This Creamy Vegan Pumpkin Mac and Cheese is the ultimate comfort food—it’s warm, creamy, and cheesy. It’s a metaphorical hug in a bowl. And every time I eat it, I am transported back to my parent’s kitchen table, where my mom would serve us macaroni and cheese nearly every Saturday afternoon.
Sure, it was the boxed variety made with neon orange processed cheese powder, but it was made with love, and that’s what counts. Plus, this was the 90s, and nobody knew anything about nutrition.
If you’re skeptical about a macaroni and cheese recipe without actual cheese, rest assured, you won’t be disappointed. This vegan version is way better than any dairy-laced version I remember from my pre-vegan days. Even if you’re avoiding refined carbs like pasta (sad), I still recommend making this cheeze sauce because it’s outrageously delicious and versatile.
You can drizzle it over roasted veggies, or better yet, sweet potato fries for grain-free nachos. You can spread it on a crusty hunk of bread (there I go again with carbs) or toss it with spiralized veggie noodles for a light yet creamy dinner. Or, if you love pasta but are gluten-free, just toss it with your favorite gluten-free pasta.
Cooking Tips + Ingredient Rundown
Now that I’ve professed my love for this pumpkin cheese sauce, let’s talk ingredients. This vegan mac and cheese recipe starts with pumpkin, no surprise there. Or butternut squash. I’ve tried this recipe with both, and they work great. Red kuri squash would also be a great option.
While you can definitely use canned pumpkin purée if you’re in a hurry and want to devour some mac and cheese immediately (I get it, it happens), I really recommend using whole pumpkin or squash. The pumpkin/squash gives the sauce the most beautiful golden color and brings a rich earthiness.
For pumpkins, you’re looking for the smaller sugar pumpkins or pie pumpkins, not the huge pumpkins that kids use to carve creepy faces on Halloween. The sugar pumpkins have a lot more flavor than the carving pumpkins. I used a very small sugar pumpkin that weighed about 2 1/2 pounds, but if you can’t find such a tiny one, use whatever you can find and then measure out 1 1/2 cups of the purée.
Since you’re not serving the pumpkin whole and instead using it in a sauce, the flesh should be very soft and nearly falling apart. Once it’s fully cooked, you can easily scoop out the flesh and discard the skin. If you’re using butternut squash, follow the same procedure.
If you don’t have a pressure cooker, I recommend roasting the pumpkin or squash in the oven. Roasting vegetables adds maximal flavor and is ordinarily my go-to way to cook vegetables, but this sauce is already bursting with so much flavor so steaming/pressure cooking is totally sufficient here.
As for the rest of the ingredients, each ingredient is designed to impart the flavor and/or texture associated with traditional macaroni and cheese.
Regarding taste, the dry mustard powder, for instance, adds a nice sharp tanginess without being overwhelming. The nutritional yeast, of course, is the secret ingredient to vegan cheesy goodness, and as you can see, my recipe doesn’t skimp on it. A lot of vegan cheese recipes call for using just a few tablespoons, but to get maximal cheesiness, this recipe uses a half cup. Plus, those flakes are packed with B vitamins, including Vitamin B12, which is otherwise lacking in plant-based foods.
Then there’s the miso paste, which imparts that irresistible and indescribable savory flavor and mouthfeel, replicating the umami found in dairy-based cheese. I recommend a light flavored white or yellow miso pate, which won’t overpower the other ingredients. If you taste the sauce and find it needs a little more umami, add a bit more miso paste and blend away.
And I can’t complete this blog post without talking about this pumpkin cheese sauce’s creamy texture. Cashews bring the luscious, rich creaminess that characteristic of any good mac and cheese. If you forget to soak the cashews overnight, don’t fret—you can do a quick soak by submerging the cashews in boiling water for one hour.
The sauce gets more creaminess from canned lite coconut milk. I use the “lite” variety because the full-fat makes the sauce too thick. You can also use a carton-style plant-based milk, but I recommend something thicker than standard almond milk, such as cashew milk, soy milk, or oat milk. Be sure to buy unsweetened mylk because nobody wants a slightly sweet, vanilla-infused mac and cheese.
Once you’ve cooked the pumpkin or butternut squash and have all your cheese sauce ingredients ready, just whiz everything up in the blender. It really helps to have a high-powered blender like a Vitamix or Ninja to complely pulverize the cashes. If you don’t have one of these bad boys, be sure to blend your sauce for several minutes and check to make sure it’s completely smooth (no one wants to bite into a piece of cashew when eating mac and cheese).
Regarding the pasta, you can use any pasta you like, including traditional macaroni shells, but I prefer a bigger, heartier pasta like rigatoni.
More delicious pasta recipes
Ready for even more delicious pasta recipes?
- For another take on Mac and Cheese, try my Crispy Baked Mac and Cheese. Think less pumpkin, more crispy breadcrumb topping.
- This 10-Ingredient Pantry Pasta is creamy and indulgent and can be on the table in just 30 minutes.
- My 10-ingredient Roasted Eggplant Pasta is another weeknight crowdpleaser.
- And if it’s even more pumpkin pasta you’re after, give this One-Pot Pumpkin Pasta a look!
That’s all I have to say about this recipe, so I really hope you enjoy this Creamy Vegan Pumpkin Mac and Cheese! And if you make it, be sure tag me on instagram!
Creamy Vegan Pumpkin Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 small sugar pumpkin (aka “pie pumpkin”), or 1 small butternut squash (about 2 1/2 pounds or 1 kg)*
- Olive oil or avocado oil, for roasting
- 1/2 cup (~60g) raw cashews, soaked in cool water overnight or for 1 hour in boiling water**
- 1/2 cup (40g) nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard powder (optional but adds a nice sharp tangy flavor)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (can substitute ground, but the flavor is much better with fresh)
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt + more to taste
- Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon mellow white or yellow miso paste
- 1 tablespoon tapioca flour or cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 cup (240mL) canned “lite” coconut milk***
- 10 ounces (280g) of rigatoni pasta, medium-sized macaroni shells, or pasta of your choice
Instructions
- To cook the pumpkin or butternut squash in the oven, use a very sharp knife to slice the pumpkin or butternut squash in half, then scoop out the seeds and stringy bits using a spoon. If the vegetable is too thick or hard to cut, pop it in the microwave for 60-90 seconds to soften. For roasting, follow step 2; for steaming, follow step 3.
- To roast the pumpkin or butternut squash in the oven, preheat the oven to 425°F (or 218°C). Drizzle the pumpkin or squash halves with a bit of olive oil or avocado and season with salt and pepper. Place the halves, flesh side down, on a parchment paper-lined or aluminum foil-lined baking sheet. Roast in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes until completely tender and lightly browned (pumpkin should take about 30 minutes; butternut squash closer to 40 minutes). Once the pumpkin or squash is cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh and discard the skin.
- To steam the pumpkin or butternut squash in an Instant Pot or pressure cooker, pour 1 cup of water into the inner cooking pot and lower a compatible steamer rack or the trivet that comes with the Instant Pot into the inner pot. Place the pumpkin or squash halves in the basket or on top of the trivet, close the lid, and pressure cook at high pressure for 12-14 minutes. Once the timer is up, perform a quick pressure release by manually releasing the steam valve. Once the pumpkin or squash is cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh and discard the skin.
- While the squash is cooking, bring a large saucepan of water to a boil and salt generously. Cook the pasta according to the box directions until al dente and drain in a colander.
- Measure out 1 1/2 cups of the roasted or steamed pumpkin or butternut squash flesh. Reserve the rest for another use, such as a curry, soup, or side dish.
- In a high-powered blender, add the 1 1/2 cups of the pumpkin or squash flesh. Add in the soaked and drained cashews, nutritional yeast, mustard powder, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, nutmeg, 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, black pepper to taste, miso paste, tapioca flour or cornstarch, lemon juice, and lite coconut milk. Blend until the sauce is completely smooth and creamy, about 1-2 minutes. Taste for seasonings and adjust accordingly, adding more salt as needed, more miso paste for more umami, or more lemon juice for more acidity.
- Return the cooked and drained pasta back to the saucepan and add the cheese sauce. Heat over medium heat until the sauce is well combined with the pasta and warmed through. Season the mac and cheese to taste.
Notes
How long can we store this sauce for? And how do we store it?
Hi Sanne, you can store the sauce in an airtight container in the fridge, for up to 4-5 days. Enjoy!
I love this recipe, especially using my garden butternut squash or pumpkin. The deep flavors give that healthy Mac n cheese yumminess!
Awesome, Laurie. Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review!
I love this mac and cheese recipe. I’ve made it for Thanksgiving for the past 3 years. Last year I had a hard time finding a pie pumpkin at Thanksgiving so I used butternut squash. However I didn’t like it as much as the pumpkin. They’ve already put out the pie pumpkins this year so I bought a couple. Can I roast my pumpkins and freeze them until Thanksgiving? That was my thought when I bought them 🤔
It’s so great to hear you enjoy the recipe, Tammye! :)
And as for freezing roasted pumpkin, yes! That should work just fine!
How much in total amount of coconut milk can I use in replacement of using cashews since I’m allergic to nuts. Thanks
Hi Sharmaine, you could add 1.25 cups coconut milk (300 mL) to start, and adjust within a few tablespoons.
I have made this several times for my family and it is always a big hit! I use elbow chickpea pasta to pack in some protein and use canned pumpkin to make it an easy weeknight dinner. I just leave the cashews soaking in the morning so it all comes together in less than 20 minutes in the afternoon. The entire pot without fail is completely gone every single time.
We’re over the moon to hear you and your family enjoy the recipe, Alejandra. Thanks for your kind words!
I can’t cut pumpkins so I roast them whole and keep them in the fridge for recipes, snacks and a healthy toast spread. I also keep boiled potatoes and other cooked food in the fridge for easier, quicker mid-week meals. In doing that this recipe is super simple, yet delicious. My kids love this recipe and we eat the sauce with all kinds of things. My only complaint is that I like to make a large quantity so I have a jar of the sauce in the fridge but my kids eat it way too fast because it’s so darn good!
Thank you Nisha for yet another delicious recipe.
I guess your kids loving the sauce too much isn’t a bad problem to have?! Lol! Thanks for the awesome review, Jennie!
So many steps (roasting squash, boiling pasta, make the sauce), but it was a lot faster than expected for a weeknight dinner. I used a smaller butternut squash so it took about 30 minutes, all while cooking pasta and soaking cashews in hot water. I added a bit more lemon juice because it tasted too.. seasoned? Idk how to describe.. but the sauce is good! I ended up decided to bake it in the oven with panko bread crumbs following her other ‘crispy mac n cheese’ and expect good results.
Yum, thanks for sharing your experience Allyson! Cheers!
Would it work to cook the pasta al dente and then after combining with the sauce, bake or broil it in a casserole dish in the oven for a few minutes with some breadcrumbs on top? Or would that make it less creamy?
You could definitely do that, Wynne! We think it would be lovely. We have a similar recipe with that method of preparation here!
PLEASE CANCEL YOUR DINNER PLANS TOMORROW AND MAKE THIS! When I read the title of this recipe I thought I knew what to expect – but I was so pleasantly surprised! The sauce is bright and SUPER flavorful. Use rigatoni and then your pasta is filled with the delicious sauce. Lastly, I added toasted panko breadcrumbs to sprinkle on top. This recipe is not to miss. Another winner from Nisha!! Also would be PERFECT for a Thanksgiving side.
We’re thrilled you’re such a huge fan of this recipe, Erin! The panko sounds like such a tasty addition as well. Cheers! :)
I avoid coconut. Would cashew cream be a good substitute with small amount of coconut extract?
Hi Janet, more thinned out cashew cream would work! No need for the coconut extract.
Amazing! Made this for a potluck, and it was a hit! Definitely the best vegan “cheese” recipe I’ve made so far.
Sarah, so glad you enjoyed this recipe so much!