This post contains affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.
Creamy, smoky vegan mac and cheese topped with cheesy-crunchy breadcrumbs is an easy, delicious side dish. Just cook the pasta, mix the sauce ingredients in the baking dish, mix in pasta, top with breadcrumb topping, bake and done! I give you lots of options for toppings and mix-ins to make it your own!
Table of Contents
This is a super easy smoky vegan mac and cheese. You cook your pasta, then mix this sauce right in the baking dish and add your cooked pasta to it. Even it out, then top it with this amazing, cheesy breadcrumb mixture and bake until golden and bubbly.
It is a super flexible recipe; you can change up the flavors as you like. Reduce the smoked paprika for a less smoky flavor or add in some mustard for more tang. Use extra black pepper for black pepper mac and cheese. You can add in chopped jalapeños, too, for a spicy jalapeño mac! Or stir in some buffalo sauce or cajun spice for different flavors. Keep this pasta bake handy for weeknight meals!
The sauce has a mix of herbs, spices, some flour, non dairy milk, and non dairy yogurt or cream cheese or sour cream. It comes together in the pan itself and is perfect with any cooked pasta. Serve with my Crispy tofu or tofu schnitzels or my lentil loaf or chickpea loaf.
Why You’ll Love Smoky Mac and Cheese
- easy, comfort food side dish
- smoky, creamy sauce bakes in the oven – no pre-cooking needed!
- crunchy, cheesy breadcrumb topping
- delicious, smoky flavor
- easy to make soy-free, nut-free, and gluten-free
More Vegan Mac and Cheese Recipes
Smoky Vegan Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 6 ounces macaroni, or other pasta, cooked according to package directions and drained and rinsed in cold water
For the Sauce
- 1/2 cup non-dairy sour cream, or yogurt or cream cheese
- 1 teaspoon yellow miso, , use chickpea miso for Soyfree
- 2 teaspoons ketchup, or tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 3/4 cup warm non-dairy milk
- 1/4 cup vegan cheese, like a mix of cheddar and mozzarella or cheddar and vegan Parmesan
For the Breadcrumb Topping
- 1/2 – 3/4 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup vegan cheese,, such as a mix of cheddar and vegan Parmesan
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, depending on how smoky you want the topping
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400° F (205° C) and cook your pasta according to instructions on the package, if you haven't already. (Add the pasta to a large pot of boiling water, and mix and cook until the pasta is a bit more than al dente. ) Drain and rinse with room temperature water, and set aside. (I usually cook the pasta when ready to bake as it reduces the bake time)
Make the sauce.
- In a 9×11” or similar-sized baking dish, add the non-dairy sour cream, miso, and ketchup, half of the non dairy milk, and mix really well. Be sure to mix the miso in to the mixture well, because otherwise later it will just be a blob in the entire sauce.
- Mix in all of the spices, salt, and the flour and mix in.
- Add in the remaining non-dairy milk, vegan cheese and mix. Add your cooked pasta, and toss well to a coat. If the sauce is too thick or not feeling like enough sauce for your pasta, add in 1/4 cup more non-dairy milk and mix. Then even out the top of the casserole with the spatula and make the topping .
Make the breadcrumb topping and bake.
- In a small bowl, add all of the topping ingredients, except the olive oil, and mix really well. Then, drizzle the olive oil onto the mixture and mix in.
- Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the baking dish, and even out the top of with a spatula
- Bake for 14-17 minutes, until the top is golden and the sauce is starting to get nice and bubbly. You might need more or less cooking time, based on your baking dish and your oven.
- Remove the baking dish from the oven, and garnish with fresh herbs and optional pepper flakes. Serve immediately and enjoy.
Video
Notes
- Add in some sliced jalapeño to the sauce and on top, for jalapeño mac and cheese.
- fold some blanched broccoli into the mac and cheese just before baking.
- Use extra black pepper for black pepper mac and cheese.
- Stir in some buffalo sauce or cajun spice for different flavors
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- macaroni – Or use your favorite bite-sized pasta. Choose gluten-free, if needed.
- non-dairy sour cream – Adds creaminess to the sauce. You can use vegan yogurt or cream cheese, if you prefer. Choose nut-free and/or soy-free, if needed.
- yellow miso – Adds a cheesy, umami flavor. Use chickpea miso for Soyfree
- ketchup – Or use tomato paste. Adds umami and color to the sauce.
- ground spices – Onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, and paprika season the sauce. You’re using smoked paprika and onion powder in the breadcrumb topping, too!
- flour – To thicken the sauce in the oven. Use cornstarch instead for gluten-free.
- non-dairy milk – Adds moisture and creaminess to the sauce. Choose nut-free and/or soy-free, if needed.
- vegan cheese – We are adding cheese to the sauce and the topping for maximum cheesiness! Choose nut-free and/or soy-free, if needed.
- breadcrumbs – For the topping. Use gluten-free, if needed.
- olive oil – Helps the topping brown in the oven.
💡 Tips
- When you add the miso to the pan, mix it in really well, because it won’t dissolve during baking otherwise.
- Save time by prepping the sauce and breadcrumb topping while the pasta cooks.
How to Make Smoky Mac and Cheese
Preheat the oven to 400° F (205° C) and cook your pasta according to instructions on the package, if you haven’t already. (Add the pasta to a large pot of boiling water, and mix and cook until the pasta is a cooked bit more than al dente). Drain and rinse with cold water, and set aside.
In a 9×11” or similar-sized baking dish, add the non-dairy sour cream, half of the non dairy milk, miso, and ketchup and mix really well. Be sure to mix the miso in to the mixture well, because otherwise later it will just be a blob in the entire sauce.
Mix in all of the spices, salt, and the flour and mix in.
Add in the remaining non-dairy milk, and mix well, then fold in the cheese.
Add your cooked pasta, and toss well to a coat. If the sauce is too thick or not feeling like enough sauce for your pasta, add in 1/4 cup more non-dairy milk. Then even out the top of the casserole with the spatula and make the topping .
In a small bowl, add all of the topping ingredients, except the olive oil, and mix really well. Then, drizzle the olive oil onto the mixture and mix in.
Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the baking dish, and even out the top of with a spatula again.
Bake for 30 minutes, until the top is golden and the sauce is starting to get nice and bubbly. You might need more or less cooking time, based on your baking dish and your oven.
Remove the baking dish from the oven, and garnish with fresh herbs. Serve immediately and enjoy.
Frequently Asked Questions
This is a soy-free recipe, if you use a soy-free non-dairy sour cream, non-dairy milk, and cheese.
To make it gluten-free, use gluten-free breadcrumbs and gluten-free pasta and cornstarch or other starch instead of flour.
To make it nut-free, use a nut-free vegan cheese, non-dairy sour cream, and non-dairy milk.
Vegan mac and cheese is great served with some of my crispy tofu, tofu nuggets, crisped up vegan chicken, grilled portobello mushrooms, or plant-based protein of choice.
Fold some blanched broccoli into the mac and cheese just before baking. You can also top with sliced jalapeño for some heat and extra veggies.
This recipe is just perfect! Thanks!
So happy to hear!
We made this tonight and it was very simple and turned out very smoky and cheesy. We followed the recipe except for making the alteration suggested to use cream cheese instead of sour cream (house preference) and it came together quickly. It served six as recipe suggests (3 meals for us and lunch tomorrow!) thanks for the wonderful new recipe to our rotation.
Yay!!
170g macaroni for 6 servings ? It seems wrong.
It is not per serving?
It’s as a side for nutrition calculation. You can serve 2 or more as a serving.
Not just easy to make, really delicious. My husband can’t stop raving about it and wants it weekly. The 1 small change I would make is less bread crumbs otherwise a win!
Yay!! You know it’s good when the whole family loves it.
Delicious! Made it with smoked paprika.
Yum!
Thanks for the recipe. It looks really good – I will look forward to making it later this week.