Okay, this Vegan Buffalo Mac and Cheese is so good! Proper creamy, cheesy, tangy, fiery perfection and ready in about 20 minutes!
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Yes! Vegan Buffalo Mac and Cheese is happening, and let me preface this by saying that making this recipe will definitely not be a sad moment for you.
We've got tender macaroni tossed in lots of silky buffalo-infused super cheesy sauce, all topped with breadcrumbs, more cheese, and more buffalo sauce, then broiled to create a really unique, golden, toasty, and delicious topping that packs some fiery heat.
I mean, come on! It’s rich, creamy, cheesy, spicy, and tangy all at the same time, and the fact that it's super quick and easy makes it even better.
I really enjoy serving this buffalo mac with extra buffalo sauce for drizzling, and a side of cooling, crisp lettuce-based salad. Dressing it with ranch is a really good move because that buffalo ranch combo is incredible!
Mel x
P.S. Love all things mac and cheese? Check out my Vegan Pumpkin Mac and Cheese, Dill Pickle Mac and Cheese, and Baked Vegan Mac and Cheese.
Ingredients
Here is what you need at a glance, along with some ingredient notes & substitution ideas:
- Macaroni - Regular elbow macaroni. Any other pasta shape would technically work instead. Use gluten-free macaroni if necessary.
- Dairy-free milk - Most plant milks such as cashew milk or soy milk will work in this recipe as long as they are unsweetened and unflavoured but do not use homemade oat milk. It becomes thick, slimy and gloopy when heated and will ruin your sauce. Store-bought oat milk is fine though. I also don't recommend almond milk or rice milk for most savoury recipes. Almond milk is not as neutral as other dairy-free milks and its flavour comes through too much, and rice milk is too thin and sweet.
- Nutritional yeast - Used for it's cheesy, umami flavour. It really beefs up the sauce which is necessary when using vegan cheddar cheese as it's not as flavourful as non-vegan cheese.
- Cheese - I recommend using cheddar-style vegan cheese for this recipe. It must be a good melter. I used Daiya cheddar shreds. I hear you, I wasn't the biggest fan of Daiya either until recently, but the texture, stretch and gooey mouthfeel of their new oat cream formulation is really good and gives this cheese sauce and the melty top a really great texture.
- White miso - Adds umami, depth, and a slight savoury cheesiness. Most grocery stores sell it and you'll usually find it in the refrigerator. If you don't consume soy use chickpea miso. Miso
- Buffalo sauce - I used Frank's RedHot Buffalo Wing's Hot Sauce and I also tried it with the original. Both were great. I think the original was probably a bit spicier. Don't worry if you see natural butter flavouring in the ingredients list. They've confirmed it's vegan.
- Flour - All-purpose flour or plain flour if you're in the UK. Gluten-free all-purpose will also work.
- Vegan butter - I like the flavour and richness it gives but you could use olive oil instead.
- Breadcrumbs - I used panko but the topping isn't a crispy one so I'm sure regular breadcrumbs would work just as well.
Let's Make Buffalo Mac!
Can't wait to make it? Here's a quick visual walkthrough of how it's done. See the recipe card for the full and detailed version, or check out my recipe video to watch me make it:
1 - Make the easy buffalo cheese sauce. Cook the flour in the butter, then gradually add the milk, then the other sauce ingredients and cook until thick and creamy.
2 - Boil the macaroni. I have this happening while I'm stirring the sauce over the heat.
3 - Toss the cheesy sauce through the drained macaroni.
4 - Spoon the mac and cheese into a heat-proof dish, and top with breadcrumbs, cheese, and buffalo sauce then broil until bubbly and golden.
Recipe FAQs
It does have a bit of a kick, but if you like the flavour of buffalo with less heat it's easy to tone down. The cheese sauce itself isn't too spicy because the buffalo sauce is used more for flavour than heat and is very diluted. I recommend you taste it as you go while adding and stop if it starts becoming too much for you. Most of the real heat comes from the topping so if you want a milder version simply top it with breadcrumbs and cheese and either no buffalo sauce or just a tiny bit. If you have some spice lovers in the family they can have the bottle at the table to drizzle over their individual servings and then everyone can be happy.
You can but you won't have quite as flavourful a sauce because you won't have the butter and you won't be able to cook out the flour in the butter. Instead, you'll need to gradually add the milk to the flour stirring as you go, then place the pan on the heat and proceed as per the recipe.
Recipe
Vegan Buffalo Mac & Cheese
Author:WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Ingredients
- 1lb (453 grams) elbow macaroni
- 3 tablespoons vegan butter
- 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour , plain in the UK
- 3 cups (720 ml) dairy-free milk , unsweetened & unflavored
- 7 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons white miso paste
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1¾ packed cups (200 grams) vegan cheddar cheese shreds , divided (1¼ cup in sauce ½ cup for top)
- ¾ cup (180 ml) buffalo sauce , divided (6 tablespoons in the sauce and the rest on top) I use Frank's.
- 1 packed cup (70 grams) breadcrumbs
INSTRUCTIONS
- Bring a large pan of water to a rolling boil then cook the macaroni as per the directions on the packet. About 8 minutes.
- While the macaroni is cooking add the butter to a small saucepan. Melt over medium heat then add the flour. Whisk together well and let it cook for 1 minute. Slowly add the milk whisking really well as you go to work out any lumps.
- Add the nutritional yeast, miso, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Whisk together to break up the miso and combine everything, then keep stirring or whisking over the heat until thick and creamy.
- Turn off the heat and add the cheese shreds. Stir until melted then add 6 tablespoons of buffalo sauce. Stir again to combine.
- Drain the macaroni then pour into an oven proof dish (mine measures 10.5 x 7.5-inches). Pour over the cheese sauce, stir to combine then level it out.
- Sprinkle over the breadcrumbs, then the remaining cheese, and then drizzle the buffalo sauce all over too. I use 6 tablespoons. Sometimes a little more because I love the heat, but you can use more or less to suit your tastes and heat preferences.
- Broil (grill in the UK) until really golden brown and bubbly then serve.
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Patti says
I've made this 3 times now, and finally I am remembering to leave a comment. I add stir fried soy curls to it because Im always envious when I see someone in a restaurant order buffalo Mac and cheese which has chicken in it. It is sooo good! Last night I had to use a package of Chao original slices because I froze a few packages and they totally fall apart when defrosted (it says right on the pkg to NOT freeze) and I wasn't about to throw them away. It was amazing. I do have to go lightly on the wing sauce for my husband who has gerd, but I just drizzle more on my serving. I'm actually excited that there are leftovers for lunch!
Melanie McDonald says
So pleased you're enjoying it, Patti! I always feel like the leftovers are even better. Soy curls are a great addition!
Bunnie Chambers says
I made this for New Year's Day 2025. it is YUMMY! The only thing I would possibly change is maybe use 14 ounces of pasta, for a higher sauce to pasta ratio. Also, I baked it at ~350 for 30 minutes, half covered.
Melanie McDonald says
Glad you enjoyed it! The baking is probably why you felt the sauce the pasta ratio was a little off. This one wasn't tested baked (its just all mixed together hot then broiled). When you bake it the pasta sucks up even more moisture so you need a little more sauce. Hope that helps!
Tracy says
I made this for dinner last night and it was delicious! Can't believe there aren't more comments or votes on it. 6T of Frank's in the sauce plus all the Frank's on top was a bit too much for us. Next time I'll use maybe 4T in the sauce and 2-3T on top. But we still loved it.
Melanie McDonald says
So pleased you enjoyed it Tracy and thank you for your review. It's much appreciated!❤️ This one does have a bit of a kick! Taste as you go while adding the buffalo sauce next time you make it and I think you'll find that even with the full amount the sauce itself is actually pretty mild because it's so diluted with everything else. It's the top that really punches so that might be where you want to reduce (or leave off completely). You could always have a bottle of Frank's on the table for any spicier people to add some extra!
Tracie says
I made this for the first time today, and it turned out great! I will definitely be making it again in the future. I used Violife, which was good, but I want to try Daiya next so the top will look gooey like yours does!!
Melanie McDonald says
So pleased you enjoyed it! The Daiya is great (oat blend - look for that little symbol on the front of the bag) but a trick I've started using to get really melty looking cheese for photos and videos is to spray it all over with a water spray before it goes under the broiler and then again once or twice during. The moisture really helps the cheese melt. Covering it with a baking tray to trap the steam also helps even more.
Bob says
Who ever would have thought to put Frank's hot sauce in a mac-n-cheese dish? This was amazing! I give it five stars.
Melanie McDonald says
I'm so pleased you enjoyed it, Bob! As a cheese-o-holic and a huge hot sauce lover it just had to be done!