Old-fashioned, Vegan Baked Macaroni and Cheese made from scratch is a family favorite: rich, creamy, decadent, and perfect with a side of air fryer tofu and your favorite greens.
Servings 4
Author Becky Striepe
Ingredients
2cupsuncooked macaronior your favorite bite-sized pasta, gluten-free is fine
Cook the macaroni according to package directions. Drain. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Heat the butter in a Dutch oven on medium-low heat. When it's completely melted, add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until you've got a thick paste. This takes about 3 minutes.
Slowly add the vegan milk, whisking out any lumps as you go. Once all of the milk is in the pan, add the spices, salt, and pepper.
Bump the heat up to medium, and simmer, stirring frequently, for 15 minutes. Keep an eye out, because like cow's milk, vegan milk will get a skin on top if you don't stir often enough. You may need to lower the heat once you get to a simmer to keep it slow and steady - you don't want a rolling boil.
Remove the pan from the heat, and while the milk mixture is still hot, add 1 cup of the shredded vegan cheese, stirring to melt. Add the cooked macaroni, stirring to get a nice, even mix.
Spread the remaining 1 cup of vegan cheese over the top of the macaroni mixture, and bake for 30 minutes.
Video
Notes
This recipe is quickest if you boil the macaroni in a separate pan from the one you use to make the cheese sauce, so you can do both at once. If you'd like to do it in one pan, though, to have fewer dishes, you definitely can! Just make the pasta first, then make the cheese sauce while it drains.No-bake option: If you don't want to bake this, that's fine! Just add all of the cheese to the cheese sauce, instead of reserving half for topping. Then, after you fold the pasta into the cheese sauce, you can serve right away.Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. They will keep for three to four days. Dish up your portion of leftovers, and reheat them in the microwave on high for 1-2 minutes.