Vegan Mac and Cheese Recipe

Name: Vegan Mac and Cheese Recipe
Prep time: 14 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 54 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 butternut squash, sliced in ½ lengthwise and seeds discarded; ½ white onion, chopped; ¼ cup coconut cream; 1 teaspoon mustard; 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon pepper; 1 teaspoon turmeric; 1 teaspoon onion powder; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; ½ cup nutritional yeast; 8 cups gluten-free pasta noodles of choice, cooked

November 11, 2021 by Dr. Josh Axe, DC, DNM, CN

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It may sound impossible, but vegan mac and cheese recipes are on the rise as more and more people follow a vegan diet. You may wonder how and why anyone would mess with a true classic.

I admit, macaroni and cheese is one of my all-time favorite comfort foods. Cheese and pasta: What’s not to love? Unfortunately, the cheese and pasta.

If you’re vegan, cheese is off the menu. If you’re lactose intolerant, all that cheese can really upset your stomach.

And those heavy carbs? Well, all that gluten doesn’t sit well with many people. Enter my vegan mac and cheese recipe.

Mac and cheese … without the cheese? Yup, you read that right. You can absolutely enjoy mac and cheese without the cheese!

Key Ingredients

We get creative with the ingredients in this vegan mac and cheese recipe. Using butternut squash, coconut cream and nutritional yeast achieves that creamy, silky texture with no dairy.

Plus, you get an infusion of butternut squash’s healthy benefits. Did you know that butternut squash nutrition is packed with vitamin A and vitamin C, boosting the immune system?

This bright vegetable is also loaded with antioxidants and known to reduce inflammation.

Adding spices also gives this vegan mac and cheese a ton of flavor. This is no blue box macaroni and cheese.

I especially love adding turmeric to this recipe because of its anti-inflammatory power.

We also use gluten-free pasta, making this vegan butternut squash mac and cheese an excellent choice for those avoiding gluten.

How to Make Vegan Mac and Cheese

You’re going to love how simple it is to make this vegan mac and cheese recipe.

Start by preheating the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and place the squash face down.

Bake it for 40 minutes or until tender. Baking the squash makes it a lot easier to whip into a “sauce.”

At the same time, start boiling the pasta.

When the squash is ready, scoop the inside of the squash into a high-powered blender or food processor.

Next, add the rest of the ingredients, except for the pasta, to the blender.

Blend it all on high until the vegan mac and cheese sauce is well-combined. Add more spices as necessary.

How gorgeous is that “cheese” sauce?

Next, stir together the gluten-free pasta and butternut squash sauce in a large mixing bowl, making sure the noodles are well-coated.

Spoon the vegan mac and cheese into bowls, and top with green onions and freshly cracked black pepper.