Vegan Mac and Cheese

Vegan Mac and Cheese, made with cashews, sweet potatoes and spices has a wonderful rich and creamy cheese flavor and texture. My Vegan Mac and Cheese Recipe comes together quickly as all ingredients, except the noodles, are processed in a blender, making this an Easy Vegan Mac and Cheese!

I love this recipe! It obviously all hinges on the Vegan Cheese Sauce. After trying several different recipes for this and concluding that most of them make the error of adding an insanely large amount of nutritional yeast, I chose to add less. You know what happens when you add a lot of nutritional yeast? Your Vegan Mac and Cheese ends up tasting like yeast. Not something we wanted for you. Nutritional yeast is wonderful, and I’m definitely a fan of it; it’s healthy and has a slightly cheesy flavor, if used in moderation. Beyond that, it’s about the spices and the potatoes. The spices are carefully chosen to enhance the cheese flavor and the sweet potatoes and cashews provide the cheese texture; creamy, smooth, silky, coating each noodle perfectly. For the color? Turmeric and sweet potatoes did a nice job!

Now let’s make some Easy Vegan Mac and Cheese!

Vegan Mac and Cheese Recipe

• Macaroni noodles
• Cashews
• Sweet potato
• Yukon Gold potato
• Dijon mustard
• Vegan butter
• Garlic
• Smoked paprika
• Nutritional yeast
• Chili powder
• Turmeric
• Onion powder
• Water
• Salt

How to Make Vegan Macaroni and Cheese

1. Boil potatoes. In a medium-sized pot, boil both sweet and Yukon gold potatoes until fork tender, roughly 5 minutes.
2. Make noodles. Boil noodles in a large pot of water according to package instructions.
3. Blend ingredients. Add cooked potatoes and remaining ingredients (except noodles) to a blender; blend on high until smooth.
4. Combine noodles and cheese. In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly mix noodles with cheese.
5. Serve. Serve garnished with pepper flakes and parsley.

You’re thinking to yourself “that all sounds great but what business does yeast have being included in my mac n cheese”? Let’s talk a bit about that, starting with…

What is Nutritional Yeast?

Nutritional yeast comes from the same type of yeast commonly used to make both bread and beer. However, nutritional yeast is made specifically to be used for the purpose of adding to foods and diets. Nutritional yeast is created from growing a certain type of cell by feeding it a sugar rich diet of molasses. The yeast cells die before they are finally packaged and distributed. Nutritional yeast is sold in both powder and flake versions. Many Vegans add it to their dishes, especially those created with cheese flavors in mind. Nutritional yeast is also packed with vitamins, thereby making it a great supplement for Vegan diets.

Do I have to Use Nutritional Yeast in This Recipe?

The answer is no. If you’ll notice, we only used 1/4 teaspoon of it in this recipe. The remaining ingredients still lend a nice cheesy flavor to the recipe, this is only one of the ingredients doing that same work. I do think adding a little nutritional yeast helps carve out the flavor well though. Again, this recipe is easy so give it a shot on the first go round. If you don’t like it, don’t add it again.

How Long Does it Keep?

It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an airtight container. You can also freeze it; this recipe is so easy to make though I can’t see why you would need to.

Can Vegan Mac and Cheese be Made Gluten-free?

Yes! There are many great gluten-free noodles now on the market! Banza makes a great noodle using garbanzo beans; I’ve tried it and enjoyed it. Otherwise, just walk the aisles of your grocery store and you should find something suitable.

Is Vegan Mac and Cheese Healthy?

Compared to the dairy version? Definitely healthier! While I can’t speak for the macaroni noodles, we’ve got some other ingredients that will make the health conscious happy to grab a spoon. Let’s take a look at a couple ingredients in this Vegan Macaroni and Cheese Recipe and their health attributes.

• Sweet potatoes are a rich source of beta-carotene which is converted by our bodies into vitamin A, a critical component for healthy immune function. (1)
• Nuts, cashews included, are a rich source of antioxidants which support our bodies in fighting off disease. (2)
• Nutritional yeast….

That wraps up another great recipe! Thank you for joining us but, before you go, here are a few more recipes you’ll want to add to your rotation!

Vegan Comfort Food Recipes

• Vegan Chili
• Lentil Burgers
• Vegan Macaroni Salad
• Vegan Pizza
• Lentil Tacos
• Vegan Nacho Cheese
• Vegan Potato Salad
• Chickpea Salad Sandwich
• 4 Ingredient Potato Soup
• Beans In Tomato Sauce
• Garlic Wedge Fries
• Pozole Verde
• Shipwreck Stew