BEST vegan smoked gouda mac and cheese

The best vegan cheese sauce

Dairy free and can be made gluten free. This delicious vegan smoked gouda mac and cheese is quick and easy to make. If you feel like you could never ever stop eating cheese, this recipe is sure to satisfy your cheese cravings.

My oh my, what do we have here? This, my friends, is a certified mouth-gasm in a bowl.

I probably make this recipe about once a week. You know those days when you’ve just had enough of everything and you need a big bowl of comfort food to make the world seem right again?

Well, this recipe hits the spot and it cleans off those rose-colored glasses again.

I love how easy it is to make as well. You boil some pasta, throw some shit in a blender and, Voila, instant homemade, soul warming food.

Tips for making the best vegan mac and cheese

• If you have left overs the next day, when you re-heat this bad boy, add a little bit of water. It thickens up the longer it sits or the more you heat it up.
• If the sauce is too thick for you liking, add a splash of water. The longer the sauce is heated up, the more thick it becomes.
• You don’t need to soak your cashews over night. You can do a quick soak by boiling some water and soaking the cashews for 10 minutes
• Always use raw cashews.
• If you want this to be gluten free, then just use gluten free pasta. The sauce is already gluten free.
• I love eating this with steamed broccoli or peas. It adds some greens to your meal which is always a good thing.
• If you need some extra comfort or decadence, add in a tablespoon of vegan butter when blending the cheese sauce. You can also leave it out and it’s still very tasty and a bit healthier.

I love that this vegan cheese sauce is so simple. It doesn’t even require buying store bought vegan cheese. It’s made up only of cashews, water and spices.

This vegan cheese sauce is a hell of a lot healthier for you than dairy mac and cheese because it contains no cholesterol.

Plus, it’s full of good fats from cashews. Cashews have been linked to “ benefits like weight loss, improved blood sugar control, and a healthier heart.” according to healthline

What if I’m allergic to cashews

I haven’t tried this recipe any other way, but you may be able to substitute a half a carton of silken tofu for the cashews. It won’t be as thick and creamy, but it will do the trick. I have made a creamy vegan alfredo sauce this way and it turned out wonderful.

How long will this last

This lasts about a week in the fridge, if you can manage to not eat it all in one sitting. You can also freeze this and reheat it. It may be a little mushy, but it’s not too bad.

What to serve vegan mac and cheese with:

• BBQ baked tempeh
• Kale salad with sweet potatoes and tofu

Other amazing vegan cheese recipes:

• Best stovetop vegan mac and cheese
• Instant pot 5 ingredient vegan mac and cheese

And I think that’s it! I hope you enjoy this delicious, comforting vegan smoked gouda mac and cheese. It will definitely knock your socks off!

Leave me a comment below and tell me how you liked this recipe, or if you have any questions.

I love hearing from you.

And as always, sharing is caring, so share this recipe with a mac and cheese addict who says they could never ever give up cheese. I am up for the challenge!

Happy munching!

Creamy, vegan smoked gouda mac & cheese

This decadent, insanely delicious vegan smoked gouda mac and cheese is guaranteed to please. Nothing beats a bowl of creamy vegan pasta. Easy to make gluten free as well.

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: kid friendly, mac and cheese, pasta, vegan cheese

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Servings: 2

Calories: 496kcal

Author: Maria

US Customary – Metric

Ingredients

• ½ cup soaked cashews
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1.5 tsp salt
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 1.5 cups of water
• 1 tsp liquid smoke or smoked paprika
• ¼ cup nutritional yeast
• 1.5 tsp corn starch
• 1 tbsp vegan butter
• 8 oz of dry pasta shells – Use GF pasta if wanting to make this recipe gluten free

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Soak your cashews in boiling water for 5-10 minutes. Drain after soaking.
• Bring salted water to a boil on stovetop. Cook the pasta shells and drain.
• Pour all of your cheese sauce ingredients (everything except the pasta shells) into the blender and blend until smooth.
• Pour cheese sauce into a pan on low/medium heat and stir constantly until it thickens (about 5 minutes)
• To make extra decadent add another TBL of vegan butter to cheese sauce and let melt.
• Once cheese sauce is thickened, add the pasta and mix it all together. If it thickens too much, add a drop of water until you get the consistency you desire
• Add steamed broccoli, salt and pepper if needed and Enjoy!

Video

Notes

When you re-heat this the next day you will need to add 1-2 TBL of water. It gets thick the more you heat it or let it sit.

This goes really well with peas or steamed broccoli

To make gluten free, just use GF pasta.

Nutrition

Calories: 496kcal | Carbohydrates: 90g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1812mg | Potassium: 393mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 267IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 2mg

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The best vegan mac and cheese ever (vegan smoked gouda)