Chickpea Mac and Cheese
Make a delicious vegan meal with this creamy Chickpea Mac and Cheese recipe! This quick and easy dish is made with simple ingredients and can be ready in under an hour. Enjoy it warm with your favorite side dishes.
Get ready to try something new with this easy and delicious vegan chickpea mac amd cheese recipe! This creamy and flavorful meal requires simple ingredients and takes less than an hour to make.
You’ll love how quickly you can whip up a delicious and nutritious dish that will make the whole family happy! I love serving it with some vegan garlic bread on the side.
Key Ingredients
You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are some explanations of ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfect every time.
Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe, including substitution ideas:
- Pasta — I used whole wheat macaroni shells, but you can use regular, protein pasta, or even gluten-free macaroni. Sometimes when I’m feeling ultra-healthy, I will pour the cheese sauce over chickpea pasta.
- Chickpeas — Let’s keep things simple and use a 15-ounce can of chickpeas. If you prefer cooking chickpeas from scratch, substitute 1 3/4 cup freshly cooked chickpeas.
- Carrot — To add color and nutrition, you’ll need a medium carrot, peeled and roughly chopped.
- Nooch — We’ll add nutritional yeast flakes to create the cheesy flavor.
- Lemon Juice — You can use freshly squeezed or bottled lemon juice.
- Seasoning — We’ll add garlic and onion powder. I frequently substitute dehydrated onions for onion powder. You can also add salt and pepper to taste.
- Saltiness — I add saltiness with a tablespoon of mild miso paste. You can substitute 2 teaspoons of soy sauce. Or you can use a teaspoon of salt.
- Olives — We’ll add some umami flavor thanks to olives. You’ll need 3 medium olives, just as long as they’re good and salty.
- Olive oil — We’re not done with the olives just yet. We’ll also use a couple of tablespoons of olive oil.
- Broth — You’ll need around 1 cup of vegetable broth. You can use regular or low-sodium vegetable broth.
- Starch — We need a starch to thicken the sauce. I used cornstarch, but you can substitute arrowroot powder if you’d like
- Breadcrumb Topping — I toast two slices of whole wheat bread as the oven is heating up. You can use any bread you prefer.
- Optional – You can add 2 to 3 beta carotene capsules to the sauce (while it’s in the saucepan) to add more color. I buy these capsules on Amazon and use them in vegan cheese.
How to Make Chickpea Mac and Cheese
- Bake two slices of bread (for the topping) in the oven as it’s preheating. The goal is to get them crisp and toasty (but not burnt).
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the cooking water, then strain the rest of the water and rinse the pasta.
- Transfer cooked macaroni to a baking dish.
- Combine chickpea cheese sauce ingredients in a blender. Pulse in short bursts to roughly break down the ingredients.
- Add the pasta cooking water and blend again until smooth.
- Pour the chickpea mixture into a saucepan over medium heat until it thickens.
- Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta and stir to combine.
- Break the toast into pieces and add it to a food processor along with the other topping ingredients.
- Pulse for 30 seconds and repeat until crumbs form.
- Pour the crumb mixture evenly over the top of the pasta in the baking dish and bake for 30 minutes.
What Makes This Recipe Shine?
- SIMPLE — Make the sauce and drizzle it over the noodles. You don’t have to make the breadcrumb topping, but you won’t regret it either!
- PROTEIN — Looking for more plant-based protein? Serve chickpea sauce over protein noodles for a power-packed dinner!
- COMFORTING — This is comfort food at its very finest!
Frequently-Asked Questions
Is chickpea mac and cheese healthy?
A simple chickpea mac and cheese dish can be a healthy option when prepared mindfully. It’s higher in protein and fiber than traditional mac and cheese, and you can control the ingredients. Opt for whole-grain pasta and use a sauce made with chickpeas, nutritional yeast, and non-dairy milk for a nutritious and satisfying meal.
Is chickpea mac and cheese as creamy as traditional mac and cheese?
Absolutely! Chickpea macaroni and cheese is rich in plant-based protein. Chickpeas are a great source, providing about 15 grams of protein per cup, making it a nutritious choice for vegans.
Meal Prep This Casserole
I’m a big fan of making a big pot or pan of food on the weekend so we can enjoy the leftovers throughout the week. Here’s how I meal prep this easy chickpea mac and cheese dish:
- Make the full recipe and bake it.
- Let it come to room temperature.
- Transfer half of it to a freezer-safe container (or containers) and freeze. Be sure to label your containers!
- Cover the rest of the dish and place in the fridge for immediate meals.
- When you’re ready to serve the frozen mac and cheese, transfer it to a fridge overnight or leave it on the counter for several hours. Then reheat in the microwave until heated through.
Reheating Tips
Mac and cheese is notorious for drying out in the fridge. That ooey gooey cheese sauce solidifies and it’s not easy to get it back! These are great tips for reheating mac and cheese. The conc what I do for plant-based mac and cheese:
- Microwave: Add a portion of the mac and cheese to a plate you’ll be using to heat it up. Drizzle a tablespoon or two of plain plant-based milk on top. Obviously, vanilla plant-based milk or anything sweetened is not your go-to option here. Cook for 1 minute. It should be heated through, but if not, cook in 30-second increments until it’s the right temperature.
- Oven: Transfer servings of mac and cheese to a pan. Drizzle with a tablespoon or two of plant-based milk. Bake at 300°F/150°C until heated through.
Add-In Ideas
Make this mac and cheese as is or consider this list of creative add-ins:
- Broccoli florets — If you make them small enough and add them to the sauce before baking, they will cook up nice and tender.
- Cauliflower florets — The same thing for cauliflower, make the florets small so they cook up tender as the pasta bakes.
- Vegan crumbles — You can buy these at the store, but I find this homemade veggie crumble mixture is so affordable and easy, that I prefer to use it. It adds a meaty texture to your mac and cheese dinner.
- Veggies — Want to mix things up? Make a batch of roasted veggies and either serve them on the side or add some of them to the pasta as it bakes. They add deliciousness to every bite!
- Sweet Potatoes — Wash and peel a sweet potato and cut it into small cubes. You can add these cubes to the pasta. The sweet potato cubes will get tender and add so much flavor.
Storage Tips
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze leftovers in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months.
Easy Vegan Meals
If you love this chickpea macaroni and cheese recipe, here are more easy vegan main dish favorites to try:
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Vegan Chickpea Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
Pasta
- 3 cups macaroni noodles (regular, whole wheat, or gluten-free)
Chickpea Cheese Sauce
- 15 oz can chickpeas (substitute 1 3/4 cup freshly cooked chickpeas)
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
- ½ cup nutritional yeast flakes
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon mild miso paste (substitute 2 teaspoons soy sauce)
- 3 medium olives (any kind of olives will work)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¾ cup vegetable broth
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- salt and pepper to taste
Breadcrumb Topping
- 2 slices whole wheat bread
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast flakes
- ¼ teaspoon salt (add up to 1/4 teaspoon more salt if you prefer it saltier)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C. Spray the bottom of a 9×12 pan with a light coating of vegetable cooking spray.
- Add the 2 slices of bread (for the topping) to the oven to toast them as the oven heats. Check them at 10 minutes to make sure they don't burn.
For the Pasta:
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Reserve 1 ½ cups of the cooking water, then strain the rest of the water and rinse the pasta. Transfer to a 9×12 baking dish and use a spoon to distribute it equally across the pan (so it doesn't clump together). Set aside.
For The Chickpea Cheese Sauce:
- Combine cooked chickpeas with chopped carrots, nutritional yeast flakes, lemon juice, garlic powder, onion powder, miso paste (or soy sauce), olives, olive oil, vegetable broth, and cornstarch in a blender. Pulse in short bursts to roughly break down the ingredients. Scrape down the side of the blender jar, then pulse again, gradually increasing the speed. Add 1 ½ cups of the pasta cooking water and blend again until smooth. Give the sauce a taste and add salt and pepper as desired.
- Transfer the smooth chickpea mixture into a saucepan over medium heat. Cook until it begins to boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 2 minutes, until the mixture thickens.
- Pour the chickpea cheese sauce over the pasta and stir to combine.
- Add any of these optional add-ins to the Mac and cheese: 1 cup of small broccoli florets, 1 cup of small broccoli florets, 1 cup of vegan crumbles.
For the Breadcrumb Topping:
- The bread should be toasted and very firm at this point. Break it into pieces and add it to a food processor along with the other topping ingredients. Pulse for 30 seconds and repeat until crumbs form.
- Pour the crumb mixture evenly over the top of the pasta in the baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow the mixture to cool slightly before serving.
Recommended Equipment
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Notes
The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
You mentioned in the instructions….vegetable broth. I did not see that listed in the ingredient list.
FOR THE CHICKPEA CHEESE SAUCE:
Combine cooked chickpeas with chopped carrots, nutritional yeast flakes, lemon juice, garlic powder, onion powder, miso paste (or soy sauce), olives, olive oil, vegetable broth,