Baked Cauliflower Mac and Cheese (vegan + oil-free)

Hi friends! Baked cauliflower mac and cheese is here. I hope you’re as excited as I am because omg…this new vegan mac and cheese recipe is to die for. If you’ve been on the search for a healthier version of mac and cheese, look no further!

This recipe is:

✔️Plant-based

✔️Gluten-free optional

✔️Oil-free

✔️Soy-free

✔️100% made with love

The cheese sauce is simple – cauliflower, sweet potato, cashews. Pure plant-based goodness! You wouldn’t believe this doesn’t have any dairy – it is so BEYOND creamy!

Baked Cauliflower Mac and Cheese (vegan + oil-free)

Not to toot my own horn but I make a mean baked cauliflower mac and cheese. My fiancé can vouch for how amazing this recipe turned out.

He came home for lunch during his work day and this was waiting for him!

Baked Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

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Don’t walk, run to your kitchen to make this!

Baked Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

Creamy

Savory 

Crunchy 

Comforting 

Decadent

Rich

Cheesy

Baked Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

Josie’s Organics

I use cauliflower from Josie’s Organics,  an amazing all organic company that grows their produce in the fertile California Valley. Their family farming business dates back to the 1920’s, when two young Swiss immigrants, Sebastian and Josie Braga decided to start growing beets, tomatoes, onions, hay and corn.

Today, three generations later, the organic family farming tradition is being kept alive! Josie’s Organics harvests over 25 varieties of USDA certified organic veggies. How incredible?! I have to say, their produce is always fresh and abundant.

Also, Josie’s Organics doesn’t use any synthetic fertilizers or pesticides on their farms. This is so important!

Be sure to look out for Josie’s Organics in your local store! Use their store locator here!

Baked Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

Creamy, cheesy, ultimate vegan comfort food without the guilt. 100% plant-based vegan baked cauliflower mac and cheese. 
serving 9 servings
prep time 10 minutes
cook time 20 minutes
total time 30 minutes

the ingredients

Mac and Cheese Sauce

  • 2 cups cauliflower I use Josie's Organics
  • 3 cups peeled and cubed sweet potato
  • 1/2 cup cashews
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • 2 cups pasta water save 2 cups of the pasta water for adding into the sauce
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp garlic
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1/8 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp yellow mustard

Pasta

  • 16 oz pasta of choice use short noodles like elbows, rotini, penne, etc.
  • 3 tbsp whole wheat or gluten-free breadcrumbs
  • fresh parsley garnish

instructions

  • Bring two large pots of water to a boil. To one pot add the pasta, and to the other add the sweet potato, cauliflower and cashews - cook until fork tender (about 10 minutes). 
  • Preheat oven to 525 F on broil. 
  • Strain pasta (save 2 cups of the pasta water and add into high speed blender like a Vitamix) and then add cooked pasta into a casserole dish. 
  • Strain the potatoes, cauliflower and cashews and then add into blender. 
  • Add the rest of the sauce ingredients into the blender and blend on high until completely smooth! There should be no chunks. 
  • Pour sauce over pasta and mix well. Sprinkle breadcrumbs on top and put in oven on top rack. Watch it carefully - bake until golden brown on top (5-10 minutes). 
  • Garnish with parsley and enjoy! Serve immediately. 

This post was sponsored by Josie’s Organics. I am honored to have partnered with Josie’s Organics for this blog post. They are such an amazing company! Look out for Josie’s in your grocery store. 

In good health,

Danielle

Danielle Brown

Hi! I’m Danielle Brown, the face behind HealthyGirl Kitchen! I share easy, approachable plant-based recipes that are not only healthy but taste amazing. Follow me on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook for free vegan meal ideas, recipes and healthygirl tips.

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  1. Luti Erbeznik says:

    Hi Danielle, I am not a huge fan of broiling, especially not at such massively high temperatures. Have you tried just baking the mix at, say 375F?

    1. Danielle Keith says:

      The broiling is purely to get the top crispy and golden brown! Just broil for 5 minutes it’s all ya need. Baking it at 375 will take too long to brown the top, and at that point will dry out the mac and cheese. Hope this helps.

  2. Brian says:

    Looks delish! But darn, I don’t have an oven at the moment but I’l save it for when I do.

    1. Danielle Keith says:

      You don’t need to bake it! You can skip that step. Just stir the sauce in and enjoy!

  3. Stephanie says:

    This sounds incredible! If I was going to omit the breadcrumbs, would I still need to bake it in the oven?

    1. Danielle Keith says:

      You can still bake it if you wish, or eat it as is! Both delish.

  4. Jacqueline Kraft says:

    I love having vegan comfort food options! Mac and cheese was always one of my favorites, and now I can enjoy the vegan version too. Thanks Danielle for another great recipe!5 stars

  5. Jolie says:

    This may even be better than the real thing! Yum, yum, YUM!5 stars

  6. Andrea says:

    I have a nut allergy so can’t have the cashews. Would it still work?

    1. Danielle Keith says:

      You can use silken tofu, raw sunflower seeds or skinless almonds instead

  7. Steve Cee says:

    I love your healthy, simple, vegan recipes, I’m gonna try this recipe today! I’m curious as to why recipe uses pasta water? I use a lot of legume pastas (chickpea, lentil), I’m wondering if using this pasta water would work…

    1. Danielle Keith says:

      Using the starchy water helps to make the sauce thick. Hope this helps!

  8. Sierra says:

    I just made this and it’s delicious! I did add a little cashew milk and white miso.

    I noticed I had lots of leftover sauce. Can this be frozen?

    Will definitely be making this again!5 stars

    1. Danielle Keith says:

      yes you can freeze it!

  9. Kathleen says:

    Would cutting the recipe in half work. Only one person. I made it before and it is fantastic but too much for one

    1. Danielle Brown says:

      should be fine!

  10. Lauren says:

    Delicious! Super easy too. I added an extra half cup of nutritional yeast and substituted the breadcrumbs with Minimalist Bakers vegan Parm and it was so so good5 stars

  11. Jacqueline Suastegui says:

    Looks so good! I just wish you included the nutritional information. I want to include vegan recipes into my weekly cooking but I’m on a weight loss journey as well.5 stars