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
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!
Okay, the “stop and go put sweet potatoes on” intro actually worked on me — I have some roasting right now! I’ve tried a few vegan cheese sauces before, but they were all cashew-based, so I love that this one is nut-free. My sister has a tree nut allergy and always feels left out at family dinners, so I’m excited to have something I can actually make for her. The tip about the 50/50 coconut milk and water mix is helpful too. I’ve had sauces before where the coconut flavor completely took over, so knowing this ratio keeps it creamy without tasting coconut-ty is great. And honestly, I hadn’t thought about using the sauce as a dip or just eating it straight with a spoon, but now that you mention it… that’s probably going to happen in my kitchen. Thanks for another keeper, Amanda!
Okay, you had me at “eat it by itself with a spoon” — that’s exactly the kind of sauce I need in my life. I’ve tried a few vegan cheese sauces over the years and they were mostly disappointing, usually cashew-based and honestly a bit heavy. Love that you went with sweet potato instead, especially since it keeps things nut-free for my sister who’s allergic. The 50/50 coconut milk and water trick is smart too — I’ve had recipes where the coconut flavor completely takes over and it just tastes like sweet coconut pasta, which is… not the goal. Also appreciate the nooch pep talk! I was definitely skeptical the first time I bought nutritional yeast, but you’re right that it’s the magic ingredient for that cheesy flavor. Might try it over roasted broccoli first before committing to a full pasta batch. Pinning this one for the weekend!
Haha, I love that you opened by sending us off to cook sweet potatoes before even explaining why — and honestly, I was already halfway to the kitchen. I’ve tried a few vegan cheese sauces before, but they were all cashew-based, so I’m really excited to find a nut-free version since cashews don’t always agree with me. The 50/50 coconut milk and water trick is smart too — I’ve had coconut milk completely take over savory dishes before, so it’s reassuring to hear it doesn’t come through here. I’ll admit I was skeptical about sweet potatoes masquerading as cheese, but the nutritional yeast rundown won me over. And using the sauce as a dip for veggies? Dangerous suggestion — I can absolutely see myself standing at the counter with a spoon. Can’t wait to make this, thanks for sharing!
The part about eating the sauce straight from the bowl with a spoon made me laugh because that’s exactly what I’d end up doing! I’ve been looking for a nut-free vegan cheese sauce for ages — so many recipes rely on cashews, and with a tree nut allergy in the family, they’re all off the table for us. Using sweet potato as the base is such a clever workaround. I was a little skeptical about the coconut milk, but your note about the 50/50 mix with water not tasting coconut-ty is reassuring since that’s usually my complaint too. And nutritional yeast really is magic — I was weirded out the first time too, but now I sprinkle it on everything from popcorn to roasted veggies. Question: do you think roasting the sweet potatoes instead of boiling would add anything to the flavor, or would it make the sauce too thick? Might try this as a dip for game night snacks this weekend. Thanks for sharing!
Okay, I’m officially intrigued! I’ve tried a few vegan cheese sauces over the years and they were all cashew-based, so I love that you went a different direction with sweet potatoes. My sister-in-law has a tree nut allergy and she’s always disappointed when vegan recipes rely on cashews, so I’m definitely bookmarking this to make for her next visit.
The tip about the 50/50 coconut milk and water mix is really helpful too. I’ve had sauces before where the coconut flavor totally took over, and it just tasted like coconut pasta… which was sad. Good to know the balance you landed on keeps that from happening.
Also appreciate the nutritional yeast rundown! I remember being so skeptical the first time I bought nooch, and now it lives in my pantry permanently. You’re right that it’s what makes everything taste properly cheesy.
Question though — do you think roasting the sweet potatoes instead of boiling would add much flavor, or does it not really matter once everything gets blended together? Either way, eating the sauce straight from the bowl with a spoon sounds like a totally acceptable dinner plan to me. Thanks for sharing!
Oh my goodness, that sauce looks unbelievably creamy! I never would have guessed it was dairy-free from the photos. I love that you went with sweet potato as the base instead of cashews – so many vegan cheese sauces rely on nuts, and it’s nice to see a lighter option that’s still that smooth. I also have to admit I’ve had a container of nutritional yeast sitting in my pantry for months because I was too intimidated to try it, but the way you describe it makes me want to finally break it out. The tip about the 50/50 coconut milk and water mix is really helpful too – I’m one of those people who worries about everything tasting like coconut. Might have to put some sweet potatoes on to roast tonight like you said! Did you find the sauce got thicker after sitting, or does it stay nice and saucy for leftovers?