With just 8 ingredients and 30 minutes, you can have yourself a delicious vegan dinner ready for the family. Try our avocado mac and cheese recipe for a healthy twist on classic mac.
What is Avocado Mac and Cheese?
Who is ready for the ultimate vegan dinner recipe that is loaded with flavor and only requires 8 ingredients?! Squad, you are going to die when this avocado mac and cheese hits your lips. It’s like guacamole meets vegan mac and cheese, but better…if it can get any better. Today we’re going to walk you through how to make this 30-minute meal and give you some serving suggestions in case you’re feeding a crowd!
Nutrition
Avocado mac and cheese is an excellent healthy dinner option for all…even the kiddos! This yummy meal is smooth, creamy, flavorful, and packed with nutrition.
- Vegan: the avocado “cheese” sauce is vegan-friendly, made with a cashew base, fresh avocados, and a touch of nutritional yeast to get that cheesy flavor.
- Gluten Free: if you choose to use gluten-free noodles then this recipe is a great gluten-free option for those that have to avoid wheat.
- Healthy Fats: this recipe is obviously packed with healthy fats from the glorious use of avocados! Make sure to use a ripe avocado so that your sauce is as creamy as can be.
- 30-Minutes: that’s right, all you need is 30 little minutes to whip up this dish. You’ll be feasting in no time.
- Low Carb Option: want to make this a low carb meal? You can totally ditch the noodles and drench your favorite vegetable in this sauce. I’m thinking cauliflower or broccoli.
What You Need
In addition to your favorite noodle (yes, any noodle will do), you need 7 ingredients for the avocado “cheese” sauce. Lucky for you, this sauce is vegan, gluten-free, paleo-friendly, and sugar-free. SCOREEEEEE. Let’s check out the ingredients below.
- raw cashews
- ripe avocados
- nutritional yeast
- garlic powder
- apple cider vinegar
- vegetable broth
- salt
We have not tested this recipe specifically with any other nut, but if you have experience with nut-based sauces, do your thing, girl! Also, if you like spice, we suggest adding a teaspoon or two of your favorite vinegar-based hot sauce for a kick.
Serving Suggestions
Because this recipe calls for fresh avocados, we recommend eating your completed creation immediately. As you know, avocados begin to brown once they touch oxygen. We did find that if you do have leftovers, you should be good to keep this in the fridge for 1 night, but let’s get real, it just better right when you make it. If you’re looking to eat this mac as a side, here are a few entree options you could pair with it.
More Mac & Cheese Recipes
Vegan Avocado Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 8 oz. macaroni elbow noodles
- 2 medium avocados pitted
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup vegetable broth*
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Flash boil cashews by bringing a small pot of water to a boil. Remove from heat and add cashews. Set aside and let cashews soak for at least 15 minutes.
- Next, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add noodles and cook until noodles are al dente. Strain noodles and set aside.
- Next, make avocado “cheeze” sauce. Pit avocados and then scoop the flesh of the avocado out of the skin with a spoon. Place into a high-powered blender along with the soaked cashews, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, apple cider vinegar, vegetable broth, and salt. Blend until smooth. Depending on how thick you want your sauce, option to add more vegetable broth.
- Finally, place noodles and avocado sauce into a large saucepan and heat over medium heat until warm. Stir frequently until all noodles are covered in sauce.
- Top with red pepper flakes and enjoy!
Tips & Notes
- Add more broth by the tablespoon until you reach your desired consistency
- This recipe was updated and changed on April 26, 2019.
Do you have your old recipe?? I can’t find it anywhere 🙁
Same! I’m looking for the Avocado Mac and Cheese recipe that has sundried tomatoes and mozzarella, but it keeps taking me to this recipe! Where are the instructions for the non-Vegan version?
My boyfriend and our family are both vegan and plant based and this was a HIT. Definitely a new staple, thank you! Oh also, would you reheat this or eat it cold if not done within the same day?
Thank you. Xxx
So glad you guys loved this! I would reheat it 😀
Hi, if I only have roasted cashews, can I use them in this recipe? Thanks!
Do you still have the original recipe with mozzarella and sun dried tomatoes?? I am allergic to cashews and know that the original avocado sauce was not vegan. It was my favorite and now I wish I saved the original!
So easy and so yummy!! I have a mild dairy allergy so I especially loved this!!!
You called this recipe Mac and cheese
Where is the cheese ?
I absolutely adore this recipe!
I made this for my family and they all LOVED it. They asked for seconds 🙂
https://fitfoodiefinds.com/avocado-mac-and-cheese-with-sun-dried-tomatoes/
where are the sun dried tomatoes?
Have you tried freezing this? How does it hold up? Single person household, I cook batches and freeze. Really want to try this but probably won’t take the adventure if I can’t freeze the extra portions…
This would be a hard recipe to freeze because avocado doesn’t keep very well!
I love all the ingredients individually….so I made this….what a dissapointement. Really,,,,..I thought it was not good at all.
Avocados make the besets creamiest sauces, better than butter any day. This looks perfect for a spring picnic! Mac and cheese was a staple in my house too, KD all the way haha.
Right!?!? I eat at least a half an avo a day!
This seriously looks amazing!
Wow! I had to share this on twitter. This recipe sounds delicious and super easy 🙂 I’ll have to save it to Evernote to try sometime!
Thanks for sharing 🙂
avocado, sun dried tomato AND cheese? These is insane.
Hashtag duh
midnight college cravings for this are SO BAD right now
Munchies 😛
I wonder if people will make this because, duh, it’s mac and cheese OR because they get to make appropriately inappropriate ball jokes while preparing it 😉 . I’d obviously go for it because of the cheese. Cheese balls. Mmmh.
Balls4life. If you don’t like balls you can’t read my blog 😛
I love the idea of using the avocado to make it so creamy!
Whoop!!
This is a great recipe. From the avocados, to the sun dried tomatoes, and the mozzarella–FABULOUS!!
All the best in one dish!!!
This sounds SO darn delicious, Lee!!! I have pinned it to try later 🙂
Looks better than any other mac n’ cheese recipe out there!