Vegan Mac and Cheese Recipe
Creamy vegan mac and cheese made with a blended sauce of steamed potatoes, carrots, cashews and nutritional yeast. No dairy, no store-bought vegan cheese and no roux. It's easy to make, kid-approved and endlessly comforting.
Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 1 lb elbow macaroni cooked (or any pasta of choice)
- 2 medium yellow potatoes peeled and cubed (about 1 cup)
- 2 medium carrots peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces (about ½ cup)
- 1 small yellow onion quartered
- 2 large cloves of garlic roughly chopped
- 1 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk of your choice I used almond milk
- ¾ cup raw cashews soaked for 2-4 hours or overnight
- ⅓ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder optional
- ½ cup reserved pasta water
Instructions
- If you haven’t already soak your cashews for 2-4 hours. If you have a high powered blender like a Vitamix you can get away with soaking for only 30 minutes-1 hour.¾ cup raw cashews
- Fill a large pot with about 1 inch of water. Add potatoes, carrots and onion to a steamer basket or metal colander and steam for about 15 minutes or until soft.2 medium yellow potatoes, 2 medium carrots, 1 small yellow onion
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water before draining. Drain and transfer the pasta back to the pot.1 lb elbow macaroni
- Place all the vegan cheese ingredients in a blender (including the cooked potatoes, carrots and onions) and blend until smooth.2 large cloves of garlic, 1 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk of your choice, ⅓ cup nutritional yeast, 1 Tablespoon lemon juice, 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt , 1 teaspoon dry mustard powder, ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- Pour the vegan cheese over cooked pasta, adding up to 1/2 cup pasta water to loosen the sauce, as necessary. Stir to fully combine.½ cup reserved pasta water
- Season to taste and serve.
- Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. To reheat it, add a little bit of milk or water to thin out the sauce. When reheating, stir often to avoid burning.
Video
Notes
- Cashews: Soak raw cashews 2 to 4 hours, or overnight for the smoothest sauce. Short on time? Pour boiling water over them and soak 15 minutes. A high-powered blender lets you get away with a shorter soak.
- Gritty sauce fix: If the sauce isn't smooth, the cashews likely needed a longer soak or the sauce needed longer blending. Run the blender a full minute or two until glossy.
- Storage: Keep in an airtight container in the fridge up to 5 days. Reheat with a splash of milk or water to loosen the sauce, stirring often.
Nutrition
Serving: 1/8 of recipe | Calories: 205kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 320mg | Potassium: 120mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g