foodie boyfriend also really liked it. Typing this and having leftovers for lunch. Thanks for the yumm!

Brilliant recipe! My teenage daughter asked me to let you know that this mac and cheese has ‘made her vegan life’ ?

So creamy and delicious! I used garam masala instead of cumin because I didn’t have any and it tasted similar to a thick, creamy curry sauce. I used Aldi vegetable stock cubes instead of homemade vegetable stock because I ran out of time. The liquid was a little runny so I had to add a little more nooch and cornstarch to thicken it up. To make it a nice ‘yellow’ i added some generous sprinkles of tumeric. All in all a beautiful vegan mac and cheese recipe that I’ll keep referring to!!

This is really good! I was a little alarmed by the color of the sauce after blending it (grey-green), but it changed to a much nicer cheesy color after cooking it on the stove. I loved how creamy the sauce is, and it stays creamy- it doesn’t get all thick & hard if you let it sit for awhile. Will definitely make this again, even for non-vegans!

I made this tonight and it was amazing! Even my picky 4 year old ate her whole portion!

I just made it and the taste is great! I added some creole spices for taste and more chilies. Also you get so FULL by this recepie , i have never ate vegetarian food that left me this full before. I think after exercise this would be a great meal or if you’re doing a lunch box for hiking. Just a small warning that if you don’t have a proper mixer i DON’T recommend using a stave mixer like i did because the nuts will fly everywhere and wreak havoc upon your kitchen! At least it made me laugh and taught me a lesson :)

We have made a lot of vegan mac and cheese recipes with varying levels of success. This one was an out-of-the-park HOME RUN! We hadn’t even finished our bowls when my husband asked me to add more green chiles to the grocery list so that we could always have the stuff on hand for this recipe! Thank you for the amazing creation!

Just made this for dinner and it was great but I don’t think I added enough salt. The green chilies are sooooooo good! I have some leftovers so I will bring them to work tomorrow. Will definitely be making this again ❤️

This was incredibly delicious!! It was satisfying, creamy, soul-reaching goodness. My family is big on heat and Mexican flavors, so I added some red pepper flakes, and a can of drained/rinsed black beans. WOW. Was it good. Thanks so much for another splendid recipe, Dana!

I just made this exactly how the recipe is written and HOLY MOLY IT’S INCREDIBLE!!! After going vegan, one of the things I missed was creamy Mac and cheese and this tastes just like the real thing! The chiles add a nice flavor and it’s relatively easy to throw together. Will be making this again and again!

this is my first vegan “cheese” experience since limiting animal products and i am so happy with how it turned out!! i followed the recipe exactly,other than adding half a jalapeño to the blender (i like lots of spice), and it is so delicious. a good and easy !! recipe to introduce me and my family to dairy free “cheese”… thank you!

I just made this tonight for dinner and we loved it! Simple ingredients and very quick and easy to make. Thanks for another great recipe. Will be making it again and again. :)