Vegan spinach artichoke mac and cheese is like spinach artichoke dip you can eat for dinner! (26g protein per serving)
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I don't know what it is about spinach and artichoke, but it's like they were made to be together. And they bring the veggie power and the flavor to this super easy, vegan spinach artichoke mac and cheese!
It's simple enough for a weeknight meal but decadent enough for the holiday table. I am absolutely obsessed.
This super easy, high protein vegan mac and cheese uses a tofu-based cheese sauce that's full of flavor. Mix in some thawed, frozen spinach and chopped canned artichokes along with some cooked macaroni, and you are in business!
The uncooked cheese sauce is going to have a bit of a beany flavor from the tofu, but don't worry! Baking the dish in the oven cooks that off so those creamy, cheesy flavors shine through.
Vegan spinach artichoke mac and cheese is cozy, satisfying, and absolutely delicious! If you love spinach artichoke, also check out my vegan spinach artichoke dip, spinach artichoke pasta, and spinach artichoke puff pastry cups!
💖 Why You'll Love this Recipe
- nut-free vegan cheese sauce with lots of spinach and artichoke pieces
- flavors and textures of spinach artichoke dip in mac and cheese form
- easy to make with low active cooking time
- nut-free and easy to make gluten-free
✓ Ingredients and Substitutions
- macaroni - Choose gluten-free macaroni, if needed.
- tofu - This is the base for your cream sauce. Firm or extra firm both work well.
- nutritional yeast and lemon juice - These work together to give the sauce a cheesy flavor.
- dried spices - Garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper add even more flavor to the sauce.
- miso - Ups the cheesy flavor and umami in the sauce even more.
- veggies - Thawed frozen spinach and canned artichoke hearts are your veggies. For the spinach, you really want to get out the excess moisture, so thaw it, then drain it and use your hands to kind of wring it out.
- cheese - Vegan mozzarella and vegan parmesan give this spinach artichoke mac and cheese even more flavor and texture! If you don't want to buy vegan parm, you can use my cheesy fairy dust sprinkle instead.
🔪 How to Make Vegan Spinach Artichoke Mac and Cheese
Cook the macaroni according to the package directions and drain it. Also preheat the oven to 350° F.
Meanwhile, add all of the cheese sauce ingredients to a blender, and puree until completely smooth. Taste and adjust the flavor, adding more salt, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, and/or miso, if you like. The sauce is going to taste slightly beany at this point, but don't panic! That will cook off when we bake the mac and cheese in the oven.
In a 9x11" or similar-sized baking dish, combine the pasta, tofu cream sauce, spinach, and artichoke hearts. When you add the spinach, use your hands to squeeze out any excess moisture. Toss well until it's mixed evenly, then even out the top.
Sprinkle on the vegan mozzarella and vegan parmesan. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until the cheese melts to preference. Serve and enjoy!
💡 Helpful Tips
- You want to tofu cream sauce to be velvety smooth, so if you need to do a second round of blending, go for it! You can also add another splash of water, if the blender isn't making a smooth sauce.
- The sauce will taste beany, like tofu, when you taste it raw. When you're adjust the flavors, you just want to make sure it tastes cheesy underneath that flavor. The beaniness will cook off during baking.
- You want to drain the spinach really well after thawing. Use clean hands to wring out excess moisture and avoid watery pasta!
🫙 Storage Directions
Leftover spinach artichoke mac and cheese will keep for 3 to 5 days in the fridge. I do not recommend freezing this recipe, because it can change the texture of the tofu cheese sauce.
🍴 More Creamy Pasta Recipes
📖 Recipe
Vegan Spinach Artichoke Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
For the Pasta
- 2 cups dry macaroni gluten-free, if needed.
For the Tofu Cheese Sauce
- 14 ounces firm or extra firm tofu
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons miso or 1 to 2 more tablespoons nutritional yeast
- ¾ cup water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
For the Spinach Artichoke Pasta
- 12 ounce bag frozen spinach thawed and drained well
- 1 14 ounce can artichoke hearts drained and chopped
- 1 cup vegan mozzarella
- ¼ cup vegan parmesan or use my cheesy Fairy Dust
Instructions
Cook the pasta.
- Cook the macaroni according to the package directions and drain it. Also preheat the oven to 350° F. Thaw the spinach and chop the artichoke hearts, if you haven't already.
Meanwhile, make the tofu cheese sauce.
- Meanwhile, add all of the cheese sauce ingredients to a blender, and puree until completely smooth. Taste and adjust the flavor, adding more salt, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, and/or miso, if you like. The sauce is going to taste slightly beany at this point, but don't panic! That flavor will cook off when we bake the spinach artichoke mac and cheese in the oven.
Assemble and bake the spinach artichoke pasta.
- In a 9x11" or similar-sized baking dish, combine the pasta, tofu cream sauce, spinach, and artichoke hearts. When you add the spinach, use your hands to squeeze out any excess moisture. Toss well until it's mixed evenly, then even out the top.
- Sprinkle on the vegan mozzarella and vegan parmesan. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until the cheese melts to preference. Serve and enjoy!
Got a question? Tried this recipe? Leave a reply!