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Healthy, Delicious Vegan Mac and Cheese Recipes

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By Lisa Esile, MS,

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Macaroni and cheese, aka mac and cheese, is the ultimate comfort food, and just because you're whole-food, plant-based doesn't mean you have to go without! Scrumptious vegan cheesy sauces can be made using veggies like potato, sweet potato, cauliflower, or butternut squash as the base. Add plant milk, herbs, spices, and other flavorings for a creamy vegan mac and cheese that's packed with goodness. Here are a few of our favorite plant-based mac and cheese recipes. Try one today!

butternut broccoli vegan mac and cheese

Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese with Broccoli

Broccoli adds a pop of green, and fresh thyme adds a lovely depth of flavor to this creamy butternut squash sauce.
vegan mac and cheese

Stove-Top Vegan Macaroni and Cheese

This easy potato-based "cheese" sauce features cashews for creaminess, turmeric for color, and garlic and nutritional yeast for flavor. No fancy ingredients required.
cheesy sauce, cheesy dressing

Cheesy Dressing

Cauliflower and potato form the backbone of this simple sauce, while a blend of nutritional yeast, mustard, and white wine vinegar mimic cheesy flavors.
Creamy Vegan Chili Mac in a bowl against a light gray background

Creamy Vegan Chili Mac

This family-friendly mac and cheese with chili leanings combines two favorite dishes, to delicious effect. It’s so simple, too: Pasta is cooked with canned tomatoes, beans, and seasonings, allowing the flavors to permeate throughout, while peas and carrots add extra bulk. Drizzle a cheesy potato-based sauce over the top and voilà; dinner is served. Notes a fan: “I just made this tonight and it is delicious.”
southwestern vegan mac and cheese

Southwestern Vegan Mac and “Cheese”

Feeling spicy? Cashews, tahini, and red bell pepper create a rich-tasting sauce in this vegan mac and cheese, while jalapeño pepper and chile powder pump up the heat.
Vegan Instant Pot Mac and Cheese - cheesy mac shown in three bowls, sprinkled with bread crumbs

Vegan Instant Pot Mac and Cheese with Seasoned Bread Crumbs

This creamy mac and cheese is ideal for when fresh supplies are low. The cheesy plant-milk sauce is thickened with potato flour and oat flour and flavored with nutritional yeast, white wine vinegar, mustard, and garlic powder. Bonus: It’s ready in 30 minutes!
Sweet Potato Vegan Mac and Cheese

Sweet Potato Mac and Cheese

The smooth, creamy texture of sweet potato makes it a perfect base for vegan cheese sauce, with grated nutmeg and dried rosemary balancing the sweetness to perfection.
Vegan Mac and Cheese with Queso against a blue background next to a small bowl of roasted cherry tomatoes

Mac and Cheese with Roasted Veggies

The creamy, slightly tangy Vegan Queso Sauce used for this mac and cheese is a reader favorite. The secret ingredient: roasted red peppers.
Cheesy Vegan Pimiento Mac in a white bowl

Vegan Pimiento Cheesy Mac

This decadent mac n cheese recipe is inspired by Southern cuisine and makes for the perfect dish to share at a potluck. Tangy-sweet pimientos are blended into the dairy-free cheese sauce to create a luscious texture and taste so you end up with an indulgent, grown-up version of your favorite childhood meal.

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About the Author

Headshot of Lisa Esile, MS

About the Author

Lisa Esile, MS

As an author, Do Nothing meditation instructor, and wellness coach, Lisa Esile combines her love for food and nutrition with her mental health background and delights in helping people find a stress-free way to make lasting lifestyle changes. Esile has a master’s degree in human nutrition and is the co-author/illustrator of Whose Mind Is It Anyway? Get Out of Your Head and Into Your Life. Learn more at lisaesile.com.
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