Creamy, cheesy, gooey, spicy, vegan buffalo “Chicken” mac and cheese with jackfruit! You heard me right. It’s a thing, and it is AMAZING!
Jackfruit is a great substitute for chicken in many vegan recipes and was the first thing that came to mind when I deiced to veganize my favorite dip, to create a vegan buffalo chicken cheese dip! It’s inexpensive, healthy, a great source of fiber, and it mimics the texture of shredded meat very well. It has little flavor on its own when you buy it canned in brine, and takes on the flavor of whatever you cook it in!
I love buffalo flavored anything, and I super love buffalo “chicken” dip! Like I could eat vegan buffalo every single day probably and not get tired of it. I also love Franks brand buffalo sauce and let just all give a big hallelujah that it is actually vegan!!
So taking my favorite vegan buffalo chicken dip recipe with a few adjustments, and mixing it into macaroni changed my favorite appetizer into dinner (insert me doing a happy dance!) I does not get much better than this, y’all!
It’s the best of both worlds. My favorite dip and favorite side dish, all rolled into one seriously comforting dish.
This mac and cheese is hearty enough to be a meal on its own with side salad, or a super delicious side dish!! It freezes and reheats well making it perfect for meal prep, too.
So if you love mac and cheese and you love buffalo sauce on everything too, we might be new best friends! Buffalo sauce lovers of the world unite!
INGREDIENTS:
16 oz package of macaroni noodles
1 can jackfruit in brine
1 8oz of vegan cream cheese, homemade or store-bought
1 cup of buffalo sauce (I use Franks)
1/2 cup vegan mayo
Pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 plus 1/2 cups vegan cheddar shreds, homemade or store-bought
2 tablespoons vegan butter (for the drizzle)
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Cook noodles according package instructions. Drain, rinse and set aside.
Drain jack fruit, rinse, and chop the pieces, or shred them using you fingers into a medium sized bowl. The fruit pulls apart easily, and I find using my fingers easier than chopping.
Add 3/4 cups of the buffalo sauce, 1 cup of shredded cheese, plus the remaining ingredients minus the butter, to the jackfruit and mix well.
Add the noodles to the jackfruit mixture and mix well.
Transfer the mac and cheese to a 9x12 baking or caserole dish, and sprinkle the top with remaining 1/2 cup of shredded cheese.
Melt 2 tablespoons of vegan butter and mix with the remaining 1/4 cup of buffalos sauce. Drizzle the mixture over the mac and cheese.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, until all of the cheese on top is nice and melted and the mac is heated through.
