Vegan Green Chili Mac ‘n’ Cheese

I am so happy to have found these recipes! Went out to the grocery store and health food store yesterday, and picked up a whole bunch of stuff to use in vegan dishes. I am in pretty bad shape, so I am trying to improve my health by changing up my diet over time (I have yet to meet an unhealthy vegan lol) I’ve never really cared much for meat, but letting go of dairy is more difficult. I never knew that cashews could be used to make sauces like this. Just about time for me to head into the kitchen and give this a try. And for tomorrow evening, I’ll be making the vegan lemon fettuccine alfredo.

Making this today for a vegan pot luck in a park & I am soooo excited! I love all of your recipes, haven’t had one turn out bad yet so I know this will be fantastic! Keep doing what you’re doing!!!! Thanks!

So sorry, I just found my answer in the list of ingredients – yes, I should drain it.

Thanks!

Any tips for freezing/refrigerating this? I’m cooking for one so don’t want to waste any!

This turned out way creamier / cheesier than I expected – I was concerned about the stock base and almost used almond milk. I’m happy that I followed the recipe as it was, though. Really delicious.

I followed others’ advice and added in some mustard powder and lemon juice. Also added in some turmeric for more color. AND the fake bacon bits (not healthy but vegan and so good).

I used this as the basis for my first attempt at vegan mac & cheese. I’m a die hard cheese fan, not vegan, about 80% vegetarian on a good week (transitioning). I soaked cashews overnight, whizzed them up in a mini blender with a little soy milk, made a white sauce with veg oil, white flour (seasoned with white pepper, garlic powder and salt) and soy milk, then added nutritional yeast and the ground cashews. I loved it, creamy, cheesy, stick to the bones goodness. I sprayed it with a little truffle oil and chilli oil. Sadly the rest of my family were less impressed, but I’m happy to have a dairy free alternative to one of my favourite meals.

White sauce tip from the late (& IMO great) Keith Floyd: hen making white sauce, there’s no need to fry the flour in oil then add the milk, you can add all three ingredients cold to a saucepan and bring to a simmer gently, stirring occasionally.

Adapted from my other favorite mac and cheese recipe, this dish is delicious! I’ve made it tons of times and it always turns out perfect (which I always know is going to happen with any of your recipes that I make). I’m having this for dinner again tonight, as a matter of fact, and I can’t wait…yum :)

Instead of veg broth, can I sub with unsweetened almond milk? I have no broth ?

I must have gone through a dozen mac and cheese recipes when I first went vegan, but as soon as I tried this one, I knew it was The One. My college roommate, who gamely tried all the rest too, agreed immediately- and she’s serious about her cheese. We must have made this recipe at least twice a month, and we always cleared out the entire pan in one sitting. I’ve made this dish for dozens of friends and family members, and I haven’t found anyone who doesn’t love it. I’ve tried out some vegan box mac and cheeses as they became available, since this does take a bit of planning with having to soak the cashews before-hand, but nothing has come close to this recipe’s texture and flavor! Hands-down one of my favorite recipes of all time, and always the one I go to when introducing someone to vegan food for the first time.

Does this warm up well? Asking because I am newly trying to go more plant-based with my diet and know that other cheesy dishes with real cheese, when homemade, tend to have a weird separation thing and are gross when warmed up.

Thanks :)

I made this last night for dinner and WOW, best vegan Mac and cheese hands down! So simple to make too! Some modifications: I added garlic powder, sea salt, red pepper flakes, extra chili powder, and extra nutritional yeast to taste. This will be a staple recipe in my home! I think next time I’ll add some sautéed leafy greens. :)

It’s not mac and cheese weather but I was craving it yesterday and I’ve not yet found a vegan mac and cheese recipe that I really loved. A google search later and I found this gem. This recipe is amazing!!!! It tastes so good that I’m going to make it again today. I love creative cooking and this doesn’t sound like it would work but it really does.

Ok I did something wrong with the cashews. The sauce was not creamy but liquid-y and chunky. I soaked the cashews for almost 24 hours! Is is because I refridgerated them when they were soaking?

Made this but was hoping it would be like Mac and cheese, not Mexican Mac and cheese. Still was great and I’m sure I’ll make it again. However, does anyone know of a recipe that’s cream and Cheese tasting. Please help!

I never knew this was possible to make this vegan! Thanks for blowing my mind!

It’s so creamy and easy to cook. Thanks!

Made this recipe tonight and was above impressed with the flavor! The green chiles and cilantro really set it apart from other vegan mac and cheese I have made in the past. Will absolutely be making this again. Thank you so much for all of your delicious recipes. This is one of four that I made today to stock up for the week. I may never look elsewhere for delicious plant-based recipes!

I only have roasted + light roasted cashews. Should I still soak em the night before?

Hi! Can i use a food processor for this? My blender isn’t the best for this kind of stuff. Cant wait to make it :)

Hello. I’m going to try and tackle this and another recipe of yours that calls for raw cashews. I have a large bag of roasted salted cashews. do you think i could soak the cashews to rinse off the salt & just use those?

OMGoodness!! I finally found a delicious vegan mac and cheese recipe..let me tell you, Pinterest is filled with horrible recipes! But this is amazing. My fiancé and I make this dish at least twice a week.. it makes you feel great, fills you up, and lets you feel like you are indulging in some real mac and cheese. When we are feeling naughty we add a little goat cheese to make it even creamier. All I have to say is thank you Dana, thank you! I cannot wait to try more of your recipes after being wowed by this one.
-Courtney

Hands down BEST Mac-n-cheese ever! This version is better than any Mac-n-cheese that’s not vegan!! It’s hard to believe that there isn’t any cheese in this delicious dish. I followed directions but added a dash of cayenne and garlic powder (plus the 3-4 cloves of fresh) to the recipe to give it a little extra kick. I baked the dish @ 500 for 15min just to brown the top. Added cilantro was lovely. It needed a little extra salt, but other than that, I wouldn’t change a thing. I will look forward to serving this dish to my non vegan friends just to see their reaction.

I’m confused. Step 5 says “add the cashew cheese” — but nowhere above do I see anything about cashew cheese. You mention to soak the cashews overnight, but nothing about cheese.

BTW: soak raw cashews for 5 mins in hot water alleviates the need for soaking them overnight.

This recipe is perfect. First of all, it doesn’t taste strongly of nutritional yeast; unlike most vegan cheese sauce recipes, you can serve this to non vegans and they’ll eat it up. Literally. It’s kid-friendly. My toddler and one year old are stuffing their faces as I write this. The flavor is subtle, but delightful. I’m in love.

I added a third tablespoon of nutritional yeast and I found that this batch of sauce was the perfect amount for a full pound of cavatappi pasta. Thanks so much for a truly wonderful recipe!

Can I omit cornstarch?

This was good! The only thing I would change next time is following the directions, haha, as I used more pasta than was called for (had a bigger box and wanted to use it up) so there wasn’t too much sauce to go around. But it was very good. My dad- who is not a vegan, and neither is anyone else in my family- said that was “great stuff” and that I should make it another time for the whole family.

Thanks for the yummy recipe! I tried it the other night and thought it was awesome! I just added some salt, because I thought it needed a little something, and that did the trick. I also felt like the cilantro and tortilla chips were essential to making it so good. This will definitely be made many times in my household. Thanks!

Oh my god. I was a little skeptical about this but thought I would give it a go and I’m so glad I did!

I made a few minor changes: I didn’t use the chillies as I didn’t have any spare and instead of the ground spices I just used the equivalent amount of a season all mix by schwartz.

Wow, I will definitely be making this again, it was so creamy and full of flavour, thanks for posting such a great recipe!

Hi. This sounds yummy. We used a very sharp cheddar when I was growing up to make baked Mac & cheese. I am curious about why all the vegan M&C recipes I find call for nutritional yeast. What role does it play in the characteristic of the end product?

I love cashews, but I seem to have inherited an unpleasant digestive issue if I consume many. I will just say that it’s a bit like the lactose intolerance symptoms and leave it at that. ;) I may try to make a roux as called for in the baked M&C of my youth, but use soy or almond milk and vegan cheese.

Now that I am working toward eliminating dairy products (and other animal products) from my diet due to the cruelty involved, cheese has been probably the hardest to drop. I find so many legumes that are great (and healthy) meat replacements. Baby Bella mushrooms can also give a very satisfying flavor when boilednto make broth. It get a richness similar to beef broth, and is slightly nutty. Meanwhile, you don’t have saturated fat that beef would. It would be a good base for French Onion soup, with vegan cheese on top if desired.

Little known in the United States…that 350 million Orthodox Christians around the World are vegan over 6 months a year for religious reasons (fasting). I look for recipes like this one for sharing with friends and family!
I also live on a small Colorado farm with Chickens and goats. My daughter has adopted 6 children (their own bio daughter’s are young adults now) and goat cheese and milk, fresh eggs help a great deal. These are happy animals who run free! They are in the barn at night or during freezing weather only. Mother goats can be milked when mother goats are weaning babies because they become gorged. It’s a relief to be milked.

I’ve made this many times and it is great. Just have a question, can this sauce be used for nachos also or would you change anything?

I just made this recipe and it turned out fabulous!!
I did add extra green chilis for a little extra kick.
My carnivorous children age 20 and 22 devoured this yummy dish ; )
Thank you

Hi,

Not sure if you’ll get time to read and reply (also not sure if it’s been asked… Mobile phone scouring of comments is a chore in and of itself) but I was wondering if the green chillis would make this too hot for my youngin’s (the littlest one seems to dislike anything with too much kick… He’s only 16months so I’ll give him time). Or is there a replacement I could make for there’s (like take out their portion and add some other veg)?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

GCN

Could you add potatoes in with the blended cashews?

was nervous to try this, as i had never attempted a vegan cheese sauce before, but it was soooo easy & good! added sambal oelek chili paste for a little kick <3

I finally had a chance to make this, turned out to be super easy! Even my vegan-critical-BF loved this dish. He kept asking if I was sure this was vegan.
I loved the spice, just the right amount. However, I started with half the recommended broth and that turned out to be enough for us. The creamier the better :)
I can’t wait to make this mac and ‘cheese’ again when my vegan sister visits.

Thanks for sharing!

Pasta isn’t vegan though

I made these again for visiting family and they loved EVERY SINGLE BITE!! It’s so delicious. My father in law (who isn’t vegan) said if I didn’t tell him this was vegan he wouldn’t have known. Gosh, you’re such a life-saver.

I’m looking for a variation of nutritional yeast, i’d really like to try this recipe with every exact ingredients, but i’ve look for nutritional yeast everywhere, and my little town doesn’t carry it (really sad about it). So i was wondering if I can just put something else that will taste a bit like cheese but isn’t, i really want to keep this mac & cheese vegan! xox

I absolutely adore this recipe, it’s been a genuine life saver for me. I gave up dairy for both ethical and health reasons at the beginning of this year (I was previously vegetarian) and I will admit I was a real cheese addict. Most cheese substitutes don’t work at all for me, they just don’t hold a candle to the flavour of actual cheese, but this one is wonderful (though I admit I double the amount of nutritional yeast and add a spoon of wholegrain mustard for a stronger taste!). I love it so much that I actually use this sauce for multiple recipes that previously would have included cheese, such as a version using only 1/2 cup of water on homemade pizza to replace the cheese. It’s amazing and I love you for it.

This was excellent and very creamy! I omitted the chilis and tortilla chips and added salt, lemon juice and mustard seed to the sauce. It was so tasty and very very close to real mac n cheese. I will be making this for my non-vegan family members this Thanksgiving.

I made this last night as my make/bake-new-vegan-nom-once-a-week tradition– it was sooooo good. Made so much I shared with a friend who lives in my building and he thought it was amazing and was surprised to learn it was vegan.
I had to sub a few things I didn’t have on hand:
Salted pasta water for veg broth
Smoked paprika and cayenne for chili powder
1 whole onion instead of half
So creamy. So perfect.

Hi there Dana! Can I ask what size Lodge skillet you always use? I’ve been wanting to get one and yours seems to fit all sorts of things perfectly! Thank you!

Hi, My daughter has many food allergies. I have been looking for a mac and cheese recipe that is dairy free. Unfortunately, she’s also allergic to tree nuts as well as many other things. I know this may be a ridiculous question, but do you know if I can substitute the cashews with?

Thank you!!!

Dana,

I need to cut out dairy and soy for breastfeeding my babe right now and this recipe was such a gem to find! My husband usually rolls his eyes when I make something “healthy” or vegan and he LOVED this. Excellent recipe.

Thanks!

I love this recipe!! Thank you so much, so tasty! For an extra boost I add in tofu frankfurters cut into small pieces.

This tastes so creamy and with extra peppers spicy. ! Best vegan recipes are on this blog. Thank you Dana!!

I was super skeptical about this recipe, but the picture looked delicious so I thought I would give it a try! I’m not vegan, but I do have an intolerance to dairy that I like to disregard, so I figured this would be a good recipe to cut down on dairy. This mac and cheese is awesome! It has tons of flavor and its super creamy! I omitted the green chilis because I’m terrible with spice, and used hot paprika instead to kick up the spice a bit and then just used more of the paprika, cumin, and chili powder and it came out perfect! Also, I didn’t use nutritional yeast because I couldn’t find it in the grocery store and it still tasted great! Awesome recipe!

I made this for dinner last night and it was great! The green chilis add a little bit of a kick which was delightful. I added a little but of dijon mustard, lemon and salt to compliment and enhance the already delicious sauce.
Whipped up some of your Pistachio and Almond ice cream post dinner – also fabulous.
Quite the cashew filled evening….