{"id":23,"date":"2026-01-04T01:35:18","date_gmt":"2026-01-04T01:35:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/erikdavidson.io\/?p=23"},"modified":"2026-01-04T01:35:48","modified_gmt":"2026-01-04T01:35:48","slug":"vegan-mac-cheese","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erikdavidson.io\/?p=23","title":{"rendered":"Vegan Mac &amp; Cheese"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>This vegan mac &amp; cheese is made the classic way\u2014starting with garlic saut\u00e9ed in vegan butter, followed by a smooth roux-based sauce using dairy-free milk and vegan cheddar. It\u2019s creamy, comforting, and familiar, with optional breadcrumbs for a baked or crispy finish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-medium\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/erikdavidson.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/DB681AF2-F288-4723-8BA2-3E48CC8790EC-200x300.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-25\" srcset=\"https:\/\/erikdavidson.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/DB681AF2-F288-4723-8BA2-3E48CC8790EC-200x300.png 200w, https:\/\/erikdavidson.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/DB681AF2-F288-4723-8BA2-3E48CC8790EC-683x1024.png 683w, https:\/\/erikdavidson.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/DB681AF2-F288-4723-8BA2-3E48CC8790EC-768x1152.png 768w, https:\/\/erikdavidson.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/DB681AF2-F288-4723-8BA2-3E48CC8790EC-1024x1536.png 1024w, https:\/\/erikdavidson.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/DB681AF2-F288-4723-8BA2-3E48CC8790EC-1365x2048.png 1365w, https:\/\/erikdavidson.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/DB681AF2-F288-4723-8BA2-3E48CC8790EC-scaled.png 1707w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83d\uded2 Ingredients (For 2 People)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Pasta<\/strong><br>\u2022 6 oz elbow macaroni (or shells)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Garlic Cheese Sauce<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>2 tbsp vegan butter<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>2 cloves garlic, finely minced<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li> tbsp all-purpose flour<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>1\u00bc cups dairy-free milk (unsweetened oat or soy works best)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>1 cup vegan cheddar cheese, shredded<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u00bd tsp salt (adjust to taste)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u00bc tsp black pepper<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u00bd tsp garlic powder<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u00bd tsp onion powder<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u00bc tsp smoked paprika<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u00bd tsp thyme <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Optional: pinch of cayenne for heat<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Optional Breadcrumb Topping<\/strong><br>\u2022 \u00bc cup breadcrumbs or panko<br>\u2022 1 tbsp vegan butter, melted<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>\ud83d\udd2a\u00a0Preparation<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta until al dente.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Drain and set aside.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Shred vegan cheddar if not pre-shredded.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>\ud83d\udd25\u00a0How to Make the Sauce<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In a saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tbsp vegan butter.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Add minced garlic and saut\u00e9 30\u201345 seconds until fragrant (do not brown).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sprinkle in flour and whisk continuously for 1 minute to cook out raw flour.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Slowly pour in dairy-free milk while whisking to avoid lumps.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Cook 2\u20133 minutes, stirring constantly, until thick and smooth.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Reduce heat to low and stir in vegan cheddar until fully melted.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Add salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, thyme, and optional cayenne.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Taste and adjust seasoning.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83c\udf5d Assemble<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><br>1. Add cooked pasta directly to the sauce.<br>2. Stir until evenly coated and creamy.<br>3. Serve immediately or continue to the breadcrumb option below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83d\udd25 Optional Breadcrumb Finish<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Baked Method<br>1. Transfer mac &amp; cheese to a small baking dish.<br>2. Mix breadcrumbs with melted vegan butter and sprinkle on top.<br>3. Bake at 375\u00b0F for 10\u201312 minutes or broil 1\u20132 minutes until golden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>\ud83e\udde0 Tips<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>If sauce thickens too much, add a splash of warm dairy-free milk.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Oat milk gives the creamiest texture; almond milk works but is thinner.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use a mild vegan cheddar for best meltability.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This vegan mac &amp; cheese is made the classic way\u2014starting with garlic saut\u00e9ed in vegan butter, followed by a smooth roux-based sauce using dairy-free milk and vegan cheddar. It\u2019s creamy, comforting, and familiar, with optional breadcrumbs for a baked or crispy finish. \ud83d\uded2 Ingredients (For 2 People) Pasta\u2022 6 oz elbow macaroni (or shells) Garlic [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,13,12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food-recipes","category-pasta","category-stove"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/erikdavidson.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/erikdavidson.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/erikdavidson.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erikdavidson.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erikdavidson.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=23"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/erikdavidson.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26,"href":"https:\/\/erikdavidson.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23\/revisions\/26"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erikdavidson.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/25"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/erikdavidson.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=23"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erikdavidson.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=23"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erikdavidson.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=23"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}