Vegan Air Fried Mac and Cheese Bites
These easy Vegan Air Fried Mac and Cheese Bites will be your new favorite appetizer! Creamy mac and cheese coated in a seasoned panko breading mixture make for the perfect combination!
Servings 16 bites
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups elbow macaroni noodles
- 1 dollop of olive oil (optional)
- 2-3 cups vegan cheddar cheese (I used Whole Foods’ 365 Everyday Value brand, but you can use whatever brand you enjoy most)
- 3 tbsp vegan butter separated
- 1 pinch of salt
- black pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp all purpose flour
- 1½ cups unsweetened almond milk
- 4 flax eggs (4 tbsp flax seed meal + 9 tbsp water mixed)
- neutral cooking spray
Breading Mixture
- 1½ cups unseasoned panko bread crumbs
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp dried parsley
Instructions
- Cook the macaroni noodles according to the package instructions.
- Once noodles are done cooking, drain the noodles (do not rinse) using a colander, then coat with 1 tbsp of vegan butter. Set aside.
- In a medium sized pot, melt 2 tbsp vegan butter over low-medium heat. Add in salt and pepper to taste.
- Slowly whisk the flour into the mixture until smooth, then add in the unsweetened almond milk. Bring to a boil then stir in the vegan cheddar cheese until melted.
- Combine the mixture with the pasta and place in an appropriately sized baking dish (I used an 8x8) lined with parchment paper for easy removal.
- Allow the dish to cool for a bit, then transfer it to the freezer and let chill for one and a half hours or until mixture is firm.
- Once the dish has cooled, use the parchment paper to pull out the mac and cheese from the baking dish and cut into 16 squares. Set aside.
- In an appropriately sized dipping bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the breading mixture. In another dipping bowl create the flax eggs.
- Dip each of the mac and cheese squares into the flax egg (making sure to dip each side), then into the breading mixture. Transfer to your air fryer basket. Repeat until each square is covered.
- Once each square has been coated with the breading mixture, spray each side with a neutral cooking oil of your choice.
- Cook in your air fryer at 400° for 15-17 minutes on the air fryer setting.
- Once finished, let them cool for a few minutes and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Reheat: 400° on the air fryer setting for 2-3 minutes