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.
Jen says
I really liked this recipe. I try not to eat cashews due to the fat content and I passionately dislike those potato/carrot mac recipes. This one was perfect. Add hot sauce and broccoli for a kick!
Carolyn Clark says
I have been eating primarily vegetarian/plant-based for the last 30 + years, but during the last couple of years, I switched to ~ 98% less dairy in my diet due to the horrendous nature of the dairy industry. In my dairy-eating days, boxed Mac n cheese, especially wet the gooey cheese were my favorite go-to comfort food. So when I started drastically reducing my dairy intake, I bought boxed vegan Mac and cheeze. This recipe is hands down better than the many different vegan brands that I tried. And, I appreciate that I can make just a bit at once since it's fattening and I don't want to eat too much of it very often. Thank you, Sam!
Tina says
I'm making dip and rub seasoning mixes as holiday gifts this year. One is for a Chili Bacon Cheddar dip and I was wondering if I could replace the cheese powder with this Cheez powder? I ask because the dip will not be cooked like the cheez sauce is when used in macaroni & cheez.
Thanks for your help!
Phil says
Ok, this is officially the best cheesy sauce in the world with one small addition: 2 tsp Deliciou Cheese Powder. Cheating I know, but all is fair in love, war and vegan recipes.
My three kids are non-vegan standard americans and this actually had them pleading with mommy to make every day over you'll never guess it? Yes, brown rice!
Kirsty says
How do you know how much the final meal serves?
This is delicious!
Barb Matthews says
I often make this into a meal by adding leftover veggies and plant-based "meats" to the boiling water after the pasta is cooked. Always have some of this on hand!!
Brandon says
Assembling the mac and cheese powder is incredibly easy as is cooking it to a cheesy, melty consistency for macaroni. I'm not going to lie; it doesn't exactly take the place of Velveta mac and cheese (understandably not a vegan item), but take this recipe as a stand-alone meal, and it is wonderful. As I said, easy to make, and the flavor is cheesy with depths of other flavors. I'll be using this cheese powder over steamed broccoli in the future.
Kim says
This is sooo good!!!
Vicky says
This is quite delicious! I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions for using this recipe in a microwave? I am traveling and was thinking of packing this to make for my little toddler. Thanks so much!
Susan says
Vicky, I would think you'd just need to microwave your plant milk to warm it up enough, then mix in the vegan cheese powder.
Brenda says
Boxed mac & cheese remains one of the few packaged foods I continue to have a weakness for, but sometimes I don't have any, so I figured I'd give this a try. It definitely doesn't taste exactly the same, but it's very tasty (arguably, it tastes better, in fact, but cravings for crap food aren't always about objective quality!), full of way less stuff that is undoubtedly wildly unhealthy, and just as quick & easy as a box. So while it won't replace my beloved boxed crap, it is an excellent alternative to have on hand. I've just about wiped out my first batch, and I'll definitely be making more!
Jill Kiesow says
Terrific!
Mark Gailmor says
Sam, I can't remember if I've commented before but I love this recipe. First off, I love that it has no cashews as they are crazy expensive. And you made this recipe affordable for the masses.
Second, I made a few amendments to your recipe. Your recipe was too sweet for my personal taste so I went with 1/2 TB of sugar. Also, I subbed smoked paprika for regular paprika and it adds an extra depth.
Finally, I made one more change. I use a full cup of plant based milk because I like my sauce a little thinner. Even with a cup, it will thicken a bit more once it hits the macaroni.
Anyway, this is a super easy and fun recipe. I buy my nooch online from bulkfoods. This way I can make up a full quart or even half gallon jar and I have enough mac & cheese powder for when I have a craving.
Thanks again for a delightful recipe.
Cheers,
Mark
Julie says
I dont use garlic/onion powders, but fried some along with a small amount of chopped pepper, mushrooms and peas to give it some colour and texture. Sprinkled toasted breadcrumbs with oregano on the top. A great idea to combine all dry ingredients, will use when camping.
Marsha says
I was wondering if I could use almond flour? This looks really good and I have whole wheat flour and know that will thicken the sauce, but I’m not sure about almond flour. I know it’s supposed to be nut free, but I thought almond flour would give it a little richer taste, if you know what I mean. I love the idea about taking it camping!
Ida says
Hi Marsha,
Almond flour will not have the same thickening effect as plain flour, so you really shouldn't swap them (though gluten free flours will work fine; like plain blends, brown rice, or tapioca flour which will add a nice stretchiness to the mac n cheese).
I would suggest if you want a richer flavour, add a tablespoon or so of almond butter or tahini when you cook it up. I hope this is helpful!
Jan says
Looks delicious! We can’t have nightshades so would it taste ok without the paprika or is there a substitution you could suggest? Thanks!
Maryanne chrisman says
As a recent nightshade-free apostle, I find Adobo seasoning can easily take the place of paprika. In fact, when with our whole family, this is one of their favorite seasonings!
Jan says
Thanks Maryanne!
Jan says
Great to know Maryanne!
Dre says
I'm calculating the calories for fitness reasons but I keep getting 190 calories per serving using the same measurements and ingredients for 4 servicing,
Am I doing this wrong hah?
Patty says
I think it's more like 6 servings - if you add up the ingredients, it's about 1-1/2 cups of powder when combined.
Toni says
So, this is sort of two separate recipes, might be the problem. The 'cheez' powder is first, it makes a bunch, most of which you put into a jar on a pantry shelf for the next four times you make the meal. In order to make the meal itself, you put ONE-QUARTER CUP of the powder into your cooked pasta. Sooo...if you counted the entire 3/4 c nooch, all of the flour and sugar, in your 4 servings, that may be your calorie problem, since most of it gets left in the jar for successive batches. Just guessing, but an easy mistake to make!
Dre says
I understood that part. But thank you
Valerie says
I've tried a lot of vegan mac and cheese recipes over that last 30 years. This one tops them all for ease,quick, tasty, low fat, and all of that. Can't wait to take this one camping. Perfect for that.
Jessica says
I've been making your recipes for a couple years now and I can't believe it's taken me this long to make this. It's delicious and I love that I can just keep it in the pantry for a quick meal. I like to cook broccoli, peas and zucchini to have on the side so I don't feel quite so guilty for inhaling the entire bowl.
Rosanne says
This is amazing. So happy I found you and your so many good new recipes to try. Will make many more of them, and this powder will go into a big big jar in my staple food/ basics pantry!
Sam Turnbull says
Amazing! Enjoy!
Kelly A says
The first time I made this I didn't have lemon pepper, so I subbed lemon juice crystals. Not good. I made this today with lemon pepper and found I had no turmeric, so I omitted it. The color was ok, just not the traditional bright orange. Really good! Not sure it tastes cheesy, but it has a really good flavor. A little salty for my taste, but that could just be me.
Rachael says
I substituted tapioca starch for half the flour. I also added mustard powder. Delicious!
Si Bon says
Ohhhhhhh , I think I am going to try your substitutes
Irene says
I think the mustard powder is the "kick" I need. I will do that! Thanks!
Mike says
Hi Shannon,
I just connected and am going over some of your ideas, and they all look great.
In regards to the Nutritional Yeast you refer to, what do I do if it's not available in my country or at the link you shared anymore ?
Can I use just any yeast ? Like the kind I use for the bread we make ?
Judy H says
Mike, I'm not the author, but I wanted to be sure you receive a reply. Nutritional yeast is not the same as bread yeast. Please don't try to substitute - the result would not be remotely the same.
Mike says
Hi Judy,
Thank you for letting me know.
I have not found Nutritional Yeast at all in any of the stores here in Israel, so I suppose I'll have to find it some other way.
My daughter is asking that I make this for her.
So again, thanks.
Sabine Finney says
In Germany nutritional yeast is called „hefeflocken“ which literally translates to yeast flakes.
Maybe that helps.
Usually it can be found in health Food Stores or supplement stores. I don’t know if that helps. Good luck.
Faith says
You may want to order it. Amazon maybe?
Mike says
Hi, I found it in a vegan store here in the end, so I can now give it a try and see if my daughter likes it or not.
Tina says
Mike,
We call it nutritional yeast in the US. If you live in another country, it's probably called B12 flakes. Try looking for that.
Sarah says
This is the best mac and cheese I've tried. It has become my go to and it's so easy to make!