This Vegan Buffalo Mac and Cashew Cheese is spicy, delicious, and nutritious; a perfect weeknight dinner that whips up in less than an hour! With elbow macaroni tossed with creamy cashew sauce, a hint of buffalo heat, and combined with sautéed veggies, this is the ultimate comfort food—dairy-free and guilt-free!
As a kid, my favorite after school snack was the boxed Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. It tasted delicious to my 10 year-old self but the neon meal left me feeling sick each and every time. It was the epitome of a gut bomb and I felt sluggish the rest of the afternoon.
Once I became an adult, I made what I thought was a fancier and healthier version of mac and cheese. I’d grate up fresh cheddar and pepper jack and add peas for a healthy splash of color. Same gut bombs, different decade.
This Buffalo Mac and Cashew Cheese is a whole different story! This creamy, tangy, spicy, cozy comfort food is way lighter than traditional mac and leaves you feeling energetic instead of sluggish after eating.
The cleanup is so much easier than traditional mac and cheese; no more scrubbing welded cheese out of the pot after it soaked overnight and wondering how to deal with the gloopy mess sticking to the sponge. Everything wipes clean away!
Can this be made kid-friendly?
Absolutely! Skip the hot sauce in the blender and add it only to the adults’ bowls. The base recipe is mild, creamy, and kid-approved.
Does Cashew Cheese taste like cheese?
Nope, but that’s the point. It has its own rich, creamy unique flavor instead of trying to mimic cheddar. If you expect dairy mac, you’ll be disappointed; if you’re open to a flavorful, velvety pasta dish on its own terms, you’ll love it.
Why you’ll love this Vegan Buffalo Mac
- Ready in under an hour
- Easily made gluten-free
- Kid-friendly and still spicy for adults
- Creamy, cozy, and way lighter than traditional mac
- Easy cleanup
Tips for Success
- Don’t overcook the macaroni.
Nothing ruins a pasta dish faster than mushy pasta. - Use good veggie sausages or skip them.
The only ones I truly love are Field Roast (Mexican Chipotle for this recipe, or Italian for others). If you don’t love the veggie sausages, leave them out. - Season one more time at the end. Sometimes I feel like this dish needs additional salt at the end and sometimes I don’t. Same with the spice. Taste before serving and add anything else it may need!
- Leftovers? This Buffalo Mac reheats beautifully. Reheat in the microwave or in a pot on the stove, adding a splash of water when warming to revive the sauce.
Substitutions
Gluten Free:
Use gluten-free pasta and omit the veggie dogs and this dish is easily gluten-free.
No Miso?
Use 1 tsp soy sauce or tamari, or ½ tsp salt.
Vegetables:
Feel free to mix up the sautéed veggies! Other great options for this dish:
- Zucchini
- Cauliflower
- Carrot
- Spinach (stir in at the end)
Protein:
Not into veggie sausages? Try:
Vegan chick’n or tempeh.
Tempeh option:
Heat a skillet over medium-high. Add a drizzle of avocado oil, crumble in 8 oz tempeh, and season with 1 tsp soy sauce + 1 tsp hot sauce. Cook until browned, adding a splash of water if needed. Stir into the pasta at the end.
Vegan Buffalo Mac and Cashew Cheese
Equipment
- 1 Blender
- 1 Large skillet
- 1 Large pot
Ingredients
Cashew Cheese
- 1 ½ cups cashews, raw and unsalted
- 1 ½ cups soy, oat, or almond milk (unflavored)
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 Tbsp Franks Red Hot Buffalo Sauce or other hot sauce (omit for kid-friendly)
- 2 tsp white miso
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- ⅛ tsp black pepper
Pasta
- 15 oz elbow macaroni
- 16 cups water
- ¼ tsp salt
Sautéed Vegetables
- ⅓ of a red onion small dice
- pinch of salt
- 2 cups broccoli roughly chopped
- ¾ cup peas (if frozen, allow to defrost)
- ½ of a red bell pepper small dice
- 2 spicy veggie sausages, sliced or broken into chunks (Field Roast's Mexican Chipotle is my fav)
For Serving
- drizzle of hot sauce (optional)
- pinch of cayenne powder or paprika
Instructions
- Place 1 ½ cups cashews in a heat-safe bowl and pour boiling water over them. Soak for 15 minutes. While cashews soak, chop all the vegetables.
- Cashew Cheese: Add soaked cashews and everything else under "cashew cheese" to a high speed blender. Blend until smooth and creamy. Add anything more to-taste, adding miso if salt is needed.
- Pasta:Bring a large pot of water and ¼ tsp salt to a boil. Add 15 ounces of elbow macaroni and cook according to package directions, until al dente. Use colander to strain the water out, return pasta back to pot, then pour cashew cheese over pasta and stir to evenly coat.
- Sautéed Vegetables:Heat large skillet on medium-high heat. Once hot, drizzle avocado oil and add onions with a pinch of salt. Cook 1-2 minutes, until softened, stirring frequently. Add broccoli and veggie sausages (if using) and cook another 1-2 minutes until broccoli begins to soften, then add peas and red bell pepper. Once broccoli has softened, remove from heat.
- Combine:Add sautéed vegetables to pasta pot and stir to combine. Taste, adding ¼ tsp salt if desired. Serve immediately, garnishing with a dash of hot sauce on top and a sprinkle of paprika or cayenne pepper for a pop of color. Enjoy!
Notes
Did you enjoy this Buffalo Mac and Cashew Cheese? I’d love to hear how it turned out in comment below! 🙂
