The Best Creamy Vegan Mac And Cheese

The ultimate vegan comfort food

What could be more comforting than a big bowl of creamy mac and cheese? For us, it’s the ultimate comfort food! The soft pasta with the cheesy sauce is a match made in heaven. This is the perfect dish to finish your day with. It’s easy to make and it’s sure to be loved by the whole family! We’ve added some delicious vegan bacon bits for some extra added protein. Our favourite brand to use is Vivera, however, any vegan bacon bits or even some little smokey crispy tofu pieces would work very well. We’ve also added chopped jalapenos for a spicy kick and some crispy onions for added texture. It’s a very simple dish, but so so delicious!

The creamiest mac and cheese sauce 

There are lots of different ways to make a vegan cheese sauce. You could use store-bought vegan cheddar and melt it into a roux, or you could make a cashew-based sauce. Blended nuts always give a sauce a lovely creamy texture. For this recipe, however, we’ve created a nut-free sauce that’s just as creamy, but using butternut squash instead. You start by making a simple roux using flour and vegan butter, whilst your butternut squash is roasting. You then blend the squash with the roux, some nutritional yeast, which is essential for that cheesy umami flavour, and some herbs and spices. It’s a very simple sauce, packed with flavour, and the perfect partner to some macaroni pasta.

This mac and cheese recipe is:

• dairy-free, nut-free and vegan
• creamy and delicious
• quick and easy
• perfect for a weeknight dinner
• super comforting

If you like the sound of this recipe, why not try some of our other recipes:

• Spaghetti aglio e olio
• Roasted butternut squash, sage and vegan bacon bit risotto
• Super green kale and walnut pesto

Print Recipe

Creamy Vegan Mac & Cheese

A creamy vegan nut-free mac and cheese recipe, made using butternut squash and topped with jalapeños, vegan bacon bits and crispy onions.

Prep Time: 5 minutes mins

Cook Time: 45 minutes mins

Total Time: 50 minutes mins

Servings: 4

Calories: 525kcal

Ingredients

Cheese Sauce

• 1/2 small butternut squash cubed
• 2 tsp rapeseed oil
• 2 pinches salt
• 1 pinch pepper
• 250 ml oat milk
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 1 + 1/2 tbsp dairy-free butter
• 6 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp cider vinegar
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp garlic granules
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 250 g macaroni

Toppings

• 1 pack vegan bacon bits vivera
• 4 tbsp jalapenos chopped
• crispy onions

Method

• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
• Place the chopped butternut squash on a baking tray and drizzle over the oil, salt and pepper, then place in the oven to roast for 30-40 mins.
• Add the oat milk, plain flour and dairy-free butter to a medium-sized saucepan, turn on the heat and continue to stir until the butter has melted and the flour has combined. The sauce will start to thicken.
• Once the butternut squash is soft, remove it from the oven and add it to a blender. Pour in the roux you just made, the nutritional yeast, cider vinegar, turmeric, garlic granules, onion powder, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth.
• Cook the macaroni in a pan of hot water according to the packet instructions. Whilst your pasta is cooking, fry the vegan bacon bits. Heat some oil in a frying pan, then add in the bacon bits and cook for 6 minutes.
• Drain the macaroni, then return to the saucepan. Add in the creamy butternut sauce and two-thirds of the bacon bits. Stir together so that all the macaroni is covered by the sauce. Top the pasta with the remaining vegan bacon bits, the chopped jalapenos and the cripsy onions.

Notes

Nutritional info:

• 26.6g protein
• 88.5g carbs
• 8.2g fat

*calories and nutritonal information are estimated per serving