This baked vegan mac and cheese is the best easy family dinner recipe for inspiring more meatless Mondays in your family. Even better, it’s freezer friendly!
Can’t stop, won’t stop with the everything bagel recipes. We’ve got these amazing chicken breasts, awesome devilled eggs, and NOW I’m back at it with a baked vegan mac and cheese. Honestly, I gave this to the hubs and he was like NO WAY this is vegan. Yes way, my friend. Even Baby E gobbled it up.
Why This Recipe Works
I like caramelized onions in all the things, and I think onions are a natural pairing wth everything bagel because onion is also one of the ingredients in the mix. It also adds a nice texture and amazing natural sweetness to this otherwise savoury dish. So it’s worth the time it takes to caramelize your onions.
The sauce in this mac and cheese is made from creamy cashews, lemon juice and nutritional yeast – all vegan staples that yield a surprisingly cheesy creamy “bechamel” like sauce. No dairy needed!
It’s the perfect family friendly meal! Everyone loves everything bagel seasoning and mac and cheese is always a hit. It’s salty, crunchy, crispy, savoury, and pairs absolutely amazing with cheese. Your family will be reaching for seconds.
Key Ingredients
Onions — It’ll take a bit of time but caramelizing the onions add so much flavour to this baked vegan mac and cheese. Be sure to slice them thinly!
Pasta — We like to use whole grain penne pasta but you can use whatever you have on hand. You can also sub in with gluten free pasta if looking to make this for a gluten free friend.
Nutritional Yeast — When you blend up your cashews to make your sauce, the nutritional yeast gives it a cheesy nutty flavour. It also adds extra vitamins and minerals to your mac and cheese!
Everything Bagel — We make our own by combining poppy seeds, sesame seeds, garlic flakes, onion flakes, and kosher salt but you can also purchase some at the store or online.
How To Make This Recipe
Step 1: Preheat oven to 400F and then to a large nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium low heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until fragrant and caramelized, about 45-60 minutes.
Step 2: Meanwhile, to a high speed blender, puree the cashews, broth, lemon juice, salt, nutritional yeast and turmeric until very smooth. Meanwhile, cook the whole grain pasta for 2 minutes less than the recommending cooking time on the package.
Step 3: Add the pasta and sauce to the skillet with the caramelized onions and toss to coat.
Step 4: In a bowl, mix together the poppyseed, sesame seeds, garlic flakes, onion flakes and kosher salt.
Step 5: In another bowl, mix the vegan butter and panko.
Step 6: To a 9 inch square or round oven-safe dish, layer half of the pasta and top with 1 cup of the vegan shreds. Add the remaining pasta.
Step 7: Top with the remaining 1 cup of vegan cheese shreds, the panko breadcrumbs and the everything bagel spice. Bake for 10-15 minutes on the top shelf until browned. Serve immediately.
Expert Tips
You can make your everything bagel seasoning ahead of time. You can combine the ingredients and store it in an airtight container inside of your pantry for up to a year and use it in whatever you like.
If you don’t have panko, you can substitute in (gluten free) breadcrumbs.
Be patient with the onions. Caramelized onions need time to slowly cook and deepen in colour, flavour, and sweetness. Onions have natural sugar in them that’ll help with caramelizing so you don’t need to add any extra sugar.
Make sure you are using raw cashews (not roasted) and that they’re soaked beforehand. If you forgot to soak them, you can try and the quick soak method by boiling it in water for around 20 minutes.
Recipe FAQs
If you want to double the recipe and freeze half, this baked vegan mac and cheese freezers super well. After baking, transfer the mac and cheese into a freezer containers, let cool before covering, and freeze for up to 3 months.
You can reheat your mac and cheese straight from frozen! Bake it in the oven at 400F for about an hour covered with foil and then finish it uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes or until heated through.
You absolutely can add veggies to this baked vegan mac and cheese! You can add some finely chopped broccoli or cauliflower to the mac and cheese!
No! This mac and cheese works with many different types of pastas. You can use pasta shells, macaroni, etc. The more nooks and crannies in the pasta, the better they hold up your cheesy sauce.
More Recipes You May Like
If you’re looking for more recipes to use your everything bagel seasoning in, try these recipes!
- EVERYTHING BAGEL TOFU NUGGETS
- VEGAN EVERYTHING BAGEL AVOCADO BEAN SANDWICH
- EVERYTHING BAGEL SALAD
- BREAKFAST KETO BAGELS WITH EGGS WITH EVERYTHING BAGEL SEASONING
Baked Vegan Mac and Cheese with Everything Bagel Crust
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 onions thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 1/2 cup cashews soaked
- 1 1/4 cup no salt added vegetable broth
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- ½ teaspoons salt
- Heaping 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 375 g box of whole grain penne pasta use gluten free if needed
- 1 cup vegan cheese shreds
Everything bagel spice:
- 2 tsp poppyseeds
- 2 tsp sesame seeds
- 2 tsp garlic flakes
- 2 tsp onion flakes
- 2 tsp kosher salt
Topping:
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter melted
- 1 cup vegan cheese shreds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- To a large nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium low heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until fragrant and caramelized, about 45-60 minutes.
- Meanwhile, to a high speed blender, puree the cashews, broth, lemon juice, salt, nutritional yeast and turmeric until very smooth.
- Meanwhile, cook the whole grain pasta for 2 minutes less than the recommending cooking time on the package.
- Add the pasta and sauce to the skillet with the caramelized onions and toss to coat.
- In a bowl, mix together the poppyseed, sesame seeds, garlic flakes, onion flakes and kosher salt.
- In another bowl, mix the vegan butter and panko.
- To a 9 inch square or round oven-safe dish, layer half of the pasta and top with 1 cup of the vegan shreds. Add the remaining pasta.
- Top with the remaining 1 cup of vegan cheese shreds, the panko breadcrumbs and the everything bagel spice. Bake for 10-15 minutes on the top shelf until browned. Serve immediately.
Notes
- You can make your everything bagel seasoning ahead of time. You can combine the ingredients and store it in an airtight container inside of your pantry for up to a year and use it in whatever you like.
- If you don’t have panko, you can substitute in (gluten free) breadcrumbs.
- Be patient with the onions. Caramelized onions need time to slowly cook and deepen in colour, flavour, and sweetness. Onions have natural sugar in them that’ll help with caramelizing so you don’t need to add any extra sugar.
- Make sure you are using raw cashews (not roasted) and that they’re soaked beforehand. If you forgot to soak them, you can try and the quick soak method by boiling it in water for around 20 minutes.
Nutrition
Abbey Sharp is a Registered Dietitian (RD), regulated by the Ontario College of Dietitians. She is a mom, YouTuber, Blogger, award winning cookbook author, media coach specializing in food and nutrition influencers, and a frequent contributor to national publications like Healthline and on national broadcast TV shows.
Angela says
My entire family LOVES everything bagel seasoning! I can not wait to make this dish for our next family dinner…YUM!!!
Abbey Sharp says
you’re going to LOVE it
Janelle @ Run With No Regrets says
What a creative recipe! This looks so good. I’ve never had vegan mac and cheese but I’d definitely try this!
Abbey Sharp says
you will totally love it.
GiGi Eats says
When I was a kid, everything bagels were my JAM!!!!!!! And it was really just because of that spice. It’s just – THE BEST! 🙂
Abbey Sharp says
The bestttt
Deborah Brooks says
I am obsessed with everything bagel spice. Never thought to use it on mac and cheese great idea!
Abbey Sharp says
So good
Nicole from Fitful Focus says
100% need this in my life! My whole family is obsessed with that seasoning.
Abbey Sharp says
The best