This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure and privacy policy.
It might sound far-fetched, but this Instant Pot Vegan Mac n’ Cheese is inspired by Ina Garten’s recipe that I make every year at Thanksgiving. Her recipe is incredibly rich and decadent– hence why we only make it once a year– and it’s also exhausting to prepare because you have to shred over a pound of cheese. What makes her recipe special is her use of gruyere cheese and nutmeg, which provides a subtle nutty flavor that pairs perfectly with the salty aged cheese.
While my recipe doesn’t actually contain any cheese, adding nutmeg to my cashew-based cream sauce makes reminds me of Ina Garten’s original recipe. My dad tasted it recently and told me it’s my best Mac n’ Cheese yet! (Which is saying something if you’ve already tried my best Vegan Mac n’ Cheese recipe.) Perhaps we’ll be serving this one at Thanksgiving this year, since it would save us a LOT of time and effort.
This Vegan Mac n’ Cheese requires just 3 simple steps: Blend, Dump, and Stir. This is my first time developing a recipe where the pasta cooks in the sauce all at the same time, and I love the results. The starchiness of the pasta thickens the sauce, leaving you with a creamier result than if you were to prepare the pasta separately. The only downside to cooking pasta in the pressure cooker is that you can’t stop and stir the pot they way you could if you were cooking it on the stove. As a result, some of the pasta does stick to the bottom of the pan. I found that this issue is easily resolved by stirring a bit more water in at the end of the cooking cycle, which helps un-stick any pasta and also helps to thin out the sauce, making it creamier.
Something else to note while making this recipe is the size of your pasta package. This was a total “duh” moment for me, but while I was working on this recipe (making it over 10 times!) I found that I had accidentally bought two different sized bags of gluten-free pasta. So, when I thought I was consistently using a one-pound bag for testing, I was actually using a 12-ounce bag sometimes. No wonder it took me so long to figure this one out! My favorite pasta that I tried while testing this recipe was DeLallo’s gluten-free shells (made from 100% brown rice flour), so I highly recommend you seek out a similar pasta for best results. Enjoy!

Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews , soaked in water for 2 hours*
- 4 1/2 cups water , divided
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 12 ounces gluten-free pasta (I used DeLallo brand)
Instructions
- Drain the cashews and discard the soaking water. In a high-speed blender combine the cashews, 2 cups of water, nutritional yeast, salt, lemon juice, vinegar, and nutmeg. Blend until smooth.
- Add the pasta to the bowl of your Instant Pot, and pour the sauce over the top. Stir well. Use 2 more cups of water to "rinse out" your blender, swishing the water in the empty blender container to help pick up any of the seasoning that may have been left behind. Pour the water from the blender container into the Instant Pot, then seal the lid and make sure the knob at the top is turned to the "sealing" position. Cook on high pressure for 0 minutes (yes, zero minutes), then let the steam pressure naturally release for 8 minutes.
- When the screen reads LO:08, carefully release the steam in the pot by moving the steam release vent to "venting," then remove the lid. Pour the remaining 1/2 cup of water into the pot and use a wooden spoon to stir well, making sure to remove any pasta that has stuck to the bottom of the pot. Adjust any seasoning to taste, and serve warm.
- Feel free to make this more of an "adult" Mac n' Cheese by adding your favorite vegetables before serving. I love to stir-in roasted broccoli, sautéed mushrooms, or simply fold in fresh baby spinach so that it wilts before serving.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Per Serving: Calories: 329, Fat: 10g, Carbohydrates: 52g, Fiber: 2g, Protein: 7g
I have a feeling this method would work well for my nut-free Mac n’ Cheese recipes, like my Sweet Potato Mac n’ Cheese or the Butternut Mac n’ Cheese found in my cookbook, No Excuses Detox. I plan on trying those in the future (when I’m not burnt-out on eating Mac n’ Cheese), but if you want to experiment, I’d use the same 4-ish cups of water to 12 ounces of pasta ratio.
Stove Top Directions: If you don’t have an Instant Pot, but want to make it on the stove, I would use the same method as described above. Instead of pressing a button on the Instant Pot, simply bring the mixture to a boil, then cover and steam for 10 minutes. Then let it sit for another 10 minutes with the heat off. Feel free to stir occasionally, to help prevent the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add extra water at the end if you feel that it is needed for texture, and adjust seasonings to taste.
Slow Cooker: I haven’t tested this recipe in a slow cooker yet, but most vegetarian recipes I’ve tried cook well on low for 6 hours, or high for 3 hours. If you try it this way, please leave a comment below letting us know how it worked for you!
Variation: If you have leftovers of this Mac n’ Cheese, I like to pour my favorite marinara sauce over the top for a “creamy tomato sauce.” It’s so good, you won’t miss a sprinkling of cheese on your pasta!
Food Combining: This nut-based sauce is not properly combined over grain-based pasta, but you can reduce the water for the sauce to one cup and serve it over steamed veggies, cooked spaghetti squash, or spiralized zucchini noodles for a properly combined dish.
—
Reader Feedback: Have you ever made a one-pot pasta before? Let me know if you have another favorite I should try!
I MADE THIS WITH CHICKPEA FLOUR PASTA SHELLS AND IT WAS FABULOUS! I USED 16 OZ OF PASTA SINCE EACH BOX WAS 8 OZ AND I MAY ADD A 3/4 CUP OF WATER AFTER COOKING INSTEAD OF 1/2 CUP BUT THE FLAVOR WAS WONDERFUL. THANK YOU!
Hi Megan! I’d like to try this recipe on the stovetop, but I’m a little confused with the stovetop directions. Could you basically prepare the sauce in one pot, cook the pasta in another pot and then mix drained pasta in sauce? How much water should be in the sauce when cooked on stovetop? Thank you for the clarification!
If you’d like to cook the pasta and sauce separately, I’d use my original Vegan Mac n’ Cheese recipe: https://detoxinista.com/move-over-kraft/ (It’s a fan favorite!)
I made this last night, it was amazing!! I added in frozen veggies and spinach.
I love your blog and books! Thank you for introducing me to the instant pot. I bought one per your suggestion and I love it. I did try to make this recipe and didn’t have any luck. I have an 8 quart instant pot and the pressurizer button never popped up to seal the pot. I’ve had this happen with a couple of recipes. Also there have been times when I have had to push down on the handles to get the pressurizer button to seal (it didn’t work with this recipe). Is it possible that my pot is defective? Any suggestions? Thanks!
I’ve had that happen with a couple of recipes, too! I thought mine was defective, but I found that sometimes that rubber sealing ring that wraps around the underside of the lid needs to be cleaned with a towel. (I also think the vent area needs to be cleaned sometimes– you might want to check your manual or the Instant Pot website for how to do that.) When I remember to clean the sealing ring, my Instant Pot usually works properly. Also, I think pasta is particularly more challenging for the Instant Pot, in general, so if that keeps giving you issues you might want to skip the pasta recipes and opt for more whole grain options, like quinoa or rice, which has never caused me issues.
OMG!! I just ordered your book! My kids who are picky and difficult to introduce new foods to are in love! They ate this without any problem. I’m trying to clean up our diet and get them to love eating delicious, healthy foods as I did as a child, and I’m hoping with with a little help from you to achieve this goal. Thank you so, so much!
Yay! I’m so glad to hear that!! I hope your kids enjoy the recipes in the cookbook, too!
I only discovered your blog today (searching for cauliflower pizza bases!) and I’m so impressed by how good your recipes look. I HAVE to try this one; my youngest is lactose intolerant so we’re a mostly dairy-free house. I think we’ll all really enjoy this 😀
Has anyone tried tossing this sauce over steamed cauliflower?
I can’t have cashews but I can have walnuts. Do you think I could use walnuts?
Macadamia nuts work similarly. I’ve seen cashew mac recipes made nut-free with sunflower seeds, but the flavor will be stronger if you use those.
This looks so amazing! I am always looking for new vegan mac and cheese recipes. I don’t have an instant pot, but I wonder if it will work the same if I cook it for longer? Or perhaps in a crock pot? I’ll give it a try and let you know!
I’m on a strict diet trying to reduce GI and total body inflammation. No-no’s include dairy and wheat. I love mac n’ cheese so I tried this recipe. It doesn’t taste cheesy to me but I liked it alot. It’s filling and freezes well. This recipe is a keeper for me.