Main image of Vegan Mac & 'Cheese'

Vegan Mac & 'Cheese'

45 min

Meal
Attention all carb lovers! Do you love pasta? Do you love potatoes? Look no further, 'cuz this Mac & 'cheese' is absolutely incredible! Nothing says comfort food like a giant bowl of creamy, cheezy, pasta.

Servings

Total

45 min

Prep

15 min

Cook

30 min

Contains

Soy symbol

soy

Treenut symbol

tree nut

Gluten symbol

gluten

Free from

Peanut symbol

peanut

Sesame symbol

sesame

Ingredients

Mac & "cheese"

  • 4 cups (256 g)
    dry shell pasta
  • 3
    medium potatoes, peeled, cubed
  • 2
    medium sweet potatoes, peeled, cubed
  • 2 Tbsp (30 mL)
    olive oil
  • 3
    cloves garlic, minced
  • ¼ cup (34 g)
    all-purpose flour
  • 3 cups (720 mL)
    unsweetened soy milk†
  • ½ cup (65 g)
    raw cashews, soaked overnight†
  • 3 Tbsp (7 g)
    nutritional yeast flakes
  • 1
    lemon
  • 1 Tbsp (15 mL)
    sodium-reduced soy sauce
  • 1 Tbsp (3 g)
    dried rosemary
  • 2 tsp (10 mL)
    dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp (6 g)
    salt
  • 1 pinch
    ground black pepper
  • 1
    medium broccoli, cut into florets

Speedy garlic bread crumbs

  • ½ cup (54 g)
    breadcrumbs
  • 2 tsp (10 mL)
    olive oil
  • 2
    cloves garlic, crushed

Optional toppings

Directions

  1. Cook pasta in salted boiling water according to package directions until al dente. Drain and set aside.
  2. While the pasta is cooking, use a steamer basket to steam the potatoes until soft, about 15 minutes.
  3. To make the optional breadcrumbs: heat the oil in a small pan on medium heat, and add the garlic. Cook for 1 - 2 minutes, until golden, and then add the bread crumbs. Stir constantly for another 1 - 2 minutes, or until the bread crumbs are toasted and crunchy.
  4. Add the olive oil and garlic to a large pot on medium heat until lightly golden, about 1 minute.
  5. Then add the flour, and stir continuously for 1 minute, or until lightly golden. Then in a slow and steady stream, add the milk, stirring constantly.
  6. Add the steamed potatoes, drained cashews, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, soy sauce, rosemary, mustard, salt, and pepper. Mix.
  7. Using an immersion blender, blend until it achieves a creamy consistency; or transfer to a standing blender and blend, then return to the pot.
  8. Add this point, add in the broccoli florets and cook in the sauce for 2 - 3 minutes.
  9. Add the macaroni to the sauce, and mix to coat. Sprinkle with the toasted breadcrumbs, and enjoy!

Notes

  • †Nutrition tip: aim to use plant-based milk that is fortified with calcium.
  • †Speed-it-up: if you forgot to soak the cashews overnight, let them soak in boiled water for 10 minutes, then drain.

Storage

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Let us know what you think

Plate method

The Plate Method is a visual tool that helps us ensure our dietary needs are on track. Touch the image below to see how this recipe measures up.

Grains & Starches 65%

• dry shell pasta

• medium potato

• medium sweet potato

• all-purpose flour

• breadcrumbs

Proteins 19%

• unsweetened soy milk

• raw cashews

• nutritional yeast flakes

Fruits & Veggies 16%

• clove garlic

• lemon

• medium broccoli

• clove garlic

Calcium

• unsweetened soy milk

Fat

• olive oil

• raw cashews

• olive oil

Nutrition info

We believe that focusing on numbers can harm our relationship with food. Instead, our philosophy is to Nourish the Cells & the Soul. If you require specific nutrition information due to a medical condition, please consult with a dietitian or physician. The nutritional information provided is composed with the utmost care. However, we cannot guarantee the correctness of the displayed values, see also our disclaimer.

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Discussion & Rating

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Martunia - Jan. 19, 2023, 8:34 p.m.

I made this recipe three times now. I've never had mac'n'cheese before going vegan so I can't compare flavors. However, there's something about the taste of this dish that makes me come back to it every now and then. And it's so healthy witj the broccoli and two kinds of potatoes!

PUL Team - Jan. 20, 2023, 7:30 a.m.

Oh so lovely to hear, Martunia, thank you! So happy to hear the recipe is being enjoyed 🤗

Reply
Marco - Oct. 6, 2022, 1:07 a.m.

I echo what Sandra and Pardis said in their 1-star reviews down below. I followed the recipe exactly as written so I wouldn’t leave any room for error, but unfortunately, all my family could taste were the potatoes and dried rosemary. We REALLY enjoyed the texture and creaminess of this dish, but the taste was little to be desired. It got tastier once we all decided to just think of it as just potatoes – funny how the mind works that way! 🤣

Hopefully, the Pick Up Limes team reads this because they got everything right about emulating the FEELING of eating Mac & Cheese. Now, it just needs to taste like it! 😁

PS: I should point out that I’ve loved almost all the Pick Up Limes recipes I’ve tried thus far, just not this one! 😅

PUL Team - Oct. 6, 2022, 6:09 p.m.

Hey Marco, thank you for taking the time to help PUL improve and grow. It's so appreciated! We plan to prioritize revisiting this recipe 🙂

Reply
Erin - Sept. 24, 2022, 9:05 p.m.

I was a little hesitant to try this recipe based on some of the reviews, but I gave it a shot... IT'S DELICIOUS! Plus, it really is a vegan and WFPB comfort food. The sauce is super "cheesy," and its texture is definitely ooey-gooey. It gave me all the same comfort-food feelings as the super cheesy and Beschamel-y, ham-studded mac and cheese my mom made for us growing up!

And it's just so yummy! I did switch the ratio of potato to sweet potato (so I put in more sweet potato than potato). And I added more salt than is called for in the recipe and heavily salted my pasta water, too, which I also ladled into the sauce as I mixed in the cooked pasta. Adding the pasta water amped up the flavor and helped with creaminess too, I think. :)

Thank you! Love your videos and recipes!

PUL Team - Sept. 25, 2022, 1:43 a.m.

Hi Erin, thanks a bunch for taking the time to share your experience with this one! It means so much 😃

Reply
Sandra - Sept. 5, 2022, 2:01 p.m.

I think Sadia should do a retake of this one. We love your recipes, this one looks great but unfortunately we didn’t love it. Maybe the way we cook it?

PUL Team - Sept. 7, 2022, 12:38 a.m.

Hey Sandra, we're sad to hear it wasn't enjoyed. We'll absolutely head back to the drawing board with this recipe - thank you for the feedback to help PUL improve and grow! 🙂

Reply
Pardis - June 9, 2022, 10:39 p.m.

That must be the only Pick up limes recipe I didn't enjoy. I found it tasted like just pasta with potatoes on top of it... Weird.

PUL Team - June 11, 2022, 4:46 p.m.

Hey there, Pardis, how disappointing to hear! If you kindly remember, were the ingredients followed as listed? We find the nutritional yeast flakes key to help add a cheesy and creamy taste and texture for example. Perhaps it may also be the case that the size of our potatoes is different. Our average potatoes are around 170 grams whereas sweet potatoes are around 130 grams. We're happy to help get to the bottom of it more, Pardis, and thank you in case for the feedback to help PUL improve 🙂

Reply
Florentina - May 11, 2022, 6:02 p.m.

Hello Sadia! Hope all is well.

I tried your vegan mac and cheese recipe today and want to share my thoughts and experience. First of all I skipped the cashews, since I didn't have them at home. So I tried it without it and used more potatoes instead. The sauce still looked like yours in the video and smelled really good but it didn't taste as intensely as it smelled. I'm wondering if it has to do with the fact that I used more potatoes, instead of the cashews.

I think I'm going to try it again, since the combination of the spices smelled really good.

Thanks for sharing.

PUL Team - May 12, 2022, 3:30 p.m.

Hi Florentina! Thanks for sharing your experience with it. The cashews help this one be more creamy and cheese-like. If using more potatoes instead, we suspect the flavour may have been diluted without the boost of creaminess. You could add more nutritional yeast or spices to taste to help with the current batch. We hope you enjoy if it you give the Mac & 'Cheese' another try 😃

Reply
Julia - Jan. 28, 2022, 7:38 p.m.

Love all your recipes! This one is just as great as the others! Thank you!

PUL Team - Jan. 29, 2022, 12:44 a.m.

We're so glad to hear, Julia, thank you!

Reply
Mau - Jan. 10, 2022, 2:52 a.m.

The vegan cheese sauce wasn't enjoyable for my family. I may try this again with carrots instead of sweet potato. To be fair I've tried a fair amount of vegan cheese sauces and they never seem to be quite right. I'm not expecting it to look or even taste like real cheese, I just want it to taste good.

PUL Team - Jan. 10, 2022, 3:47 a.m.

Hi there, Mau, we're sorry to hear the recipe wasn't enjoyed. How disappointing. If vegan cheese sauces don't seem to be enjoyed, perhaps it may be the nutritional yeast? Sometimes people don't enjoy the unique savoury taste that it adds. If you're open to trying the recipe again, this might be one ingredient to omit if a cheese taste isn't strongly desired. We hope this helps for now 😊

Reply
Jahnavi Punna - Nov. 14, 2021, 2:49 a.m.

I tried this recipe today it comes out great

Reply
Linda - Oct. 25, 2021, 12:46 a.m.

My family are not Vegan but I love the PUL videos and recipes. Over the years we have tried a few Vegan macaroni cheese recipes and they have all been rejected by the family. This one was an absolute hit. So much so that my daughter said “yum, this is just so cheesy”. I then shared proudly that there was no cheese. A total success. We used peas instead of the broccoli and it worked perfectly.

PUL Team - Oct. 26, 2021, 4:53 a.m.

Oh, Linda, this means so much! We're so happy the mac and cheese was enjoyed by everyone 😊

Reply
Treena - Oct. 10, 2021, 2:53 a.m.

I am excited to try this for my (Canadian) vegan Thanksgiving, which is tomorrow!! =)

PUL Team - Oct. 10, 2021, 3:53 a.m.

So honoured it will be part of the special get-together, Treena! We hope you enjoy it :)

Treena - Oct. 10, 2021, 10:19 p.m.

Thank you, I"m taste testing it right now (before our family meal tonight) and it is delicious!! You are definitely part of my special day with my family today.

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving, PUL Team. =) >^..^<

Reply
Venya - Sept. 4, 2021, 5:31 a.m.

Hello 👋 I tried your Mac and cheese recipe and it was really good and my parents loved it 😊 and making it , was really easy for me so thank you for sharing this recipe.

PUL Team - Sept. 4, 2021, 5:30 p.m.

Hello, Venya! Awe we're so happy to hear you and your parents enjoyed the Mac & 'Cheese' ✨

Reply
Doreen - Aug. 20, 2021, 9 p.m.

It was VERY delicious, cheesy/gooey texture. I added more than double the garlic and cooked the broccoli separately in a pan with garlic. It would have been difficult to cook the broccoli in the sauce because it’s so thick, it had a hard time boiling without sticking to the pan. I also added some of the pasta water to thin it out a bit. Add at least two medium broccoli heads. Will be making this again for sure !!!

PUL Team - Aug. 23, 2021, 11 p.m.

Hey there, Doreen, thanks for sharing your experience with this one! Lowering the heat a touch, adding a bit more oil, or stirring more might help with the stickiness. Happy cooking 😃

Reply
Anubha - July 30, 2021, 1:32 a.m.

I live in Melbourne and somehow the potatoes here take a long time to soften up! So I separately cooked the potatoes and sweet potatoes in a pressure cooker. Once cooked, I then blended them with the soaked cashew nuts. I then added the blended mix to the butter, flour and soy milk. I cooked onions and broccoli with garlic separately and added it to the final mix with the boiled pasta. I also added some more condiments for flavouring (the original recipe is a bit too bland for my taste) and some extra chilli too! The overall result was yum, and I am not even vegan!

PUL Team - Aug. 1, 2021, 8:29 a.m.

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with the recipe with us, Anubha! Glad you enjoyed the recipe :)

Reply
Valerie - July 29, 2021, 2:36 a.m.

Delightful dish! Easy to make and was enjoyed by the non-vegan members of my family as well! For all my gluten-free friends: I used King Arthur GF All- Purpose Flour (the one without xanthan gum) as a 1-for-1 substitute for the flour and it worked perfectly.

PUL Team - July 29, 2021, 11:42 p.m.

Ooo thanks for the tip, Valerie, super helpful to hear!

Reply
Céline - July 10, 2021, 11:07 p.m.

Maybe I have done something wrong. This recipe didn't convince me. I am not a full time vegan and honestly, I prefer the non-vegan version in this case. Sorry.

PUL Team - July 16, 2021, 4:45 a.m.

Hi there, Céline, thank you for the honest feedback. How disappointing that the mac and cheese wasn't enjoyed! If you're interested in trying it again and remember what you didn't like, we'd be happy to provide some suggestions. For example, if it was flavour or texture related :)

Reply
Lisa - July 9, 2021, 6:18 p.m.

This recipe is e-very-thing! I had not even used all the ingredients for the recipe but how many times did not make it; I love it, my friends love it, and I believe my other beloved ones will love it! One thing that I still struggle with it not getting a slimy texture from the potatoes; maybe me adding the yeast would have contributed to break down the molecules responsible for that... but my love for this dish is unconditional! Just looking at it makes me crave it...
The plate method and nutritional info are fantastic, however got this idea is a genius!

PUL Team - July 15, 2021, 2:42 a.m.

Hi Lisa, thank you for the review. It's so appreciated! It sounds like perhaps too much starch is getting released from the potatoes leading to the sliminess. Rinsing the steamed potatoes before adding them in step five is one idea to help. So glad the mac and cheese was enjoyed still 🤗

Reply
Claire - July 9, 2021, 12:14 a.m.

Great for making for non vegans, first time I tried this made it 3 nights in a row :)

Reply
Cris S - June 5, 2021, 4:09 p.m.

I like this recipe for about two days!

Reply