Best Vegan Macaroni Recipes For Your Kids

Best Vegan Macaroni Recipes For Your Kids

Finding a delicious, kid-approved, nutritious, plant-based meal can be challenging. But don’t worry—vegan macaroni recipes are here to save the day!

These recipes are packed with creamy, cheesy flavours without dairy, and your little ones will ask for seconds. Whether you’re looking for a classic mac and cheese or a fun twist with veggies, these dishes are perfect for happy, healthy mealtimes. Let’s dive in!

1. Vegan Cheesy Oil-Free Macaroni Casserole Recipe

This vegan cheesy oil-free macaroni casserole is based on a special meal made with elbow macaroni baked in a creamy tomato sauce. It is the vegan version of the Johnny Marzetti recipe.

It is made simple by not pre-boiling the noodles and contains veggie crumbles, onions, and sweet bell peppers. Following my advice will make every bite simple, vegan, and delicious. Serve it with some vegan garlic bread, of course.

Prep time: 15 minutes | Cook time: 50 minutes | Total time: 65 minutes | Servings: 8

Ingredients For The Vegan Johnny Marzetti

• Whole-grain macaroni: 12 oz
• Yellow onions: 2 medium, roughly chopped
• Button mushrooms: 8 oz, sliced
• Garlic: 3 cloves, minced
• Dried oregano: 1 teaspoon
• Diced tomatoes, undrained: 1 28-oz can
• Spicy breakfast patties: 1 (recipe below), crumbled
• Sea salt and black pepper to taste
• Vegan cheese sauce: 1 (recipe below)
• Whole grain bread crumbs: ½ cup

Ingredients For The Spicy Breakfast Patties

• Water: 2 cups
• Millet: 1 cup
• Yellow onion: ¼ cup, minced
• Garlic: 4 cloves, minced
• Sun-dried tomatoes: 2 minced
• Tamari: 2 tablespoons or to taste
• Dried sage: ½ teaspoon
• Crushed fennel seeds: 1 teaspoon
• Crushed red pepper flakes: 1 teaspoon or to taste
• Nutritional yeast: ¼ cup
• Sea salt to taste

Ingredients For The Vegan Cheese Sauce

• Russet potatoes: 1½ cups (about 1 medium potato), finely diced
• Red bell pepper: ¼ cup, finely diced
• Small yellow onion: ½ diced
• Raw cashews: 2 tablespoons
• Tahini: 2 tablespoons
• Fresh lemon juice: 1 tablespoon
• Nutritional yeast: 2 tablespoons
• Arrowroot powder: 2 tablespoons
• Sea salt, or to taste: 1 teaspoon

Method To Make The Vegan Johnny Marzetti

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F.
2. Cook macaroni according to the package instructions, drain and set aside.
3. Over medium-high heat, sauté the onions and mushrooms in a sizable pan for about 8 minutes or until the onions become translucent and brown.
4. Do it after cooking pasta. Add 1-2 teaspoons of water to prevent the vegetables from sticking. Cook the garlic and oregano for approximately a minute until fragrant.
5. Turn the heat down to medium-low, add the tomatoes, and then cover. About 15 minutes of cooking should thicken the sauce.
6. After adding the crumbled breakfast burgers and drained noodles to the pan, stir gently until all the ingredients are combined. To taste, add a little sea salt and black pepper.
7. Fill a nonstick 9 x 13-inch baking dish with the noodle mixture. Then, evenly sprinkle the cheese sauce over the top of the noodle mixture.
8. Spread the bread crumbs over the cheese sauce. Bake for 25–30 minutes or until bubbling and brown. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Method To Make The Spicy Breakfast Patties

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F.
2. Mix the millet and water in a 2-quart pot with a secure lid. Bring it to a boil on high heat. Lower the heat to medium-low and cover the pan, then cook the millet for about 20 minutes until soft.
3. While the millet cooks, sauté the onion in a small skillet over medium-high heat for approximately 5 minutes or until it turns translucent and begins to brown. Add a spoonful or two at a time to avoid the onion adhering to the pan.
4. To toast the seasonings, add the red pepper flakes, sage, tamari, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and sun-dried tomatoes. Turn off the heat and remove the skillet. Sea salt, cooked millet, and nutritional yeast should be added to taste.
5. Using a ¼-cup measuring tool or a small ice cream scoop, form patties from the millet mixture and put them on a nonstick baking sheet or a regular baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
6. After 15 minutes, flip the patties over and bake for 10 minutes or until the cakes are firm to the touch and gently browned. Provide hot.

Method To Make The Vegan Cheese Sauce

1. Combine the potato, bell pepper, onion, and cashews in a small skillet with water.
2. Over high heat, bring the water to a rolling boil. Lower the heat to medium, cover, and cook for 10 minutes until the potatoes are very soft. With ¾ cup of the cooking water saved, drain the vegetables.
3. Combine the potato mixture, saved cooking liquid, tahini, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, arrowroot, and sea salt in a blender.
4. Everything will be creamy and smooth after about three minutes on high speed. The vegan cheese sauce can be kept in the refrigerator for up to five days in an airtight container.

2. Vegan Macaroni And Potato Cheese Recipe

This vegan macaroni and potato cheese dish is the famous vegan equivalent of mac & cheese. This dish is less calorie-dense and practically fat-free than the original.

Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 40 minutes | Total time: 50 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• Macaroni: 14 oz
• Cooked potatoes: 2
• Cooked carrots: 2
• Beer yeast: 4 tablespoons
• Turmeric: 1 teaspoon
• Tapioca or corn starch: 1 teaspoon
• Vegetable butter: 1 teaspoon
• Smoked paprika: ½ teaspoon
• Vegetable broth: 1 cup
• Salt: 1 teaspoon
• Grated vegan cheese: ¼ cup

Method

1. Cook macaroni as directed on the package until they are al-dente.
2. Cook the potatoes and carrots in water until tender, then peel, chop, and add to the blender glass.
3. Add salt, paprika, turmeric, brewer's yeast, and a little vegetable broth to your blender.
4. We mash the components and add more broth to create a smooth, uniform mixture.
5. It can be either too thin or too thick.
6. Pour our cheese sauce into the melted margarine-filled kettle. When hot, stir in the tapioca starch diluted with a little cold vegetable broth. Mix thoroughly until the sauce boils. Reduce the heat and keep cooking and stirring until the mixture slightly thickens.
7. Spread the cheese sauce evenly over the macaroni in the baking dish after placing it there. Top with the grated vegan cheese. In a preheated oven set to 350°F, bake the macaroni and cheese for 20 minutes.

3. Yankee Doodle Macaroni Recipe

This Yankee Doodle macaroni recipe requires less salt and more taste than what our grandmothers had on hand.

The recipe includes a “salt to taste” option for people who disagree with my belief that salt should enhance flavour rather than serve as a flavour.

Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 40 minutes | Total time: 50 minutes | Servings: 6-8

Ingredients

• Olive oil cooking spray
• Carrots, thinly sliced: ½ pound
• Cauliflower: ½ pound (about ½ head), cut into small florets
• Sea salt: 1 teaspoon plus more as needed
• Ground black pepper: 1½ teaspoons, plus more as needed.
• Pasta: 1- 1-pound package of elbow macaroni or shell pasta
• Olive oil: ¼ cup
• Red onion: 1, diced
• Garlic: 2 cloves, minced
• All-purpose flour: 3 tablespoons
• Almond or coconut milk: 2 cups
• Nutritional yeast: 5 tablespoons
• Garlic powder: 1¼ teaspoons
• Onion powder: 1 teaspoon
• Celery seeds: 1 pinch
• Vegan liquid smoke: 2 dashes
• Tamari: 2 tablespoons (or Bragg's Liquid Aminos)
• Ground turmeric: ¼ teaspoon
• Smoked paprika: ¼ teaspoon plus more to sprinkle over the top

Method

1. Set your oven to 400°F. Apply a thick olive oil cooking spray to a shallow baking dish.
2. Evenly distribute the carrots and cauliflower in the dish, then coat them with cooking spray.
3. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the vegetables. Roast them until tender, tossing them with a wooden spoon every 8 to 10 minutes to ensure they cook evenly. Our vegetables are ready in around 20 minutes, but it could take longer or shorter depending on how thin you chop them.
4. While the vegetables are roasting, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta as directed on the box. Drain and set aside in a colander.
5. Warm up the olive oil in the pasta pot over medium flame. Once the onion is soft, add the garlic and onion. Use a wooden spoon to incorporate the flour.
6. By this time, the veggies in the oven should be soft. Stir them into the onion-and-onion-pot mixture, then add the almond milk and three tablespoons of nutritional yeast. Stirring, bring to a boil; then, decrease the heat to maintain a simmer.
7. To purée the sauce, use an immersion blender, food processor, or blender. The sauce will likely be hot, so use caution if using a food processor or blender to achieve this.
8. When the sauce is smooth, whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast, the celery seed, vegan liquid smoke, garlic powder, onion powder, soy sauce, turmeric, and paprika.
9. Once it's been taken off the heat, taste it and season with salt and pepper as necessary. Utilizing a wooden spoon, gradually stir the cooked pasta until it is well covered in the sauce.
10. Serve hot with a little bit of smoked paprika on top for colour.

4. One-Pan Thai Yellow Curry Macaroni Recipe

You've probably never tasted mac like this before. This Thai yellow curry macaroni dish is cooked in one pan. Curry paste instead of cheese gives this meal its brilliant yellow colour.

This dish combines traditional macaroni and cheese with pad Thai and includes mushrooms, onions, cilantro, peanuts, and lemon. Talk about a tasty combination.

Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 20 minutes | Total time: 30 minutes | Servings: 2-4

Ingredients For The Macaroni

• Vegetable oil: 2 tablespoons
• Sliced onion: 1 cup
• Sliced mushroom: 1 cup
• Yellow Thai curry paste: ½ cup
• Curry powder: 1 tablespoon
• Sea salt to taste
• Light coconut milk: 2½ cups
• Macaroni: 2 cups

Ingredients For Serving

• Cilantro leaves for garnish
• Peanuts
• Lemon wedges for serving

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Add the onion and sauté.
3. Then add the mushrooms and re-sauté. Add the salt and cook for two minutes.
4. Once everything is blended, add the Thai yellow curry paste.
5. Stir well after adding coconut milk. When it begins to boil, add the macaroni.
6. Stir well after adding the curry powder.
7. Cook the macaroni under a cover until tender.
8. When stirring, add a little water at a time.
9. After ladling them into bowls, add lemon, cilantro, and peanuts as a garnish. Serve.

5. Toasted Vegan Mushroom Macaroni And Cheese Recipe

This toasted vegan mushroom macaroni and cheese is something you must try, especially if you like mushrooms! The combination of healthy whole wheat toasted macaroni for added taste, white wine-simmered mushrooms, and a dollop of cashew cream on top sounds divine.

Best of all, you can prepare everything in only one pan! The toasted mushroom macaroni is a simple vegan recipe for mushroom mac and cheese.

Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 30 minutes | Total time: 40 minutes | Servings: 5-6

Ingredients

• Extra virgin olive oil: 4 tablespoons
• Button mushrooms: 2 cups, thinly sliced
• Parsley: ¼ cup, roughly chopped
• Garlic: 1 clove, minced
• Dried oregano: 1 teaspoon
• Dry white wine: ½ cup
• Vegan butter: 1 tablespoon
• Whole-wheat macaroni: 8.5 oz
• Vegetable stock: 2 cups
• Sea salt and fresh black pepper to taste
• Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish
• Raw cashews: ½ cup

Method To Make The Cashew Cream

1. Overnight, soak ½ cup of raw cashews in water, drain and rinse.
2. In a food processor or excellent blender, add cashews and just enough water to cover them. Mix until emulsified.

Method To Make The Pasta

1. Add one tablespoon of olive oil to a big, heavy pan that is already very hot.
2. Sauté the mushrooms for two to three minutes until golden but not fully cooked.
3. Add oregano, parsley, and garlic; cook for another minute after lowering the heat.
4. Add the white wine and simmer for 3–5 more.
5. Remove the pan's contents, then put them aside.
6. Put the pan over high heat and add olive oil and butter.
7. Stir continuously for about 5 minutes after adding the macaroni or until the pasta starts to colour slightly.
8. Bring to a boil after adding the veggie stock.
9. For about 10 minutes, reduce the heat and cook the pasta uncovered.
10. After a few minutes of cooking, the cashew cream and mushroom mixture should be added to help everything come together.
11. Add salt, pepper, and parmesan (if using) after removing it from the fire.
12. Parsley is a delicious garnish.

6. Vegan Mac And Cheese Pies

These vegan mac and cheese pies are a Scottish specialty. It is in a crunchy, flaky pastry casing. From the crust to the gooey, cheesy filling, this dairy-free rendition faithfully reproduces it.

When you take your first mouthful, you'll undoubtedly be speechless due to how these ingredients combine. If you want to prepare a shared appetizer, you may create one giant pie or numerous smaller ones using this recipe.

Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 30 minutes | Servings: 7

Ingredients For The Filling

• Soy milk: 4¼ cups
• Large yellow onion, peeled and halved: 1
• Garlic: 3 cloves, peeled
• Bay leaves: 2
• Dried macaroni: 10.5 oz
• Vegan butter: 7 tablespoons
• All-purpose flour: ⅔ cup
• Strong mustard: 3 teaspoons
• Nutritional yeast: 5 tablespoons (or more, to taste)
• Meltable vegan cheese: 1¼ cups, grated
• Salt and white pepper to taste

Ingredients For The Crust

• Flour: 3 cups, plus more for dusting
• Vegan butter: 1 cup, plus 2 tablespoons
• Water: 1 cup, plus more as needed
• Sea salt: 1 pinch or to taste

Method

1. Prepare either seven tiny or one big springform pan.
2. Combine the soy milk, onion halves, garlic, and bay leaves in a saucepan. Set this aside while you prepare the pasta.
3. As usual, cook the macaroni until tender.
4. Cook the milk, onion, garlic, and bay leaves over medium-high heat. After boiling them and simmering them for one or two minutes, pick or sift out the onion, garlic, and bay leaves.
5. Melt the butter in a separate pan over medium-high heat. Stir until a paste (roux) forms. Gradually add the flour while stirring. Then, while continuously whisking, add the heated milk a bit.
6. After boiling the entire liquid, reduce the heat and add the cheese, mustard, and nutritional yeast. Simmer until thickened for a few minutes. Season with extra cheese or nooch if desired.
7. Incorporate the macaroni thoroughly with the cheese sauce. While you prepare the pastry, put this aside.
8. Set the oven to 390 °F.
9. Combine the salt and flour in a sizable mixing basin. In a saucepan, combine the butter and water. Heat the mixture until the butter melts and the water is almost boiling.
10. When adding the butter and water mixture, make a well in the flour and pour the mixture in while swirling the flour. Deal the mix with your hands until it is mostly incorporated.
11. If the dough is too wet or dry to work with, add more flour; if it is too dry, add more hot water. Once the dough is smooth, set it aside until it is almost incredible.
12. Roll the dough onto a surface dusted with flour (or pan) to correctly line the bottom and sides of your pans. Check to make sure there are no gaps. Fill the container with macaroni after trimming the top if necessary.
13. Until the top is golden brown, bake in the oven.
14. Serve warm or cool.

7. Filipino Macaroni Salad Recipe

The Filipino macaroni salad is sweeter and heartier than the Italian, Mediterranean, and other variations.

The creamy elbow macaroni, sweet and delicate pineapple and savoury undertones of sea salt, pepper, and garlic powder are all delicious.

The omnivorous version of this dish and the veganized one are similar. The only differences between the two are the jackfruit and vegan mayo!

Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 20 minutes | Total time: 30 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• Water: 4-6 cups
• Sea salt: ½ teaspoon
• Elbow macaroni: 1 8-oz package
• Carrot: 1 small, peeled and diced
• Green, unripe jackfruit: 2½ cups, shredded
• Vegetable broth: ½ cup (or 1-2 tablespoons vegetable broth powder/bouillon dissolved in ½ cup water)
• Vegan mayonnaise: 1 cup
• Pineapple pieces: ½ cup
• Raisins: 3 tablespoons
• Garlic powder: 1 dash
• Vegan cheddar cheese: ¼ cup, cut into cubes
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Add the elbow macaroni to a pot of boiling, salted water. Cook until soft but still firm to the bite.
2. Add the carrots and continue boiling for one more minute before turning off the heat. Remove from heat, drain, and then put in a mixing bowl. Let cool.
3. Combine the unripe jackfruit and the vegetable broth in the same saucepan. Bring to a boil before turning off the heat. Observe cooling. Once it has cooled, the jackfruit should have absorbed all of the liquid. Drain the liquid if not.
4. After the macaroni and carrots have cooled, combine the remaining ingredients. Mix well, then taste and adjust the seasoning.
5. Serve after being chilled for at least 30 minutes.

Conclusion

With these delicious vegan macaroni recipes, mealtime has become much easier—and healthier! Your kids will love the creamy, comforting flavours, and you’ll love knowing they’re enjoying a nutritious, plant-based meal.

These recipes will become family favourites, whether they are used for a quick lunch or a warm dinner. Give them a try and let us know which one your little ones love the most. Happy cooking!

I trust you enjoyed this article about the Best Vegan Macaroni Recipes For Your Kids. Please stay tuned for more blog posts soon. Take care!

JeannetteZ

 

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