This Vegan Macaroni Cheese recipe is so easy to prepare in the slow cooker. The cheese sauce is just so deliciously cheesy and thick and the macaroni pasta cooks up wonderfully. A stove-top macaroni cheese method is also provided where the macaroni cheese is finished off in the oven so that its traditional cheesy-breadcrumb topping can go all crisp and golden.
Ordinary boxed macaroni cheese such as Kraft Cheesey Pasta or Kraft Mac & Cheese are not vegan, although there is a now vegan Kraft mac and cheese available in Australia. Our slow cooker macaroni cheese is the perfect alternative as its so convenient to prepare and for a slow cooker its a relatively quick meal as it can be ready in just 2 ½ hours.
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💛 Why You'll Love This Vegan Macaroni Cheese
- ✅ Easy to prep with everyday ingredients
- 🧀 Creamy, cheesy sauce without any dairy
- 🌱 Naturally vegan, vegetarian, & nut-free,
- ⏱️ Quick for a slow cooker meal can be ready in just 2½ hours
- 🍅 Topped with melty vegan cheese, juicy tomatoes, and chives
- 🍳 Includes a simple stove-top version
- 🍽️ Perfect as a main dish or a cosy side for Sunday dinner
Origin of Macaroni Cheese
📜 Curious about the history of Macaroni Cheese?
Tap the toggle '📜' below to find out more. We love researching the food history behind each recipe, but we've filed it away neatly for those who'd rather get to the recipe and start cooking!
📜 The Story Behind This Recipe
14th Century Medieval macaroni cheese
The origins of macaroni cheese is similar to the origins of lasagna as both date back to the medieval 14th Century with the earliest known recipe for a cheese and pasta dish appearing in the old Italian cookbook Liber de Coquina, or The Book of Cookery. A similar recipe titled makerouns appears in the 14th-century English cookbook The Forme of Cury.
The pasta for these early recipes would have been flat sheets for a medieval lasagna type dish or long thin noodle tubes for a medieval-style macaroni cheese. Although both these dishes would not look quite like modern day macaroni and cheese or lasagna, as medieval recipes were simple dishes made with cheese, pasta, and butter but often spices were added especially in English recipes such as ginger, cinnamon, and cloves.
18th Century macaroni cheese
However, the dish we recognize today as macaroni cheese or mac and cheese has its origins in 18th-century Europe as Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, is often credited with popularizing macaroni to Americans after he enjoyed pasta dishes in Naples, Italy. Jefferson's secretary was sent to procure a pasta machine back to the United States, and as a result Jefferson began serving macaroni pie, which was prepared with bourbon and onions, at state dinners.
Many guests enjoyed the new dish but not all Jefferson's guests appreciated the fancy macaroni pie as it was not deemed posh enough! For a copy of Jefferson's macaroni and cheese recipe this link takes you to a pdf copy held over on archives.gov. Jefferson also had a recipe for macaroni which did not contain cheese but did contain 6 eggs!
19th Century macaroni cheese
One of the first published recipes for macaroni and cheese in the Americas appears in the 1824 cookbook The Virginia House-Wife written by Mary Randolph with the recipe having just four ingredients: macaroni, cheese, salt, and butter.
Randolph's recipe states:
''Boil as much macaroni as will fill your dish, in milk and water till quite tender, drain it on a sieve, sprinkle a little salt over it, put a layer in your dish, then cheese and butter as in the polenta, and bake it in the same manner''.
ONLINE SOURCE: archive.org [retrieved 22nd June 2023]
Randolph also has an interesting mock macaroni recipe, although we don't recommend it for our slow cooker macaroni cheese recipe! :
''Break some crackers in small pieces, soak them in milk until they are soft; then use them as a substitute for macaroni''
ONLINE SOURCE: archive.org [retrieved 22nd June 2023]
In England, macaroni cheese was also popular during the 1800s, as a weekly menu for three working class educated girls from London [1880] outlines that on a Friday they had ''Mutton Cutlets, Boiled Potatoes, Brussel Sprouts and Macaroni Cheese.''
The girls weekly shopping list included ½ pound of macaroni which cost 2d which is the equivalent of 2pence or 2 tuppence. [SOURCE: Food In England, Dorothy Hartley, 2012 edition, pg 586-587].
Although, its interesting to note that the term macaroni was used to describe any shape of pasta that was available.
20th Century Great depression macaroni cheese
The more modern version of macaroni and cheese, with its creamy, orange, cheesy sauce, somewhat owes its existence to industrialization as in 1937, during the Great Depression, Kraft Foods introduced boxed Kraft Macaroni & Cheese. Kraft mac and cheese, which consisted of dry macaroni pasta and powdered processed cheese, was affordable at 19 cents a box and served 4, was easy to prepare, and had a long shelf-life, all of which quickly made it very popular. Meanwhile, over in Canada the boxed macaroni cheese was marketed as ''Kraft Dinner''.
Kraft macaroni cheese makes its way to the UK
As for the UK, it wasn't until 1971 that the boxed macaroni cheese was introduced as "Kraft Macaroni Cheese" and was then later rebranded as "Cheesy Pasta" in 1999. Kraft then decided to revert the UK branding back to "Kraft Macaroni and Cheese Dinner" in 2020.
Vegan Kraft mac and cheese in Australia
In 2021 Kraft mac and cheese launched a vegan version of their blue boxed convivence Kraft Mac & Cheese Dinner, which only went on sale at Woolworths grocery stores. For a list of available vegan boxed mac and cheese products, peta.org has a good write-up, however many of the options are not easily available in the UK.
Modern 21st century macaroni cheese
Over the years, macaroni and cheese has become a staple American comfort food with many adaptations from gourmet versions including different types of cheeses, meats, seafood, fish, truffle oil, to more tastier plant-based versions that include delicious vegetables, beans, nutritional yeast flakes, and vegan cheeses.
Macaroni Cheese is known by the names of Macaroni and Cheese, Mac and Cheese, Mac n Cheese, Mac Cheese, and Cheesy Pasta and its a much loved family favourite served up for a main dinner or as a side-dish along with Thanksgiving dinners, Christmas Dinners, and Easter Dinners, and not just for the US, Canada and Australia, as many British families view mac and cheese as a traditional staple enjoying it for holiday meals as well.
Is mac and cheese an Italian dish?
Italians do not typically have a direct equivalent to the meal we know as macaroni cheese or mac and cheese, although there are traditional cheese and pasta dishes in Italy but they typically don't come in the style of what we know as mac and cheese.
To translate "macaroni and cheese" directly into Italian it would be "maccheroni e formaggio", but this phrase would likely be met with some confusion in Italy as it doesn't match up to a traditional Italian dish! The closest dish to mac and cheese according to thefoodellers.com is pasta pasticciata and they also warn not to ask for mac and cheese if your in a restaurant in Italy!
Other Italian recipes that that incorporate cheese include "Cacio e Pepe" which is a simple Italian pasta dish that combines pecorino or parmesan cheese, black pepper and pasta cooking water for a creamy humble but flavourful dish. Another similar but different dish to mac and cheese is the Italian "Pasta al Forno" which is a pasta bake that includes cheese and a tomato sauce, with some recipes also including a béchamel sauce and others small meatballs, amongst other variations.
Our slow cooker macaroni cheese is ideal for easy summer dinners as well as cosy winter meals, or as a side-dish for summer BBQs. Slow cooking macaroni cheese means that the stove can stay switched off during those warmer days, and as the slow cooker pot retains the heat from cooking, it can be comfortably cooked during the warmer months as your kitchen won't get too hot with water vapours.
How to prepare
This slow cooker mac and cheese is so delicious with grated vegan cheese melted on top along with juicy slices of tomato and tasty chopped chives. This really is the easiest and best slow cooker vegan macaroni cheese recipe and it tops any vegan convenience boxed, canned, or ready-meal macaroni cheese versions!
Preparing this slow cooker vegan macaroni cheese is incredibly easy as there is no need to stand at the stove and prepare a cheese sauce using the roux method, nor does the pasta need boiling in a saucepan which is a bonus if cooking the macaroni cheese during the warmer months.
Instead all the ingredients [apart from the grated cheese and optional tomato and chive topping] are added directly to the slow cooker and then cooked for 1 ½ hours on high, then the topping is added for the last 45 minutes. Its so easy and quite quick seeing as its a slow cooker recipe!
Step 1: First, assemble all your ingredients - macaroni pasta or elbow pasta, plain flour [all-purpose flour], mustard powder, garlic powder, onion powder, vegetable stock or bouillon cube, vegan butter or margarine [can be replaced with white miso paste], your usual milk, water and salt.
Step 2: Once the ingredients are in the slow cooker, the topping can be prepared and set aside until required: the vegan cheese can be grated or shredded, the tomatoes can be thinly sliced along with the chives or spring onions.
Step 3: Before you assemble your ingredients, switch the slow cooker to the high setting so that it can preheat for a few minutes.
Step 4: Add the macaroni, flour, salt, vegan butter, nutritional yeast flakes, garlic and onion powders, and mustard powder to the slow cooker and give everything a good mix so that the flour especially is dispersed throughout.
Step 5: Pour in the milk and water and stir well. Pop the lid over the slow cooker and leave to cook for one and a half hours.
Step 6: After one and a half hours, give the pasta a good stir, and pop a spoon into the liquid just to check the seasoning and add salt and pepper if necessary.
Step 7: Sprinkle the grated cheese over the surface.
Step 8: Add sliced tomatoes if using, I only covered half the macaroni with tomatoes as one of my kids dislikes them.
Step 9: Pop the lid over and leave to cook for 40 minutes.
Step 10: Cook for an extra 5 minutes with the lid removed.
Step 11: Once ready sprinkle chopped chives or spring onions [green onions] over the top for extra delicious flavours.
Serving suggestion: A few slices of garlic bread and a scoop of peas are tasty and easy accompaniments to home-made macaroni cheese.
Stove-top method for preparing macaroni cheese
Preparing our slow cooker macaroni cheese recipe on the stove-top and finishing off in the oven, creates an equally delicious mac and cheese, and one of our kids gave it a thumbs up of approval after they had 2 servings so based on that evidence it must be very tasty.
The ingredients for the stove-top macaroni cheese are tweaked a little from the main slow cooker recipe, and we have included these below as well as in the recipe notes [below the main recipe card].
Also, to melt the grated vegan cheese the cooked macaroni cheese is given a quick 15-20 minute bake in the oven to create a traditional macaroni cheese.
Stove-top macaroni cheese ingredients:
- 400 grams macaroni pasta [or elbow pasta] [14oz]
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter [replace with 1 ½ tablespoons of white miso paste if preferred, this swap is very tasty!]
- ½ teaspoon mustard powder [such as Colemans mustard powder]
- 1¼ teaspoon garlic powder [or granules]
- 1¼ teaspoon onion powder [or granules]
- 1 vegan stock cube [we used 1 meat free 'chicken' flavour OXO stock cube]
- 30 grams nutritional yeast flakes [7 tablespoons]
- 450 millilitres water [we used boiled and cooled but still warmish water] [just over 2 ¼ cups]
- 850 millilitres plant-based milk such as soya or oat milk or your usual milk [3 ½ cups]
- ¾ teaspoon salt more as required, and black pepper if liked
*[please note our cup measurements are worked out using a 240ml cup]*
Topping:
- 100 grams vegan cheese grated or shredded [or replace with extra nutritional yeast flakes if preferred]
- 50 grams breadcrumbs [1 slice of shop-bought sliced bread, grated to rough breadcrumbs using a box cheese grater], we used a slice of seeded farmhouse bread,
- Optional: 2 salad tomatoes thin sliced, or any other tomato varieties, the exact amount is personal preference
Garnish:
- small bunch chives sliced, or fine sliced spring onions [green onions]
Equipment:
- Large non-stick pot
- Casserole dish or baking dish, about 9 x12 inch [23 x 30 cm], we used a Pyrex baking dish
- Cheese grater
Step 1: Add the macaroni, nutritional yeast flakes, garlic powder, onion powder, vegan margarine or butter [or replace with white miso paste], vegetable stock cube, mustard powder, and salt. Stir well. Mix through the milk and water.
Step 2: Over a medium heat bring to the boil and cook for 15 minutes, stirring frequently just to make sure the ingredients are not sticking to the pot.
Step 3: Taste the seasoning and add more salt if required and some black pepper.
Step 4: Next, pour the macaroni cheese into a casserole dish.
Step 5: Preheat the oven to 190 Fan, 210C, 410 Fahrenheit, or Gas 7.
Step 6: Mix the grated vegan cheese with the breadcrumbs and scatter the mixture over the macaroni cheese. Add a single layer of sliced tomatoes if liked.
Step 7: We only covered half the macaroni cheese with tomatoes as one of my kids does not like the texture of whole tomatoes.
Step 8: Bake on the middle or near the top shelf of the oven for about 15-20 minutes until the topping is crisp and browned, and the macaroni cheese bubbly.
Step 9: Allow the macaroni cheese to sit for about 5 minutes so that the cheese sauce can settle and thicken up before serving.
Step 10: A sprinkling of fresh chopped chives or spring onions [green onions] is a nice tasty garnish.
Recipe notes
Storing
Leftover macaroni cheese can be stored within the refrigerator, in a covered container, for up to 3 days. Or frozen for 2-3 months.
Reheating
Add the leftover macaroni cheese to an oven dish, cover with kitchen foil, and bake in a hot oven until piping hot throughout. Or microwave for a few minutes or until piping hot.
FAQ'S
The best plant-based milk for macaroni and cheese depends on what milk you like best as well as what milk copes well with heating and cooking. If your plant-based milk does not curdle in hot drinks then it is usually good for cooking especially when used for a thick creamy sauce, so barista style milks work well.
For our macaroni cheese we went with Lidl [UK] own brand of barista oat milk Vemondo and it worked really well. We also like using unsweetened soya milk or almond milk.
A cheddar style vegan cheese is a good idea for macaroni cheese as traditional macaroni cheese tends to use cheddar cheese, however any vegan cheese that melts well can be used for macaroni cheese so use your preferred dairy-free cheese that can be easily grated.
We used Vemondo Vegan Cheddar Style vegan cheese that we sourced from Lidl [UK] and it does have a great cheesy taste and melts perfectly. We also like Violife cheeses as well as Asda's and Tesco's own brand of plant-based cheeses.
The vegan cheese is added to the top of the macaroni cheese so that it can melt nicely, but there is no vegan cheese in the actual macaroni cheese sauce, so yes it can be replaced if preferred.
A few ideas:
1. Sprinkle breadcrumbs on top of the macaroni cheese when the recipe calls for the grated cheese to be added. For extra flavour, mix the breadcrumbs with some additional nutritional yeast flakes. Alternatively, for a crunchy cheesy topping toast the breadcrumbs in an oven, fry pan, or skillet, or an air-fryer, and once toasted stir through some nutritional yeast flakes and then sprinkle this topping over the finished macaroni cheese.
2. Sprinkle extra nutritional yeast flakes over the macaroni cheese when the recipe calls for grated cheese.
3. Use a shop bought vegan parmesan to sprinkle over the macaroni cheese or use a home-made vegan parmesan cheese.
4. We love adding thin sliced tomatoes to the top of our macaroni cheese at the stage the recipe calls for grated vegan cheese, but for a different take, you could add some pre roasted vegetables on top such as slices of bell peppers or mushrooms. This will add extra tasty flavour and texture, and provide extra goodness.
Yes, the vegan butter can be replaced with a vegan margarine, olive oil, or coconut oil if preferred but if you are on an oil or fat-free diet then replace the butter with about 1 ½ tablespoons of white miso paste ensuring that the miso is well mixed into the milk before adding to the slow cooker. A few pinches of turmeric powder can also be added which will add colour and a subtle flavour.
A simple salad or a pot of peas and carrots, and a few slices of garlic bread or baguette are the perfect accompaniments. Vegan coleslaw, roasted tray of mixed vegetables, potato chips or wedges, baked potato, corn-on-the-cobs, or steamed or pan-fried greens are all delicious accompaniments.
Alternatively, serve the macaroni cheese as a side-dish along with a vegan chilli, vegan sausages, vegan hotdogs or vegan carrot hot-dogs, vegan meatloaf, or serve a scoop alongside this tasty vegan chuck wagon stew or this old-fashioned vegetables au gratin. Cornbread muffins are also a nice addition.
Macaroni cheese is a popular addition to a meat-free thanksgiving and Christmas dinner, so it will pair well with whatever you usually have to celebrate these occasions.
Yes, you can add extra flavours to the finished macaroni cheese such as hot sauce, salsa, barbecue sauce, tomato ketchup [one of my kids favourite additions!], brown sauce, curry sauce [the kind that comes out a bottle like ketchup], mushroom ketchup, fresh sliced chillies, jalapeños, red pepper or chilli flakes, a dash of paprika, a pinch or two of cayenne pepper, sprinkle of dried mixed herbs, etc.
Some flavourings can also be stirred through the rest of the macaroni cheese ingredients at the beginning of cooking such as cayenne pepper, chilli powder, paprika powder and dried herbs. A few pinches of turmeric can provide a more golden yellow or orange colour to the macaroni as well as complimenting the vegan cheesy flavours.
Another idea is to top the finished macaroni cheese with some chopped vegan bacon, sausages, or burgers scattered over the top for extra flavour, or some crispy onions or sauteed onions or bell pepper, or cooked and diced mushrooms.
National Mac and Cheese Day is celebrated in the United States annually on July 14th and is the perfect day to enjoy a home-cooked plate of delicious macaroni cheese. Other special pasta days are National Macaroni Day on the 7th July, National Pasta Day on the 17th October, and World Pasta Day on the 25th October!
More vegan pasta recipes
Our family loves pasta and can't seem to get enough. Ordinary durum wheat pasta, wholemeal pasta, bean pasta, lentil pasta, as well as gluten-free pastas in various shapes and sizes, are thoroughly enjoyed and they would ask for it for almost every meal if they could. We especially like devising vegan adaptations of traditional pasta recipes that are easy, quick, budget-friendly, and fuss-free as it just makes busy lives easier.
A few of our family favourites are this One-Pot American Goulash, and this Quick Cheesy Pasta which incorporates tasty broccoli, and for a chilli kick this Chilli Macaroni Cheese is ideal, and for a longer cook but so worth it this Butternut Squash and Lentil Lasagna is just vegan comfort food at its best, and is a great recipe for impressing those meat-eating members of the family.
***please note: for US measurements click the 'US customary button' within the recipe and the measurements will switch to tablespoons, cups, and ounces.***
📖 Recipe
Vegan Macaroni Cheese [Slow Cooker & Stove-Top Recipe]
Equipment
- 3.5 litre [4 quart or a little larger] slow cooker or crock pot
Ingredients
Macaroni cheese:
- 400 grams macaroni pasta [or elbow pasta]
- 2 tablespoons plain flour [all-purpose flour]
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter [replace with 1 ½ tablespoons of white miso paste if preferred]
- ½ teaspoon mustard powder [such as Colemans mustard powder]
- 1¼ teaspoon garlic powder [or granules]
- 1¼ teaspoon onion powder [or granules]
- 1 vegan stock cube [we used 1 meat free 'chicken' flavour OXO stock cube]
- 30 grams nutritional yeast flakes
- 240 millilitres water [we used boiled and cooled but still warmish water]
- 850 mililitres plant-based milk such as soya or oat milk or your usual milk
- ½ teaspoon salt more as required, and black pepper if liked
Add near the end:
- 100 grams vegan cheese grated or shredded [or replace with extra nutritional yeast flakes if preferred]
- 2 salad tomatoes thin sliced, or any other tomato varieties, the exact amount is personal preference
Garnish:
- small bunch chives sliced, or fine sliced spring onions [green onions]
Instructions
- Switch the slow cooker to the high setting to preheat whilst you prepare the ingredients.
- Add the macaroni, nutritional yeast flakes, vegan butter, garlic powder, onion powder, mustard powder, plain flour, salt, and crumbled stock or bouillon cube to the slow cooker. Stir the ingredients making sure the flour is well stirred throughout the other ingredients.400 grams macaroni pasta, 2 tablespoons plain flour, 2 tablespoons vegan butter, ½ teaspoon mustard powder, 1¼ teaspoon garlic powder, 1¼ teaspoon onion powder, 1 vegan stock cube, 30 grams nutritional yeast flakes
- Next pour in the water and milk, and stir again.240 millilitres water, 850 mililitres plant-based milk, ½ teaspoon salt
- Pop the lid over the slow cooker and leave to cook for 1 ½ hours.
- After 1 ½ hours remove the lid and give everything a good stir. Pop a small spoon into the liquid just to taste the seasoning and add some salt and pepper to taste if necessary. Stir the seasoning through and then pop the lid back on just to preserve the heat before adding the cheese.
- Remove the lid and then scatter the vegan cheese over the top and add tomato slices if using. Pop the lid back on and leave to cook for a further 40 minutes.100 grams vegan cheese, 2 salad tomatoes
- For the last 5 minutes remove the lid and leave for another 5 minutes before scattering some chopped chives or spring onions over to finish and the macaroni cheese is now ready to dish up.small bunch chives
Notes
- Nutritional information is provided for guidance only and is not intended to be an exact analysis as ingredients can vary.
- Store leftover macaroni cheese in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Or freeze for 2-3 months.
- To reheat put the leftover macaroni cheese in a saucepan and heat over medium-low heat. Stir frequently and add a small amount of plant-based milk or water if it looks dry, continue heating and stirring until it's heated through. For reheating in a microwave, oven and air-fryer check out our recipe notes section above the recipe.
- Our slow cooker is a 3.5 litre Swan slow cooker with a ceramic pot so cooking times stated here may need to be adjusted if using a different type or size of slow cooker or crock pot. A 3.5 litre slow cooker is big enough to feed on average 4 portions but of course could feed more or less depending on appetites, etc.
- Our cup measurements are worked out using a 240ml cup.
- We used Vemondo Oat Barista milk [from Lidl UK].
- For the vegan cheese we used Vemondo Vegan Cheddar Style [also from Lidl UK].
- We used Colemans Mustard powder.
- For the vegan stock or bouillon cube we used Meat Free Chicken Flavour vegan OXO cubes [available in most UK supermarkets]. A vegan 'chicken' flavoured stock provides the best flavour for the vegan cheese sauce. Although any stock or bouillon cubes, or stock powder, can be used.
- For the vegan butter we used Flora Plant Butter, Salted, but any plant-based butter or margarine can be used, or replace it with about 1 ½ tablespoons of white miso paste whisked well through the milk and stock.
- For a gluten-free macaroni cheese, substitution ideas for the vegan cheese, and what plant-based milk is best for macaroni cheese, and more, see the recipe notes and FAQ section above for useful information.
- Stove-top method for cooking traditional mac and cheese:
- To cook the macaroni cheese on the stove-top and finish it off in the oven the water quantities need to be increased to 550 millilitres [18 ½ fl ounce/ just over 2 ¼ cups] and the flour omitted as it is not required.
- The other ingredients can remain the same although for our stove-top macaroni we made a few changes: we switched out the vegan butter for 1 ½ tablespoons of white miso paste, added ⅛th teaspoon of turmeric powder, and increased the salt to ¾ teaspoon.
- We also stirred 50grams of breadcrumbs mixed through the grated cheese for the topping [the breadcrumbs are prepared with 1 standard slice of shop-bought bread, grated to rough crumbs using a box cheese grater, we used Farmhouse seeded bread].
- All the ingredients, except the topping, is added to a large non-stick pot brought to a simmer and cooked for 15 minutes, stir frequently. Check the seasoning, add extra salt if required and some black pepper.
- Next, decant the macaroni cheese into a baking dish [about 9 x 12 inch / 23cm x 30cm] and cover the top with the breadcrumb cheese mixture, and add sliced tomatoes if liked.
- Bake at 190 Fan, 210C, 410 Fahrenheit, Gas 7, for about 15-20 minutes until the topping is crisp and the macaroni bubbly. Leave to sit for 5 minutes before serving up. Garnish with chopped chives.
Nutrition
Comments
Prepared our Vegan Slow Cooker Macaroni Cheese or our Traditional Stove-Top Macaroni Cheese adapted version? Do pop back and let us know how you got on by leaving us a comment. All feedback is very much appreciated. Thanks so much. Jacq x
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