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This Vegan Buffalo Mac and Cheese is a creamy, slightly spicy and plant-based twist on classic mac and cheese, usually made with dairy-based cheese and tossed in tangy buffalo sauce for extra kick.

To make this recipe vegan, you’ll need pasta, cashews, nutritional yeast, non-dairy milk, and a good vegan-friendly buffalo sauce to recreate that bold, cheesy flavour without any dairy.

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Recipe for Vegan Buffalo Mac and Cheese

Buffalo Mac and Cheese is a comfort food classic and it is super easy to make it completely vegan, even without any non-dairy cheese alternative (see instructions)! This plant-based version is still creamy, indulgent and comforting with the right amount of tang from the vegan buffalo sauce (I used Frank’s Buffalo Sauce – yes, it’s vegan!).

Cashews are used to mimic the rich taste of cheese, and gives this sauce a super creamy texture. Nutritional yeast is used to add a savoury “cheesy” flavour and the buffalo sauce brings the heat and tang.

You can simply make the pasta and the sauce and mix together for a super simple (yet deliciously comforting) mac and cheese; or you can take it one step further by baking it with optional vegan cheese, breadcrumbs and vegan butter on top for an extra cheesy and savoury element.

Why You’ll Love this Vegan Buffalo Mac and Cheese

100% dairy-free and vegan friendly
Creamy, cheesy, tangy, savoury and slightly spicy
Easy to make with affordable ingredients
Crowd pleaser at potlucks!

Cheap Lazy Vegan recipe for Buffalo mac and cheese 02

Ingredients

Macaroni or pasta of choice

Cashews

Unsweetened non-dairy milk

Nutritional Yeast

Dijon Mustard

Lemon Juice

Vegan friendly buffalo sauce (I used Frank’s Buffalo Sauce)

Smoked paprika or regular paprika

Turmeric

Garlic Powder

Salt

Vegan butter (optional)

Panko breadcrumbs (optional)

Shredded vegan cheese (optional)

To make this recipe gluten-free, use a gluten-free pasta and gluten-free breadcrumbs (or omit breadcrumbs).

dairy free and vegan Buffalo Mac and cheese

How To Make Buffalo Mac and Cheese Vegan

Soak cashews overnight in water or boil them with water for about 20 minutes to soften them.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (optional, if baking).

Cook macaroni or other pasta according to instructions.

While pasta is cooking, add the soaked cashews into a blender, along with non-dairy milk, nutritional yeast, dijon mustard, lemon juice, buffalo sauce, smoked paprika, turmeric, garlic powder and salt. Blend until smooth.

Once pasta is done, drain and mix together the pasta with the sauce. This is ready to serve or you can continue to the next steps to bake.

If baking, place the mac and cheese into large casserole dish.

In a small bowl, heat vegan butter in the microwave just enough to melt. Add panko breadcrumbs and vegan shredded cheese.

Top the Mac and cheese with the breadcrumb mixture and bake at 400 degrees F for about 10-15 minutes.

If desired, drizzle on more vegan buffalo sauce on top, along with some vegan ranch, before serving!