This healthy white bean vegan mac and cheese is a perfect weeknight dinner that is ready in just 20 minutes! Using cannellini beans to make the cheese sauce, this recipe is full of plant-based protein.
No potatoes, no nuts – just white beans!
Many dairy-free mac and cheese recipes use boiled potatoes or soaked cashews to get that luscious creamy texture we want in a vegan cheese sauce. Well buckle up friends, because I’m telling you the best ingredient to use for an amazing cheese sauce is white beans. Also known as cannellini beans, these lovely legumes are pretty neutral tasting, blend nice and creamy, and are full of plant protein.
I’d compare the texture and taste of this white bean cheese sauce to sauce made with boiled potatoes. But this bean-based sauce is much more satiating because of the protein and fiber. It is definitely an all around feel-good recipe – you feel good eating it, and you feel good about eating it.
Ingredients to make vegan white bean mac and cheese
But how will this non-dairy cheese sauce taste like cheese? Well, it won’t. Not exactly. But we can come close by using a variety of flavorful ingredients to give the sauce a savory, cheesy taste.
If you skimp on these ingredients, don’t come at me when your sauce turns out kind of blah.
- White beans (cannellini beans) are the neutral-tasting base ingredient that adds creaminess to the sauce.
- Carrot adds a yellow color to the sauce.
- Unsweetened non-dairy milk thins out the sauce and makes it nice and smooth.
- Nutritional yeast is a deactivated yeast that has a very strong nutty, cheesy flavor. It is often used in cheese substitutes. (It’s also a good source of B12, so it’s good to eat regularly)
- White miso adds a nice salty, umami flavor.
- Apple cider vinegar and lemon juice adds a slight tanginess.
- Tahini is a sesame seed paste that adds more nuttiness and creaminess to the recipe.
- Garlic powder because garlic is love, garlic is life.
- Djion mustard is optional but adds a nice little kick.
How to make dairy-free mac and cheese
I’m not kidding when I say this is one of the quickest and easiest meals you can make.
- Boil the pasta.
- Boil the carrot.
- Blend all ingredients until smooth and creamy.
- Stir together pasta and cheese sauce.
That’s it!
How to store vegan mac and cheese
- If you want to meal prep this mac and cheese, it will keep in the fridge for about 5 days in an air-tight container. The cheese sauce will thickens in the fridge, but it will become smooth and saucy when you warm it up.
- If you want to freeze this recipe, I would recommend freezing the cheese sauce separately and cooking up pasta as needed when you’re ready to eat it. The cheese sauce freezes well, but the pasta may become mushy when reheated. If you plan to freeze it, try undercooking the pasta just shy of al dente before covering with the cheese sauce and freezing.
If you make this recipe, leave it a rating and a comment! You can also tag me @Daughter_of_Seitan on Instagram so I can see your lovely food creations. XOXO
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Vegan White Bean Mac and Cheese
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Mains
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This healthy white bean vegan mac and cheese is a perfect weeknight dinner that is ready in just 20 minutes! Using cannellini beans to make the cheese sauce, this recipe is full of plant-based protein.
Ingredients
- 16 oz pasta of choice, gluten-free if needed
Cheese Sauce
- 2 cups white beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 large carrot
- 1/2 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use almond milk)
- 6 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 3 tablespoons tahini
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (1/2 lemon)
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon white miso paste
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoons dijon mustard (optional)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook your pasta according to package instructions. Drain and rinse the pasta when done. Pour pasta back into the original pot and set aside.
- Chop the carrot into 1 inch coins. In a small pot, bring some water to a boil. Boil the carrot for 5-6 minutes, until it is tender enough to easily blend.
- In a blender, add the white beans, boiled carrot, and the rest of the ingredients for the cheese sauce. Blend a few minutes until the sauce is smooth and creamy. Taste the sauce and adjust flavors to your liking.
- Pour the cheese sauce in to the pot with the pasta. Bring the heat to low and stir until evenly coated and warm.
- Enjoy immediately! Top with scallions, chopped tomatoes, or anything you’d like. This white bean mac and cheese will keep in the fridge for 4-5 days. The sauce thickens in the fridge, but will become smooth and saucy again when warmed up.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/8th of recipe
- Calories: 332.28
- Sugar: 2.93g
- Sodium: 416.82mg
- Fat: 4.97g
- Saturated Fat: 0.59g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 56.97g
- Fiber: 6.79g
- Protein: 15.22g
- Cholesterol: 0g
Keywords: Vegan Mac and Cheese, White Beans, Cannellini Beans
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5 comments
I really loved this article! It gave me some new insights I never really thought about before.
Respectfully, this tastes like vomit. Don’t waste the ingredients.
Sorry you didn’t like it, Jay! These lower fat vegan cheese sauces aren’t for everybody, and definitely aren’t as decadent as nut-based or store-bought vegan cheese. I personally enjoy this recipe, but I’m sorry that you did not.
Delicious with a more sharp flavor than many of the vegan Mac and cheeses I have tried. I like the protein from the beans. I would say while I do like it a lot the strong flavor is really rich.
★★★★
Thank you so much for sharing! And yes, it’s a great source of extra protein!