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.
Greyson says
I made this today and wow. It honestly blew my mind. I’ve tried every Mac and cheese recipe known to man, but they’ve all just been “okay.” Cauliflower, cashew, you name it. Unfortunately I didn’t have any paprika on hand, but I was really anxious to try this, so I just omitted it. I wanted SOME kick to it though so I added about a teaspoon of crushed red pepper. I’m definitely going to try it with the paprika next time, though. Also, I added a bit more salt, as well as a few squirts of mustard for a more cheesy twang (I would’ve put mustard powder in the powder mix but I’m also out of that.. lol). Overall, this recipe is really good and also very easy, and by far better than any vegan Mac I’ve ever tried. Kudos to you!
Sam Turnbull says
That's wonderful, Greyson! So happy you found the vegan mac & cheese recipe that you love!!
Becca says
Hey.. how much of the powder is 1 serving for 84 calories and does that include the milk?
Sam Turnbull says
About 1/4 cup of the powder is 84 calories. The macaroni and non-dairy milk will add more depending on the type you use. Enjoy!
Lauren says
This stuff is SO. GOOD. I'll admit I was skeptical but it's magic. The consistency is like mac n cheese. I also like to mix some vegan pesto from Trader Joes in with it for cheesy pesto sauce. Makes last minute dinner a breeze. Love it. Thank you for sharing!
Sam Turnbull says
You're most welcome! Thrilled you love it so much, Lauren 🙂
Kate says
Could I use oat milk when making up the sauce, or would it congeal? I just discovered this recipe and want to try it tonight, but I don't have any soy milk or almond milk on hand. Thanks!
Sam Turnbull says
Any non-dairy milk you like will work just fine. Enjoy!
Traci says
Amazing recipe! I have finally found the best Mac and Cheese recipe! Thank you!
Sam Turnbull says
Woot woot!! Thrilled you loved it so much 🙂
Chandos K says
Okay so I ADORE how easy it is and the flavor is spot on! Just one hitch, mine keeps coming out a bit gritty. Thoughts? Thank you!
Sam Turnbull says
Hmm there is nothing in this recipe that is gritty... unless some of your spices are in large chunks? You could try tossing the mix in a coffee grinder to make it into a finer powder. Hope that helps!
Amy says
Gah I don’t have tumeric. Is it for colour or flavour??????
P.s Adore you Sam!
Sam Turnbull says
Colour 🙂 Thank you!!!
Melanie says
This is wonderful! I'm not vegan, but I am dairy free and gluten free. I made a huge batch (4x) of this for Thanksging tomorrow. I ate a huge bowl right out of the pan. The rest is in a casserole dish topped with vegan cheese ready to be baked and broiled. So good. Thank you!
Sam Turnbull says
Oh yum!!!! Now I want that! Thrilled you love it so much, Melanie 🙂
Melanie says
I continue to make this again and again. I'm doing vegan Fridays for lent and I knew this dish had to be in the roundup. I make a big batch of the powder and keep it in a mason jar with the recipe taped to the side. I like to add veggies and a glob of vegan butter. Thanks again!
Sam Turnbull says
Amazing!! Thrilled it's such a hit, Melanie 🙂
Aliyah says
Omg.......this was sooooo good.....I substituted the regular paprika for smoked and it was over the top.....I made it yesterday and again today......it was actually so easy I took the ingredients with me to work and made it at work ......I am going to make this for thanksgiving also
It reminded me of making Kraft Mac n cheese which I haven't had in 20 years....I love recipes that are simple and economical so ill be making more of your recipes
Sam Turnbull says
That's awesome, Aliyah! Thrilled you are enjoying my recipes so much 🙂
Yvonne says
I've been craving mac+cheese for months and since I don't eat cashews, I thought my craving would be just that, a craving! I searched out your recipe and although skeptical gave it a try. Man, I'm so glad I tried it because it was freaking delicious! I love that I have extra "cheese" powder on hand for when the craving hits again!! Thanks for sharing this amazing
Sam Turnbull says
You're most welcome, Yvonne! Thrilled you were able to enjoy a cashew-free vegan mac and cheese!
Todd says
We made this tonight, it was pretty good but next time I'm going to add some BBQ spices, I think that will really make it fantastic.
We really wanted it to taste like real mac and cheese and while it was good, I would not say it has a very cheesy taste like the real thing.
Sam Turnbull says
BBq mac and cheese, sounds good!
Jake says
I made this tonight! I cannot recommend this enough. I bought a mason jar at the grocery store, so I could store it. Followed the exact recipe as listed. Thank you so much! 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
You're most welcome, Jake 🙂
DJ says
Vegan mac & cheese is one of my favorite go-to comfort foods, thanks for making it so simple!
Sam Turnbull says
You're most welcome, DJ
hannah says
do you Think i could use Brown sugar or date sweetener instead of the white sugar? 🙂
Cap'n Dave says
I was thinking the same, but using raw cane sugar. I don't see why not, really.
Sam Turnbull says
Sure!
John says
This turned out pretty good! Thanks!
Sam Turnbull says
You're welcome!
Jennifer says
Eating this now and it is sooo good! I used cassava flour and it seemed to work well. This is great for those comfort food craving nights! Thanks for the recipe... cant wait to try your other ones!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! Thrilled you are loving it so much, Jennifer 🙂
Katy says
I love this! I made it for the first time last Tuesday and ended up making it again on Saturday 😀 so delicious! I added leeks, broccoli and vegan bacon bits to ours and ended up making a double batch of the mix to keep me going!
Sam Turnbull says
Woohoo!!! Thrilled you loved it so much, Katy 🙂
Kyla says
This was so quick and easy! My husband was wary because we went to an expensive all vegan restaurant in Kansas City last month and their mac and cheese was just ok. He took a bite of this and went this is way better! I love the convenience that you can make most of it ahead of time so you can always have it fresh! Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! I love that story!! Thrilled you and your husband love it so much, Kyla 🙂
Leanna says
Excellent! This is SO much better than boxed mac & cheese - hands down. In fact, it's even better than some of the "real" mac & cheese I've had during my pre-vegan days. Well done!
Sam Turnbull says
Woohoo!! Love it 🙂
patricia says
a superfast, tasty recipe! we buy shaped pasta like farfalle and rotini in bulk to avoid unnecessary packaging. this recipe makes it as easy for the kids to make mac and cheese as making it from a box. thanks!
Sam Turnbull says
Thrilled you enjoy it, Patricia 🙂