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This Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower Mac and Cheese is loaded with buffalo spiced roasted cauliflower, gluten-free macaroni noodles and gets
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.
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!
More mac and cheese recipes to try
- Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
- Vegan Spinach and Artichoke Mac and Cheese
- Vegan Jalapeño Popper Mac and Cheese
Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: Main
- Method: Cook
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This vegan mac and cheese is loaded with buffalo cauliflower for a mac and cheese that packs a punch!
Ingredients
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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Notes
Top off this mac and cheese with some fresh cilantro!
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!
I made this expect for the cauliflower I did half Buffalo sauce and half Franks Red Hot. This was a fantastic dish! Will make again.
Happy you enjoyed it!
This recipe was delicious, I followed some of the comments and doubled the sauce and I added the Brussels sprouts too great idea! I am making again for my party tomorrow.
Happy you enjoyed the recipe! 🙂
Hi! What is the spicyness level on this? I’d love to make it as a family meal with my 16 month old- what you recommend to make it just mild level spice? Thanks!
Hi Sandy, I’d say it’s spicy-but not too spicy. Hard to say since everyone has such a different palette and spice tolerance, but it’s made with franks red hot sauce which isn’t really that spicy (in my opinion at least!)
This is such a delicious and simple recipe! I’ve made it a few times now. So yummy!
Thanks so much Cassidy! Happy you love it 🙂
I will definitely be making this for me and my husband soon! It looks so comforting!
This recipe has become a family favorite. I double the sauce and use a hearty pasta like cavatappi, adding sliced brussels sprouts to the pasta water for the last 2 minutes.
So happy you and your family love it Karin!
I used Primal Kitchen’s Buffalo sauce in place of the hot sauce and Banza chickpea noodles. Absolutely delicious! Will definitely be making this one again.
Thanks for the review Danie, happy you enjoyed!
A family fav! Thanks so much:)
So happy you love it Kim!
This was amazing! Next time I’ll double the batch. Absolutely delicious! Thank you for this recipe.
So happy you enjoyed it Mary 🙂
Absolutely delicious! A staple in our house, especially for fall and football season!
Thanks Jessie, glad you enjoyed 🙂
This was phenomenal. I loved how it combined 2 things I love, Mac and cheese and Buffalo cauliflower.
Hi Lori, so happy to hear you loved the recipe!