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    Home » Recipes » Recipes

    February 12, 2020 53 Comments

    Vegan Truffle Mac and Cheese

    5.3K shares
    Jump to Recipe

    Want a dinner that feels fancy and like comfort food all at the same time? Hello, vegan truffle mac and cheese!! Adding truffle oil to this creamy pasta adds an air of elegance but this recipe secretly super easy to prepare. It takes just 10 ingredients and only 20 minutes to make! The perfect dish for a special occasion without the stress of complicated cooking.

    Vegan Truffle Mac and Cheese! 10 ingredients, 20 minutes to make. This dairy-free pasta tastes super fancy but is actually super easy to make. Perfect for Valentine's day, anniversaries, celebrations, and date night. #itdoesnttastelikechicken #veganrecipes

    Valentine's day, anniversaries, celebrations, and date night are all fantastic times to serve vegan truffle mac and cheese. But once you taste it, it's so delicious that you're going to want to make it every night.

    The simple dairy-free sauce is made using cashews for creaminess, white miso paste for an aged umami taste, and truffle-infused olive oil for the perfect creamy, luscious mac and cheese.

    Vegan Truffle Mac and Cheese! 10 ingredients, 20 minutes to make. This dairy-free pasta tastes super fancy but is actually super easy to make. Perfect for Valentine's day, anniversaries, celebrations, and date night. #itdoesnttastelikechicken #veganrecipes

    This sauce is so good, it would also be wonderful drizzled over cooked veggies such as cauliflower, broccoli, or baked potatoes.

    If you're not into the truffle flavour you can omit the oil and make a simple creamy pasta. Or for the classic boxed mac & cheese taste, try making my homemade vegan mac & cheese powder.

    To make Vegan Truffle Mac & Cheese:

    Make the 10 ingredient sauce for a creamy dairy-free sauce.

    If you have a high powdered blender such as a Vitamix, Blendtec, or Breville you can skip to the next step. If you don’t have a high-powered blender, you might want to boil the cashews first to ensure they are tender enough to blend into a smooth sauce. To do this add the cashews to a small pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes until the cashews are very tender. Drain and rinse with cold water. You can now proceed to make the cheese sauce.

    Make the cheese sauce by adding 2 cups of water along with the cashews, nutritional yeast, cornstarch, miso paste, truffle oil, salt, garlic powder, and pepper to your blender until it is completely smooth. At this stage, the sauce will be quite watery. Set aside.

    Once cooked the sauce thickens gorgeously.

    Bring a large pot of water to a boil and then cook the pasta according to package directions.
    Drain the pasta and quickly rinse the pot to remove any leftover starch from the pasta water. Return the empty pot to the heat and pour in the cheese sauce. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently and scraping the bottom of the pan with a spatula until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes.

    Then just toss the hot pasta into the sauce and be amazed at how creamy this vegan mac and cheese is.

    Add the cooked hot pasta to the sauce and toss to coat for the most delicious vegan truffle mac and cheese ever! Serve hot.

    Vegan Truffle Mac and Cheese! 10 ingredients, 20 minutes to make. This dairy-free pasta tastes super fancy but is actually super easy to make. Perfect for Valentine's day, anniversaries, celebrations, and date night. #itdoesnttastelikechicken #veganrecipes

    I love to add a crack of fresh pepper to mine, but you could also garnish with some freshly chopped parsley, an extra drizzle of truffle oil, or just enjoy as is.

    Bon appetegan!

    Sam Turnbull

    Print Recipe
    4.97 from 33 votes

    Vegan Truffle Mac & Cheese

    10 ingredients, 20 minutes to make. This dairy-free pasta tastes super fancy but is actually super easy to make. Perfect for Valentine's day, anniversaries, celebrations, and date night.
    Prep Time5 mins
    Cook Time15 mins
    Total Time20 mins
    Course: Main Course, Pasta
    Cuisine: Italian
    ingredient tag: noodles & pasta
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 455kcal
    Author: Sam Turnbull • It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken

    Ingredients

    • 2 cups water
    • ½ cup raw cashews
    • ¼ cup nutritional yeast
    • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
    • 1 tablespoon white miso paste
    • 1 tablespoon truffle olive oil
    • ¾ teaspoon salt
    • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
    • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
    • 3 cups short pasta such as shells or macaroni (gluten-free if preferred)
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    Instructions

    • If you have a high powdered blender such as a Vitamix, Blendtec, or Breville you can skip to step 2. If you don’t have a high-powered blender, you might want to boil the cashews first to ensure they are tender enough to blend into a smooth sauce. To do this add the cashews to a small pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes until the cashews are very tender. Drain and rinse with cold water. You can now proceed to make the cheese sauce.
    • Make the cheese sauce by adding 2 cups of water along with the cashews, nutritional yeast, cornstarch, miso paste, truffle oil, salt, garlic powder, and pepper to your blender until it is completely smooth. At this stage, the sauce will be quite watery. Set aside.
    • Bring a large pot of water to a boil and then cook the pasta according to package directions.
    • Drain the pasta and quickly rinse the pot to remove any leftover starch from the pasta water. Return the empty pot to the heat and pour in the cheese sauce. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently and scraping the bottom of the pan with a spatula until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Add the cooked hot pasta to the sauce and toss to coat. Serve hot.

    Notes

    Cashews - you can sub cashews for blanched almonds or macadamia nuts. Sunflower seeds might also work, although it might add a green tinge to the pasta.
    Cornstarch - you can sub equal amounts tapioca starch, or arrowroot starch.
    Truffle oil- truffle oil may vary in strength so you are welcome to start with less and add more to taste once the sauce is cooked and thickened. If you want to skip the truffle oil you can enjoy a simple creamy pasta.
    Miso paste - adds and aged fermented flavour which really makes this taste cheesy. I recommend you pick some up. It stores well for up to a year.
    Nutritional yeast - adds a nutty cheesy flaovur, and is essential for this recipe. I also recommend picking some up, it stores well for up to 2 years.
    Make ahead - the cheese sauce can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge in an air-tight container for 2 - 3 days. Simply reheat and toss with hot pasta when ready to serve. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving (recipe makes 4 servings) | Calories: 455kcal | Carbohydrates: 72g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 608mg | Potassium: 346mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 2mg
    Did You Make This Recipe?Tag @itdoesnttastelikechicken on Instagram and Hashtag #itdoesnttastelikechicken
    « Vegan Red Velvet Cake
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jill says

      January 18, 2022 at 6:33 pm

      5 stars
      Wow! Fast and delicious Put it on top of chickpea pasta. This gets our top rating of 4 stars. Thanks for another great recipe.

      Reply
    2. Lisa says

      January 09, 2022 at 6:07 pm

      5 stars
      I’ve made this several times now and I’m not sure if I’ve left a review or not… this has to be one of my all time favorite dishes. Not just vegan, but all dishes. It’s so flavorful and creamy. I have a really hard time sharing it with my husband and we never have any leftovers. I keep thinking I want to use this as a base for a spinach artichoke dip but then I crave the pasta when I make it 🙂

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        January 25, 2022 at 4:09 pm

        Aww thank you so much Lisa!! What a compliment 🙂

        Reply
    3. Lynne says

      November 27, 2021 at 3:27 pm

      5 stars
      I have been making this fabulous recipe for a year and thought it was about time to compliment you on how delicious it is. We make your Mushroom Bacon (doubled) and add it, which moves this recipe into the stratosphere! I make minor changes:
      1) I use soy milk instead of water in order to increase the protein.
      2) I don't use any cornstarch as we found that is was way too thick for leftovers.
      3) I double the Truffle Olive Oil -- it's an amazing flavour boost.
      We love your recipes and I am always excited to try them. This recipe is one we use for non-vegan guests and they are always blown away by how fabulous it is. Thank you for all the research, testing, and the amazing results you produce. You make being a vegan a delicious life choice!!

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        December 06, 2021 at 3:30 pm

        So thrilled you love it so much Lynne!

        Reply
    4. Korin says

      July 03, 2021 at 1:50 pm

      Sauce is amazing!!!Can you freeze the sauce also?

      Reply
    5. Starsha Bingman says

      May 24, 2021 at 1:23 am

      5 stars
      This was DELICIOUS!! My whole family loved this !! Even my 3 year old! Easy to make and fun to try HIGHLY recommended! I added smoked paprika and broccoli to mine! Will make again and again

      Reply
    6. Taylor Tutkowski says

      May 19, 2021 at 3:48 pm

      Hi! I'm planning on making this tomorrow, was wondering if the recipe calls for 3 cups noodles uncooked or 3 cups after cooking? Thanks, looks great!

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        May 21, 2021 at 9:00 am

        3 Cups uncooked noodles 🙂

        Reply
    7. AW says

      February 26, 2021 at 8:54 pm

      Really simple, thickens like magic! It reminded me of my gram's (non-vegan) mac n cheese soup. I added a bit of seasoning salt and omg it was so good! My hubby and I ate it all while waiting for our son to come down to dinner. You snooze you lose! No leftovers.

      Reply
    8. Rosemary Ripley says

      February 05, 2021 at 2:37 pm

      5 stars
      Another ‘top drawer’ recipe from Sam. She is my go-to cook, always fails safe recipes and I really appreciate that she will answer any queries you have. (not all chefs take the trouble). Looking forward to your next book Sam!

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        February 09, 2021 at 11:18 am

        Thank you so much, Rosemary! 🙂

        Reply
    9. Dawn W says

      January 27, 2021 at 7:18 pm

      5 stars
      I made this tonight. OMG! Definitely won't be my last time making it. I love that it's so easy! I'm currently talking myself out of eating the portion I put away for tomorrow's lunch!

      Reply
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