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No holiday is complete without a side of vegan mac. Am I right, or am I right? Well if you’ve been here for a while, you know that my original mac and cheese recipe has always been my go-to, but with the holidays coming up I wanted to do something different.
This elevated 4 Cheese Vegan Baked Mac and Cheese is my best recipe yet! It’s even #PickyAssHusbandApproved!
Vegan Mac And Cheese Ingredients:
- Elbow Macaroni Noodles
- Vegan Butter
- All Purpose Flour
- Unsweetened Almond Milk
- Vegan Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- Vegan Shredded Colby Jack Cheese
- Vegan Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
- Vegan Plain Cream Cheese
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
- Paprika
- Vegan Worcestershire Sauce
Okay, now I know you’ve probably already started to add up the cost of the recipe ingredients. We all know that vegan cheese is sometimes a little pricey, but I promise it’s worth it! This dish is creamy, super cheesy and overall just plain damn delicious!
How to Make Vegan Mac and Cheese:
Making this 4 Cheese Vegan Baked Mac and Cheese recipe is really simple. You’ll start by preheating your oven so that it’s ready to go when needed. Next, you’ll cook the macaroni according to the package instructions.
You want to make sure that your noodles are al dente and not overcooked. The pasta will continue to cook a bit when being baked and there’s nothing worse than mushy mac and cheese.
Once the pasta is finished cooking, drain the the water from the pot (don’t rinse) and transfer the pasta to an appropriately sized baking dish. Stir in two tablespoons of vegan butter and set it aside.
Up next, we’re ready to make the vegan cheese sauce. In a medium sized pot, melt two tablespoons of vegan butter and whisk in the flour until you’ve created a smooth paste.
Add in the unsweetened almond milk (or sub another unsweetened plant milk) and continue to whisk it into the vegan butter and flour mixture until it’s combined. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a medium temperature.
Now that the base has been created, you’re ready to add in all shredded cheeses, plain cream cheese, seasonings and vegan Worcestershire sauce. Why vegan Worcestershire sauce?
It typically includes anchovies or fish sauce, so it’s important to find a version that doesn’t have these as ingredients. Luckily, they aren’t hard to find. I’m currently using this one I found at Whole Foods.
Continue whisking all of the ingredients together until the mixture is smooth. Next, combine the cheese mixture with your pasta and place it in an appropriately sized baking dish and transfer it to the oven to bake.
I’ve found that most vegan cheeses don’t brown like dairy, so if this is your first time making baked vegan mac and cheese, don’t look for it to brown overtop to indicate that it’s done.
Thirty minutes should do just fine. Once it’s finished, allow the 4 Cheese Vegan Baked Mac and Cheese to cool for 15-20 minutes before digging in. Enjoy!
Vegan Mac and Cheese Recipe Tips
- Don’t over cook your noodles. It’s important that for the best vegan mac and cheese, you make sure to keep your noodles al dente. They should be slightly firm once finished cooking. Keep in mind that the noodles will continue to cook after being boiled during the baking process.
- Use classic elbow noodles. Nothing says mac and cheese quite like the elbow noodle shape. Be sure to use these to get that same feeling you used to before going vegan.
- Use the best vegan cheese you can find! This recipe may require you to do some prep on the front end to make sure the vegan cheeses you’re using are ones you actually like. This is different for everyone because vegan cheese is most certainly a hot topic amongst the vegan community. Some of my favorite vegan cheese brands include Follow Your Heart, Daiya and Whole Food’s 365 brand.
- Use an unsweetened plant milk variety. Sweetened milk alternatives won’t work well for this recipe. It’s important to use a plant milk such as soy, oat or almond that is unsweetened.
- Don’t skip the seasonings. The seasonings are really important in this recipe and well help add to the overall flavor! Don’t forget to use them!
What’s the Best Vegan Cheese to Use for 4 Cheese Vegan Baked Mac and Cheese?
Honestly, the best vegan cheese to use is whatever vegan cheese you enjoy most. Mac and cheese is a comfort dish, so choose a vegan cheese that reminds you most of what you may have eaten growing up.
Have you not tried a lot of the vegan cheese brands? That’s fine too. My personal favorites are Violife, Whole Food’s 365 store brand and Daiya. These are the ones I purchase the most. I’m sure there are other great ones too. For this recipe, I used all selections of Violife.
I’ll admit, I’ve never been the biggest fan of cream cheese, so it’s hard for me to say what brand is “the best,” but if I had to choose one I’d go with Kite Hill. No matter what I’m making, their cream cheese has yet to let me down. It bakes just as well as dairy.
Vegan Mac and Cheese FAQ
What to Pair With 4 Cheese Vegan Baked Mac and Cheese?
I’ve got so many recipes that would go perfectly with this dish! Make it a meal by choosing a few of these to go with your new favorite vegan mac and cheese!
- Spicy Chicken Fried Jackfruit
- Easy Vegan BBQ Ribs
- Easy Vegan Fried Cabbage
- Slow Cooker Collard Greens
- Easy Vegan Collard Greens
- Easy Vegan Cheddar Bay Biscuits
- Spicy Chicken Fried Tofu
- Crispy Baked Breaded Tofu
- Southern Black Eyed Peas
- Easy Vegan Cornbread
How to make an easy cauliflower cheese?
I haven’t tried making a version that includes cauliflower (yet), but if you’d like you could try roasting some cauliflower florets separately, then adding it to the mac and cheese while it’s baking so that you can enjoy cauliflower in every bite!
How long do you cook vegan mac and cheese for?
I’ve found the perfect amount of time to bake your vegan mac and cheese in the oven is for 30 minutes. This gives the sauce just enough time to thicken and hug the noodles in addition to getting the top nicely browned.
More Mac and Cheese Recipes You’ll Love:
- Baked Vegan Mac and Cheese
- Air Fried Mac and Cheese Bites
I know you’ll love this 4 Cheese Baked Vegan Mac and Cheese recipe! It’s creamy, delicious and the perfect side dish for any meal. Give this recipe a try and let me know how it goes in the comments below!
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Vegan Mac and Cheese Recipe [+VIDEO]
An elevated version of your classic southern baked mac and cheese made with 4 cheeses to create the perfect, creamy, cheesy side dish.
Course Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword Mac And Cheese, Pasta
Prep Time 25 minutes minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes minutes
Total Time 55 minutes minutes
Servings 6
Ingredients
- 1½ cups elbow macaroni noodles
- 4 tbsp vegan butter separated
- 4 tbsp all purpose flour
- 1½ cups unsweetened almond milk
- 1 cup vegan shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup vegan shredded colby jack cheese
- ½ cup vegan shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup vegan plain cream cheese
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°
Cook the macaroni noodles according to the package instructions.
Once done cooking, drain the water from the pot (do not rinse) and transfer the pasta to a baking dish. Stir in 2 tbsp of vegan butter. Set aside.
In a medium sized pot, melt 2 tbsp vegan butter over low-medium heat.
Slowly whisk the flour into the vegan butter until you've created a smooth paste, then add in the unsweetened almond milk and whisk to combine.
Bring to a boil then reduce heat. Stir in all vegan shredded cheeses, vegan cream cheese, all seasonings and vegan Worcestershire sauce.
Once the mixture is thick and creamy, combine it with the pasta and place in an appropriately sized baking dish.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Once finished baking, let cool for 10-15 minutes. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
I used Violife shredded cheese and for the cream cheese I used Kite Hill, but you can use whatever brands you enjoy most.
