Vegan Macaroni Cheese [Slow Cooker & Stove-Top Recipe]

A plate of macaroni with peas and garlic bread, slow cooker to side and a pot of peas in background, red and white stripe table mats, featured image.

Vegan Macaroni Cheese [Slow Cooker & Stove-Top Recipe]

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American, British

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 2 15

Total Time: 2 30

Servings: -6 depending on appetites and portion sizes!

Calories: 659kcal

Author: Jacq

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.

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US Customary - Metric

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