It was actually a rather sad story. Earth Balance Vegan Mac and Cheese was the best on the market, but they had a bad recall and the product never returned. Though none have quite matched up, there are now a lot of Dairy-Free Mac & Cheese Products on the market.
Sometimes, I’m truly impressed with how natural food companies are able to recreate nostalgia. Sure, there are some big misses, but once in a while, they hit it out of the park. And from my vantage, Earth Balance Vegan Mac and Cheese is definitely a home run.
To keep things in perspective, this review isn’t about nutrition or the best food to add to your diet every day. It’s about comfort, familiarity, and an occasional convenience to prevent that “missing out” feeling or to help put lunch on the table in a pinch.
Tasting Notes for Earth Balance Vegan Mac and Cheese
So does Earth Balance Vegan Mac and Cheese taste like Kraft? I can’t say for sure – obviously those boxed dinners aren’t stocked in my pantry. But, I think it’s pretty darn close. The preparation is delightfully familiar – boil the macaroni (yes, it is wheat-based, not gluten-free!), drain, and stir in the cheesy packet, buttery spread, and milk alternative. And the end result sure looks like an enticing replica.
Cheddar
This flavor has a pleasant, mild, cheesy, and generally good flavor that I easily devoured in mere minutes. In fact, it was hard to keep from eating the whole box in one sitting! Fortunately, I didn’t as 10 minutes after eating just half a box with some broccoli, I was quite full.
White Cheddar
I found that this variety was similar, but slightly sharper in taste. Straight up, I liked the orange Cheddar a little better – and think it is the closer of the two to Kraft – but the White Cheddar holds its own nicely with more flavor add-ins.
The only change I would make to Earth Balance Vegan Mac and Cheese is in the instructions. A full 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) of milk alternative made it a bit too soupy. I would add the milk alternative last, and only as needed. I ended up liking about 2 tablespoons.
The Facts on Earth Balance Vegan Mac and Cheese
Certifications: Earth Balance Vegan Mac and Cheese is labeled as vegan and non-GMO, but I didn’t note any certifications.
Dietary Notes: By ingredients, Earth Balance Vegan Mac and Cheese is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free, vegan / plant-based, and vegetarian. Nonetheless, check with the company on their manufacturing processes for all varieties if potential allergen cross-contamination is an issue for you. Processes and labeling are subject to change at any time for any company / product.
For More Product Information: Visit the Earth Balance website at www.earthbalancenatural.com.
20 Comments
The best Gf and DF mac and cheese is made by Daiya.
That’s great that it’s dairy free and taste good but can the combine gluten free with that too. It’s really hard to find the best of both dairy and gluten free in any package.
Good news, they just did Deborah! We sampled the gluten-free, vegan new mac and cheese from Earth Balance at Expo West just yesterday! It should be in stores pretty soon 🙂
Bought one box from ThriveMarket.com to try. As a recent (but committed) Vegan, I can still remember what cheese is supposed to taste like, so i was skeptical. Skepticands rejoice! This is delicious. While the macaroni was draining i used the hot water to flash-cook some fresh string beans and sliced mushrooms.. about 3 mins. Drained that over the pasta, and then in the pan put the Earth Balance butter and Almond milk and stirred to remove all the powdery lumps. Then tossed it all together and called it Mac N Cheeze Primavera. Best compliment from the family: “Is there more?” Note to self: Buy this by the case next time.
Haha, now that is a ringing endorsement! Thanks for sharing your own review Webby.
Thanks for reviewing this product! Over the past 5 years I’ve become totally intolerant to dairy, glad to know there are non-dairy cheesy options I can have that taste good!
I tried this several months ago. I agree that it close to the Kraft and generic versions of that. Mine was also soupy, but that was okay. I have always seen Earth Balance as a winner so far.
Which type of milk did you use? I’m torn between almond, soy, or cashew.
I usually like cashew better for these types of dishes, but any should work okay. Soy usually adds nice body and goes withthe flavor.
I am raising my 18 mo. old grandson who I have had since he was born. He had problems with dairy from day 1. My challenge is to buy/prepare a variety of dairy free snacks and meals mainly that he can take to preschool (no special diet menu) and enjoy at home. Any direction you can give me is very much appreciated. I am a brand new follower and look forward to more sharing your knowledge and recipes. I know nothing about this subject!
Hi Virginia, I believe you emailed and already said you have bought my book, which will hopefully provide you with many ideas! I would also check out these sections on Go Dairy Free:
Snack products – http://www.godairyfree.org/product-reviews/snacks
Bar products – http://www.godairyfree.org/product-reviews/energy-and-granola-bars
Snack recipes – http://www.godairyfree.org/recipes/snacks2
There is so much more, too! I would identify the naturally dairy-free foods that he loves and build meals and snacks around those. Will he eat avocado? Make tortilla roll-ups with turkey, avocado, a touch of mayo and any veggies he will eat (tomato, lettuce, shredded carrot, coleslaw mix, etc.) – for example.
we just tried these last week. We’re going to buy more we liked them so much. Thank you for listing review for dairy free options.
Our little one (3 years old) is newly diagnosed cows milk dairy allergy. She’s allergic to the casein protein.
Thank you so much again and I can’t wait to try more dairy free products listed.
So glad you are finding some scrumptious dairy-free foods! I’ll keep adding more here each week 🙂
I really like both flavors. I use the 1/4 cup of milk alternative the box calls for. I found that the sauce thickens up if you cook it for a few more minutes after mixing in the pasta.
Maybe I was too impatient 🙂 Thanks Erin!
Last night I tried this for the first time – it was so good that today I ordered 2 CASES from Amazon!
Awesome! Thanks for sharing your take Rob.
Oh my goodness, I have been looking for a boxed vegan mac-n-cheese ever since I had to stop eating dairy! I will have to look for this!
Earth Balance vegan mac & cheese is currently in the process of becoming certified by the Non-GMO Project.
See http://www.nongmoproject.org/find-non-gmo/search-participating-products/search/?brandId=73
for more information.
Excellent news! These are really good. I always let it cook a little after adding the milk, and it thickens up nicely. They really need an Alfredo flavor. I hope they’re working on that too.