This Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower Mac and Cheese is loaded with buffalo spiced roasted cauliflower, gluten-free macaroni noodles and gets baked up in a vegan cheesy sauce!

vegan buffalo cauliflower mac and cheese

Confession: I don’t watch the Super Bowl.

Other confession: I DO love eating all the Super bowl inspired foods.

So in the spirit of tasty game night foods, I bring you this vegan buffalo cauliflower mac and cheese. Which I’m going to enjoy eating on Super Bowl Sunday curled up on the couch probably watching the latest comedy special on Netflix (or anything else that is not the Super Bowl…)

Either way, this recipe is great for any occasion. Game night, Weeknight dinner, Weekend cozy lunch…whatever! You do you friends!

I’m so excited to share this recipe today because this is like mac and cheese gone wild. We’re taking vegan mac and cheese, and giving it a big punch of flavour with some hot sauce, and layering it with roasted bits of buffalo cauliflower, then baking it off with a breadcrumb topping. #YAS.

How to make buffalo cauliflower:

Buffalo cauliflower has become so popular and there are a few different ways to make it depending on your preferences. For one, you can batter it up (like I do in this bang bang cauliflower recipe) and then bake it up so each piece of cauliflower has a nice battered crispy coating. You can also batter up the cauliflower and fry the florets in a pan with oil so they get super crispy. (Though a bit less healthy)

But for today’s recipe, we’re going with just simple roasted buffalo cauliflower. Why? Because we’re going for simple and healthy here. (But if you prefer to do one of the above options, more power to you!)

To make the buffalo cauliflower, simply roast the cauliflower florets and then toss them in some Frank’s red hot sauce. Then they go back in the oven for additional 10 minutes and we’re done! The roasted buffalo cauliflower is delicious on it’s own, so you can definitely make some extra to serve on the side.

  • vegan buffalo cauliflower mac and cheese
  • vegan buffalo cauliflower mac and cheese
  • vegan buffalo cauliflower mac and cheese

A few notes on the recipe:

This vegan buffalo cauliflower mac and cheese is really simple to make, which is why I love it so much!

Once the buffalo cauliflower is prepared, all you have to do is layer it up in a baking dish with your cooked macaroni, tossed in the creamy vegan “cheese” sauce. The sauce is made with a base of raw cashews (make sure to use raw unsalted cashews!) and nutritional yeast to give it that umami flavour.

If you’d like to get a little more fancy you can add some shredded cheese (vegan or non-vegan, whatever works for you) to the cheese sauce too for a little extra pop of flavour!

I use whole-grain gluten-free macaroni for this recipe, but you can use any type of pasta/shape of pasta you like! Shells, fusilli, and penne also work great for a mac and cheese!

I use Frank red hot sauce in this recipe, which isn’t particularly spicy, but if you’re not a fan of spice and still want to make this mac and cheese, just leave out the hot sauce from the cauliflower and the sauce and you can make this into a vegan roasted cauliflower mac and cheese instead!

  • vegan buffalo cauliflower mac and cheese
  • vegan buffalo cauliflower mac and cheese

More mac and cheese recipes to try

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vegan buffalo cauliflower mac and cheese

Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.9 from 37 reviews
  • Author: Jess
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Category: Main
  • Method: Cook
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan
Print Recipe

Description

This vegan mac and cheese is loaded with buffalo cauliflower for a mac and cheese that packs a punch!

Ingredients

Scale

Buffalo cauliflower

  • 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1/4 cup Frank’s red hot sauce

Cheese sauce

  • 1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked in hot water for 1-4 hours (or overnight) 
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 2 tbsp Frank’s red hot sauce
  • 1/2 tsp salt 

Other ingredients

  • 250 grams macaroni, cooked according to package directions (or pasta of choice)
  • 1/2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • breadcrumbs to top (optional)

Instructions

  1. Make the buffalo cauliflower: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and line a baking pan with parchment paper. Toss the cauliflower in olive oil, salt and paprika and scatter on the pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven, toss in the hot sauce, then place back in the oven for another 5-10 minutes. 
  2. Make the cheese sauce: Drain the cashews and add to a high-speed blender with the water, nutritional yeast, hot sauce and salt. Blend on high until smooth and creamy. 
  3. Putting it all together: Heat the olive oil in a pan on medium-high heat then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the cheese sauce and cook for 2-3 minutes while mixing. Add the macaroni and mix together until combined, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper if needed then layer the macaroni and buffalo cauliflower in a baking dish. Top with breadcrumbs and place in the oven on broil for 1 minute.

Equipment

Notes

Top off this mac and cheese with some fresh cilantro! 

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1/4 recipe
  • Calories: 360
  • Sugar: 1g
  • Fat: 20g
  • Carbohydrates: 38g
  • Fiber: 8g
  • Protein: 13g

If you tried this Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower Mac and Cheese or any other recipe on the blog let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment/rating below! Be sure to follow along on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook for even more deliciousness!