Vegan Practically

I’ve noted before that cheese is a huge obstacle for people who might otherwise consider going vegan. Mac and cheese in particular has a nostalgic place in lots of people’s lives. Maybe you fought with siblings over the crustiest golden bits of luxurious baked mac and cheese casseroles topped with sliced tomatoes that sweetened as they cooked. Or maybe, as Diane and I did in grad school, you made a staple of the 3-for-99 cents Kraft mac and cheese (what Canadians call “Kraft Dinner”) with that orange powder that miraculously turns into a distinctive sauce when mixed with milk and butter.

Whatever its place (or not) in your history, there is no denying that mac and cheese has all the features of a comfort food — warm, creamy, carb-y, and (if you make it out of a box) easy.

Well I’m here to tell you today that you do not need to give it up. Indeed, you have choices! And not just any old choices. Good choices. Here are some options.

Daiya has the powdered kind and a “deluxe” version where the sauce is already made and comes in a sealed foil envelope. In the powdered, you can get regular or white cheddar. In the deluxe you can get cheddar or Alfredo. Yesterday I made the Deluxe Cheddar for lunch and served it with steamed young broccoli. It was creamy and delicious. I’m sure I could easily have served it to omnivores and they’d never have known the difference.

Annie’s. If you’re shopping for Annie’s vegan mac and cheese, make sure you grab the right box because they have lots of non-vegan versions as well. The plant-based versions are marked as vegan. I’ve tried the vegan mac and cheddar and the vegan mac shells and sweet potato & pumpkin. You make both the familiar Kraft dinner way — boil the noodles, drain off the water, put them back in the pot, stir in a bit of plant-based milk and a dollop of plant-based butter along with the sauce powder until it all blends together into a sauce. Not exactly gourmet, but it hits all the right nostalgic notes (especially the cheddar version). Annie’s also has a deluxe with the pre-made sauce and a vegan gluten free version. I haven’t tried either but I very much appreciate that they haven’t cut corners by making all the vegan versions gluten free while still providing a vegan gf option.

Not everyone is into the pre-made mac and cheese from a box. We didn’t have this in our house when I was growing up (I used to eat it at the neighbours’ place). If you prefer home-cooked and have time for slow food, here are some home made options.

Nora has more than one mac and cheese recipe. Her “The Best Vegan Mac and Cheese” can be baked or made stove top. The sauce gets its creaminess from cashews and soy milk, and its cheesiness from a mix of vegan cheeses and miso. Its colour, as with many mac and cheese recipes, is from a dash or two of turmeric. If baking, it has a panko bread crumb topping. I have bookmarked this recipe to try because it is relatively quick to make and it looks delicious.

The Simple Vegan Blog‘s “The Best Vegan Mac and Cheese” recipe can also be baked or made on the stove-top. It gets the creaminess from potatoes (yes, potatoes!) and soy milk, its colour from carrots (yes, carrots!), and its cheesiness from nutritional yeast with a bit of lemon juice. If you’re baking it, it too has a panko breadcrumb topping. What I like about this version is that it doesn’t have a lot of processed foods in it (for example, no pre-made shredded vegan cheese in the sauce). Even though nutritional yeast is a pantry staple for me, I’m not a fan of it as a dominant ingredient in things. I don’t mind a bit, but a cheese sauce that gets most of its flavour from nooch won’t hit the right notes for me. This is totally personal preference. A similar stove-top recipe on the Forks over Knives site, which has potatoes and cashews and nutritional yeast, has love-it-or-hate-it reviews. My guess is that it comes down to people’s feelings about nooch.

Loving It Vegan‘s “Classic Baked Vegan Mac and Cheese” gets its creaminess from THREE cans of coconut milk and a bit of butter. Its cheesiness is from nutritional yeast. As with the other baked versions, it’s got a breadcrumb topping.

Finally, Post Punk Kitchen‘s “Broccoli Mac and Cheese” is made with nutritional yeast but I can attest that I have both made it and liked it (in 2018 when the vegan recipe blogosphere–or at least my knowledge of it–was nothing like it is today). It’s got a lot else going for it, like cashews and broccoli, and only 1/4C of nooch. And it’s from Isa Chandra Moskowitz, so it’s hard to go wrong.

Bon Appétit!