Vegan Doritos Mac and Cheese
This Vegan Doritos Mac and Cheese is like no other mac and cheese you’ve ever tasted. Creamy, comforting, and delicious, it’s everything you love about baked mac and cheese but vegan, and with loads of crushed Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos in every creamy bite. Whether your guests are vegan or not, they’ll love this Spicy Sweet Chili Mac and Cheese. And we say this from experience (read on for the details of when I brought this to a baby shower)!
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This Vegan Sweet Chili Doritos Macaroni and Cheese is going to change the way you think about vegan mac and cheeses.
It’s creamy (and stays creamy!), comforting, and completely delicious. The combination of mac and cheese and Doritos is a classic food combo that was born to happen.
We took a pan of this to my cousin’s baby shower last year, and ALL the guests, from age 5 to 85, raved about it! These are people who’ve never eaten vegan mac in their lives, so I considered it a major win.
The pan was gone in seconds which was, first of all, relieving because you know the nerves you get when you bring a vegan dish to any family party.
But it was also a very clear sign that I needed to share this recipe with the world because every vegan needs this one in their back pocket for that family party confidence!
Our tofu cheese sauce makes this the creamiest mac and cheese, and not one cashew is needed. Serve this delicious dish on its own, pair it with some soup or salad, or serve it as a side dish with one of our suggestions below. Perfect for parties, potlucks, or quiet evenings at home.
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Why You’ll Love This Vegan Dorito Mac and Cheese Recipe
- Delicious – Even the nonvegans rave about the flavor. From my cousin’s 5-year-old to my 80-something-year-old grandparents, no one can resist.
- Comforting – This recipe combines two great classic comfort foods that are both exciting and nostalgic.
- Creamy – Thanks to our signature tofu cheese sauce method, you get the dreamiest, creamiest results without a single cashew!
Ingredients for Doritos Baked Mac and Cheese
Pasta/Macaroni – We like elbow macaroni or small shells. Most commercial pasta brands in the US are vegan-freindly, but feel free to check out our Vegan Pasta List for more info!
Vegan cheddar shreds – We like Vevan or Daiya shreds for this recipe. I try to avoid a higher heat cheese like Violife because I find it’s tough to get that melt on top with a home oven.
Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos – Crushed. See the section below for more on vegan Doritos varieties throughout the world.
Firm tofu – Be sure to use firm and not extra firm tofu or soft.
Non-dairy milk – Plain and unsweetened, that’s important! We like Elmhurst’s unsweetened cashew milk.
Refined coconut oil – This is important: Make sure the coconut oil you use is “refined” coconut oil, so it doesn’t taste like coconut. If it says “unrefined” or “virgin” on the bottle, do not use it.
White miso – We love using Miso Master brand miso in our recipes.
Yellow mustard – This adds another level of tangy cheddar flavor.
Apple cider vinegar – You can sub white vinegar if needed.
Spice Cabinet: salt, onion powder
How to Make Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos Mac and Cheese
Step 1 – Cook Your Pasta
Use the lowest number they give on the package instructions in the time range to cook the pasta just below al dente. The pasta will continue to cook in the oven.
Step 2 – Make the Tofu Cheese Sauce
Add all the ingredients for the tofu cheese sauce to a high-powered blender or food processor.
Blend the mixture, starting at a low speed and slowly increasing to high (use your tamper if needed), for at least 4-6 minutes.
When ready, the sauce mixture will go from gritty and matte to smooth and shiny. That part is the key!
Step 3 – Bake Your Mac n Cheese
Preheat your oven to 325°F and combine the sauce and pasta in your baking dish.
Top the sauced pasta with an extra cup of vegan cheddar, cover tightly with aluminum foil. and bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
Sprinkle the baked mac with extra Sweet Chili Doritos and serve immediately!
Recipe Notes and Tips
- Make sure you use a coconut oil that’s labeled “refined” so you do not get a coconut flavor.
- Do not use silken tofu. Soft or silken tofu will create a much looser sauce, and the sauce is creamy enough!
- Use any plant milk you like (soy, almond, oat, etc.), but make sure you use something with as neutral a flavor as possible. We love the unsweetened line of plant milks from Elmhurst.
- Blend the sauce until absolutely, completely. smooth. You want to fully emulsify the tofu and coconut oil, so blending can take up to 6 minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when the mix goes from gritty and matte to smooth and shiny.
- Make sure you use a high-power blender for best results and lean on your tamper to help you get things going. We’ve used our Vitamix plenty of times for this recipe, but our Salton Power Blender works just as well for a far more reasonable price!
- Serve the baked mac and cheese on a heat source like the Salton XL Hotray Warming Tray. Keeping the mac and cheese hot helps keep that sauce nice and creamy!
- Hippeas makes a widely available vegan nacho cheese chip if you can’t find vegan Doritos in your area.
What Doritos are Vegan?
To my knowledge, the only vegan friendly Doritos in the US are the purple-bagged Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos used in this recipe.
Most Doritos have dairy in them, and a couple, including the Salsa Verde flavor in the green bag, contain chicken fat and aren’t even suitable for vegetarians.
There are a couple international flavors not available in the US that are suitable for vegans.
Be sure to read the package before purchasing or find the full ingredient lists for all your favorite flavors on the Doritos’ product page on their website.
Hippeas also makes a vegan nacho cheese chip if you can’t find vegan Doritos in your area.
To Make Your Own Doritos
Thee Burger Dude provides recipes for vegan versions of nacho cheese and cool ranch flavors of Doritos he boasts as “Easy, delicious, and almost unrecognizably vegan!”. You can find both his Homemade Doritos Recipes here.
How to Serve Doritos Macaroni and Cheese
This amazing vegan macaroni and cheese recipe is a perfect meal all on its own or paired with some soup or salad.
We love it with our Vegan Tomato Soup or Vegetable Soup, or alongside a White Bean Toona Sandwich
This Doritos vegan macaroni and cheese also goes great as a side with our TVP Meatloaf or Buffalo Soy Curls.
How to Store Leftover Macaroni and Cheese
This Doritos vegan macaroni and cheese makes amazing leftovers. You can even make a big tray and save, and even freeze, some for later!
In the fridge: Let mac and cheese cool fully. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for 5-7 days.
In the freezer: You can freeze leftover tofu baked mac and cheese in an airtight container or freezer-safe bag for up to 2 months.
We like to freeze leftovers in our 2-Cup Souper Cubes and pop them out once frozen to store in a freezer-safe bag. This gives us the perfect 1 or 2-serving portion for a quick dinner.
You can also cook the cheesy pasta right in the 2-Cup Souper Cubes, but it would probably need less time.
How to Reheat Leftover Macaroni and Cheese
Reheat in a preheated oven, covered, at 350°F for about 10-15 minutes until hot. To maintain maximum creaminess, I like to add just a little plain, unsweetened non-dairy milk over the mac and cheese before covering.
If reheating in the microwave: Add a little unsweetened plain plant milk (I do a teaspoon or two per bowl) and reheat at 75-80% for 2-2.5 minutes until hot. Make sure you’re using plain, unsweetened, and neutral plant milk. We love the unsweetened line from Elmhurst.
To reheat from frozen: Defrost in the microwave on 50% for about 3-4 minutes until thawed. Add a little unsweetened, plain plant-based milk and reheat on high for 2-3 minutes until hot. For conventional ovens, place in an oven safe dish, add a little unsweetened plain plant milk, cover, and bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes.
FAQs
Yes. In the United States, the only vegan Doritos are the Spicy Sweet Chili variety found in the purple bag.
Cool Ranch Doritos contain a variety of forms of dairy and are not suitable for consumption by vegans.
The Spicy Sweet Chili flavor Doritos in the US is dairy free. Every other variety of Doritos in the US contains some form of dairy.
The Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos in the purple bag are vegan. All other available flavors in the US contain dairy and/or chicken fat.
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More Vegan Mac and Cheese Recipes
- Vegan Baked Macaroni and Cheese
- Sweet Potato Mac and Cheese
- Silken Tofu Mac and Cheese
- Vegan Beer Cheese Mac
We’d love to hear what you think about this recipe!
Did you try it? Did you serve it to anyone who’s never had vegan mac and cheese before? And did they love it? Let us know by leaving a star rating and comment in the section below the recipe card.
Vegan Doritos Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 16 oz elbows or shells
- 1 cup vegan cheddar shreds
- 1 cup crushed Sweet Chili Doritos
For the tofu cheese sauce:
- 14 oz firm tofu
- 1 cup plain unsweetened non-dairy milk
- 1 cup crushed Sweet Chili Doritos
- 1 cup vegan cheddar
- 1/2 cup melted refined coconut oil
- 2 Tbsp white miso
- 2 Tbsp yellow mustard
- 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
Instructions
- Cook your pasta according to the box directions. Use the lowest number in the time range they give you.
- Add all the ingredients for the tofu cheese sauce to a high-powered blender or food processor. Blend, starting at a low speed and slowly increasing to high (use your tamper if needed), for at least 4-6 minutes. When ready, the mixture will go from gritty and matte to smooth and shiny. That’s the key!
- Preheat your oven to 325F and combine the sauce and pasta in your baking dish. Top with 1 cup vegan cheddar and bake, covered tightly, for 15 minutes.
- Sprinkle the baked mac with extra Sweet Chili Doritos and serve immediately!
