14 Ingredients To Upgrade Your Vegan Mac And Cheese

There's nothing more comforting than a big bowl of ooey-gooey mac and cheese. However, if you're lactose intolerant, plant-based, or vegan, you might find that tracking down a comparable alternative is tricky. Yes, we've come a long way from the days of rice milk and soy patties, but we haven't quite hit the nail on the head with vegan cheese. Vegan mayo? Yes. Butter? You bet! But cheeze has a little ways to go. Luckily, you can make a pretty believable macaroni and cheese sauce using whole and nutrient-dense ingredients, but it won't be as simple as dumping out a powder packet from a blue box of noodles.

As a plant-based chef and recipe designer, I am always searching for the best vegan macaroni and cheese recipe. It's one that might taste slightly different than one made with melted Vermont cheddar, but it gets the job done in its own plant-based way. I've come to find that with a certain combination of ingredients, you can create your own creamy dreamy macaroni recipe that hits home. And most importantly, what tastes good is subjective, so it's important to spice your recipe up with ingredients that you find familiar. For example, if your mother used to top your mac and cheese with smoky barbecue sauce, then grab that bottle and drizzle away. Let your culinary creativity shine.

Perhaps the most classic vegan ingredient to substitute in for the flavor of cheese is nutritional yeast. For those familiar with the product, this might be a no-brainer. For folks wondering why anyone would want their mac and cheese to rise in the oven, let me explain a few things. Unlike baking yeast, nutritional yeast is an inactive yeast loaded with deep umami flavors. Nutritional yeast, or "nooch," is light yellow in color, flaky, and can be found in the spice aisle of the grocery store. You can sprinkle it right onto your pasta in place of Parmesan or use it as an ingredient in your vegan mac sauce.

You should always have nutritional yeast in your pantry because it's not only an amazing cheese substitute, but it's also incredibly nutritious. When it comes to nooch, don't worry about using it in moderation. Use about ¼ a cup per serving of sauce. The overall nippy, nutty, and deeply savory flavor will mimic cheese beautifully. It's  an easy way to upgrade your vegan mac and cheese. The nip is similar to the sharpness of cheddar, so if you're a cheddar mac and cheese fan, nutritional yeast will be your new best friend.

Where do vegans get their protein? Those abstaining from meat and dairy will roll their eyes at this question, but for those just entering the world of vegan eating it's a hot topic. There's nuts, beans, leafy greens, vegetables, seeds, tofu, tempeh, soy milk, lentils, seitan, whole grains ... the list goes on and on. Speaking from experience, most vegans don't think about protein on a daily basis, but if you are concerned, then turn to cashew cream. There are endless uses for cashew cream when cooking. Use it as a substitute for cream cheese, sour cream, cheese, milk, cream, or really any dairy product. It's loaded with healthy fats and, you guessed it, protein.

Luckily, cashew cream is easy to make. Simply soak raw unsalted cashews in water overnight or in hot water until soft. Toss them in a high-speed blender covered with water and blend until creamy. Then blend for another 30 seconds. I like to add lemon juice, garlic powder, salt, and a small drop of a sweetener, like maple syrup, to create flavor balance. 

You can then use this cream as a base for your mac and cheese sauce. Load it up with other ingredients from this list, as well as any of your classic mac and cheese favorites. Go heavy on the salt to reach that beloved cheesy flavor. 

Vampires, you might want to skip this section. Garlic is the absolute most mouth-watering ingredients that you can add to your vegan mac and cheese. It's a no-brainer, but what form should you use it in? Sauteed? Powdered? Granulated? Roasted? I personally like to use garlic confit because it can be incredibly buttery and creamy in itself, and it has a less intense flavor so you can use more of it. To make garlic confit, simply take a few heads of garlic, peel each clove, and put them in an oven-safe dish submerged with a neutral oil. Cover and bake them at a low temperature for a few hours or until the cloves are nice and soft. Alternatively, you can bake it by slicing the top off a head of garlic, exposing each clove, and dousing it with oil before baking.

Luckily, because you're going to use this garlic right away in your vegan mac sauce, you'll avoid the danger that homemade garlic confit imposes. If you have some leftover confit that you are not using, be sure to store it properly to prevent botulism. 

I would recommend using a whole head of garlic for a quart of mac sauce (or more). It's really up to you and how much garlic you can handle. Personally, I believe there can never be too much garlic in a savory recipe, so long as it's cooked properly, so I dare you to find the limit.

Black peppercorns tend to be a go-to in the kitchen. Freshly ground pepper can provide both a light kick of spice as well as some color contrast. White pepper is often overlooked, but I think it is the perfect ingredient to upgrade your vegan mac sauce. You are likely familiar with black pepper, but white pepper has a few big differences in flavor. While black pepper tends to have a clear spicy flavor to it, white pepper doesn't bring the heat with quite the same intensity. It exhibits more of a gingery spice. White pepper is also more delicate and earthly, which makes it the perfect candidate for a white sauce. For an even stronger umami flavor, look for fermented white pepper.

As you would with black pepper, just use a small amount of this spice. It is typically sold finely ground and mimics the texture of cumin. This consistency helps it blend seamlessly into your vegan mac sauce, where it maintains a smooth texture and lightly-colored appearance. It's important to add pepper to balance the other flavors of the sauce and excite the taste buds. White pepper will surely enhance your plant-based mac and cheese.

Have you ever taken a bite of your homemade sauce or soup and think something is missing — but you can't quite put your finger on it? Typically, a splash of vinegar, citrus, or wine can solve the issue instantly. Don't leave it out of your mac sauce either; use lemon juice as your acid. Because of its undertones of sweetness and intense tartness, lemon juice tends to work better than other acids in this capacity. If you're out of lemons, apple cider vinegar is a close second choice.

Similarly to salt, acid excites the tongue and promotes salivation, thus drawing attention to taste. Adding a few teaspoons or tablespoons of lemon juice in your recipe will not only create a balanced mouthfeel, but it will also wake up those taste buds and amplify the other ingredients. Choose a juicy lemon by weighing it in your hand with a few to compare. The heavier lemons (relative to their size) contain more juice. 

Smoked paprika is not only used to upgrade vegan mac and cheese; it's frequently used in dairy-laden mac and cheese recipes too. Using familiar flavors between the vegan and dairy-based versions can help to trick the taste buds into associating the two and even blend the flavors in your mind. For instance, if you always enjoy pickles on your beef patty and you're replacing it with a veggie burger, you'll want to include pickles to bridge the gap between the two sandwiches. But why use smoked paprika instead of sweet paprika for your recipe?

Smoked paprika has elements of both sweetness and as you can probably guess, smokiness. The flavor difference between regular and smoked paprika comes from the way it's processed. Both smoked and sweet paprika can add layers of flavor and exhibit a peppery essence that contrasts beautifully with the monotony of the cheese sauce. Mix the spice right into your vegan mac sauce or sprinkle it on top after it's been plated, the latter of which I would recommend. This gives the dish texture and variety in its appearance, thanks to the added color.

Mustard powder, or even Dijon mustard, can instantly upgrade your vegan mac and cheese by adding layers of flavor. These ingredients help add a spicy and pungent flavor that packs a similar punch to cheese.  Like horseradish, mustard has a spiciness to it, one that's intense enough to reach your sinuses. While you don't want to have a runny nose after eating vegan mac and cheese, a small sprinkle of mustard powder will go a long way in terms of the sauce's flavor. 

Mustard powder can add complexity and depth while awakening those taste buds. Even some dairy-based mac and cheese recipes include ground mustard because it helps to cut through the fattiness of the dish, and add a little heat. And since most vegan mac dishes still include quite a bit of fat, whether it be via nuts or oils, mustard can still work its magic. Just be sure it's mixed in thoroughly with the dry ingredients or added to the blender because a clump of mustard powder might be a bit much for your tongue to handle all at once.

Most comfort foods have one major element in common: They are fatty — and I'm are here for it. Would you sit there and eat a quarter block of cheese, 2 tablespoons of butter, and top it off with a swig of cream? Gross. But melt it all together and pour it over noodles ... then you've got yourself something great. When you are making your own vegan mac and cheese, it can feel aggressive to add large amounts of olive oil or vegan butter to your recipe, but just remember how dairy mac and cheese is made. You'll need to include these fats to give it a dense mouthfeel and create a similar comforting satisfaction.

I recommend a high-quality extra virgin olive oil. When shopping for high-quality olive oil, be sure to check the expiration date. Fresher is always better. Extra virgin olive oil is different from olive oil in both flavor and appearance. It's greener, grassier, and bolder because it goes through less processing. This bolder flavor enhances the vegan mac and cheese while providing a familiar texture. Alternatively, you can use a high-quality vegan butter.

For those who grew up in a Kraft mac and cheese household (or any of those boxes that provide packs of bright orange powder) then you must include turmeric in your vegan mac and cheese recipe. Turmeric powder has a mild earthy flavor with a hint of gingery pepper. In addition, turmeric has amazing anti-inflammatory properties and is considered a superfood. However, you shouldn't add it to your pasta for the health benefits or even the flavor. Rather, one of the best culinary uses for turmeric is as a natural dye.

Turmeric is bright yellow, and when I say bright I mean like the sun. It can even be used to dye fabrics. It will dye your countertops, and can certainly dye your mac and cheese. Use just a small amount if you don't want neon noodles, as even a dash will help bring warmth and color to the dish. For those who grew up on white cheddar, you may want to omit this bright spice.

If there is one allium that you can rely on to bring the flavor, it's caramelized onions. It's difficult to think of a single savory dish that wouldn't be enhanced by them. Besides the onions' incredible sweetness, they also have a little bit of bite, which can add a powerful contrast of flavor that balances that palate. The longer onions cook, the sweeter and silkier they become. Caramelized onions are at their peak sweetness, and are the perfect ingredient to upgrade your vegan mac and cheese. Moreover, caramelized onions bring a similar depth of flavor that would normally be offered by dairy-based butter. 

Follow a foolproof caramelized onions recipe by slicing sweet onions and heating them in a saucepan with oil, salt, and vegetable broth. Cook them down and continue to deglaze the pan with vegetable broth until the onions are on the brink of falling apart. Stir them into your vegan mac and cheese, or blend them into the mac sauce — or do both! Help bring your mac to life with this rich and tantalizing ingredient.

For those in the market for a dense, richer, and heartier vegan mac and cheese, look no further than tahini. Tahini and pasta make a delicious pairing, but adding it to your plant-based mac sauce is an elite move. The dense mouthfeel that it offers helps to enhance the "richness" factor. It also offers a mild nutty undertone, with just a hint of bitterness that almost reads like Parmesan.

Tahini, which is made from toasted and ground sesame seeds, offers a myriad of health benefits, including for your bones and heart. Tahini is typically thinner than peanut butter, but it's just as smooth and has a similar sticky mouthfeel. It's oily and fatty, and it has a protein-rich heaviness. Meanwhile, the mild flavor won't overpower your other ingredients. In fact, I often mix tahini in with my pasta marinara (my Italian relatives would be rolling over in their graves) because it has a similar effect as olive oil. Reach for a jar of tahini as a dairy-free addition for creamy dishes too, like icing and silky soups.

Any die-hard vegan knows that Tabitha Brown is an expert in the world of plant-based cooking. Not only is her content relatable and hilarious, but her cooking abilities are off the charts. We are so lucky because Tabitha Brown finally unveiled the secret to her vegan mac and cheese in an exclusive interview with Tasting Table: cashews and butternut squash. And it's no wonder that butternut squash made the cut. Roasted butternut squash is one of the sweetest, richest winter squashes out there. Once it hits a blender, it can become incredibly creamy. And, its coloring just so happens to be that perfect shade of Kraft orange.

Roast your butternut squash for the sweetest flavor. Be sure to peel it first, or to scoop out the flesh after it bakes, as it is fibrous and unpleasant. Throw the squash in the blender along with your cashews, or whatever ingredients you're using. If you aren't using a nut base along with the butternut squash, consider using quite a bit of vegan butter or olive oil to create a fatty mouthfeel. Omit any sweeteners from your vegan mac sauce recipe. This squashy addition shines alongside caramelized onions and herbs.

Although you may never think to add a dash of maple syrup to your dairy-based mac and cheese, I do recommend including a sweetener for the plant-based version. However, you're not Buddy the Elf, so no need to drizzle it all over your pasta. Instead, include just a drop or two to create a balanced mouthfeel. The maple syrup, or whatever sweetener you choose, is simply there to complete the flavor alongside the acidity, salt, and fat. Savory foods everywhere include sugar for this very reason, and it's a tactic that both plant and meat-based chefs use.

Maple syrup offers a nice light smoky flavor, but other sweeteners can be considered too. A touch of brown sugar, molasses, or even the tiniest squirt of honey can complete the flavor of the sauce. Start small, because it's easy to accidentally over-pour and end up with a sweet sauce, which is certainly not the goal. Think of it like adding salt to a hot chocolate; it elevates the flavor with just the tiniest undetectable hint, but you'd never describe hot chocolate as salty. Using maple syrup in mac sauce is certainly an unconventional way to use maple syrup in the kitchen, but as a Vermonter, I'm here to tell you that it can enhance the flavor of just about anything.

Although miso may be a bit intimidating to use if you haven't tried it before, it's the ultimate ingredient for bringing umami flavors to life in your plant-based dish. Umami is often described as "meaty" or "savory" — which is sometimes missing from vegan dishes — although many umami foods are already plant-based. If you're new to the paste, there's a lot you need to know about miso but I'll stick to the basics for now. Miso is a fermented food made typically from soybeans or chickpeas, salt, and koji. Koji is a fungus that helps the mixture ferment into the delicious, umami-rich paste it is.

There are several different types of miso, all of which vary in flavor. White miso tends to bring the umami without an overpowering "miso" flavor. It's my favorite option for vegan mac and cheese because it offers a Parmesan-like intensity and saltiness without tasting like miso soup. Because miso is so incredibly salty, be sure to lighten up on the salt in your vegan mac sauce recipe.