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.
Brigitte says
Sam you are the best vegan cook!!! I followed the recipe and I didn’t change anything , it’s the easiest, fastest mac&cheese i have ever made . I am not totally vegan because of my husband but everything I can cook with no dairy , cheese or milk I do . Next time I will add sauteed vegetables , my husband said it’s good , it’s different he didn’t even know there wasn’t any cheese!! Thanks for a quick weekday meal.....when you have nothing in the fridge .
Sam Turnbull says
Thank you so much, Brigitte!! Thrilled you and your husband enjoyed it so much 🙂
Meghan says
This is absolutely brilliant! Can't wait to try 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Thank you, Meghan!
Abbey says
Do you think almond flour would work? I never have gluten free flour on hand and I'm dying to try this recipe!!
Sam Turnbull says
Yes, almond flour should work well. Enjoy!
Ali says
Great, EASY recipe! Was craving something filling and comforting and fast! Used potato flour and coconut milk and added tons of veggies. Soooooo good! Thanks.
Sam Turnbull says
Awesome! So happy you enjoyed it, Ali 🙂
Deanna says
Thank you for sharing this recipe! It was so good and satisfied our mac & cheese cravings.
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful!!! So happy you loved it, Deanna 🙂
Cat says
If I wanted to bake the mac and cheese in the oven with breadcrumbs what temp/time would you recommend? Would I have to prep the dish or add any other ingredients to bake it?
Sam Turnbull says
I haven't tried that myself, but I would say probably 350F until the breadcrumbs are toasted. Enjoy!
April says
Is the sugar crucial? I feel like cheese powder should be as savory / zingy as possible and it just seems a bit odd. But I'm a total n00b so i could be totally wrong lol
Sam Turnbull says
I think adding the sugar makes it taste just right. 🙂
Liz says
This is genius! Finally tried it today and so glad I did. Thanks Sam! Btw, I sprinkled a half teaspoon of tomato powder instead of ketchup. Yum!
Sam Turnbull says
So very happy you love it, Liz 😉
DocSiders says
I've tried lots of vegan Mac-n-Cheese recipes. This is the first and only one that is more satisfying ...and tasty... than the "real thing"..
Thanks so much... I've missed this quickie staple.
DocSiders says
This cheesy sauce is going on EVERYTHING !!.
Sam Turnbull says
Wow that's so awesome!!! SO very happy you loved it so much 🙂
Jerusha Borden says
Oh my gosh. This is SO.DANG.GOOD. I've been a vegetarian for a decade, tried to switch to vegan about two years ago but got discouraged because the vegan cheese was less than stellar (maybe there are better brands, but in this part of the East Coast all I could find was Daiya). Two weeks ago, I decided to try again and on my first day discovered your site, watched some of your videos, bought your cookbook and tried all your cheeeese. And they're all so yummy and satisfy. Not looking back!! Thank you!!
Sam Turnbull says
Oh wow!!! Melt my vegan cheesy heart!! I'm so thrilled you are enjoying my cheese recipes so much. That's so incredibly awesome that you're sticking to veganism this time!! Let me know if you ever have any recipe requests, questions, or need any support 🙂
Debbie says
I've bought your cookbooks and I'm your biggest fan. I've made most of your recipes but this one is the BEST! It's so easy! I never thought I would get an easy Mac and cheze that I would love. Thank you!
Sam Turnbull says
Thank you so much for all of your support, Debbie! I'm so happy that I'm able to continue to wow you! 🙂
Lia says
What brand of lemon pepper do you use?
Sam Turnbull says
I don't have a preference but I currently have Presidents Choice brand which is a Canadian grocery story brand.
Wendy says
Omg I’ve made this for my lunch three days in a row now, it’s incredible! Ketchup for the win
Sam Turnbull says
Haha, that's awesome, Wendy. Yay ketchup!
DocSiders says
Oh, YES...KETCHUP !!
Evie says
Hi,
Any ideas for a substitution for the all purpose flour? I have oat flour, tapioca flour and buckwheat flour but I’m not sure how any of them will react.
Sam Turnbull says
I'm not an expert in gluten-free but out of those, I would go for oat flour. Enjoy!
Amanda says
I'm gluten free and used Trader Joe's all purpose flour. This turned out to be the best vegan mac n cheese I've ever had. Yum! I think the tapioca flour that is in TJ all purpose makes this mac n cheese gooey and stretchy so I would use it even if I wasn't gluten free.
Sam Turnbull says
That's great to know, thanks for sharing, Amanda 🙂
Renee Roberts says
Love this. You topped with ketchup. Not weird. I topped mine with vegan ranch and also sriracha 😉
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! Love it 🙂
Molly Drožda says
BAM! The comfort food of my childhood that I can be happy to eat as a more ethically aware adult. Thank you so much, Sam. I had some tapioca powder to increase the factor. I am really happy to have a jar of this in my pantry. It even makes cauliflower, when subbed in for the noodles, taste good.
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you love it!! 🙂
Caroline P says
I added a teaspoon of dry Mustard powder - it intensifies the cheesy bite.
Sam Turnbull says
Glad you enjoyed!
Marcelle says
Hi,
Quick question. Making your mac&cheese right now and I’m feeling that 1/4 cup of the powder for 1 cup maceroni seems a too small amount?! Am I wrong?
Sam Turnbull says
The measurements are correct as written. Enjoy!
Renee says
This is fantastic!! I made with almond milk. It was great. Just wondering if you have a preferred non dairy milk for this recipe. And yes please to a second book!!
Sam Turnbull says
Haha, thank you! My go-to non-dairy milk for everything is always soy (unless I specify). It's just my fave. But if you don't like soy then I wouldn't recommend it! Haha.
Jillian says
I made this for dinner twice this week! The first time I followed your recipe exactly. The second time I decided to add a little more nutritional yeast and a sprinkle of cumin, which I think made it even better! Thanks for the recipe- it's so quick and easy!
Sam Turnbull says
Glad you enjoyed