A vegan mac & cheese that’s smooth, creamy, nut-free, and made with simple healthy ingredients! The versatile cheesy sauce tastes and feels so authentic that it’s guaranteed to be loved by vegans and non-vegans alike. Suitable for those following dairy-free, nut-free, gluten-free, vegan, and paleo diets.
Stop! Before you read any further, you need to stop what you’re doing and go put some sweet potatoes on.
Boil them, roast them, steam them… do whatever it is that you like to do to get those little suckers nice and tender. Go, go! Right now. I’ll wait.
What’s that? You want to know why I’m sending you off on a culinary adventure? Fair enough. It’s because the healthy vegan mac & cheese that I’m sharing with you today calls for cooked sweet potato, and believe me when I say that you’ll be wanting to have some on hand so that you can make this stuff ASAP…
I mean, is.that.not a thing of beauty?
And would you be able to tell just by looking at it that that creamy perfection you see before you is actually dairy-free, nut-free, gluten-free, vegan, and paleo? Well, the noodles aren’t paleo or necessarily gluten-free, but the “cheese” most definitely is. AND! you can easily swap in gluten-free noodles if you need this to be GF, or something like zucchini noodles if you need this to be paleo.
Heck, you can even do what I’ve been doing and just eat it by itself with a spoon. Or use it as a dip for chips or veggies. This sauce is so easy, versatile, and delicious, that you’ll find yourself wanting to put it on ev.ry.thing.
So let’s talk about what goes into this bad boy to make it so amazing.
First, we start with a base of cooked sweet potatoes. I’ve seen a lot of vegan “cheese” recipes that call for cashews or tofu, but I wanted something that was a little lighter and nut-free.
And don’t worry – I’m well aware that sweet potatoes don’t even remotely resemble the taste and consistency of cheese. But that’s why we’re doctoring them up.
So the next step is to thin them out and make them more saucy. I used a mix of canned coconut milk* and water for this part, but you could easily use all coconut milk, all water, or even another non-dairy milk or veggie broth. I liked the 50/50 mix of coconut milk and water because I found that that amount of milk gave it just the right amount of creaminess without making it taste coconut-ty. For all you coconut haters out there – I promise you can’t taste it at all.
Next comes the nutritional yeast*.
If you’re not familiar with “nooch,” the idea of eating yeast (albeit a deactivated one) might seem a little off-putting, but this stuff is a delicious little nutritional powerhouse. Not only is it 50% protein by weight (15g of nooch = 8g of protein), but it’s absolutely PACKED with B vitamins. That and it’s also what’s responsible for the cheesy flavour. It’s good stuff. Trust.
And after that, all that’s left is to pack in even MORE flavour with: garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, mustard, soy sauce, and salt.
That’s it.
I wanted to keep this as simple as possible so all you have to do is take those ingredients, toss them in a blender*, make some adjustments according to your tastes, and voila! You have a creamy, healthy vegan mac & cheese that contains NO artificial colours, flavours, preservatives, fillers, or thickeners, and is guaranteed to be loved by vegans and non-vegans alike.
Bet you wish you listened to me and put those sweet potatoes on, eh?
I’d love to know if you make this recipe! Leave a comment and rating down below to let me know what you think, and subscribe to our mailing list to receive new recipes in your inbox!
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Healthy Vegan Mac & Cheese
- Total Time: 5 mins
- Yield: 1 1/2 cups, about 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 cup (220 g) cooked sweet potato, mashed*
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) water
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) canned coconut milk**
- 1/4 cup (15 g) nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp soy sauce***
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1/4 – 1/2 tsp salt, to taste
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to a high-speed blender and blend on high until smooth and creamy. If the sauce is too thick for your liking or if your blender is having a hard time getting it completely smooth, slowly add more water or coconut milk until your desired consistency is reached. You can also adjust the amount of spices and salt that you use, according to taste.
- Serve the sauce over pasta, zucchini noodles, veggies, or as a dip for chips and crackers.
- To store leftover sauce, transfer it to a sealed container and keep it in the fridge until ready to use. Then, simply heat up the amount you want to use and add it to pasta or veggies, or enjoy it cold as a dip.
Notes
* To cook my sweet potatoes quickly, I like to peel them, cut them into chunks, and boil them in a pot of water on the stovetop for 7-10 minutes. But you could also roast, steam, microwave, or buy them canned. ** How much coconut milk you use depends on how creamy you want your sauce. You want about 3/4 cup (180 ml) of liquid in total, and I found that 1/4 cup (60 ml) of milk and 1/2 cup (120 ml) of water was perfect. But you could also use all coconut milk, all water, or even another non-dairy milk – just make sure it’s not flavoured. *** To make the cheese sauce paleo, sub the soy sauce for coconut aminos.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
*Disclosure: Some of the links included in this post may be affiliate links, meaning I’ll earn a small commission if you purchase through them, at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I personally use and believe will add value to my readers. Thank you so much for helping support Spoons!
We’re truly amazed at your decoration skills. This cheese looks great!
Do i need the dijon mustard or is there a substitute i can use? Allergic to Mustard 🙁
Just found this recipe and I can’t wait to try it! How long will the leftover sauce last in the fridge/is it possible to freeze for later?
It was sooooo good. I love Mac and cheese but couldn’t ever eat the cream based version of it. Also most recipes require cashews, which I always forget to soak. Such a brilliant recipe Amanda!
I’ve added some cauliflower and ‘shrooms to spruce it up for my lunchbox. Yummm 😋
Do I weigh sweet potato when already cooked or when still raw? Looks delicious!
Wow! Just whipped up a batch of this…it is absolutely delicious, and so easy to make!
Can I just use regular mustard instead of Dijon?
Yes that’s totally fine, Rebecca 🙂
so good, I could cry!
I’m glad you like it, Laura!
Just made this for dinner and wow! It was delicious. I’ve made a lot of vegan cheese sauces in the past and they all had way too much going on. I like how simple this one tasted. Thanks for the great recipe, Amanda 🙂
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Megan! Thanks for taking the time to let me know 🙂
Great recipe! Made this a few days ago (using Farmers Market Sweet Potato purée) & I’ve been using it on everything…as a salad dressing, spread in a wrap, on pasta… I added some smoked Serrano chilli to give it a bit of a zing. Might try a bit of miso next time. Thanks!
I’m stoked that you enjoyed it, Anoude! I’ve been trying to sneak it in everywhere as well, and miso sounds like it’d be an awesome addition!
Wow – what a fantastic recipe! I haven’t ever seen sweet potatoes like this before – my daughter LOVES mac and cheese and I cannot wait to try and trick her with this recipe! Thanks so much Amanda!
I need to pick up some nutritional yeast! This cheese sauce is gorgeous Amanda!!
Thanks Jen! And YES totally. It’s so great on so many things.
Um, I don’t know how I missed this one but holy moly, it looks incredible! I would have never thought to use sweet potatoes to make a vegan cheese sauce. That silky texture looks perfect!
Ok…don’t laugh too hard – I made this delicious sauce and put it over zoodles & it even got stars from my hubby (the main dinner preparer). This morning I opened the frig to see cheese sauce that had seeped out – not bad but here is when Monday morning turned into a nightmare. I had put the leftover sauce in a small container that came with the Bullet. I couldn’t get it opened so my hubby came in the kitchen and when he finally got it open it literally exploded all over the kitchen windows, blinds, walls. Yes…the cleanup wasn’t pretty…I wasn’t motivated at that point to make anything but my smoothie…but then I opened your email and I saw a new recipe calling to me – Monday muffins put a smile back on my face…
I made this last night and it was so delicious! I love pasta! It’s a perfect comfort food. Plus it didn’t take long at all to make. I’ll be making it over and over again!
I’m so glad you liked it, Anneli! It’s definitely become a staple for me as well 😀
geebuz this looks so good- I’d even give up tofu for one day over it. I learnt how to…banana popsicles from playschool lol!
Whaaaat? I never learned how to banana popsicle!
Mmmh. As odd as it might sound vegan cheese sauce trumps the ‘real’ kind for me [when prepared the right way]. Yours looks similar to mine only I use pumpkin and the spices differ slightly so I’m sure this tastes amazing. Winner!
I’ve been avoiding dairy because it triggers my eczema like crazy, so I’m right there with ya on vegan cheese sauce being better 😉
Swoon with a capital S, holy yum. This looks amazing. Noodle me!
Thanks lady!
I did something similar a couple weeks ago with pumpkin (cuz you know once you open that can you gotta use it in everythinggg) and it was amazing. Definitely trying this sweet potato version!
Lol I do know the pumpkin pain. I actually just opened a can of my own and I’m not sure what to do with the rest of it now.
Hi Amanda and Giselle, thank you for the pumpkin tip off- I’ll trt it with this, too! Just tk let you know incase it helps, you can I think freeze canned pumpkin for up to a year? I live alone and had to discover this through my waste anxiety!!! Xxx
This looks amazing! Trying this out as soon as possible 🙂
I hope you like it, Bethany!
THIS. This is going on my “to-try” list because I have to admit: I’m a skeptic that anything can be as good as a fantastic REAL macaroni & cheese
I was sceptical too, Rachel, but it totally surprised me! Let me know what you think 🙂
Say whaaaa!!!!! What a genius idea! This rocks my world! Can’t wait to give it a whirl! Going to feed it to the hubs without any explanation and see what we get 🙂
Haha you should! I did that with my family and no one could tell.
I really want to try this! 😀
I hope you do, Natasha!
Sweet potatoes really can do no wrong. This looks freaking incredible girl. This one is for sure on the list of meals to make myself when my hubby is out of town!! <3
You should make it for him! Even my dad liked it, and he’s a hardcore no weird healthy for kind of guy.
This my friend was a work of art.
As a child, I was an expert at chocolate chip cookies from scratch and French Toast. They were my specialties.
I’m working on a dessert recipe this weekend!! Yes, dessert.
Omg I saw that on IG. If it’s peanut-free, I need some.
Do you think the soy sauce is essential, or could I easily leave it out?
I find it adds a nice depth of flavour. You could try to leave it out, though. It really depends on your tastes!
Hm def going to have to try this one out. Didn’t realize you could make a sweet potato taste like cheese!
I was pretty shocked too!
We asked a very similar end-of-post question today, lol. Drew is asking me to make this EXACTLY as it is in the picture. Nutritional yeast on my list!
Oh snap I totally forgot to remind you. I hope you got it!
How do I know if I should use the coconut milk beverage or canned coconut milk when a recipe calls for coconut milk?
If it doesn’t specify, then I would probably err on the side of canned since that’s what most people think of when coconut milk is mentioned – almond milk tends to be the most popular non-dairy milk that comes in the tetra pack containers.