As an avid cheese lover, there is nothing I love more on this planet than macaroni and cheese. I love pasta and I love cheese – meaning the idea of pasta slathered in a rich cheese sauce is enough to drive me mad with hunger pangs. Before going vegan, macaroni and cheese was one of my absolute favorite dishes and I wasn't ready to give it up after making my lifestyle change. I needed to find a way to make a vegan version that was just as good as the original, but finding a good recipe was a lot easier said than done.
For over two years I tried every combination of ingredients I could find to obtain that "perfect" vegan cheese sauce: potatoes with carrots and onions, tomato paste and nutritional yeast, miso paste and soy sauce, and even truffle oil with soaked cashews. Each recipe I found promised a rich, delicious sauce with a strong "cheese" flavor, but none of the combinations I tried gave me any sort of satisfaction in the cheese department. Don't get me wrong; they were rich and had a "cheesey" sort of flavor to them, but they didn't taste like macaroni and cheese. I couldn't even fool my family; according to my mother, most of the recipes I had tried ended up tasting like macaroni salad. This was not a good sign.
After being frequently disappointed by the recipes I was trying, I decided to take a new approach and come up with my own cheese sauce recipe instead. To begin, I reflected back on all the recipes I had previously tried and pinpointed all the issues I had with each recipe: not enough flavor, too gritty, not creamy enough, and most importantly, not cheesy enough. I didn't know how to go about creating a recipe from scratch until I looked back through my old recipes and found my favorite non-vegan macaroni and cheese recipe, which I decided to try to veganize. The result?
Lots of cheese, lots of pasta, and lots of delicious mac and cheese goodness. Oh, yes.
The original recipe consisted of a basic roux, to which copious amounts of cheddar cheese were added, then topped with panko bread crumbs and baked until crispy. For years my mother had been making macaroni and cheese with the same approach, leaving me to realize this was probably the best route to take. To veganize it, I subbed out the cheddar cheese with a combination of vegan cheeses: first using a combination of Follow Your Heart's vegan cheddar cheese shreds and Field Roast's chao vegan cheese slices, then later subbing out the Field Roast cheese with Follow Your Heart's American style slices as they have the same flavor as the Chao slices but are soy free and significantly cheaper. In addition, I subbed out the dairy milk with plain unsweetened almond milk to provide a creamy texture with a very mild flavor.
To keep the recipe gluten free, I subbed out normal wheat macaroni noodles with gluten free macaroni. There are a few different types on the market right now, but my favorite brand to use is Bionaturae as it has the most authentic texture and flavor to regular wheat macaroni. For the breadcrumb topping, I used Ian's Gluten Free Panko Breadcrumbs (both the plain and Italian style flavors) and they worked flawlessly. Using these brands, my family could hardly tell the recipe was vegan, let alone gluten free. Success!
This recipe is everything macaroni and cheese should be: creamy, flavorful, comforting, and most importantly, cheesy. It's amazing straight from the pan or baked with breadcrumbs; you choose!
It's also incredibly versatile. While I prefer to keep the flavor fairly mild with the combination of cheddar and American style vegan cheeses, you can use any flavor you'd like (including pepper jack, Swiss, or Gouda)! You can also include any additions your heart desires, like green peas, vegan ham, or caramelized onions.
Below I've provided the recipe with the brands of products I used when I made this dish. While you don't need to use the exact same products I did, I'd strongly recommend them. The dish won't taste the same if other brands of cheeses or pastas are used, so be aware!
Ready to get macaroni and cheese wasted?
Copycat Vegan Macaroni and Cheese
(serves 6)
- 8 ounces gluten free pasta
- 4 tablespoons vegan butter, such as Earth Balance
- 4 tablespoons gluten free flour, such as Brown Rice flour
- 2 cups of unsweetened, unflavored non-dairy milk
- ½ teaspoon yellow mustard (mustard powder works fine as well)
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder*
- ½ teaspoon salt*
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ cup of nutritional yeast
- 1 bag of Follow Your Heart Cheese Shreds
(or other vegan cheddar cheese)
(or other vegan cheddar cheese)
- 1-2 slices of Follow Your Heart Cheese Slices
(optional, but recommended)
(optional, but recommended)
- 1-2 dashes of ground black pepper
- 1-2 dashes of paprika
- Gluten free breadcrumbs (optional)
Instructions:
1. Prepare the pasta according to the box instructions. If baking the macaroni and cheese, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place a small saucepan over medium-low heat on a stove top. Add the vegan butter and stir until melted. Little by little, add the flour and stir until the mixture thickens. It should look something like this:
3. Add the milk little by little to the mixture, stirring between each addition. It is important to fully incorporate the butter and flour mixture with the milk until completely blended.
4. Bring the heat down to low. Add the mustard, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and nutritional yeast. Stir until combined.
5. Add all the vegan cheese. I add the two slices of vegan cheese for both flavor as well as for extra creaminess, so I wouldn't recommend skipping out on it. Before adding to the pan, I shred the cheese into small pieces to allow it to melt faster.
6. Stir rapidly until all the cheese is melted. From experience, it will take about four to five minutes for it to be fully melted and incorporated.
7. Add the paprika and pepper to taste. Combine the pasta and cheese sauce and stir until fully incorporated.
8. If baking, spray an 8" by 8" baking dish with non-stick spray. Add the macaroni and cheese and top with breadcrumbs. I found that I only needed about half a cup to cover most of the top, but depending on the size of the baking dish used, it will vary.
9. Bake for 10-15 until the breadcrumbs have browned. If they have not browned after 15 minutes, use your oven's broiler to crisp the top.
10. Remove from oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes. Dig in and enjoy!
*To achieve a cheese-like flavor for this sauce, I found that using onion and garlic powder helped immensely. While I've suggested using only ¼ teaspoon of onion powder, I personally add ½ teaspoon. I also add more salt than I've suggested, so when preparing the recipe, begin with the measurements I've suggested and add more to taste.
Thanks for stopping by!
- The Friendly Foodie ♥
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