Easy Spicy Mac-N-Cheese (Vegan)
Easy Spicy Mac and Cheese is a crowd-pleasing favorite that all types of eaters enjoy! Made with only 8 ingredients and ready in 20 minutes, this easy vegan recipe is perfect for a quick and healthy meal.
No frills here, just a simple plant-based mac n’ cheese with a kick. This is seriously the easiest recipe ever using pantry staples that results in a creamy, cheesy-ish macaroni!
This is my second mac & cheese recipe to date. My other one, Vegan Mac and Cheese Bake is supreme to any others I have tried and is an easy cashew-based recipe.
But, I don’t always want to use the high-fat nut-based recipes. So in comes this new easy vegan mac and cheese recipe, which is simply made from non-dairy milk, a little oil, flour, nutritional yeast, and a few spices.
It’s delicious and ready in a quick 20 minutes. Plus, the recipe can easily be doubled and is great for weekly meal prep!
I can see this version being made again and again in my kitchen, adding steamed or roasted vegetables for variety. It hits the spot completely and I think you’ll agree!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Using these key ingredients will give this mac n’ cheese lots of flavor! Plus, you’ll find ideas for varying the ingredients to suit your needs.
- Pasta – Any small pasta will do. You can even toss it with noodles for a change!
- Non-dairy milk – I used almond milk for mine, but you can opt for your favorite nut-free, non-dairy milk instead to make this nut-free.
- Nutritional Yeast – Nutritional yeast, aka ‘nooch’ or ‘savory yeast flakes’, has a savory/umami characteristic. With its nutty, cheesy flavor, which is an acquired taste, it’s great for mimicking cheese-flavored dishes. It’s a great addition to your plant-based diet! For starters, it’s a complete protein containing 9 grams of protein per serving, 2 tablespoons. It’s also low in fat and sodium and contains B vitamins. Some brands are fortified with B-12, like this Now (<affiliate link), so be sure to seek out those brands.
- Spices – This is a spicy mac and cheese (but not overly so), calling for just a little chili and chipotle powder for a little heat and flavor. Feel free to omit the chili spices, using just garlic powder, for a milder flavor.
- Oil – I used olive oil, but you can use your favorite neutral-flavored oil.
- Flour – All-purpose, spelt, gluten-free flour blend or rice flour will all work well.
How To Make Spicy Mac and Cheese with Nutritional Yeast
- Cook your pasta according to the package directions.
- Next, make the roux by heating the oil over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until the flour is dissolved. Slowly add the almond milk, continuously whisking, until the mixture thickens. Once it starts to thicken, feel free to add the spices.
- Remove from heat, stir in the nutritional yeast. I prefer to add the nutritional yeast at the end so it doesn’t lose any of the nutritional benefits.
- Add the pasta and cheese sauce together and mix well to coat. Taste for seasoning.
This is an easy, versatile mac n’ cheese that will win hearts!
How To Store
- Refrigerator: Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: This mac and cheese is freezer-friendly and will last 2 – 3 months stored in freezer-safe containers (affiliate link). Let thaw in the fridge, or bake from frozen.
How To Reheat Mac n Cheese
- Stovetop: Warm on the stovetop over low heat, adding a splash of non-dairy milk or water to bring back its creaminess.
- Microwave: Using 30-second intervals, microwave until warmed through, stirring between each interval.
- Oven: Heat in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, or until warmed through.
Serving Suggestions
This savory mac & cheese is great alone and can be made even better when paired with any of these serving options for a healthy lunch or dinner.
- Serve with Vegan Collard Greens or Savory Sauteed Kale.
- Add in steamed broccoli or Brussels sprouts.
- Serve with a side of soup like this Vegan Cauliflower Soup.
More Recipes With Nutritional Yeast
If you’re wondering what else you can do with nutritional yeast, you can find a few more ways to use it here. And if this is new to you, it’s a flavor that you may have to adjust to. I’ve heard many do not like it at first, but it will grow on you, and you will find it to be a useful and tasty addition to your healthy diet.
- Winter Potato, White Bean & Kale Soup
- Spicy Kale Pesto
- Tofu Scramble
- Almond Parmesan
- Vegetable Frittata
- Cashew Ricotta Cheese
Lots of ways to put nutritional yeast to use in your kitchen. You may even try sprinkling some on your popcorn!
More Mac and Cheese Recipes!
- Baked Vegan Mac and Cheese (cashew based)
- Mac and Cheese with Peas (cashew based)
- Creamy Broccoli & Pasta (roux)
- Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese (cashew based)
If you make this mac and cheese recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I love to hear what you think, or any changes you make.
PrintEASY SPICY MAC-N-CHEESE
There are no frills here—just a simple vegan mac’ n’ cheese with nutritional yeast and a spicy kick! It’s 100% dairy-free and without cashews. Add steamed or roasted veggies to suit your taste.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 15 min
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: Serves 3 – 4 1x
- Category: Entree, Pasta
- Method: boil, simmer
- Cuisine: Vegan
Ingredients
- 8 oz. favorite pasta (I used quinoa pasta)
- 1 1/4 cups unsweetened plain almond milk (at room temperature)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons flour (spelt, rice, tapioca or all-purpose)
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder
- mineral salt & pepper, to taste
Instructions
Pasta: Cook your pasta according to package. Drain and place back in pot, set aside.
Vegan Cheese Sauce: In a small/medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat, add flour and whisk to incorporate. Continue whisking and cook for 2 minutes, mixture will be bubbly. Add milk slowly, whisking constantly. Add the garlic powder, chili & chipotle powder and salt. Turn heat to low and cook until sauce thickens, about 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Stir in nutritional yeast. Stir until everything is incorporated and smooth again. Taste for flavor.
Assemble: Add sauce and pasta together, tossing well, add more milk as needed and serve right away.
Serves 3
Store: Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 – 5 days in a covered container.
Notes
This recipe is just a template. Add as much of the salt and spices to suit your taste. You may even like to omit the chili and chipotle opting for a mild mac n’ cheese. Or use either the chili or chipotle powder alone.
For the nutritional yeast, if using powder form reduce the amount to about 1/4 cup. You can try playing around with the amount. I have used less, 1/4 – 1/3 cup, and still had a nice cheesy flavor. You may opt to start with less and add more to taste.
Toss in steamed or roasted vegetables of choice with the pasta…broccoli, brussels sprouts, sun-dried tomatoes, tomatoes, spinach, kale and corn are a few that come to mind that will work with the flavors. I’m sure I missed a few and would love to hear your suggestions in the comments below.
To reheat, add a small amount of milk and heat over low until warmed.
You may also like to top with some almond parmesan!
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This recipe is amazing!!!!!!!!
I used 2 tbsp of flour
And added a lot of smoked paprika!
Delicious!!!
Four stars for how uncomplicated and easy this is.
Three stars because I felt the 3T of flour called for was far more than necessary. Most roux recipes call for 1. Because I used 3 (not thinking, just following the recipe), the sauce was far too thick. I simply kept adding vegetable broth until it was the consistency I preferred.
I agree with other commenters who felt the flavor was lacking. This is definitely where you’ll flavor to your personal taste profile.
I added at least a full tsp of onion and garlic powder, upped the chili powder and chipotle to at least half a tsp.
Full disclosure: I too riffed off the recipe, using it as a springboard for a one pot chili-type mac dinner; adding black beans, corn, rotel tomatoes, and plant based “meat” crumbles. I tasted and adjusted to my satisfaction.
Overall, this was the quick, uncomplicated vegan Mac n Cheez I was looking for. I’ll bookmark and come back to it!
So easy and delicious!
Hello this looks amazing and simple! I am out of carton non-dairy milk. Would canned coconut milk be okay?
Canned coconut milk will have a pretty strong flavor, not sure how it would taste. You can always try to water it down. Also, you can just use water in place of milk. If you’re up for an experiment give either a try. The coconut might be delicious, especially if you’re a fan. Would love to know how it goes!
I’ve made this a couple times and love it! So simple and even the non-vegans in my life enjoy it! I was wondering if you think the texture would stay okay if I used it as a sauce for Mac-N-Cheese bake? I feel like it stay smooth while I have it simmering and I stir it but was unsure if it would change after baking?
Great question, Madeleine! I’ve never tried it, but I would think it would ok. You may even want to make a little extra sauce to ensure it doesn’t dry out during the bake time. Would love to know how it goes, it’s super helpful to others too!
Hello,
I’m going to try baking this as well and replacing the oil with vegan butter, I was thinking of adding bread crumbs. I’ll report back! :)
I have made this recipe twice now, and I love how easy it is (no cashew prep, roasted veggies or food processor needed). The sauce has come out extremely creamy and delicious. I did add some roasted cauliflower. :)
I’m going to try out this recipe tonight although I was wondering if I could do a gluten free flour? I’ve been dying for a vegan gluten free Mac and cheese I hope it works!
You can use gluten-free flour, but not all will work the same. I recommend any of these – King Arthur gluten free all-purpose flour, rice flour, cassava flour, or plantain flour. All can be subbed 1 – 1 for regular flour when making a roux. Feel free to try your favorite gf flour blend to see if it works, some gf flours may tend to gum up. Best of luck, and do let us know how it goes. It’s super helpful for others too!
I went vegan over a year ago but only recently started playing around with vegan cheeses (I was scared) or meals that are originally “cheesy” like mac and cheese. THIS was delicious! I also love just how easy it was to make and doesn’t require any additional prep time like cashew based sauces do. I was hungry now and made this immediately. I just added some finely chopped jalapenos for an extra kick. I saved this recipe to make another time.
OMG! This was soooo good! This was my first attempt at making a bechamel sauce and I was worried my sauce would turn out lumpy but I warmed my almond milk up on the stove as much as I could (before it started boiling) and even though it looked really lumpy when I first added it in, the more I whisked the sauce, the smoother is became. I followed your recipe almost exactly but made a couple changes/additions: I replaced 1 tbsp of olive oil with 1 tbsp of vegan butter, I added a bit of dijon mustard, powdered pepper, smoked paprika, and a bit of a Nando’s hot sauce since I didn’t have any powdered chili. I may have also used less nooch as I didn’t measure that out. Was so creamy and delicious and EASY and really made my day! Thank you!
Yummy! I was just making this for myself (a hungry teenager) so I just approximated the measurements and tossed it together – only took 10 minutes since I made the sauce while the pasta cooked. Hearty and tasty – more cheesy than Velveeta (lol)!