Crispy Baked Vegan Mac and Cheese
This Crispy Baked Vegan Mac and Cheese features a creamy cashew-based sauce and a golden, crunchy topping. It’s baked to bubbling perfection and offers a warm, comforting plant-based twist on the classic.
Ingredients
Pasta
- 8 ounce elbow macaroni
Sauce
- 0.5 cup raw cashews soaked 20 minutes and drained
- 0.25 cup nutritional yeast
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 0.5 tsp onion powder
- 2 cups unsweetened non-dairy milk
- 0.5 cup water
- 1 Tbsp white miso paste
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 0.25 tsp turmeric
- cayenne pepper pinch
Topping
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 Tbsp vegan butter melted
- 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- salt pinch
Instructions
Pasta
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (191°C) and grease a 9×9-inch baking dish. In a large pot, bring 4 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt to a boil.
- Add 8 ounces elbow macaroni and cook until just al dente, about 8 minutes. Reserve ½ cup pasta water, then drain.
Sauce
- While the pasta cooks, blend soaked and drained cashews with nutritional yeast, cornstarch, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, non-dairy milk, water, miso paste, lemon juice, turmeric, and a pinch of cayenne until silky smooth.
- Pour the sauce into the pot and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until it thickens and becomes gooey, about 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in the drained pasta until every piece is coated in the creamy sauce.
Assembly
- Transfer the mac and cheese to the prepared baking dish.
- In a bowl, toss panko breadcrumbs with melted vegan butter, nutritional yeast, and a pinch of salt. Sprinkle evenly over the pasta.
- Bake for 20–25 minutes, until edges are golden and the topping is crispy. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
During testing, soaking the cashews for at least 20 minutes produced the smoothest sauce. Shorter soaks left a slight grit.
I found that stirring the pasta into the sauce off the heat helps each noodle cling to flavor without the sauce splitting.
Leftovers reheated in a 350°F oven uncovered for 10 minutes regained their crispy topping and maintained creamy texture. Store in the fridge up to 4 days.