Who else wants to dive right into this bowl of vegan cauliflower mac and cheese?! This recipe is so creamy, cheesy, warm, and comforting, I guarantee that once your kitchen starts filling with its aromas, you’ll want to do just that. And it’s made with an easy, thick and velvety vegan cauliflower cheese sauce poured over macaroni noodles. The recipe comes together in 20 minutes for a quick and easy dinner that your family will adore. It’s such a simple way to sneak in some veggies too! It’s all too easy to love this vegan cauliflower mac and cheese. Certainly, it makes the perfect weeknight dinner, and is loved by all eaters (vegan or not.)
Why? Simply put, cauliflower is the chameleon of the vegetable kingdom. In fact, we vegans use cauliflower a lot to make everything from crispy nachos and wings to cauliflower pizza, and creamy sauces like this cauliflower mac and cheese.
Hannah Sunderani is the creator of the popular blog Two Spoons and the Two Spoons App. She is an editor at The feedfeed and a contributor to Best of Vegan, THRIVE, and One Green Planet. Her recipes have also been featured in numerous outlets including Better Homes & Gardens, Simply Gluten-Free, Well+Good, and BuzzFeed.
So, let me tell you exactly how to make this vegan cauliflower mac and cheese so that you can enjoy it pronto! It’s very easy which is why I love it for a mid-week dish. It also reheats really nicely for next-day leftovers. The recipe requires minimal ingredients and it comes together in 20 minutes.
To make, we will start by simmering the ingredients (minus the macaroni) in a saucepan until the cauliflower is very soft, about 15 minutes. Then transfer to a mixer and blend until smooth. Add the smooth sauce back to the saucepan.
Meanwhile, boil the macaroni noodles in a separate pot until al-dente. Then, scoop the noodles into the saucepan and mix everything together.
And voila! You’ve got yourself a quick and easy, cheesy and creamy pasta dish. (I told you it was easy). Keep reading for the recipe.
Vegan Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
Serves 6
Who wants to dive into this bowl of Vegan Cauliflower Mac and Cheese?! Folks, this recipe is so creamy, cheesy, warm and comforting. Made with an easy, thick and velvety vegan cauliflower cheese sauce poured over macaroni noodles.
Prep
10 minutes
Cook
15 minutes
Categories
vegan
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups cauliflower florets
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 shallot finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp white miso
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- pinch turmeric (optional for colour)
- 1 cup cashews
- pinch pepper for sprinkling
- pinch paprika for sprinkling (optional)
- 1 lb macaroni noodles
INSTRUCTIONS
- Chop the cauliflower florets into small pieces and set aside. Bring a large pot of water to a boil (for the macaroni noodles).
- Melt the coconut oil in a large deep skillet on medium heat. Add the chopped shallot and garlic and cook to soften, 5 mins. Pour in the almond milk, nutritional yeast, dijon mustard, miso, sea salt and turmeric. Bring to a simmer on medium-high heat and whisk to combine.
- Add the chopped cauliflower florets and cashews into the skillet and simmer, with the lid on, until the cauliflower is very soft, 15 minutes. Transfer to a high speed blender and blend until smooth. Then pour the cheese sauce back into the skillet.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta noodles until al-dente, about 7 mins. Scoop the cooked noodles into the skillet with the sauce and mix everything to combine. Serve in bowls and sprinkle with pepper and paprika.
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Comments (7)
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I am oil free, will it still taste ok if I leave out the coconut oil?
Peggy Polo I believe that it will. I would just pan-steam then brown the shallot and garlic.
I’ve been giving myself an occasional box of frozen-dinner vegan cauliflower mac this year. Thinking, ‘this is so comforting! It’ll be even better, healthier and 75% cheaper if I figure out my own recipe, why am I not making this from scratch??!’ Thanks for figuring out the details for me! Will definitely be making this, and sharing the techniques (crediting you of course!) with my health coaching clients! ?
Absolutely gorgeous!!
I made a few alterations – used far less pasta (macaroni) – 275grams dry weight. Also because I had more cauliflower than needed in the sauce, I roasted the rest in the oven with some green beans that needed eating up, then put these on top of the meal so it added a bit of texture. Also put a little pinch of nutmeg in the sauce.
All in all – very best vegan mac and cheese recipe I’ve ever used! Thanks xx
This looks great! Is there a different nut I could use? (Almonds?) I don’t love cashews in sauces.
Thanks!
This recipe sounds awesome. I have two questions. First, Can I use fresh frozen cauliflower? And, Is there any reason why I should not put a bread crumb topping on it and bake in the oven?
I was really looking forward to making this – unfortunately it didn’t even taste close to cheese. It tasted highly of coconut and mustard, and couldn’t get the consistency creamy so it ended up more like a korma. Maybe it’s just because it’s my first time and trial and error. It was edible which is the main thing, just didn’t turn out what I expected sadly.