When it comes to macaroni and cheese, vegans have outstanding options. There are several packaged brands, and many vegan restaurants have it on the menu. Plus, there are all sorts of terrific mac and cheese recipes you can cook at home.
Vegan Macaroni and Cheese Recipes
Would you believe there’s an entire cookbook exclusively devoted to vegan mac and cheese recipes? Not only that, it’s a beautiful hardcover book loaded with quality photographs, from one of the vegan cooking world’s bestselling authors.
A little searching online will reveal numerous vegan mac and cheese recipes. Here’s by far the most popular version (with nearly two million views!): a two-minute BuzzFeed video for what the site immodestly proclaims as, “The BEST Vegan Mac & Cheese You Will Ever Have.”
If you’re cooking from scratch, you can just boil up some macaroni and mix in your favorite homemade or store-bought vegan cheese. Discover an impressive variety of delicious products on my vegan cheese page.
Prior to serving, baking your mac and cheese in a ramekin—while slightly browning its top—will dramatically improve texture and flavors.
Vegan Boxed Mac and Cheese
With so many boxed vegan brands on the market, you’re sure to find one you enjoy. Since they don’t require refrigeration, these are excellent products to stock in your pantry for emergencies. You can order most of them directly from Amazon.com.
- Annie’s: Vegan Mac
- Daiya Foods: Cheezy Mac (available in five varieties)
- O Organics (Safeway’s house brand): Vegan Mac
- Upton’s Naturals: Ch’eesy Mac
Daiya Foods also sells a Deluxe Cheeze Sauce that you can mix into your own macaroni. Since dried macaroni is dirt cheap, Daiya’s sauce product offers the convenience of boxed mac and cheese products at a substantial savings.
Frozen Vegan Mac and Cheese
Frozen mac and cheese brands are a couple notches above boxed products in quality, and are priced accordingly. Instead of a cheezy sauce, frozen products typically involve vegan cheese that melts during cooking. You can bake these products in the oven, which takes more time than microwaving but elevates the texture to another level:
- Cedarlane: Mac & Cheeze (butternut squash or pumpkin)
- Field Roast: Mac ‘N Chao.
- Amy’s Kitchen: Rice Macaroni with Dairy Free Cheeze.
In the United States, you can find these brands at many natural food stores and at Whole Foods Market.
Diving Deeper Into Italian Cooking
Macaroni and cheese is a classic Italian dish. If it’s among your favorite meals, you will certainly enjoy sampling other classic Italian foods. See my guide to Italian cuisine to become acquainted with key dishes, ingredients, and cooking methods.
