Vegan Mac and Cheese is a new collection of vegan recipes and techniques featuring plant based riffs on the perennial favorite, by Robin Robertson. Released 17th Sept by Quarto on their Harvard Common Press imprint, it's 144 pages and available in hardcover and ebook formats.

Mac & cheese is probably my number one go-to comfort food. It's warming and filling and wonderful. I had never found a good substitute vegan friendly cheese or cheese sauce that really came close to replicating the 'real' thing, and to tell the truth I hadn't looked exhaustively because my family isn't vegan. This year, however, we are incorporating a lot more plant based meals with an eye to a paradigm shift sometime in the next couple of years for both health and philosophical reasons.

According to the publisher, this is the first entirely vegan friendly book dedicated to mac & cheese dishes. The book has an easy to follow, logical format. An introduction (~15% of the content) follows the evolution of vegan friendly alternatives to cheese and dairy and includes an intriguing mention of the Baltimore Vegan Mac & Cheese Smackdown. It's unclear if the annual event is still ongoing, but I'm definitely going to attend next year if it's happening, since I'm (fairly) local. The intro also includes a fun timeline of the development of vegan mac&cheese starting in 1200s Italy and culminating in 2019 with the publication of Vegan Mac & Cheese.

The following chapters provide variations on the basic recipes in chapter 1. These are intriguing and varied. I'm still sourcing some ingredients, so we haven't tried many of these, but there are German, Thai, Caribbean, North African and other variations. In addition to the different spiced up variations on the basic dish, there are chapters devoted to combinations featuring vegetables, 'meaty' dishes, and unusual twists including waffles, hors d'oeuvre, soup, quesadillas, and even a couple of desserts.

The author's style is upbeat, conversational, and easy to follow. The recipes are varied and complete. Each recipe has a descriptive paragraph, serving yields, and step by step instructions. Ingredients are listed in a sidebar. Many (most?) of the recipes are photographed with serving suggestions. The book is well photographed with clear and appealing pics of the dishes themselves. There are not really any cooking process pics, but most all of the recipes are straightforward, so process pics would have been superfluous anyhow.

Many of the ingredients will already be available in the average (non-vegan) household. The different pastas and vegetable ingredients will be very familiar to anyone. There are some specialty ingredients such as vegan butter, nutritional yeast, white miso, and a variety of nut butters which will require access to a large grocery or vegan friendly retailer.

The book also concludes with an author statement and cross referenced index (including photos).

All in all, I can't think of anything in my imagination that this book could have included. It's a great niche addition to any mac & cheese lover's library. There are some recipes here which are destined to become family favorites in our household.

Five stars.

Such a good book for Vegans and those with dairy allergies. I have made two recipes so far and both were very popular with my fussy family. I am looking forward to cooking my way through my many bookmarks in this book.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advance copy of this title in exchange for an unbiased review.

This is a pretty ok vegan book, especially for those starting out on their vegan journey. Personally I tend to steer clear of replicated vegan food. Ie vegan beef burger, vegan cheese, vegan looks like chicken etc and focus on vegetables and legumes and beans etc. But overall an ok book just not for me.

This cookbook is all about mac and cheese, my favorite food ever. While I'm not vegan, I often eat vegan food, and vegan mac and cheese can be tricky. This book guides you on how to make an awesome pan of mac.

I enjoyed that a timeline and back story of mac and cheese were included, that was a nice touch. There's also a section on brands of vegan cheese and restaurants that have great dishes (shout out to Detroit Vegan Soul!)

I like that this cookbook included the basics as well as variations on the classic dish. I'm really excited to make the Mac & Pizza.

How do you make something dairy - vegan?



With many recipes, you find how to make vegan mac and cheese.



Becaus eof its rarity, it also makes a good gift idea, where you seal all the dry ingredients in a jar.



The book then move sinto international territory with Mac and Thai, German Spatzle, Mac and Queso, Curry Mac, Bajab, Creole, Greek and others...ooh Brussel sprouts in mac and Cheese.. quite a voyage..



Mac and Veggies



Mac and Greens



Buffalo Cauliflower Mac sounds aweosme.



Round corn tortilla chips.



Shepherd's Mac and cheese



Uncheese like Notella



Cheesy mac muffins. At this point its like the Chocolate by the Baldman store where every course is made of chocolate. You can make soup, appetiser balls with Mac n Cheese.

Mac and cheese is one of my favorite foods, but I was skeptical about how vegan versions would taste. This book proved that there are delicious vegan options for this classic comfort food that are delicious. I am definitely working my way through this book and have enjoyed every single dish that I have tried thus far!

Can I say anything other than yum ?
As a person with a dairy allergen I dont often get mac n cheese. These recipies give me options though ! I LOVE that.
I have tried two of them so far and they were great :) I would definitely recommend trting out this book :) Mmmm yum...

3 out of 5

**OMG! I cannot believe that these reviews haven't been done! I am so sorry they are so late!!!**

Tried one of these recipes so far and it’s great!

What a creative idea for a cookbook- many variations for vegans for Mac and cheese. I can’t wait to try more of these!

Thanks to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

"Vegan Mac and Cheese" is a vegan cookbook for a variety of non-dairy cheesy sauces which are combined with pasta and other ingredients for healthy, tasty meals. The author included recipes that were nut-free, gluten-free, or soy-free (and occasionally free of all three). While the book included many different combinations to create vegan uncheese sauces, she occasionally suggested using store-bought vegan "cheese" or vegan "meats" for a recipe...though she often also included homemade alternatives. The recipes usually only used ingredients that are fairly easy to find, and many could be made with what I (used to vegan recipes) already have around the house. I also suspect that these recipes will taste good even with some substitutions (like yukon gold rather than russet potatoes?). The recipes don't include an approximate guess at how long it'll take to make (which I would have liked) or nutritional information (which doesn't matter to me).

The author included 8 recipes for basic uncheese sauces (including one that's a dry mix for quick prep time), 12 recipes inspired by various pasta-and-cheese traditions around the world, 15 recipes that add various veggies to the pasta and uncheese, 11 recipes for vegan "meat" added to pasta and uncheese, and 10 recipes for re-using leftover mac and uncheese or other unique ways to eat pasta and uncheese. I immediately tried making the Free Mac, which my family enjoyed. As I expected based on the ingredients, it doesn't taste exactly like Mac and Cheese, but other recipes in the book do. The recipes sometimes assumed a basic cooking knowledge, though the recipes are not difficult to make as long as you have a high-speed blender. Overall, I'd recommend this cookbook.

Vegan Mac and Cheese by Robin Robertson

Moving more and more toward a vegan diet this book definitely caught my eye when it appeared on NetGalley. I love pasta and cheese so being able to make it “vegan” seemed a neat trick.

The book includes a variety of ways to achieve that rich cheesy smooth taste by using tofu, roux, nut cheeses and/or pureed vegetables. The main ingredient I will have difficulty finding, living in Lebanon, is the nutritional yeast but I am definitely going to do my best to make one or more of the recipes in this book. I already have this author’s 1000 Vegan Recipes cookbook and love it so will be looking for this book to add to my shelves.

What did I like?
* The multitude of variations for toppings, vegetables, seasonings and more
* The global recipes. I have had pastitsio and some other noodle dishes from other countries but they always use real cheese and meat so the options in this book are of great interest to me.
* The concise easy to read directions
* The photographs
* The fact that with t his book I could prepare macaraoni and uncheese every week for a year.

Thank you to NetGallely and Quarto Publishing Group – Harvard Common Press for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

As a vegan who loves Mac and not-cheese this couldn’t have been more of s great fit! The recipes vary from super easy and quick to very detailed and an entire entree by themselves. Some call for store bought cheese, dry mix you can keep on hand, and fully made by you vegan cheese and “meats”. One section even has internationally inspired dishes. I am excited to try more of these than I can name! All different ingredients and modes of making them. Great book for vegans, plant based and the curious. Also great if you will be cooking for a vegan and are unsure of what to do as an omnivore.

Interesting alternatives to the classic mac and cheese. Should please the vegans in the family! God read, easy to follow.

I love love love Mac and Cheese and as a vegan, I am greatfull for this book. Very well written. The recipes are simple and easy to make and most especially delicious. Great photos.

Had no idea there were so many variations of Mac and Cheese recipes out there, never mind vegan to boot. Not so much a cookbook more a vegan mac and cheese Bible. Incredibly impressed with this book, the layout is easy to follow, the instructions are clear to follow and the photography is lovely to look at.

Was very excited by the macaroni pie recipe and am looking forward to trying it out.

Think this will be perfect for persons who have recently become vegans and miss a number of their comfort foods.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

I am shocked that I ended up giving this book 5 stars.
I'll be honest, I thought this would be an easy review to knock off my NetGalley queue, I mean how many actually different vegan mac & cheeses can there be???

Well.

Full disclosure, I don't even like mac & cheese that much. Vegan or non-vegan, I've never been a huge fan, although I've definitely enjoyed some good ones. Even as a vegan I enjoyed an occasional cheezy sauce made from nutritional yeast, it's just never been something I crave.

This book has all the basic nutritional yeast sauces, and a few more. No matter your dietary restrictions or how you stock your vegan pantry, you should find a couple different sauces to make here right off the bat. But there is not a lot different than you would find in any vegan cookbook.

What makes this book special are all the different recipes for Mac & Cheese. Not just mixing up one cheese sauce with a different pasta and a unique topping. I'm talking "Mac & Thai" made with coconut milk and fresh Thai basil. Arugula Pesto Mac & UnCheese. BBQ Jack & Mac using jackfruit. Mac UnCheese Balls covered in ground flaxseed & Panko and fried (MMMMMmmmmmm).

And then it goes even further with "dessert" macs: Indian Vermicelli Pudding has sugar, cardamom, pistachios and golden raisins. And a Sweet Noodle Kugel with pineapple, dried cranberries and pecans.

There are macs with vegetables and macs with "meat". Macs in quesadillas, macs in mugs, macs as waffles. There are old school recipes and very very original recipes.

I'm not a mac & cheese lover, but I am VERY interested in trying some of these ideas. And even non-vegans can accommodate these recipes using their own favorite cheese version.

This is truly a great mac & cheese cookbook. If you can honestly inspire and spark interest in a cook who has little interest in your main subject, you've written a 5-star book.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Harvard Common Press for granting my wish of an ARC in exchange for an honest review. If you or someone you know is a mac & cheese lover (vegan or not) I highly recommend getting this book!

The title of this book- Vegan Mac & Cheese- immediately caught my attention! For many years I was a vegetarian who couldn't seem to take the full step to becoming vegan mostly because it was so hard to find a decent replacement cheese. With the variety of vegan cheeses now I was able to take that leapt, however I still missed things such as macaroni and cheese. This book is full of over 50 recipes for vegan Mac & Cheese- that's amazing! The author splits the book up into different types of Mac & Cheese including basic, global, mac and veggies, meaty macs and fun with mac & cheese. With so many scrumptious sounding recipes it's difficult to decide which one to start with! Thank you to Netgalley and Quarto Publishing Group – Harvard Common Press for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is simple yet chock full of valuable information on making all kinds of mac and cheese but for vegans. Good for those starting out to eat vegan or for those looking to expand their menu. Might also work with a few changes for those who are on autoimmune or antiinflammatory diets. Photos used certainly go a long way to rouse one’s appetite!
I received an advanced reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for my volunteer review.

I’m going to start this with the fact I’m not vegan. Or even vegetarian. I love Mac and cheese and any kind of cookbook. This book is worth everyoneeee to check out.

Macaroni and Cheese has always been my favorite side dish, and when I became vegan in 2005, I missed it. Since then, commercial vegan options have entered the market, some better than others. Given my love for this cheesy delight, I couldn’t resist the Vegan Mac and Cheese cookbook. I must confess that as much as I adore this culinary delight, I wondered if Robertson would be able to fill an entire cookbook with recipes devoted to it.

My curiosity was quickly answered when I saw the diversity of recipes listed in the table of contents, divided into five chapters. The first chapter offers an array of techniques for preparing the dish, including one with soy, one with cashew milk, and a “classy” macaroni and cheese option with truffle oil and white wine. Chapter Two, “Global Cheesy Macs,” provides adventurous recipes inspired by international cuisine. The third chapter includes instruction for pairing macaroni and cheese with vegetables while the fourth incorporates “meat.” The final chapter, perhaps my favorite, supplies innovative and unexpected recipes that incorporate macaroni and cheese in soup, muffins, rolled balls, and quesadillas.

The instructions are clear and while the ingredient lists look long, many of the items are spices stocked in most home kitchens. Many recipes offer variations or tips and interspersed throughout the book are “bonus” recipes for items such as vegan sour cream and tofu feta, useful not just in these dishes but in others as well.

I got so hungry reading the cookbook because the dishes look and sound delicious. I did get a little confused about which photographs belonged to which dish, and I don’t think every recipe had an accompanying picture. I suppose that while the macaroni and cheese recipes can taste quite varied, they still look fairly similar. Also, I wish that the recipe pages had include approximate prep and cook times as a call out as some cookbooks do since the time it takes to prepare a dish can impact whether it is a good choice for a particular day’s meal.

Anyone who loves macaroni and cheese, not just vegans, should acquire this cookbook—it will make you think much more widely about the diverse possibilities of this dish and appreciate its versatility!