Author: I played around in my kitchen until I perfected my recipe for Homemade Vegan Mac & Cheese Powder! And it it the best!!
Why is boxed mac & cheese so good? Because it's convenient, quick, it patiently waits for you in the cupboard until hunger strikes, and it tastes gooooood. I've miss boxed mac & cheese in my life. Now there are definitely vegan boxed mac & cheese's available in health food store and online, and I've tried a few myself but I was always underwhelmed and thought I could probably do better. And so I did.
How fun is that!? It's all the fun. And it's oh so creamy, cheesy, vegan yummy, pasta perfection. ~drool~
Homemade Vegan Mac & Cheese Powder is super duper easy to make. Just add all the ingredients to a jar and shake. That's it! You can make as much or as little as of this mac and cheese powder as you like, and store it in the cupboard until a vegan mac and cheese craving strikes.
My recipe makes about 1 cup of powder which is enough for 4 cups of uncooked macaroni noodles (about 4 boxes). But feel free to multiply or reduce the recipe as you see fit. Then just store your jar of Homemade Vegan Mac & Cheese Powder in your pantry until ready for use.
Bonus points: my Homemade Vegan Mac & Cheese Powder recipe is completely nut-free, soy-free, oil-free, and with a gluten-free option. Making this recipe very allergy and whole-food plant-based friendly (just depending on which flour, plant-based milk, and pasta you choose to use).
The secret ingredient in this recipe is lemon pepper which adds a nice little sharpness to the creamy sauce, which really makes for a cheesy taste. Mix that with cheesy nutritional yeast, flour for thickening and for creaminess, and spices for flavouring and colour. Oooeee is this so simple and SO tasty.
It's convenient, quick, cupboard stable, and it tastes really, really, gooooood!!
Turn the heat back on to medium-high heat and whisk while cooking until the sauce thickens, 2 - 5 minutes. Add the cooked pasta to the pot along with the cheese sauce and stir to combine.
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Homemade Vegan Mac & Cheese Powder
Servings: (makes 1 cup of powder)
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Ingredients
To make homemade vegan mac & cheese powder:
- ¾ cup nutritional yeast
- ½ cup all-purpose flour, (sub whole wheat or all-purpose gluten-free flour if preferred)
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon lemon pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
To prepare vegan mac & cheese:
- 1 cup uncooked macaroni noodles, (gluten-free if preferred)
- ¾ cup plant-based milk, (such a s soy or almond)
- ¼ cup prepared Homemade Vegan Mac & Cheese Powder
Instructions
To make the vegan mac & cheese powder:
- Add all of the ingredients to an air-tight container. Stir or shake well to combine. Store in your pantry until needed.
To prepare vegan mac & cheese
- Cook the macaroni noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse the pasta. Return the pot to the stove (heat off) and pour in the plant-based milk and ¼ cup of Homemade Vegan Mac & Cheese Powder and whisk together. Turn the heat back on to medium-high heat and whisk while cooking until the sauce thickens, 2 - 5 minutes. Add the cooked pasta to the pot along with the cheese sauce and stir to combine.
Nutrition
⭐ Did You Make This Recipe?
I’d love if you left a rating and comment, it helps others find the recipe and makes my day! 💕Bon appetegan!
Sam.
Mimi says
This mix is delicious when following the recipe. For extra creaminess I used 1 cup of plant based milk and added 4 oz of shredded vegan cheese.
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Yum that sounds extra creamy and delicious! Love the addition of vegan cheese. Thanks so much for sharing Mimi!
Veg Mama says
looks good. Could I substitute coconut sugar for the white sugar? I know it will muddy the color, but I don't like white sugar.
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hi! Yes, coconut sugar works, but the color will be darker and the flavor slightly more caramel-y. Still delicious! 💛
emu says
sooo good (so much better than annie’s), thank you for sharing this recipe!!
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Yay! So glad you loved it! Thanks so much! 💛
Holly says
My family loves this recipe! For the powder I swap whole wheat flour for white wheat and make it with chickpea noodles for added protein. My 12 year old son cant get enough of it and always says it's way better than store bought box options.
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Yay! That makes me so happy Holly! So thrilled you and your son enjoy it, thank you for the review 🙂
Patricia G says
Amazing how these few simple ingredients can create something so delicious, so versatile and much healthier than the original.
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Yay! I am so happy you love it Patricia 🙂
Andi says
This recipe is a game changer and definitely a keeper. Made exactly as written. Tastes better than what’s available to purchase. Thank you!
Jess @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
We're so glad you like it!
Susan F barron says
I enjoyed this very much! It is quick and easy to do but I do not understand why the sodium count is so high for a serving. I went over the ingredients and my calculations did not match up, what am I missing.
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hi Susan, So happy you love it! Almost all the sodium comes directly from the salt, so you could adjust the salt to taste if preferred. I've also just updated the nutrition facts so that hopefully it is a little easier to understand. I hope that helps!
Carolyn says
Hits the spot! I tried a different recipe and it had a weird after taste and just didn't hit like this boxed Mac and cheese powder dupe. Now I can have my favorite junk food for cheaper and with higher quality noodles!
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Yay! SO happy you love it Carolyn! Thank you for the review 🙂
Theo says
Absolutely incredible! I was a bit skeptical but I shouldn't have been- it’s absolutely delicious and I’m so happy with it🧡
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Yay! So happy you love it Theo 🙂
Tom says
Hi Sam. I googled this recipe because the vegan Kraft mac and cheese, which is okay, is absurdly overpriced. I'll try yours soon, and I'm sure it's wonderful. I'll probably leave out the garlic powder because I think it's loathsome:)
As I'm sure you know, the boxed mac and cheese calls for 4 T. of margerine, which is probably not the healthiest, but it does make it good. Have you tried your powder following the directions on the Kraft box?
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hi Tom! I haven't tried it according to Kraft, just according to my own taste preferences. You can certainly add vegan margarine to your pasta when making the mac and cheese if you like. Just a heads up, garlic powder is just dehydrated and ground up garlic. Garlic salt on the other hand can contain a lot of other ingredients. Just in case you were confusing the two. Enjoy!