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Raw Vegan Macaroni and Cheese

September 6, 2016 By admin 3 Comments

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raw vegan macaroni and cheese blender dehydrator optional
I think it’s safe to say everyone loves mac and cheese. So to make this staple cheesy comfort dish raw but also do justice to the original dish was a challenge. But, then again, I do like a challenge. After many trials with my husband being the designated taste tester, this recipe was born. This raw vegan macaroni and cheese will rock your world. The cheesy macaroni zucchini against the savory crunchiness of coconut bacon, and the burst of caramelized onion flavor from the onion flax crackers used in place of bread crumbs are surely a match made in heaven. By dehydrating the mac and cheese, you’ll be able to enjoy it warm. The two toppings I use are well worth making to complete this dish, as it kicks it up a few notches into an entirely new, pleasurable level. If you can’t make both, I suggest making at least the coconut bacon. Of course, you can do without it if you don’t have the time. But if you do have the time, please make an effort so you can enjoy the recipe as it was intended. It will most likely be the best raw vegan mac & cheese you’ve ever had.

Let’s get started. We will use the raw vegan cheese sauce I shared last week for this recipe, so prepare the cheese sauce first. As I said previously, if you have the time, please make coconut bacon and onion flax crackers ahead of time so you can use it on the day. It will make this dish phenomenal! 

raw vegan macaroni and cheese Once you have the cheese sauce and the two toppings ready to go, it’s time to make the little zucchini macaronis. I will be using yellow zucchini to make it look more like regular macaroni, but you can use plain green zucchini too. I usually just use regular green ones if it’s not for pictures. Pick out skinnier zucchini as it will work better as a macaroni than the larger ones. Top and tail the zucchini and cut them in half, lengthwise. Then, take an 1/8 teaspoon or something that would work similar to it, and deseed the middle to make it hollow to resemble the elbow macaroni shape.

raw vegan macaroni and cheese
Then slice them into about 1/4″ thick half moon shapes. They look just like elbow macaronis!

raw vegan macaroni and cheese Transfer the macaroni shaped zucchini into a bowl and add a pinch of salt and a dash of olive oil. Gently toss and let it sit for 15 minutes to let it soften. By the way, if you use regular cooked elbow macaroni instead of the zucchini, it’ll make a bomb vegan mac & cheese too, though not raw.

raw vegan macaroni and cheese
When ready, it’s time to toss our little zucchini macaronis with some cheese sauce! 
Pour in the cheese sauce and toss well. 

raw vegan macaroni and cheese
If you don’t own a dehydrator, it’s ready to serve! Mix in some coconut bacon and toss gently. Top it with some more coconut bacon, crumbled onion flax crackers, and some chopped parsley, Serve immediately.

If you own a dehydrator, YOU DEFINITELY SHOULD DEHYDRATE THIS DISH!! It will get warm, and the flavors and color will intensify. Spread the mac & cheese mixture thinly and evenly onto the dehydrator tray lined with a silicone sheet. Dehydrate at 115°F (46℃) for 2-3 hours until it’s warm and the cheese sauce has changed its color to a yellow Kraft mac & cheese color.

raw vegan macaroni and cheese
Take out the tray and mix in some coconut bacon. Transfer the mac & cheese mixture into a serving bowl. Pop the entire bowl into the dehydrator again and dehydrate for about another 20 minutes until the surface color turns once again, to the Kraft mac & cheese yellow color. 

raw vegan macaroni and cheese
Your mac & cheese is ready to be served! Top it with some coconut bacon and some crushed onion flax crackers in place of bread crumbs. Sprinkle some chopped parsley on top, and voila! This super yummy raw vegan mac & cheese is ready to be devoured! Serve immediately so you can enjoy it while it’s warm!

raw vegan macaroni and cheese
The creamy cheesiness and the burst of caramelized onion flavor from the crackers and the crunch from the coconut bacon pairs amazingly. If you love mac and cheese, you will love this dish, guaranteed. You can thank me later:)

raw vegan macaroni and cheese

Raw Vegan Macaroni and Cheese
 
Print
Prep time
2 hours
Cook time
3 hours
Total time
5 hours
 
Author: Mariko Sakata
Cuisine: raw food, raw vegan, gluten free
Serves: 2-3
Ingredients
Raw vegan cheese sauce
  • 1½ cups cashews
  • 1 yellow or orange bell pepper (roughly chopped)
  • 3 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • 3 Tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • A pinch of tumeric
  • 1 teaspoon chick pea miso or white miso
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 0-1/4 cup water (optional)

Zucchini macaroni
  • 4 skinny yellow or green zuchinni
  • A dash of olive oil
  • A pinch of salt

Toppings
  • ⅓ cup raw vegan coconut bacon and some more for garnish
  • 3-5 pieces of raw vegan onion flax crackers crushed
  • Some chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
Prepare the toppings
  1. Pre-make the coconut bacon and onion flax crackers. If you do not have time, you can omit the toppings, but they are an essential part of this recipe.

Raw vegan cheese sauce
  1. Soak the cashews for the raw vegan cheese sauce for 2-4 hours. Rinse well and drain.
  2. Make the raw vegan cheese by adding all the ingredients and blend until smooth. Adding the bell pepper into the blender first will help it blend better. If you have a high speed blender like a Vitamix or Blendtec, you do not need to add any water. If you are using a regular blender, add 1 Tablespoon of water at a time. Be sure to keep it to only the minimum amount it needs to blend it into a creamy smooth sauce and no more.

Zucchini macaroni
  1. Top and tail the zucchini and cut them in half, lengthwise.
  2. Take an ⅛ teaspoon or something that would work similar to it, and deseed the middle to make it hollow to resemble the elbow macaroni shape.
  3. Slice them into about ¼" thick half moon shapes.
  4. Transfer them into a bowl and add a pinch of salt and a dash of olive oil. Gently toss and let it sit for 15 minutes to let it soften.

If you don't own a dehydrator:
  1. Pour in the cheese sauce onto the zucchini macaroni and toss well.
  2. Mix in some coconut bacon and toss gently.
  3. Top it with some more coconut bacon, crumbled onion flax crackers, and some chopped parsley.
  4. Serve immediately.

If you own a dehydrator:
  1. Pour in the cheese sauce onto the zucchini macaroni and toss well.
  2. Spread the mac & cheese mixture thinly and evenly onto the dehydrator tray lined with a silicone sheet.
  3. Dehydrate at 115°F (46℃) for 2-3 hours until it's warm and the cheese sauce has changed its color to a yellow Kraft mac & cheese color.
  4. Take out the tray and mix in some coconut bacon.
  5. Transfer the mac & cheese mixture into a serving bowl. Pop the entire bowl into the dehydrator again and dehydrate for about another 20 minutes until the surface color turns once again, to the bright yellow color.
  6. Top it with some coconut bacon, crumbled onion flax crackers, and some chopped parsley.
  7. Serve immediately.
Notes
For a cooked vegan option, replace the zucchini with regular cooked elbow macaroni.
3.4.3177

Filed Under: Dehydrator, Entrée, Recipes, Side Dishes

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jenna

    September 21, 2016 at 3:01 am

    Since the cheese changes colour and looks like it clbecomes nice and rich do you think it would make a nice topping as either a cheese base or topping on a raw pizza – that is heated in the dehydrator? To improve and revamp the pizza quality? Have been wondering lately and was thinking about an agar cheese block that would melt during dehydration, but agar isnt exactly raw so.. Was reading you recipe just now and it made me wonder..

    Reply
    • admin

      September 21, 2016 at 6:55 am

      Hi Jenna,

      Thank you so much for your comment! Can you expand on what you mean by a cheese base? Do you mean like to ferment to make firm cheese? The cheese sauce will be great on a raw pizza. If you omit the yellow bell pepper from the recipe and increase the amount of water you use, you can make it a whiter cheese sauce, which would probably go better with the pizza. I would dehydrate the pizza with the cheese sauce until the cheese sauce is heated through, and the film is formed on the surface like real cheese. Hope this helps!

      Reply

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Mariko Sakata

Hi, I'm Mariko! I am a raw food chef, instructor, and a cookbook author. Plant-based cooking is my passion. My creations are plant-based, mostly raw, and gluten free.
Hope you enjoy my recipes! Check out my About page to find out more about me.

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marikosakata

Ying and Yang☯️ My utmost respect to Stacey A Ying and Yang☯️ 
My utmost respect to Stacey Abrams. The word “inspirational” does not quite cut it.
Testing a couple of vegan cheeses🌱🧀 We’ll Testing a couple of vegan cheeses🌱🧀 We’ll see how they turn out🧐
Hope everyone had a lovely holiday season😊

新しいヴィーガンチーズを研究中✨さて仕上がりはどうなるかな?

ヴィーガンチーズのオンラインオンデマンドクラスにご興味のある方はプロフィールのリンクからどうぞ🙇🏻‍♀️
Getting ready to cook some gluten free 100% buckwh Getting ready to cook some gluten free 100% buckwheat soba for New Year’s Eve🍜 It’s a Japanese tradition to eat soba on New Year’s Eve for good fortune and longevity for the coming new year. Probably one of my favorite traditions, because it gives me another excuse to eat noodles🍜💕 I’ll have my bowl of soba to wish everyone good fortune and longevity🙏🏼✨
Happy New Year’s Eve! 

アメリカはまだ大晦日なので、年越しこれから年越し蕎麦を🍜少し自宅から遠い日系マーケットに行く機会がコロナで今年激減したので、大事にとっておいた十割蕎麦を年越し蕎麦に✨

日本の皆様、明けましておめでとうございます🎍2020年はコロナで未曾有の一年で、日本にも一時帰国できませんでしたが、その分オンラインクラスやオンデマンドクラスを通して皆様にお会いでき、又お陰様で増版、台湾語と韓国語版も出版され、実りも大変多い一年でした。昨年は大変お世話になりました。本年も何卒宜しくお願い申し上げます🙇🏻‍♀️
Uplifting a gloomy Monday with this plate of raw v Uplifting a gloomy Monday with this plate of raw vegan cheddar cheese🌱🧀 Hope everyone in LA us staying dry🌧

ロサンゼルスには珍しく今日は一日中雨🌧熟成していた太陽のようなローフードヴィーガンチェダーチーズをおやつに気分転換🌱🧀
Enjoying some post Christmas treats and probably g Enjoying some post Christmas treats and probably going to pass out from sugar crash🎄😝

クリスマスツリーのライスクリスピートリーツ(スピルリナ入り)🎄来年は抹茶味で緑色にしたいけれど、夫が抹茶味あまり好きではないので、レシピ2倍でプレーンと両方作らないといけないかな?
Merry Christmas everyone💚 I made some minty ric Merry Christmas everyone💚 I made some minty rice crispy treats this year, and this may very well become one of our yearly tradition🎄Tastes like crunchy York peppermint patties💕 Hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas✨

ミント味のライスクリスピートリーツ💚ライスクリスピートリーツは幼少の頃にニューヨークで出来立てを食べて以来大好きなお菓子ですが、高カロリーなので特別な日にしか作りません😅今年はミント味にアレンジしてみたら、これまた美味し過ぎて毎年恒例になりそうです✨
When we decorated our tree earlier this week, we w When we decorated our tree earlier this week, we were a bit short on ornaments, but we were able to get extras just in time🎄✨ Listening to Mariah, my QUEEN and tree trimming now❄️ Merry Christmas and happy holidays everone✨

クリスマスツリーの飾りが先日少し足りなかったので、オーダーした追加の飾りがギリギリイブの今日届きました❄️毎年恒例のマライヤ・キャリーやマイケル・ブーブレを聴きながらツリーの飾り付け🎄皆様素敵なクリスマスをお過ごしください✨
Testing out my Waring blender for vegan cheese mak Testing out my Waring blender for vegan cheese making😊 Not gonna lie, it’s no Vitamix, but it does a good job👍🏼

最近お気に入りの普通のミキサーで試しにヴィーガンチーズ作り🌱🧀勿論バイタミックスには負けますが、なかなかの出来👌🏼
The homemade ornaments we made yesterday worked ou The homemade ornaments we made yesterday worked out great on our newly delivered white Christmas tree🎄Orion’s ornament hanging above my husband’s favorite ornament from his childhood, a vintage snoopy ornament circa 1981. I love the look of this vintage Hallmark panorama ball ornament. I may need to add some more from eBay. Happy holidays everyone❄️

昨日作った手作りオーナメントを白いクリスマスツリーに飾り付け🎄夫の幼少の頃のお気に入りのスヌーピーオーナメントと一緒に❄️1981年の物でヴィンテージのホールマークのオーナメントなんですが、中がダイオラマになっていて、ストーリー性があって面白いんです✨これから毎年一つ、他のバージョンを足していこうと思います😊
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