One of the fun things about vegan “mac and cheese” is that because it’s already such a departure from the original dish, you can put lots of different spins on it with different base ingredients in the sauce. Today I have a dairy-free cauliflower mac and cheese with a base of creamy pureed cauliflower and cashew. The cauliflower makes this somehow both rich and light at the same time; and the recipe is pretty easy to make!
Note: when I was typing up this recipe I searched for ‘cauliflower mac and cheese’ and learned for the first time that people are making grain-free mac and cheese with pieces of cauliflower instead of pasta. I’ve seen cauliflower used for all kinds of interesting things but that one seems like maybe a stretch? So, I apologize if that’s what you were looking for. This is a vegan cauliflower mac and cheese with actual pasta and a sauce made from cauliflower puree. If you want to take the dairy-free cauliflower sauce and use it as a topping for even more cauliflower, well, I won’t stop you… 🙁
This plant-based mac comes via the America’s Test Kitchen Vegan for Everybody cookbook. I got a copy for Christmas and there are a lot of solid recipes in it. Clearly a lot of research and testing went into the book, and I think the result is a really great collection of recipes! I made the quiche recipe for a non-vegan crowd and it was very well-received, living up to the cookbook’s name. (See my adaptation of that vegan quiche here!)
I thought the vegan cauliflower mac and cheese recipe in the book was really thoughtfully-constructed too, but even given this, I couldn’t resist messing around with the recipe a little bit. I made a few changes, namely:
- Reduced the fat content (I scaled down both the oil and the cashews).
- Reduced the quantity of nutritional yeast.
- Added miso (it’s my number one ingredient for creating cheezy flavor).
- Tweaked other flavors here and there.
I’m happy I could make things just a liiiitle more nutritionally balanced while equally delicious! This could also easily be made with whole grain, gluten-free or legume-based pasta to meet any health or dietary needs that you have, since unlike with my one pot pastas, the pasta composition isn’t very important to the texture of the dish.
This is your periodic reminder that cauliflower mac and cheese, or any vegan mac & cheese for that matter, does not taste exactly the same as the “real thing”. The texture is creamy and a little bit melt-in-your-mouth, and there is a balanced, slightly tangy savory flavor, but no it is not the exact same flavor as dairy cheese. I think the important part, though, is that it’s just really umami and delicious.
Easy, cheezy, beautiful.
I tested this recipe with almond milk and my favorite plain soy milk and I think they are equally here. The soy milk version is slightly creamier and also a little bit higher in protein. I could see rice milk being good too if you reduced the amount a little bit. I don’t think I’d recommend other varieties of non-dairy milk aside from those to the uninitiated, but if you have a favorite, go ahead and use it!
(Oh, and whatever you do, don’t use coconut milk. A strong coconut flavor in vegan mac and cheese is well… just please don’t do it. Be sure to use refined coconut oil for this same reason).
Vegan Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup refined coconut oil
- 1 shallot thinly sliced (optional)
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 tsp ground mustard
- 1/4 tsp ground turmeric (optional, for color)
- 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 and 1/2 cups plain, unsweetened almond milk
- 3 tbsp white or yellow miso
- 3 and 1/2 cups raw cauliflower florets (12 oz.) (approximately 1/2 inch florets)
- 3/4 cup raw cashews chopped
- 1 pound elbow macaroni or other pasta of choice (I almost always use whole wheat)
- 1/2 tbsp distilled white vinegar
- hemp parmesan (optional, for serving)
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. If using the optional shallot, add it and stir, cooking until slightly softened, about 3-4 minutes. Add the nutritional yeast, mustard, turmeric, tomato paste, garlic, and salt. Stir and cook for about 45 seconds, or until fragrant. Add the almond milk, scraping the bottom of the pan as you stir it in. Bring to a steady simmer.
- Add the miso, cauliflower, and cashews to the pan, reduce the heat to medium-low, and partially cover the pan. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower is fork-tender, about 20 minutes.
- Add the mixture to your blender (working in batches if needed; I divide this in half to use in my Ninja) and blend until completely smooth. If you don't have a high-powered blender this may take a few minutes to break down the cashews. Stop to scrape down the sides as needed. Set aside when done.
- Meanwhile, cook your pasta in a pot of generously-salted water. Cook until al dente, according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta (but do not rinse it), leaving it in the strainer.
- Add the pureed cauliflower mac and cheese sauce to the pot, and turn the heat to medium low. Cook, stirring frequently, until gently simmering. Stir in the cooked pasta, the white vinegar, and a splash of the pasta water. Continue to cook until the sauce is slightly thickened onto the pasta. Add more of the pasta water to thin out the sauce as needed.
- Season to taste with additional salt and pepper and serve immediately. The leftovers from this vegan mac and cheese taste good, but it's definitely far better when fresh! I find that the leftovers just need a little additional salt and vinegar or hot sauce added because the pasta absorbs a little bit of the flavor when it sits.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Suggestions for more variations:
- If you desire a baked version, rinse the pasta before mixing it with the reserved pasta liquid and sauce, and then put the whole vegan mac and cheese dish in the oven at 350 topped with breadcrumbs and oil until crispy.
- Folks who are a fan of potato carrot cheese are encouraged to add potatoes and carrots to this in place of some of the cashews to make a lower fat vegan mac.
Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen.
I'm Shannon, the writer and photographer of Yup, it's Vegan! I'm a morning person based in Baltimore, USA. My mission is to create healthy plant-based recipes that anyone would enjoy, using seasonal produce with inspiration from global flavors.
Kaitlyn says
Delicious creamy sauce. Not exactly what I desire in Mac cheese, but this stuff is still SO GOOD especially with burritos and nachos. And on Potatoes roasted. This recipe gave me so much extra, but I’m happy because I enjoyed it more with other recipes 🙂
Kendra says
This is fantastic! Changed a few things out of necessity: Subbed in 1 C of veggie broth for part of the milk (and used oat milk because it was all I had), used half an onion instead of a shallot, and added 3 T chopped chipotles in adobo while sauteeing the aromatics. Also didn’t have any miso, so I figured the veggie broth would add a little umami in its place. SO delicious and much easier than the traditional chipotle mac and cheese I make. Thank you!
Linda Johnson says
Could macadamian nuts sub well for cashews?
Any substitution for miso if you do not have any?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
I think macadamia nuts would work okay, try to get un-roasted ones if you can. Just leave the miso out if you can’t find any, and add a little bit more nutritional yeast.
Barb says
I’ve been searching for a vegan mac and cheese recipe to fulfill my childhood cravings. This was delicious! I used oat milk instead of almond, and I added toasted, gluten-free panko to the top. Thank you for sharing!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Toasted panko sounds like a yummy upgrade! Thanks for your comment, Barb!
Belen Rivas says
I actually didn’t like this recipe that much. Used to making vegan food for 5 years. I found it a bit complicated for the not that great result. But thank you for sharing plantbased foods
Karyn says
Made it last weekend and it was a hit. My picky child asked for more, then for lunch the next day, and then dinner that night! The recipe was easy to follow. I’m not quite sure how, but the recipe made enough to generously cover a pound of pasta and then fill a large mason jar. ☺ I’m not complaining! This means we can enjoy it longer.
Thanks!
Jennifer says
Just AMAZING!!! I will make it many more times! And yes, I did reduce the amount of cashews to about half because I didn’t have the full amount called for in the recipe, and worked perfectly. I did soak the cashews in hot water prior to putting them in the blender and the sauce came out amazingly smooth!!
Jessica King says
This was so good! I’ve made the American Test Kitchen recipe, but I didn’t love it before. With your modifications it is the best I’ve had. I added a small onion instead of a shallot, but otherwise I followed your recipe and will be making it again!
Mae says
Made this for Thanksgiving and everyone loved it! It’s a little bit more work than some other recipes, but the video made it easy to follow and it tastes much better. It’s great with a side of veggie sausage too.
Marie says
This was great. I LOVE America’s Test Kitchen vegan cookbook – probably made half the recipes by now. But I really appreciated your modifications to their yummy-but-not-great mac and cheese. Upping the miso worked wonderfully! I share your hesitancy for lots of nutritional yeast (better as a complement than the main flavor for me), so loved that adjustment. And I agree the recipe doesn’t need *quite* so much oil and cashews. I had to make a few modifications since I was out of a couple things, but even still it might be the best vegan mac and cheese I’ve had. I’m looking forward to trying this again as written 🙂
Modifications (by necessity, not preference!)
1 T sun dried tomatoes instead of tomato paste
almond-coconut milk blend instead of straight almond milk
no shallot
10 oz frozen cauliflower rice instead of fresh florets
Maddie says
Going to try this tonight! Can I omit the cashews?? I don’t have any and it’s raining outside so the shops are a no go.
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hi Maddie, not sure this would work well without the raw cashews, they are a pretty significant part of the recipe, but if you come up with a way around that I’d be eager to hear about it.
Rebecca says
This is hands down the best vegan mac and cheese that I’ve tried and I love that it’s somewhat healthy too! Thanks Shannon!
Irene says
Will avocado oil work in place of the refined coconut oil?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
I tried making this without any coconut oil, substituting some vegetable oil instead and thought it was still quite nice!
Melissa says
Could I omit the oil? Thanks!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hi Melissa,
I haven’t tested this without oil so I’m not sure, I did have at least one other comment from someone who omitted it and still enjoyed the result, I suspect if you are used to eating oil-free cooking that you would like it too but otherwise I may not recommend it.
Sara says
This is the best vegan Mac & Cheese I’ve ever made! Thank you for creating this amazing recipe! It’s super delicious!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
That’s wonderful to hear, Sara! Thanks for leaving a comment.
Hannah says
This looks amazing!
Question: are there shallots in the recipe? The video has them but I don’t see them listed in the written recipe.
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Great catch 😀 they aren’t in the original recipe, but sometimes I throw them in when I have them around. I’ll add a note to the recipe that they can be optionally included.
Sarah Watkins says
This looks so great and I’m going to make it tomorrow. One question, why the vinegar? Undecided if I should add it or not..
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
The vinegar is definitely needed! It provides tanginess to balance out the flavor profile rich and creamy ingredients. I often add even more to taste than the recipe states.
Sarah says
Thanks!
Marya Oberfrank says
Can I make ahead and freeze? Have you tried that?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
The sauce from this recipe would freeze well. I wouldn’t recommend freezing the pasta and sauce together.
Riley says
I made this and loved it! My family didn’t even know it was vegan. Thank you the amazing recipe!
Susan says
What type of miso paste or soup and where can I find this
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hi Susan, any light colored (like white or yellow) miso paste should work. Natural stores, Asian supermarkets, and (these days, depending on your location) some regular grocery stores should have it in the refrigerated section. It can also be ordered online (I added an Amazon Fresh link to the ingredients list). Hope this helps!
Erin says
The flavor of this was awesome, but my sauce was gritty from the cashews (I think). Any advice? Cook it longer? Blend it longer? I did blend it (in a food processor) for about five minutes. Thanks for sharing the recipe – want to make it again but actually creamy 🙂
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hey Erin! Glad you enjoyed the flavor of the recipe. Unfortunately with a food processor it is difficult to get the cashews smooth which is why I labeled it as requiring a blender. For some recipes food processors can get cashews smooth with a few minutes of blending, almost like making a nut butter, but the ratio of cashews isn’t high enough in this one for that to work well (usually. I guess there can always be exceptions!)
Pre-soaking your cashews or substituting raw cashew butter might help if you don’t have a blender!
Good luck.
Steve says
This is amazing and I don’t even like cauliflower. The second time I made this I used only half the amount of pasta and reserved the rest of the sauce. The sauce reheated pretty well and was poured over veggies throughout the week – great departure from plain veggies!
Marjorie says
This was absolutely incredible. I added pickled jalapenos to ours because I wanted a spicy mac. This is the best vegan mac and cheese I have tried yet!
Kerstin Decker says
I have made this just as you did, but i cut out the oil ,it is so good and no one knows there is no oil. The best testers for this dish are little kids
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Thanks for sharing your experience! I’m glad to know that it’s kid-approved as well.
Nancy says
Could you omit the nutritional yeast?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hey Nancy – I recommend including it for the most balanced flavor. If you cannot use it I would recommend the following modifications:
(1) Increase the miso, and use a dark miso if you have one.
(2) Add an onion, chopped, and cooked in the oil until soft, before adding the garlic et al.
These modifications would recover some of the savory flavor lost from omitting the nootch.
Hope this helps!
moonhonu says
Just made this, my FIL forwarded it to me 🙂 Was delicious! (and sooo easy!) I already had everything in the house, even better… perfect with the snow falling outside. Thanks!
Jess says
Made this today. The sauce is so good!!!
Sylvia says
This looks amazing! Can I use white beans instead of the cashews do you think?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hi Sylvia! White beans are pretty different from cashews so I’m not quite sure whether this would work. You might need to increase the oil to make up for the lost richness and creaminess from removing the nuts. I do have a creamy white bean pasta sauce on the blog here that’s quite tasty but I’m not sure I’d say it’s “mac and cheese” levels of creamy.
Geri hase says
SHANNON
I AM LOOKING FOR A GOOD SAUCE. I AM ON A NO DAIRY DIET SO THIS SOUNDS GREAT. ALSO AM DIABETIC. I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE THE RECEIPE. THANKS SO MUCH
GERI