Cashew Mac and Cheese It’s smoky, creamy, delicious and melts in your mouth. Top it with coconut bacon and take this vegan cashew mac and cheese recipe to the next level!
Have you discovered the magic of cashews? I am in love with the cashew mac and cheese topped with coconut bacon! what can i say It’s a game-changer. This vegan cashew mac and cheese recipe is to die for!
Jump:
When we were in San Diego recently, we ate at the best vegan restaurant ever!!
Although we went to many vegan restaurants on our trip, Donna Jean Stands out as one of the best plant-based eating experiences we’ve ever encountered.
First, we ordered the most incredible vegan mac and cheese I’ve ever eaten. Served in an iron skillet, Donna Jean’s cashew mac and cheese recipe was so creamy and delicious; I couldn’t believe it was vegan.
Of course, I asked for the recipe, and without hesitation, the waitress told me the secret to epic mac and cheese: raw cashews, miso, and coconut milk. So, after much trial and error, I mastered it but switched out the coconut milk for oat milk for a lower fat version.
Cashew Cheese Sauce Ingredients
As with most dishes, the magic is in the sauce. So once I knew the secret to making the best cashew mac and cheese, I experimented with combining those ingredients to make the magic happen.
- Raw cashews: Cashews provide juiciness to this cheese sauce; However, if you are allergic to nuts or avoid eating nuts, below are alternatives. Or try my vegan nacho cheese sauce made with potatoes, carrots and other veggies.
- Barley milk: I like oat milk because it is naturally creamy. Make sure it’s unsweetened, unflavored plant milk.
- Lemon juice: I love fresh lemon juice whenever possible.
- Roasted red chillies: Roasted red chilies come in jars filled with water. Avoid packing in oil. Or, roast your own red bell peppers.
- White miso paste: White miso paste The umami taste of the cheese sauce, gives it a salty and savory taste.
- green onion: Green onions, also called scallions, are mild in flavor.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic adds warmth and depth to the sauce.
- Dijon Mustard: Dijon mustard gives the cashew cheese sauce a little tanginess.
- shallot: Shallots have a subtle and sweet flavor with a hint of sharpness, while onions bring a more intense heat.
- Garlic Powder: Garlic powder is dried garlic, which adds another ingredient to the sauce.
- Chilli: I love fresh chilies whenever possible.
- Nutrition Facts: Nutritional yeast vegan cheese. It also contains vitamin B12!
- Liquid smoke: I used hickory-flavored liquid smoke, but there are several different flavors to choose from.
- Paprika: Paprika adds a little more smoke and heat to the sauce.
Substitute cashew cheese sauce ingredients
- Replace cashews with macadamia nuts or almonds.
- For a nut-free option, choose silken tofu, white beans or sunflower seeds.
- Or, try mac and cheese using a vegan cheese sauce made from potatoes and carrots.
- Choose an unsweetened, unflavored plant milk.
- Bottled lemon juice works well in a pinch.
- Poblano peppers taste similar to roasted red peppers.
- Yellow miso paste is an excellent alternative to white miso paste.
- Try using leeks instead of scallions.
- If you use pickled garlic in a recipe, the general rule of thumb is ½ teaspoon for each clove – but use more to make up for the flavor loss.
- Stone-ground mustard is similar to Dijon mustard.
- Red onions are a great substitute for shallots, but since red onions are stronger in flavor, use half a red onion to replace shallots in a recipe.
- Soy sauce or miso paste often replaces nutritional yeast in recipes. For gluten-free options, choose Tamari or Liquid Aminos.
- If you don’t like smoky flavor, skip liquid smoke and paprika. Or, if you like it smoky, add smoked paprika instead of regular paprika.
Serving advice
So, why not make it more decadent by adding coconut bacon? Although I’ve made tempeh bacon, mushroom, eggplant, and soy pepper bacon, coconut bacon is my favorite. And it is very easy to make.
- If vegan bacon isn’t your thing, try adding roasted veggies to your cashew mac and cheese recipe.
- Or, add some vegan chili or corn sauce for chili mac.
- Skip the noodles altogether and add this cashew cheese sauce to broccoli, a baked potato, or use it as the base for cheesy scalloped potatoes.
- Another way to use this sauce is to make vegan nachos or tater tot nachos.
- Add a little hot sauce to kick it up if that’s your thing. Or add some roasted balsamic vegetables and make it a party in a bowl!
I hope you love this cashew mac and cheese recipe as much as I do. Of course, you won’t be disappointed if you don’t add the coconut bacon.
Recipe FAQs
Some vegan cheeses may be healthier than others depending on their ingredients – for example, those that use cashews. These products typically have higher levels of protein and lower levels of sodium and saturated fat than other types of vegan cheese.
Besides being extremely tasty, plant-based cashew cheese is rich in B vitamins, calcium, protein and fiber. It contains more vitamins and minerals than dairy products. Unlike animal cheese, it doesn’t contain saturated fat, which raises cholesterol and increases your risk of heart disease and stroke.
As a plant-based food, it is very low in saturated fat and contains zero cholesterol (compared to 25 mg of cholesterol in an ounce of goat cheese). The short story is this: cashew cheese can be a healthy option, depending on what you’re trying to add or avoid to your diet.
Suggestion:
- If you have a high-quality, high-speed blender, you don’t need to soak the cashews overnight..
- If you don’t have a fancy blender, soak the cashews in water overnight. Or, a quick and easy way to speed up this process is to boil the cashews for 10 minutes, drain and mix with the other ingredients.
- For fresh lemon juice year-round, consider juicing lemons in season and freezing them in soup cubes.. Each opening holds 2 tablespoons of lemon juice or any liquid that can be added to any recipe.
- When reheating this cashew mac and cheese recipe, add some plant milk or water and use the microwave reheat option.
- If making the cheese sauce in advance, refrigerate and reheat when ready to use. Add a little vegetable broth or water to thin the sauce.
- When freezing the sauce, leave at least 1 inch between the top and the top of the container to avoid freezer burn.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
- Thaw the frozen sauce overnight in the refrigerator and blend again in the blender. You may need to add a little water.
Try this cashew mac and cheese recipe the next time you’re craving creamy mac and cheese!
More vegan recipes to try!
If you love vegan cashew mac and cheese, give us a 5-star review and comment below. We want to hear from you!
📖 Recipe
Cashew Mac and Cheese
Cashew mac and cheese is smoky, creamy, delicious and melts in your mouth. Top with coconut bacon and take your mac and cheese to the next level!
instructions
cheese sauce
Wash the raw cashews.
Add cashews and all ingredients except macaroni to a blender.
If you soak your cashews it takes less time to blend (I used a nutribullet).
If you are not soaking your cashews, you must blend until smooth.
Noodles
In a large pot, fill ¾ of water and 2 teaspoons of salt.
Wait until the water starts to boil before adding the macaroni.
Follow package directions (I boiled for 7 minutes per package directions).
Drain the noodles completely in a colander.
Return the noodles to the pan.
Add the sauce to the hot noodles.
You don’t need to heat the sauce. Pour over the hot noodles and stir to heat the sauce.
Serve and top with crumbled coconut bacon (optional).
Comment
- If you have a high-quality, high-speed blender, you don’t need to soak the cashews overnight..
- If you don’t have a fancy blender, soak the cashews in water overnight. Or, a quick and easy way to speed up this process is to boil the cashews for 10 minutes, drain and mix with the other ingredients.
- For fresh lemon juice year-round, consider juicing lemons in season and freezing them in soup cubes.. Each opening holds 2 tablespoons of lemon juice or any liquid that can be added to any recipe.
- When reheating this cashew mac and cheese recipe, add some plant milk or water and use the microwave reheat option.
- If making the cheese sauce in advance, refrigerate and reheat when ready to use. Add a little vegetable broth or water to thin the sauce.
- When freezing the sauce, leave at least 1 inch between the top of the container and the lid to avoid freezer burn.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
- Thaw the frozen sauce overnight in the refrigerator and reblend in a blender. You may need to add a little water.
Optional Toppings
nutrition
Worship: 6gCalories: 549kcalSugars: 77gProtein: 20gFat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fats: 2gSodium: 353mgPotassium: 642mgFiber: 9gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 190IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 77mgIron: 4mg
Oh! My name is Cathy, I am a retired high school English teacher and vegetarian and blogger. My entire blog is completely plant-based vegan. I truly believe that what we eat and how we live determines our health and the preservation of our planet! 🙂
Source link