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    Vegan Mac and Cheese with Mushrooms and Peas

    Published: Mar 3, 2016 · Modified: Jul 13, 2020 by Sina · This post may contain affiliate links · 31 Comments

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    Vegan Mac and Cheese with Mushrooms and Peas

    I’ve a confession to make! I used to be an addict. A cheese addict. And somehow I still am, I just don’t eat any dairy products anymore but I still absolutely LOVE this cheesy flavor and its creaminess. When I became vegan, I thought giving up cheese would be the hardest part, but it actually wasn’t! There were sooo many delicious vegan cheese alternatives. And while I mostly aren’t the biggest fan of store-bought vegan cheese (with a few rare exceptions), I can’t get enough of homemade vegan cheese!! These vegan mac and cheese with mushrooms and peas are my absolute favorite!

    Vegan Mac and Cheese with Mushrooms and Peas

    For most cheese sauces I use cashews, unsweetened almond milk, nutritional yeast, and white miso paste. I also used this for my vegan tempeh carbonara. However, the first vegan “cheese” I tried more than three years ago was made with potatoes and carrots. Sounds weird, right? That’s what I thought too before I gave it a try and had a grilled vegan cheese sandwich with it. Over the years, I changed the recipe a bit and experimented with new ingredients and these vegan mac and cheese are what I ended up with.

    Vegan Mac and Cheese with Mushrooms and Peas

    They’re super creamy, packed with flavor, oil-free, and just sooo good! Plus it’s so much healthier than classic mac and cheese recipes as it’s loaded with fresh veggies! If you don’t like mushrooms or peas or need something else for a change it’s also great with broccoli.

    I know many of these vegan cheese recipes only call for potatoes and carrots, but I also added some soaked cashews to make it even creamier.

    Vegan Mac and Cheese with Mushrooms and Peas

    Vegan Mac and Cheese with Mushrooms and Peas

    All you have to do is cut the potatoes and carrots into small pieces, cook them in salt water, and blend them together with the soaked cashews, nutritional yeast, and garlic. It really couldn’t be any easier!

    Vegan Mac and Cheese with Mushrooms and Peas

    Vegan Mac and Cheese with Mushrooms and Peas

    Let me know if you give these vegan mac and cheese with mushrooms and peas a try! I always love seeing your Vegan Heaven creations on Instagram. Oh, and don’t forget to tag me with @_veganheaven_ so I can see your pictures.

    Have a great weekend, everyone!

    Talk to you soon. xx

     

    Vegan Mac and Cheese with Mushrooms and Peas

    Vegan Mac and Cheese with Mushrooms and Peas

    These vegan mac and cheese with mushrooms and peas are super creamy, packed with flavor, oil-free, healthy, and just sooo good! 
    5 from 4 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 10 mins
    Cook Time: 10 mins
    Total Time: 20 mins
    Servings: 2 servings
    Author: Sina

    Ingredients

    • 1 heaped cup potatoes, cut into very small pieces (about two medium-sized potatoes)
    • 1/2 cup carrots, cut into very small pieces
    • 1/2 cup cashews, soaked for 10 minutes
    • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
    • 1/2 cup unsweetend almond or soy milk
    • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
    • 1 small clove of garlic
    • salt
    • black pepper
    • 9 oz macaroni (elbow pasta)
    • 1 cup frozen peas
    • 2 cups mushrooms, sliced
    • 1/2-1 teaspoon chopped parsley (optional)

    Instructions

    • Soak the cashews in water. Cut the potatoes and carrots into very small pieces and cook them in salt water for about 10 minutes.
    • Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package. Cook the frozen peas for about 6 minutes (I usually just cook them with the pasta). Set aside.
    • Drain the cooked potatoes and carrots and put them in a blender together with the soaked cashews (drain before using them!), the nutritional yeast, the almond or soy milk, the garlic, and some salt and pepper. Blend until smooth.
    • In a large pan, heat some olive oil and sauté the mushrooms for about 3 minutes.
    • Add the cooked pasta and peas to the mushrooms and stir in the "cheese" sauce. Heat for a minute or two until warm. If you like sprinkle with chopped parsley.
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    Previous Post: « Vegan Blueberry Coconut Panna Cotta
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Marian Francis

      March 18, 2016 at 12:36 pm

      Looks delicious! I wondered how the sauce would go with a little mustard added, as l used to always put a little mustard in my mac and cheese.

      Reply
      • Sina

        March 18, 2016 at 9:58 pm

        Thanks, Marian! Glad you like it. :-) Oh sure, a little mustard is a great idea! I actually also use some mustard for my cashew cheese sauce, but I haven’t tried it with this one yet. Let me know if you give it a try! ;-)

        Reply
    2. Clair

      March 12, 2016 at 4:15 am

      This looks amazing! Could the cashews be optional?

      Reply
      • Sina

        March 23, 2016 at 10:44 am

        Hi Clair, Thanks! So glad you like it. :-) Unfortunately I haven’t tried it without the cashews yet because they make it really creamy, but I guess it could also work without them if you’re allergic or just don’t like cashews. Let me know if you give it a try. ;-)

        Reply
    3. Howie Fox

      March 06, 2016 at 3:10 pm

      This looks like the perfect weeknight dinner! Awesome mac and cheese version :D

      Reply
      • Sina

        March 07, 2016 at 4:32 pm

        Thanks, Howie! :-)

        Reply
    4. Gin

      March 06, 2016 at 4:57 am

      So that’s what my mac and cheese has been missing! Mushrooms! This looks so delicious Sina, I wish I had a bowl right now!

      Reply
      • Sina

        March 07, 2016 at 4:31 pm

        Glad you like it, Gin! I wish I could send you one over the internet. ;-)

        Reply
    5. mel@avirtualvegan.com

      March 06, 2016 at 4:20 am

      I didn’t think mac n cheese could get any better but then those mushrooms and peas came along! It looks great!

      Reply
      • Sina

        March 07, 2016 at 4:31 pm

        Thanks, Mel!

        Reply
    6. Kathy Hester

      March 06, 2016 at 3:35 am

      Yum – vegan mac and cheese for the win! My wife just saw this and asked me to make it for dinner tomorrow night.

      Reply
      • Sina

        March 07, 2016 at 4:31 pm

        Hope you guys liked it, Kathy! It’s one of my favorite comfort foods! :-)

        Reply
    7. Natalie Freed

      March 05, 2016 at 7:09 pm

      I was vegetarian for 20+ years before I went Vegan and I thought I couldn’t do without cheese. Finding a good vegan mac and cheese was actually a bit of a challenge, but I too have liked the potato, carrot, cashew based ones. This looks awesome!

      Reply
      • Sina

        March 07, 2016 at 4:30 pm

        Thanks, Natalie! :-) Yeah, I totally know where you’re coming from. I was vegetarian for 8 years before I went vegan and I absolutely loved cheese. Yeah, cashews make such a great vegan cheese alternative!

        Reply
    8. Ellie Kennard

      March 04, 2016 at 11:33 pm

      I don’t have any almond or soy milk. Would coconut milk do instead? It looks such an excellent recipe.

      Reply
      • Sina

        March 07, 2016 at 4:28 pm

        Hi Ellie, unfortunately I haven’t tried it with coconut milk yet. I think it should work as well if you use the thick part of the coconut milk. It will just taste slightly different as the coconut milk has its taste of its own. Let me know if you give it a try. :-)

        Reply
        • Ellie Kennard

          March 07, 2016 at 4:36 pm

          Will do! I have a can which is really quite thick, with a try.
          Thanks for the reply.

        • Ellie Kennard

          March 18, 2016 at 2:50 pm

          The only issue with using coconut milk, Sina, is that it is very very thick. This means that you would want to water it down. It became rather heavy with the coconut milk. I have a good quality coconut milk. Perhaps for cheaper varieties it is thinner/more watery? It is the organic not lite.

          I could not see that it added any coconut flavour to the meal.

          Ellie

        • Sina

          March 23, 2016 at 10:48 am

          Thanks so much for letting me know, Ellie! Yes, I think that depends on the coconut milk you’re using. I had some cheaper ones in the past and they were a lot thinner. But it’s great to hear that it didn’t give the sauce a coconut flavor. :-)

    9. dixya @ food, pleasure, and health

      March 04, 2016 at 10:30 pm

      im still a cheese addict but i do reach out for healthier alternatives when i can..this is a hearty idea for a quick weeknight :)

      Reply
      • Sina

        March 07, 2016 at 4:25 pm

        Thanks, Dixya! So glad you like it. :-)

        Reply
    10. Natalie | Feasting on Fruit

      March 04, 2016 at 6:13 pm

      Whoa I think you have created my ultimate mac and cheese here :o Peas and mushrooms, there are no better add-ins! And an oil-free super creamy dreamy cheese sauce, i’m drooling over here! I used to be a cheese addict too, but I don’t miss it one bit anymore thanks to recipe like this. We vegans are one creative bunch, filling in all the gaps :)

      Reply
      • Sina

        March 07, 2016 at 4:25 pm

        Haha! Totally agree with you, Natalie!! Sometimes I’m still a bit surprised how creative vegan recipes can be and that they often taste so much better than the original recipes! :-)

        Reply
    11. Jenn

      March 04, 2016 at 3:17 pm

      Delicious!! I love a good creamy pasta. And I am a HUGE fan of peas in mac and cheese. I even liked it as a kid. I would I just add thawed frozen peas to the boxed mac and cheese.! LOVE that you added mushrooms too. So good!

      Reply
      • Sina

        March 07, 2016 at 4:19 pm

        Haha! Oh yeah, peas and mac and cheese are so good together. :-)

        Reply
    12. Sophia @veggies dont bite

      March 04, 2016 at 4:22 am

      Gotta love a good creamy pasta! I can’t get enough of it since I posted mine either. It’s like an addiction for sure but the good kind! This looks delicious! Love mushrooms in my pasta!

      Reply
      • Sina

        March 07, 2016 at 4:18 pm

        Totally agree, Sophia! This was the first vegan cheese sauce I tried when I became vegan in 2012. I was sooo skeptical about the potatoes and carrots back then, but I couldn’t believe how good it was! :-)

        Reply
    13. Linda @ Veganosity

      March 04, 2016 at 12:17 am

      I agree, Sina, vegan cheese is just as good as dairy, if not better. It’s certainly healthier. This mac n’ cheese looks delightful. I love peas with pasta.

      Reply
      • Sina

        March 07, 2016 at 4:17 pm

        Thanks, Linda! Oh yeah, it definitely is. And vegan cheese is so easy to make. :-)

        Reply
    14. Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine

      March 03, 2016 at 9:30 pm

      These is no better feel-good meal than vegan mac and cheese <3 …and peas and mushrooms ;)

      Reply
      • Sina

        March 07, 2016 at 4:16 pm

        Absolutely agree, Rebecca! :-)

        Reply

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    Sina-Veganheaven

    Hi, I'm Sina and this is my recipe blog where I share heavenly simple and sinfully delicious vegan recipes.

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