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    Home » Comfort Food Recipes

    Masala Mac and Cheese with Indian Spices Vegan Recipe

    Published: Mar 17, 2015 · Modified: Jan 9, 2019 by Richa 41 Comments

    Jump to Recipe   Print Recipe

    Masala Mac and Cheese! Garam masala, cumin, fennel, cayenne, nigella and fenugreek seeds in this Indian Spiced cheese sauce. Vegan Recipe. can be gluten-free

    Jump to Recipe   

    Masala Mac and Cheese! Garam masala spice blend, cumin, fennel, cayenne, nigella and fenugreek seeds in this Indian Spiced cheese sauce. | VeganRicha.com #Vegan #Recipe #maccheese

    I don’t know why I haven’t made masala mac before. The spices work out so well in the cheese sauce and makes a fabulous mac and cheese. Masala basically means spices or a sauce made with spices. 

    The cheese sauce with spices and cashews is flavorful and comes together quickly if you have the spices. I use quite some spices for a complex flavor. Use any that you have and the sauce will still be fabulous. I saw the Ethiopian Mac in Kittee’s book and that gave me the idea to make the Indian Masala Mac!

    To make this masala mac and cheese nut-free, use soaked sunflower or pumpkin seeds in the sauce. This Mac is going to be a crowd pleaser at the next event for sure. There can never be too many mac and cheese recipes right!


    Masala Mac and Cheese | Vegan Richa

    mmm.. mmm .. mmmmmm


    More Mac’s from the blog. 

    • ROASTED TOMATO CHIPOTLE MAC AND CHEESE WITH CAULIFLOWER SAUCE
    • NACHO MAC AND CHEESE CASSEROLE
    • SPICY MAC N YEASE 
    Masala Mac and Cheese | VeganRicha.com Garam masala spice blend, cumin, fennel, cayenne, nigella and fenugreek seeds in this Indian Spiced cheese sauce. #Vegan #Recipe. Can be gluten-free

    Masala Mac and Cheese | Vegan Richa

    Make this today! 

    Masala Mac and Cheese | Vegan Richa

    VIDEO:

    Print Recipe
    5 from 8 votes

    Masala Mac and Cheese Vegan Recipe

    Masala Mac and Cheese! Garam masala, cumin, fennel, cayenne, nigella and fenugreek seeds in this Indian Spiced cheese sauce.
    Prep Time15 mins
    Cook Time20 mins
    Total Time35 mins
    Course: Entree
    Cuisine: American
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 380kcal
    Author: Vegan Richa

    Ingredients

    • 10 to 12 oz (283.5 g) pasta
    • 2 tsp oil
    • 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) each of cumin seeds coriander seeds, nigella seeds
    • 1/8 tsp (0.13 tsp) each of fenugreek seeds fennel seeds
    • 1/4 cup (3.5 g) finely chopped red onion
    • 3 cloves of garlic chopped
    • 1/2 inch (0.5 inch) piece of ginger chopped
    • 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) cayenne
    • 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) garam masala
    • 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) cinnamon
    • 1 medium tomato chopped
    • 1/3 cup (43 g) raw cashews
    • 1/2 cup (125 ml) water use 1 cup water for thinner sauce, the sauce thickens quite a bit
    • 3/4 to 1 tsp salt
    • 1 tsp lime juice
    • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
    • 1 1/4 cup (305 ml) non dairy milk
    • 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) black pepper
    • 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) onion granules

    Instructions

    • Cook the pasta according to instructions.
    • Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add all the whole spices/seeds and cook for 2 minutes or until they change color and get fragrant. Add the onion, garlic, ginger and a pinch of salt. Cook until translucent. 3 to 4 minutes. Add cayenne, garam masala and cinnamon. Give it a quick mix. Add tomatoes, cashews, water, salt and lime juice, bring to a boil and cook for a few minutes. Total 6 to 7 minutes.
    • Cool slightly and blend with nutritional yeast and non dairy milk in a high speed blender, until smooth. Return the sauce to the skillet. Add cooked pasta and black pepper, onion granules cover and cook over low-medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes,or until it thickens. At this point I usually add some chopped broccoli or baby greens and fold in.
    • Stir, taste and adjust salt, spice and tang. Add prepared mustard for additional tang if needed. Cover and let it sit for 5 minutes. Serve garnished with cilantro and paprika. Add a side of grilled Spiced Tofu and a small salad on the side to make a meal.

    Video

    Notes

    If you are omitting any of the whole spices, add 1/4 tsp more garam masala.
    To sub fenugreek seeds, use 1/2 tsp dried fenugreek leaves or 1/4 tsp ground mustard.
    To make this nut-free, use soaked sunflower or pumpkin seeds in the sauce
    Nutritional values based on one serving

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Facts
    Masala Mac and Cheese Vegan Recipe
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 380 Calories from Fat 81
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 9g14%
    Saturated Fat 1g6%
    Sodium 692mg30%
    Potassium 385mg11%
    Carbohydrates 60g20%
    Fiber 4g17%
    Sugar 3g3%
    Protein 14g28%
    Vitamin A 305IU6%
    Vitamin C 5.3mg6%
    Calcium 120mg12%
    Iron 2mg11%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    Masala Mac and Cheese | Vegan Richa

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    Reader Interactions

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    1. genie barnes

      December 25, 2022 at 2:10 pm

      I’m thinking about adding baked soy curls to this recipe, probably along with the broccoli at the end. What do you think?

      Reply
      • Richa

        December 26, 2022 at 1:20 pm

        Yes add them with the broccoli. You’ll need some extra liquid as soycurls absorb a lot

        Reply
    2. Shelly

      June 16, 2021 at 7:40 am

      Hi Richa,
      Any substitute for the nigella seeds, or are they pretty much essential? Thanks in advance!

      Reply
      • Richa

        June 16, 2021 at 9:58 am

        Use dried onion flakes

        Reply
    3. May

      April 17, 2021 at 5:30 am

      5 stars
      I made this for dinner and loved the flavors, but next time I will try using coconut milk to make it creamier.

      Reply
    4. Arlene Keenan

      August 21, 2020 at 3:29 pm

      5 stars
      Super tasty…I’ve been craving it ever since making it!

      Reply
      • Vegan Richa Support

        August 25, 2020 at 2:00 pm

        wow – it really left a lasting impression!

        Reply
    5. Suzette

      June 14, 2020 at 9:45 pm

      5 stars
      So delicious I can’t stop eating it!

      Reply
      • Vegan Richa Support

        June 15, 2020 at 2:02 pm

        that’s great! so addictive – thank you

        Reply
    6. Jill Patterson

      May 01, 2019 at 9:38 pm

      I would love to make this, but my son has a cashew allergy…is there another nut that would also work well? (He is only allergic to cashews & pistachios)

      Reply
      • Richa

        May 01, 2019 at 11:12 pm

        almond + walnut, or macadamia

        Reply
    7. Suhashini

      August 02, 2018 at 11:10 am

      A friend recommended this recipe and it did not disappoint! I cannot eat tomatoes, so I mixed in some tamarind concentrate with the water, and it was still delicious. I tossed in some chili flakes because I was out of cayenne. Delicious and satisfyingly spicy!

      Reply
      • Richa

        August 02, 2018 at 11:21 am

        awesome!

        Reply
    8. Michelle

      April 21, 2018 at 2:07 pm

      If I don’t have the individual spices, can I sub in a certain amount of curry powder?

      Reply
      • Richa

        April 21, 2018 at 9:02 pm

        Yes. Garam masala would be a better option that curry powder but it will work. Depending on the brand, sometimes the curry powder blends have more of certain spices, start with 1 tsp and add more later when you taste

        Reply
    9. zainab

      January 03, 2017 at 4:46 pm

      hey ! i was just wondering what kind of non dairy milk do you use or would work best

      Reply
      • Richa

        January 04, 2017 at 10:23 pm

        i usually use almond milk. Cashew milk or soy milk will also work.

        Reply
    10. Emma

      May 18, 2016 at 9:01 am

      This looks so good. Do you use soaked cashews or do they soften whilst cooking? I am not sure how good my blender would be at blending them!

      Reply
      • Richa

        May 18, 2016 at 9:33 am

        The cashews soften during the 7 min cook time with the sauce ingredients so they blend really easily. If you are not sure, you can soak them for half na hour or so before using.

        Reply
    11. Sana

      March 13, 2016 at 5:38 am

      Hi could you emit the yeast from this recipe or sub it with something else?

      Reply
      • Richa

        March 13, 2016 at 10:58 am

        yes just omit the nutritional yeast.

        Reply
    12. Sabine

      June 22, 2015 at 5:49 pm

      I made this for dinner tonight and loved it. My husband, who doesn’t care for creamy pasta sauces as a rule, predictably gave it a thumbs down. But… he just came to my room to tell me, “I changed my mind.” I think the spices won him over. Great recipe! Thank you!

      Reply
      • Richa

        June 22, 2015 at 6:47 pm

        🙂 awesome!

        Reply
    13. Amanda

      April 15, 2015 at 4:17 pm

      Lately I have been making pasta dishes with tomato sauce and using the spice combinations from some of my favorite indian curry dishes. The results are really quite impressive. I throw beans in there too and I find it a welcome change from rice and bean curries.

      Reply
      • Richa

        April 15, 2015 at 4:32 pm

        awesome! i mix up leftover curry sauces in the mac somedays as well.

        Reply
    14. Betty

      April 05, 2015 at 5:45 pm

      5 stars
      Hi–I made it this evening and it was really delicious. I had obviously printed the recipe (before you corrected it) with the 4 oz pasta and cashews in 1 cup water, and it was very saucy; but I had one serving and my husband went back for seconds, and we still have some left over (so with 10 or 12 oz pasta it would certainly serve 4). Also, the sauce has thickened up quite a bit.

      It was SO good. Two minor changes: I added 1/4 tsp turmeric for color, and only used 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast. Next time I will make it with more pasta but I’m not going to reduce the water.

      Reply
      • Richa

        April 05, 2015 at 6:53 pm

        Awesome! so glad you loved it!

        Reply
    15. jody

      March 29, 2015 at 6:39 pm

      This sounded amazing and we gave it a try tonight. We ended up with about twice as much sauce vs pasta. Even after it cooked down and thickened the pasta was swimming it and looked nothing like this photo. We ended up savings some sauce to mix with more pasta tomorrow. We liked the flavors a lot though.

      Reply
      • Richa

        March 29, 2015 at 6:53 pm

        hmm. not sure what happened. maybe i used more pasta or noted the liquid amount wrong. i’ll check it tomorrow. glad that you loved the sauce:)

        Reply
      • Chris

        March 30, 2015 at 10:17 am

        5 stars
        I agree — the 4 ounces must be a mistake or typo. I used 400 grams (14 ounces) and that was just about right. Great recipe though. I’ll definitely make it again.

        Reply
        • Richa

          March 30, 2015 at 11:45 am

          yup, made it again. it must have been 14 oz. my notes say otherwise. Adjusted the recipe a bit to reduce the water, so the sauce is thicker. 12 oz would work perfectly. Thanks for catching that! so glad you like the sauce and flavors!

          Reply
      • Richa

        March 30, 2015 at 11:47 am

        Hi Jody, it seems i had noted the pasta amount wrong. sorry about the swimming pasta. i changed the recipe to use 10 to 12 oz pasta and reduced water by half. thanks for catching that!

        Reply
        • jody

          March 30, 2015 at 9:01 pm

          No worries we’ll give it a try again some time with the new ratios. Thanks for updating!

          Reply
    16. Brittany

      March 22, 2015 at 6:04 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious! Thanks for the recipe!

      Reply
    17. IR

      March 19, 2015 at 1:52 pm

      Wow, I would’ve never thought of this…I don’t like mac & cheese, & I’ve only tasted it a few times in my life, but I would definitely make this!

      Reply
    18. Ayaz

      March 18, 2015 at 4:26 pm

      This sounds great. Quick question, Can it be made oil-free? Thanks!

      Reply
      • Richa

        March 18, 2015 at 4:48 pm

        sure, dry roast the spices until fragrant, then saute with the onion in a little broth.

        Reply
    19. Cassie

      March 18, 2015 at 3:44 pm

      Delicious! I used to love mac n cheese as a kid, and this vegan recipe looks better!

      Reply
    20. Archena

      March 18, 2015 at 9:14 am

      5 stars
      Thank you Richa! Nice spicy Mac and cheese for the grown ups

      Reply
    21. Christina @ The Beautiful Balance

      March 18, 2015 at 5:59 am

      These flavors have to be perfect together. This looks incredibly delicious and I happen to have all of the ingredients on hand! Pinning now 🙂

      Reply
    22. June Burns

      March 18, 2015 at 4:44 am

      Oh man that looks amazing! I love mac ‘n’ cheese, but adding masala sounds like heaven! Great recipe as always 🙂

      Reply

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