09-07-2025
Vegan mac 'n' cheese recipe
T he classic mac 'n' cheese — a great favourite in Scotland — is given a healthy plant-based makeover here. Despite having no cheese at all, it's still big on cheesy flavour thanks to nutritional yeast flakes. The dish isn't low on calcium, either, with a triple boost of it coming from the almonds, the soya milk (which is usually fortified with minerals) and the cauliflower. You also get plenty of extra fibre by swapping regular macaroni for wholewheat.
Serves 4
• 200g wholewheat macaroni • 250g cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets
• Your choice of garden peas, pumpkin seeds or leafy salad, to serve
For the vegan cheese sauce
• 100g cashews, roughly chopped• 50g almonds, roughly chopped
• 1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice • 250ml unsweetened soya milk or other plant milk• 4 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes• 2 tbsp hulled hemp seeds• 1 tsp garlic granules• 1 tsp onion powder• 1 tsp English mustard• 1⁄2 tsp vegan stock powder• A pinch of chilli powder
• A good pinch of ground turmeric
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 6. To make the cheese sauce, put the cashews and almonds in a large saucepan, cover with 200ml cold water and stir in the lemon juice. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 min or until the liquid has been absorbed.
2. While the nuts are softening, fill a steamer saucepan with cold water, bring to the boil and add the macaroni to the saucepan and the cauliflower to the steamer. Steam the cauliflower for 5 min, then remove from the heat, drain and set aside; continue cooking the macaroni until tender. Drain the macaroni and return to the saucepan with the cauliflower.
3. Add the softened nuts and the remaining cheese sauce ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth. Season to taste.
4. To assemble the dish, stir the cheese sauce into the cooked cauliflower and macaroni in the saucepan. Heat, stirring continuously, for a couple of minutes until piping hot, then serve with garden peas and pumpkin seeds, or salad leaves of your choice.
Taken from The Scottish Vegan Cookbook by Jackie Jones (Birlinn £18.99). Buy from Discount for Times+ members
