Instant Pot Vegan Mac and Cheese with Artichokes
This Instant Pot vegan mac and cheese is velvety and creamy without the use of dairy. The sauce is made with starchy white potato, cashews, and lovely seasonings, giving this dish a wickedly good flavor.
This Instant Pot vegan mac and cheese is velvety and creamy without the use of dairy. The sauce is made with starchy white potato, cashews, and lovely seasonings, giving this dish a wickedly good flavor.
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup vegetable stock
- 2 tbsps olive oil
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 6 cups of water
- zest of 1/2 lemon
- 1 clove of garlic diced
- 450 g / 1 lb elbow pasta (egg-free)
- 1/2 veggie stock cube (we like this organic brand)
- 1 onion stock cube
- 1 small brown onion peeled and finely chopped
- 1 medium white potato peeled and diced into small cubes
- 1 tsp margarine/dairy-free butter or 1 tablespoon olive
- 1 cup cashew nuts
- 2/3 cup almond milk
- 2 tbsps of nutritional yeast flakes
- 2 tbsps lemon juice
- 1 tsp dijon mustard (or yellow mustard)
- 1 tspâ salt
- 1 tsp vegan margarine/butter
- 250 - 300 g / 9 oz tinned or marinated artichokes cut roughly
- for garnish: extra parsley and deep-fried shallot
- Carbohydrate 18.6776714816016 g
- Cholesterol 0.816666666666667 mg
- Fat 29.7061283628376 g
- Fiber 1.5351435212345 g
- Protein 5.90751411502908 g
- Saturated Fat 5.15664403150901 g
- Serving Size 1 1 -6 (908g)
- Sodium 1437.61894731408 mg
- Sugar 17.1425279603671 g
- Trans Fat 1.09803184995222 g
- Calories 349 calories
Step-by-step
- Soak the cashews in double the water for 1 hour before using. Rinse well.
- Turn the Instant Pot on, add the pasta ingredients to the inner pot and mix through.
- Pop the lid on, lock and set the Instant Pot to Manual, High pressure for 4 minutes. After 3 beeps, the Instant Pot will begin to build up the pressure and the cooking will commence. Pressurizing and cooking should take about 12-15 minutes total.
- Once the cooking stops, allow 5 minutes for natural pressure release and then use a quick release method (point the steam valve to Venting) before opening the lid. Once the pasta is cooked, strain any remaining cooking liquid and set it aside. Make sure the Instant Pot is off at this stage.
- While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce.
- Make the first part of the sauce first. Add the onions, diced potatoes and margarine or olive oil to a small pot and place over medium-high heat. Stir for two minutes, then add a cup of vegetable stock to the pot (it should just cover the potatoes). Bring to a boil and cook for about 7 minutes, stirring a few times, until the potato is soft and the mixture has thickened.
- Make the rest of the sauce. Add the cashew nuts (minus the soaking liquid), almond milk, garlic, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, mustard and salt to a blender and process until smooth (about a minute). If your blender is big enough, add the cooked potato and onion mixture to the nut cream. Process together until smooth.
- If you have a small blender like me, then you can transfer the creamy nut mixture to a bowl, then add and process the potato mixture next. Then, combine and stir the two parts of the sauce until well combined.
- The final step is to add the margarine, lemon zest, artichokes, parsley and pepper to the pasta in the pot. Pour in the sauce and mix through. Taste for salt and season with more if you like.
- Transfer the pasta to a large casserole dish and top with deep-fried shallots and parsley. I like to reserve a few artichokes to add on top for presentation. Serve and enjoy!
Traditional cheddar sauce relies entirely on dairy proteins and emulsifying salts to achieve a glossy finish, whereas this plant-based variant builds its body from soaked cashews and starchy white potatoes simmered in vegetable stock. Dice those potatoes into small cubes to ensure they soften uniformly within seven minutes of boiling, eliminating any lingering graininess before the pieces hit the blender blades. Running the machine for a full minute guarantees the nut cream reaches a completely smooth consistency without requiring a commercial-grade motor.
Acidity acts as a critical balancing agent here, cutting through the heavy fat content provided by the cup of nuts and the added oils. Lemon juice and Dijon mustard supply this necessary sharp contrast, mimicking the lactic tang found in aged cheeses without masking the earthy notes of the artichokes. Folding in the marinated artichoke hearts at the very end preserves their structural integrity rather than letting them disintegrate into the warm pasta.
Complementing this rich casserole requires dishes that introduce structural crunch and aromatic brightness to offset the dense carbohydrate base. A crisp green salad dressed in a sharp shallot vinaigrette cuts through the coating of the sauce, cleansing the palate between bites of pasta. Alternatively, blistered green beans tossed with toasted garlic chips offer a contrasting texture that prevents the meal from feeling monotonous.
Leftovers keep sealed in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days, though the pasta will continue absorbing moisture as it sits. Reheat individual portions gently on the stove over medium-low heat, splashing in a tablespoon of almond milk or water to restore the velvety emulsion of the sauce.
