Last Updated on January 8, 2025
A Vegan Baked Mac and Cheese that is crispy, creamy, and full of flavor!
What is the vegan cheese made of? Cashews.
Surprisingly cashews are perfect for making a homemade vegan cheese.
Cashews are naturally creamy textured, mild flavored, and high in fat content.
This makes the cashew spreadable and easy to season for different cheese flavors.
There are so many different ways to make your own vegan cashew cheese today, this is my favorite method.
I have fallen in love with this vegan cheese and use it for anything that calls for a creamy, rich, and flavorful cheese.
A few tips on making your cashews much more creamy and not so gritty.
I soak my raw cashews in a bath of hot water for no less than 4 hours, soaking over night is even better.
After soaking, make sure to rinse well.
As for pulverizing the cashews, you do not need a high powered blender, I use a standard blender.
I start out at a slow speed and increase slowly to the highest speed, stay at the high speed for a minute or two, and slowly decrease.
If the cheese doesn’t seem creamy enough, continue blending until you get the right consistency you prefer.
Remember, just because you are vegan does not mean you have to give up those creamy traditional comfort foods that we all grew up enjoying!
Vegan Cheese Ingredients
- Raw Cashews – This is the main ingredient of the vegan cheese.
- Oil – I used olive oil for sauteing the vegetables and added to the vegan cheese.
- Minced Garlic – Minced or powdered garlic.
- Peppers – I like to use red, orange, or yellow sweet bell peppers in this vegan cheese.
- Onion – I like to use a sweet onion in this recipe. You can substitute with onion powder.
- Tomato Paste – The tomato paste adds flavor as well as color to the cheese.
- Mustard – I used a plain yellow mustard.
- Pasta Sauce – Use your favorite pasta sauce.
- Seasonings – Italian seasoning, turmeric, and salt.
- Vegetable Broth – Use your favorite vegetable broth. Don’t want all that sodium? Blend half water to half the vegetable broth.
- Cornstarch – The cornstarch helps to thicken the vegan cheese.
Pasta and topping
- Pasta – Pasta of your choice, I used a Gluten Free Penne.
- Panko Bread Crumbs – I used a gluten free Panko.
- Vegan Margarine– Use your favorite vegan margarine.
- Plant Based Milk – I used a plain unsweetened almond milk.
How to make a Vegan Baked Mac and Cheese
Vegan Cheese
Place the cashews into a medium size bowl with hot water and soak for no less than 4 hours or over night.
Clean and chop the sweet bell pepper and small onion.
In a medium skillet, on medium high heat, add oil, diced peppers, onion, and minced garlic, cook until soft and slightly browned. Set aside to cool.
Drain and rinse the cashews after soaking, set aside.
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Add the soaked cashews into the blender with oil, tomato paste, mustard, pasta sauce, and all the seasonings.
Once the sauteed vegetables have cooled, add to the blender.
Measure the vegetable broth in a large measuring cup and add the cornstarch.
Mix until there is no lumps.
Slowly add the vegetable broth mixture to the blender as you turn on the blender to a low speed.
Once all the broth is added to the blender, continue slowly increasing the speed to the highest setting.
Continue at the highest speed for about 1 to 2 minutes.
Now slowly decrease the blender speed.
Continue blending if the cheese isn’t smooth enough to your liking.
After the cheese is well blended and smooth, set aside.
Assemble the dish
Grease a 13 x 9 glass baking dish with a vegan margarine or oil, and set aside.
Cook the pasta of your choice to package instructions.
Drain the pasta and place into the 13 x 9 glass baking dish.
Pour the vegan cheese over the cooked pasta until completely covered.
After the cheese has been added, pour the almond milk over the dish.
Melt vegan margarine in a small skillet, on medium heat, once melted add the panko bread crumbs and saute until slightly browned.
Sprinkle the toasted panko bread crumbs over the pasta and cheese and place into the oven.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, the top should be slightly toasted when done.
Once the top is slightly browned, remove from the oven and let the mac and cheese rest for about 10 minutes.
Serve with your favorite veggies as a side dish or a main dish, ENJOY!
Vegan Baked Mac and Cheese
Equipment
- 1 Blender
Ingredients
Vegan Cheese
- 1 Cup Raw Cashews
- 1 Tbsp Oil This is to saute the vegetables. Use your favorite oil, I used olive oil.
- 1 tsp Minced Garlic
- 1/2 Sweet Bell Pepper Colors that work the best are the yellow, orange, or red.
- 1 Small Onion Or 1 tsp Onion Powder.
- 2 tsp Oil This is added to the blender for the vegan cheese.
- 1 Tbsp Tomato Paste
- 1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Yellow Mustard
- 1/8 tsp Turmeric
- 1/4 Cup Pasta Sauce of your choice.
- 1 1/2 Cup Vegetable Broth
- 1 Tbsp Cornstarch Add this to the broth and blend before adding to the blender.
Pasta and topping
- 1 Package Pasta of your choice I used a Gluten Free Penne.
- 1/2 Cup Panko Bread Crumbs I used a Gluten Free Panko
- 2 Tbsp Vegan Margarine
- 3/4 Cup Plant Based Milk I used a plain unsweetened almond milk.
Instructions
Making your Vegan Cashew Cheese
- Place the cashews into a medium size bowl with hot water and soak for no less than 4 hours or over night.
- Clean and chop the sweet bell pepper and small onion.
- In a medium skillet, on medium high heat, add oil, diced peppers, onion, and minced garlic, cook until soft and slightly browned. Set aside to cool.
- Drain and rinse the cashews after soaking, set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Add the soaked cashews into the blender with oil, tomato paste, mustard, pasta sauce, and all the seasonings.
- Once the sauteed vegetables have cooled, add to the blender.
- Measure the vegetable broth in a large measuring cup and add the cornstarch.
- Mix until there is no lumps.
- Slowly add the vegetable broth mixture to the blender as you turn on the blender to a low speed.
- Once all the broth is added to the blender, continue slowly increasing the speed to the highest setting.
- Continue at the highest speed for about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Now slowly decrease the blender speed.
- Continue blending if the cheese isn't smooth enough to your liking.
- After the cheese is well blended and smooth, set aside.
Assemble the dish
- Grease a 13 x 9 glass baking dish with a vegan margarine or oil, and set aside.
- Cook the pasta of your choice to package instructions.
- Drain the pasta and place into the 13 x 9 glass baking dish.
- Pour the vegan cheese over the cooked pasta until completely covered.
- After the cheese has been added, pour the almond milk over the dish.
- Melt vegan margarine in a small skillet, on medium heat, once melted add the panko bread crumbs and saute until slightly browned.
- Sprinkle the toasted panko bread crumbs over the pasta and cheese and place into the oven.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, the top should be slightly toasted when done.
- Once the top is slightly browned, remove from the oven and let the mac and cheese rest for about 10 minutes.
- Serve with your favorite veggies as a side dish or a main dish, ENJOY!
