This cheesy vegan pasta bake is a classic in the UK for a reason! Nothing beats that creamy, gooey texture and comforting flavour. The quick vegan cheese sauce contains no nuts and is instead made with soy milk, grated potatoes and vegan butter for a smooth, velvety quality.
Other vegan pasta recipes:
Vegan Macaroni Cheese
Ingredients
- 500 ml (2 cups) unsweetened soy milk or your fave unsweetened plant-based milk
- 100 ml (½ cup) water
- 100 g (7 tbsp) vegan butter, vegetable shortening (e.g. TREX), refined coconut oil or olive oil
- 300 g (11 oz) (2 medium) potatoes peeled and coarsley grated
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast (see section below recipe card if you don't have any)
- 1 tsp garlic granules
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp American mustard or your favourite mustard
- 4 tsp malt vinegar or any neutral vinegar
- 1 tbsp marmite or dark soy sauce or miso paste (not a heaped tbsp!)
- salt and black pepper
- 350 g (¾ lb) dry pasta e.g. macaroni, spirali, shells, penne
- 3 tbsp dry breadcrumbs
Instructions
- In a medium pot set over a medium heat, warm the soy milk, water and vegan butter/shortening/refined coconut oil/olive oil until the fat has melted.500 ml unsweetened soy milk, 100 ml water, 100 g vegan butter, vegetable shortening (e.g. TREX), refined coconut oil or olive oil
- Add the grated potatoes, nutritional yeast, garlic granules, smoked paprika and mustard to the pot and stir. Bring up to a boil then turn down the heat to let it simmer for 10-15 minutes until the potato is completely soft.300 g (2 medium) potatoes, 3 tbsp nutritional yeast, 1 tsp garlic granules, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, 2 tsp American mustard
- Meanwhile bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Once boiling, pour in your dry pasta and cook according to the timings on the packet. Drain the pasta and pour into a large baking dish.350 g dry pasta
- Preheat the oven to 240°C (465°F) fan.
- Remove the potato mixture from the heat and add the vinegar and marmite/soy sauce/miso paste. Blend until smooth using a stick/immersion blender (or a jug blender) then taste and season with salt and black pepper. We suggest being quite generous with the salt here, start with 1/4 to 1/2 tsp and go from there.4 tsp malt vinegar, 1 tbsp marmite or dark soy sauce or miso paste, salt and black pepper
- Pour the warm sauce over the drained pasta in the baking dish and stir to combine. Sprinkle with the breadcrumbs – I like to add some a drizzle of oil on top too but this is optional.3 tbsp dry breadcrumbs
- Bake for 10-15 minutes until the topping is golden and the sauce is bubbling. Remove from the oven, allow to cool for 5 minutes, then serve.
Notes
- Unsweetened soy milk (500 ml): £0.25
- Vegan butter (Flora Plant block) (100 g): £0.50
- Potatoes (300 g): £0.20
- Nutritional yeast (20 g): £0.60
- Garlic granules (5 g): £0.04
- Smoked paprika (2 g): £0.04
- American-style mustard (10 g): £0.04
- Malt vinegar (20 g): £0.01
- Yeast-Extract (i.e. unbranded Marmite) (10g): £0.09
- Dry pasta (350g): £0.53
- Dry breadcrumbs (20g): £0.12
Nutrition
Ingredients for Vegan Macaroni Cheese:
How to make Vegan Macaroni Cheese – step-by-step with images:
1. Combine vegan butter, soy milk, grated potato, nutritional yeast, spices and mustard. Simmer until potato is softened.
2. Add vinegar, marmite, salt and pepper.
3. Blend until smooth and glossy.
4. Your sauce is done!
5. Boil the pasta in salted water until cooked (check packet cooking times)
6. Drain the pasta, add to a large baking dish and pour on the sauce.
4. Mix the sauce to coat the pasta
5. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs.
6. Bake until golden at 240C for 10-15 minutes.
How to make the best vegan cheese sauce
Making the best vegan cheese sauce is all about emulating the flavours of dairy cheese. So we’re looking at a few major flavour/texture aspects: saltiness, tang, umami, funky fermented flavours, creaminess, gooey texture.
For the saltiness, make sure you salt the sauce generously. It’ll taste less salty once the pasta is mixed in! Salt is so so important when trying to emphasise cheesy flavours.
For the acidity, usually in cheese this is from lactic acid produced when the lactose sugars in the milk are fermented. It can be a bit difficult to get lactic acid (you can buy it as an ingredient to add but that’s not super accessible) so we just go for vinegar. I love using malt vinegar here as it has a creaminess to it that I think works super well. But a neutral vinegar (Apple cider/ white wine) or even lemon juice are great. If you have some lacto-fermented veggies (e.g. sauerkraut) in your fridge, you can even use the liquid from those instead.
The umami notes come mainly from the nutritional yeast and marmite/soy sauce/miso in this recipe which give it a savoury, moreish flavour. If you really want to go the extra mile, add a dash or two of MSG as well 😉
Funky fermented flavours are difficult to just whip out of thin air so we use vegan butter in the sauce as it has buttery dairy-adjacent flavours going on. We also add garlic powder/smoked paprika and mustard for an extra flavour boost.
Creaminess comes from having a good amount of fat in the recipe. Lots of recipes use cashews or other nuts. We keep it simple by using soy milk and vegan butter (or shortening/refined coconut oil/olive oil). The starch in the potatoes also bring a certain creaminess of their own to the party.
The gooey texture is acheived by blending the cooked potatoes into the sauce, releasing the potato starch which has a stretchy, gooey quality to it that’s quite unique!
FAQs:
Can I make this with sweet potato instead of white potato?
Technically yes, you could do it. However you wouldn’t get the same gooey texture. The white potato is really key to getting the right texture for the cheese sauce. However, if you did use sweet potato it would still be delicious, just a completely different dish!
Can I make this without nutritional yeast?
Of course – you can leave it out fully or use a few things instead of nutritional yeast:
- a crumbled veggie stock cube
- MSG – 1/2 tsp
- White (shiro) miso – 1 tbsp
- Dried mushroom powder – 1 tbsp
Can I make this gluten-free?
Yes! The recipe contains a few gluten-containing ingredients you’ll need to substitute:
- Marmite/miso/soy sauce: use tamari, gluten-free soy sauce or gluten-free miso
- Malt vinegar: use a neutral vinegar like apple cider vinegar, rice vinegar, white wine vinegar or lemon juice
- Pasta: use your favourite dry gluten-free pasta
- Breadcrumbs: use gluten-free breadcrumbs or crumble up some gluten-free cornflakes to sprinkle on
How long will it keep?
I generally like to store leftovers in the fridge for a maximum of 3 days after making a dish. Make sure you let the macaroni cheese cool fully before covering and refrigerating.
Can I freeze it?
Certainly – let the pasta and sauce cool completely then mix together and pour into a freezer-friendly resealable food bag (or lidded tupperware). Date & label the container then freeze for up to 3 months. When you want to eat it, remove from the fridge and let it thaw overnight in the fridge. Pour into a baking dish, top with breadcrumbs and bake at 200C for 15-20 minutes until golden and bubbling.
If you’d rather be able to bake it straight from frozen without defrosting, mix the cooled sauce & pasta in a baking dish, cover with breadcrumbs and wrap in clingfilm followed by foil. Label & date it then freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, remove the clingfilm & foil, top with breadcrumbs and bake at 180C for 30-40 minutes until golden & bubbling.
Can I make this in advance?
Yeah baby! I prefer to do this by cooking the pasta and making the sauce then storing them in separate containers in the fridge (for up to 3 days). I do this because if you leave the pasta mixed with the sauce, the pasta gets a bit mushy and the sauce gets kinda dry which isn’t the nicest combo! When you’re ready, just mix them in a baking tray, add the breadcrumbs and bake at 200C until golden and bubbling. It may take a little longer for it to bake as the pasta/sauce are cold so just keep that in mind.
What can I serve with vegan macaroni cheese?
One of my favourite hacks with mac & cheese is to cook broccoli/ cauliflower florets in the pot along with the pasta. Drain, and stir the pasta and veggies into the cheese sauce and BAM – you’ve got yourself a main with veg all in one. If you’re not into this, just steam some broccoli, cauliflower or even cabbage to serve alongside. Another fave of mine is frozen peas – they take so little time to cook and are a great source of plant-based protein (to prep, microwave them or just pour into a bowl and cover with boiled water fresh from the kettle then drain!).
Do I have to bake this macaroni cheese?
Honestly, no! If you’re looking to cut down on the cooking time for this dish you can simply do a ‘stovetop’ version. Make the sauce as usual, cook & drain the pasta then stir them together (make sure the sauce & pasta are both warm) and serve! If you want to be a bit fancy, heat up a tablespoon or two of olive oil with 1 crushed garlic clove in a small pan, add the breadcrumbs, and stir together, toasting them until golden. Remove from the heat and sprinkle those crunchy golden bois over your bowls of mac & cheese then serve!!
Can I bake it in an airfryer?
Yep!! You’ll just need to divide the mac & cheese mixture between a few dishes which are small enough to fit into your airfryer. Our air fryer will hold a dish that serves 2 people so I’d need to either halve the recipe or fill two of the dishes. I’d suggest airfrying at a lower temp of 200C for 8-10 minutes, until golden and bubbling.