The ultimate dinner party isn't complete without everyone's favorite dish: Mac and cheese. This easy, baked vegan mac and cheese recipe made by Britt Berlin, aka @the_bananadiares, is also gluten-free. It's made with dairy-free milk and vegan butter as well as two types of vegan cheese, but you would have no idea that it's completely dairy-free and vegan and neither will your guests!

The gluten-free breadcrumbs are made with oats that are ground up and turned into a flour-like texture for a crispy finish. To complete your masterpiece, this dish is mixed and topped with seasonal herbs and spices such as sage, rosemary, thyme, and nutmeg – so it has a taste of holiday cheer with every bite.

Recipe Developer: Britt Berlin, @the_bananadiaries
Prep Time: 20
Cook Time: 15
Total Time: 35 minutes

Easy Baked Vegan Mac and Cheese (Gluten-free!)

Yields 10

Ingredients

16 ounces macaroni pasta, gluten free*
480 ml unsweetened dairy free milk (oat milk recommended), room temperature
8 ounces shredded vegan cheddar cheese*
8 ounces shredded vegan mozzarella cheese
5 tbsp oat flour
66 grams salted vegan butter
Optional: 2 tbsp plain pea protein

Vegan Gluten-Free “Breadcrumbs:”

45 grams rolled oats, ground into flour
66 grams salted vegan butter, melted
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Instructions

Please read through all instructions before beginning.
Prep: Preheat the oven to 400F. Grease a large casserole dish with olive or cooking oil and set aside. Measure out all ingredients before beginning.
Cook the pasta: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add in the macaroni pasta, and cook until al dente, about 7 minutes. Drain the pasta and set aside. Reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water. While the pasta is cooking, you’ll make the vegan cheese sauce.
Make the vegan cheese sauce: In a medium pot, heat the vegan butter until melted, then add in the oat flour. Whisk for 2-3 minutes, until the mixture thickens. Then add in the dairy free milk, along with the reserved pasta water, and whisk until combined. Allow the mixture to begin to boil then reduce the heat to medium. Add in the vegan cheeses, and whisk together on medium-low heat until the vegan cheese has completely melted into the milk mixture. This should be about 4-5 minutes.
Add the pasta to the cheese sauce: Stir the pasta into the cheese sauce until evenly coated. Then spoon the mac and cheese into the casserole dish and set aside as you make the breadcrumbs.
Make the vegan bread crumbs: combine the oat flour with the rosemary, thyme, and nutmeg. Whisk in the melted vegan butter, then sprinkle the oats over the mac and cheese.
Bake the vegan mac and cheese: Place the casserole dish into the oven to bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs are lightly browned. Turn the broiler on for the remaining 2 minutes of baking to evenly brown the breadcrumbs.
Serve and enjoy! Remove the mac and cheese from the oven, and allow it to cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Storage: Store any remaining vegan mac and cheese in an airtight container and in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Notes

Vegan cheese recommendations: I recommend using Violife or Forager Project.
No bake option: simply follow steps 1-5, omitting the casserole dish, for an easy vegan mac and cheese recipe.
To make ahead of time: Make the pasta up until step 5. Then cover and place the pasta dish into the fridge to chill until the next day. When ready to bake, preheat the oven and bake the pasta for 40-42 minutes or until the oats are slightly golden in color.

Nutritionals

For more vegan Thanksgiving ideas, check out this guide to 25 plant-based holiday recipes.