Publised on 12/04/2021. Last Updated on 22/10/2024 by Richard
Vegan mac and cheese instant mix! Ready in just a few seconds and stores in the cupboard for any mac emergency!
Calling all vegan former latch-key-kids: it's INSTANT VEGAN MAC AND CHEESE! The PERFECT snack to send you back to those peckish post-school hours before mum and dad get home from work. I still get peckish from time to time AND YEAH I STILL WATCH POKEMON, WHAT ABOUT IT??
This vegan mac and cheese instant mix is my proprietary blend of magical powders which literally just require plant milk, a little plant-based butter and some gorgeous lil pasta tubes - and hey presto! You're ready to slurp!
The absolute best thing about this recipe is that you can make it way in advance and simply whip up a batch at the drop of a hat. It literally takes seconds to make and tastes so deliciously glossy!
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🥫 Vegan Mac and Cheese Instant Mix Ingredients!
If you've been cooking vegan food for a minute, you'll probably have most of these ingredients in your cupboard RIGHT NOW!
Nutritional yeast: ideal for that nutty, umami, cheesiness.
Onion powder: because weirdly I found anything with onion powder tastes MORE cheesy! Go figure!
Garlic powder: because we stan.
Vegan lactic acid: for the TANGY sharp cheddar vibe
Mustard powder: again, it weirdly makes stuff taste a little cheesy - it also give a mild yellow colour wihtout the dayglo yellow of turmeric
Corn starch: helps the mixture to thicken into a super glossy, smooth sauce.
Tapioca starch: gives that stretchy, stringy, cheesy texture.
🔪 Method
Normally this is the spot where I simplify the whole making process of the recipe, but look. This is LITERALLY the easiest recipe ever, so I've somehow managed to stretch this thing out over four steps to keep things consistent!
1. Make the instant mix blend! I like to do this in a blender as it makes sure that the nutritional yeast is finely ground, meaning it'll dissolve into the soy milk when you come to make the mac and cheese. But for now, THAT'S how you make the instant mix. Bingo!
2. Boil the pasta. When you're ready to actually make the vegan mac and cheese, start by boiling some pasta. We'll chat about the best pasta for mac and cheese below (nope, it doesn't have to be macaroni!) but until then, just make sure that water is salted and boiling!
3. Make the vegan mac and cheese instant sauce! It's like magic, just heat some plant milk, add a few tablespoons of the mix and whisk it good! AND BINGO, it thickens to a cheesy stretchy sauce before your very eyes.
4. Finally, all you have to do is add the cooked pasta! I like to whisk in a small amount of vegan butter too, to make things extra glossy, but that's not 100% essential. Just highly recommended. And there you have it! Instant vegan mac and cheese in minutes!
Hint: If you leave the vegan mac and cheese to sit for just a few minutes in the pan before serving, you'll notice that it thickens and becomes EVEN more stringy. That is if you can wait that long!
🔄 Suitable for:
Here's another reason why this recipe is so good - it's EASY on the allergens!
- Gluten free - Use your favourite gluten free pasta (I love this stuff) and bingo! The entire recipe is gluten free! Enjoy!
- Soy free - Use oat milk when whisking up a batch of this vegan mac and cheese for the perfect soy free treat! Double check your vegan butter is soy free too!
- Dairy free - It goes without saying - zero dairy in this recipe, so if you're vegan or dairy free, GO WILD! It's still SUPER cheesy tasting.
If you've made this recipe with some swaps, let me know how it worked out in the comments on instagram!
🍽 Vegan Mac and Cheese Instant Mix Variations
I've tried to keep things as classic as possible, but why don't you try some little twists!
- Bread-crumbed vegan mac and cheese! - Check the section below called "Oven Free Breadcrumb Topping) for a recipe WITHIN a recipe!
- Spicy vegan mac and cheese! - Add a teaspoon of chilli powder to the vegan mac and cheese instant mix then perhaps throw in some sliced jalapenos once it's made!
- Baked vegan mac and cheese! - Yes! This recipe works for baked vegan mac and cheese! Just make up a batch of your sauce and pour over a dish of macaroni. Bake at 200c for 30 mins for a crispy bubbling golden top! You can even top with your fave vegan cheese!
If you're serving this vegan mac and cheese as a side, why not serve alongside my vegan tofu nuggets, my vegan burger or my vegan roast turkey for a thanksgiving dinner!
🫕 Equipment!
This bit is gonna be short - because you barely need anything to make this recipe. Here goes!
- High Speed Blender
- Saucepan
- Whisk
The end!
🍞 Oven-free Breadcrumb Topping!
I didn't forget! I promise! This is one of my fave things to do to vegan mac and cheese, besides inhale it. Top it with crispy breadcrumbs!
- Take 60g of panko breadcrumbs and place in a medium bowl. Add ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, ¼ teaspoon turmeric and ½ teaspoon flaky sea salt.
- Add 2 tablespoon vegetable oil and then rub everything together with your fingers until all the breadcrumbs are coated.
- Heat a large frying pan over medium heat and add the breadcrumbs. Toast carefully until golden brown, stirring constantly. Remove from the pan and sprinkle onto cooked mac and cheese.
- Live your best life xoxo
Oh and one last thing!... Doris Day. You know what to do by now...
🙋♀️ Vegan Mac and Cheese FAQs
A: The sauce is simply plant milk with cheesy flavour bombs like nutritional yeast and mustard powder. It's thickened with cornstarch and tapioca starch.
A: Any mild flavoured plant milk works great in vegan mac and cheese. Soy milk is the favourite but oat milk is also delicious and creamy.
Vegan Mac and Cheese - Instant Mix
Equipment
- High Speed Blender
- Saucepan
- Whisk
Ingredients
For the Vegan Mac and Cheese Instant Mix
- 4 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 3 tablespoon tapioca starch
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon vegan lactic acid powder (optional) feel free to leave this out!
For Making the Vegan Mac and Cheese
- 200 g macaroni or your favourite pasta
- 350 ml plant milk unsweetened, I use soy milk
- 2 tablespoon vegan butter
Instructions
To Make the Vegan Mac and Cheese Instant Mix
- Place all the ingredients into a high-speed blender and pulse until the mixture is finely powdered. Remove from the blender and store in an airtight jar for up to 6 months.4 tablespoon nutritional yeast, 3 tablespoon tapioca starch, 1 tablespoon corn starch, 2 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon mustard powder, 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, 1 teaspoon vegan lactic acid powder (optional)
To Cook the Vegan Mac and Cheese
- Boil the pasta in a large saucepan of salted water until al dente.200 g macaroni
- Meanwhile, combine the plant milk and 3 tablespoon mac and cheese powder in a medium saucepan and place over medium/low heat. Whisk constantly until the mixture thickens dramatically and resembles a cheese sauce.350 ml plant milk
- Whisk in the vegan butter until fully melted and combined then drain your pasta and add to the cheese sauce.2 tablespoon vegan butter
- For the crispy breadcrumb topping, follow the instructions in the notes above.
Jessica
I just tried this in advance of an upcoming camping trip and it's fantastic! I chose to make without the butter (as I won't have this when camping) and I don't have the citric acid (yet). I added a wee sprinkle of smoked paprika and I also added dried oat milk so that I could take with me a totally dry mix, all I'll have to do is add water. Worked great!
Joyce C.
Made this twice in 2 days for the kids. They raved. Asked for it in their thermos for school lunch!
Lori
Made this for the second time reducing the onion powder to 1/2 teaspoon and it was perfect! Very tasty!
Hailey
So glad to have found this recipe! I will never buy another vegan boxed mac n cheese again, cause this is better 🙂 my kids love it!
Kat
Oh my goodness - I misread this recipe and thought ALL of the powder was supposed to be mixed into the 350ml of milk. Do not make my mistake, it will be inedible haha
Tana
Thank you so much! This was very good, I did 3 tbsp of corn starch since I have no tapioca starch and it still came out as a lovely cheese sauce. I had no mustard powder either, but I am looking forward to how even more delicious it will be when I have the other ingredients.
Karen
I coat tofu cubes in this mixture and air fry. Cheesy tofu nuggets! Amazing. I also make cauliflower cheese with it. Tasty and versatile.
Rosie
Heya! Can’t wait to make this. Just wondered if cornstarch is the same as cornflour in the UK? Are the interchangeable? Tried asking Google but got even more confused as people say opposite things!
Tana
Hey there, corn starch is a very fine powder and corn flour is closer to a crumbly texture. 😊
Veronica
Cornflour and corn starch are the same thing 🙂
Sarah
Would this work using less plant milk and not cooking down as long? It seems counterproductive to add so much milk only to evaporate it.
Lisa
I wondered the same thing! The sauce cooked up super well, but lost a lot of the flavor (I sampled a bit of the mix and it tastes totally different!)... will try less milk next time to see what happens.
Anna S.
Make it. You're in for a treatthe likes of which you've never dreamed of.