Vegan Fried Mac and Cheese Balls

Fried mac and cheese hearts are crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. These delicious bite-sized hors d’oeuvres will be your new favorite way to use leftover mac-n-cheese.

This recipe makes between 12 and 16 vegan mac and cheese bites, depending on how tall you make them.

Table of Contents

(click the links below to skip to the section you’re looking for)

• Recipe
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Ingredient Substitutions
• Contact Me with Questions
• Similar Recipes

Have you been looking for ways to use leftover mac-n-cheese? Or are you thinking, who in their right mind would have leftover mac-n-cheese? Is this website run by robots? I can see your point. However, I have a trick where I make salad and veggie burgers the same night I make mac-n-cheese. Then, assuming you don’t live with an omnomnomnivore, I typically end up with leftovers.

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Ingredients for Vegan Mac and Cheese Bites Recipe

(jump to the substitutions section to see ingredient details and suggestions for substitutions)

• ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• ¾ cup water
• 1 cup mashed potato flakes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups leftover vegan mac-n-cheese
• 1 - 1 ½ cups safflower oil

How to Make Vegan Fried Mac and Cheese Balls

prep time: 20 min | wait time: 1 hour | cook time: 12 min

Remove the leftover vegan mac-n-cheese from the fridge.

Process in a food processor using the pulse button so you don’t end up with mac and cheese mush. If you plan to double this recipe, process in 2 batches so it doesn’t get too processed from overfilling.

Press the mac-n-cheese crumbles into a cookie cutter shape of choice. You can also fill heart-shaped silicone mold if you have those. I used a heart rice mold that I got from Daiso. If you don’t have silicone molds and you don’t live near a Daiso, you can use these rice molds.

Place the vegan mac n cheese hearts or balls onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze for 1-2 hours, depending on how cold your freezer gets. (Mine look a little funky because I used rainbow bowtie pasta instead of elbow macaroni.)

Pour the safflower, sunflower, or coconut oil into a small pot and turn heat to medium. If you double this recipe, you may want to use a deep fryer for this portion so that you can fry more than one at a time (however, this uses a lot more oil).

Line a plate with many layers of paper towels. This is one of the only things I ever use paper towels before. I’m a kitchen towel and kitchen rag person because I’m an environmentalist. But, oil will ruin your rags and cause them to stop being absorbent, so don’t learn that the hard way (like I did).

Whisk together ⅓ cup flour, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, and ¾ cup water in a bowl.

Combine 1 cup mashed potato flakes and 1 teaspoon salt in another bowl.

Remove the hearts from the freezer.

Dip a heart into the wet mixture until completely coated and then dip into the dry mixture until completely coated. I use forks to do this.

Fry each mac and cheese heart in oil until lightly brown, flipping halfway through. (When I use the veganic sprouted Os cereal, the hearts don’t turn as brown as they do when I use mashed potato flakes, but the coating does come out crunchier.) They take around 3 minutes to brown.

Remove from oil using a fork, and place it onto the paper towel.

Repeat with the remaining hearts or balls. Only add 3-4 into the pot at once so that they can be in the pot without touching each other.

Serve with homemade vegan ranch dip or homemade bitchin sauce.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I make these in adavnce so I don’t have to be cooking during my party?

If you make these fun appetizers in advance of your party, just reheat them in an air fryer or in the oven as you would with any frozen packaged finger foods.

Can I make these if I don’t have leftover macaroni and cheese?

If you don’t have leftover mac n cheese, you have a couple of options. You can make some using my one-pot mac and cheese recipe. Or you whip up a box of mac and cheese and use that. There are at least 5 brands of vegan macaroni and cheese such as Daiya, Uptons, and GrownAs* mac. Goodles, Pastabilities, and even Kraft also make a vegan version of their omni boxed mac and cheese.

Ingredient Details and Substitutions

• Flour: I use organic, unbleached, all-purpose flour because it’s super cheap at Costco. However, you can use any flour you have. If you’re gluten-free, just replace the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free flour blend.
• Cornstarch: I use organic or non-GMO cornstarch because corn is a frequently modified ingredient. If you don’t have cornstarch, replace it with arrowroot powder, potato starch, or tapioca starch.
• Salt: I use pink sea salt because it has minerals that our bodies need, but you can use any salt you have.
• Pepper: I use ground black pepper.
• Mashed Potato Flakes: I buy my mashed potato flakes in the ulk section at my local co-op. That way, I can buy only the amount I need since it’s not something I use very often. If you don’t have that option, you can always replace the cup of mashed potato flakes with a cup of breadcrumbs or crushed cereal or chips or crackers. To get a cup of cracker, chip, or cereal crumbs, you want to start with 2 cups, and then crush them in the food processor or in a ziplock bag with a rolling pin. If you use something salty like chips, don’t mix the salt into the chip crumbs.
• Safflower Oil: I recommend using safflower, sunflower, avocado, or coconut oil for frying because those oils are made for high heat. However, you can use any other oil such as vegetable oil or canola oil.

Comments or Questions?

If you make this fried vegan mac and cheese balls recipe, I would love it if you’d snap a pic, post to instagram, and tag me @vegandollhouse. It seriously makes my day/week/month!

Please message me (instagram or email) if you have any questions or feedback about the recipe.

Similar Recipes

If you like these fried vegan mac n cheese appetizers, you might also like my stuffed pretzel bites that are filled with vegan bacon and cheese. I also have some vegan pretzel fries that use pretzels as the crunchy coating.

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I use mostly organic ingredients when I cook, but I realize that not everyone has the disposable income to purchase all organic ingredients. Therefore, I only specify organic on the ingredients that really matter - when buying the organic version is the only way to ensure that the item is vegan.

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