This Creamy Vegan Pumpkin Mac and Cheese is the perfect healthy comfort food! It’s super delicious, cheesy, low-fat, and filled with plant-based ingredients. The recipe is very easy and quick to make.
To me, nothing is more autumnal than pumpkin. So, the first thing that came to my mind was making a creamy Vegan Pumpkin Mac and Cheese since I saw all these big pumpkins at the market. There is nothing better than enjoying a big bowl of creamy, dreamy pumpkin pasta on cozy fall days, right? This dish is also absolutely perfect for any time – no matter the weather or season.
Vegan Pumpkin Mac and Cheese with healthy ingredients
This healthy Vegan Pumpkin Mac and Cheese recipe is adapted from my classic Vegan Mac and Cheese recipe, which contains basically vegetables, such as potatoes, carrots, onions and garlic. For this recipe, I simply used pumpkin instead, but you could also use butternut squash or sweet potatoes if you like.
Creamy, plant-based vegan cheese sauce
Further ingredients are cashews, spices, and nutritional yeast flakes which are essential for a creamy sauce with a cheesy flavor. If you’re allergic to cashews or nuts in general, you can swap out to sunflower seeds or simply use plant-based cream. Macadamia nuts are a good choice too, but it may alter the taste and color. For both alternatives make sure to soak the nuts/ seeds before.
Vegan Pumpkin Pasta with Hokkaido (Red Kuri Squash)
My favorite type of pumpkin is Hokkaido. It has a delicious, flavorful taste and becomes super creamy when it’s puréed. Another great thing about using Hokkaido, you don’t have to peel it. Simply cut in a half, remove the seeds with a tablespoon, and roast in the oven or cook/ steam according to this recipe -> Pumpkin Purée – 3 ways to make it.
I like roasted pumpkin best because it has a more intense flavor than cooked. To save time, I use to make a big batch of pumpkin purée ahead and store in the fridge or freeze leftovers for further meals. Of course, you could also use canned pumpkin or squash as an option.
This Vegan Pumpkin Mac and Cheese recipe is:
- Healthy
- Plant-based
- Dairy-free
- Flavorful
- Creamy
- Cheesy
- Easy to make
- Super delicious
- The perfect quick lunch or dinner pasta dish!
Serve with any veggies you like!
This pasta recipe is super versatile because you can add any vegetables you like to this dish. For example, you could add sautéed garlic mushrooms, courgettes, egg-plants, tomatoes, or any other vegetables you like. I usually add spinach and mushrooms, and vegan parmesan because they make the perfect toppings for this creamy pumpkin pasta. This dish makes about 4 servings and it’s perfect for company or meal-prep or just when you need an easy weeknight meal this fall.
If you try this vegan pumpkin mac and cheese recipe, please leave me a comment and star rating below sharing how you liked it! And if you take a picture of your creamy pasta dish and share it on Instagram, please make sure to tag me @biancazapatka and use the hashtag #biancazapatka, so I won’t miss your post! Enjoy your meal!
Vegan Pumpkin Mac and Cheese (easy recipe)
Author:Ingredients
- 14 oz gluten-free pasta* (400 g)
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- 14 oz pumpkin purée or squash (400 g) cooked or canned
- 2/3 cup cashews* (100 g) presoaked in water (for at least 3h)
- 3-4 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- about 1 cup water (or vegetable broth)
- salt, pepper (to taste)
Toppings (optional):
- dairy-free parmesan cheese
- parsley chopped
Instructions
*Note: Watch the recipe video for visual instruction!
- Soak Cashews for at least 3 hours (or up to overnight). Then drain and rinse with fresh water. (Alternatively, simply cook them in a pot for about 10-15 minutes).
- Prepare pumpkin purée (if using homemade). It's ready in only 2-3 minutes when cooking in the microwave.
- Cook pasta according package instructions to 'al dente'.
In the meantime, make the sauce:
- Heat up oil in a small pan and roast garlic for about 1-2 minutes.
- Add softened cashews along with water, pumpkin, roasted garlic, nutritional yeast, and spices to a high-speed blender. Blend until smooth and creamy. Add more water, if the sauce is too thick.
- Drain pasta, put back into the pot, pour sauce over and heat everything up while stirring occasionally.
- Season again to taste, and top off with fresh chopped parsley and vegan parmesan, if desired.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- To make this dish GLUTEN-FREE, you can use gluten-free pasta.
- If you’re NUT ALLERGIC, you can sub sunflower seeds or just use plant-based cream. Read more suggestions in the text above.
- To make a PASTA BAKE, you can fill your pumpkin pasta in a baking dish, sprinkle with bread crumbs and bake at 355°F (180°C) for about 15 minutes, until golden-brown and crumbly.
- The vegan pumpkin cheese sauce can be stored in a closed jar and refrigerated, for about 3-4 days. It is also suitable for freezing.
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We bought a huge pumpkin recently and this was a really great idea for using it all up. I made almost 3 batches! I think adding the breadcrumb topping and putting it in the oven for a bit really gives the dish a boost. Keep the recipes coming Bianca!
Hi Peter,
so glad you love this vegan pumpkin mac and cheese!
Thank you so much for your amazing feedback!
Best, Bianca <3
This recipe was so easy and delicious! The sauce was surprisingly creamy and velvety. I used roasted butternut squash in place of the pumpkin. My son has dairy and nut allergies, so I also replaced the cashews with vegan cream cheese. I doubled the recipe, and now we have enough to put on broccoli or more pasta for a few meals. I was completely shocked by the beautiful texture of this sauce. Easily the best vegan mac and cheese recipe I’ve tried. We will definitely keep this recipe and rotation! Thank you so much!
Thank you so much for your amazing feedback! So glad you love this recipe! ♡
This recipe is so lovely. It’s the perfect dish for those wet Autumn days when you need a bit of comfort food.
So glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you so much! 🙂
Hi!
I must’ve done something wrong or maybe needed more liquid but I feel like mine didn’t come out the way yours looks. I’m not sure if there’s a difference between nutrition and yeast flakes and just the regular nutritional yeast maybe that’s where I went wrong. Still good and I’m still eating leftovers!I’ll have to try again!
Hi there,
for this recipe, you need nutritional yeast flakes which is a seasoning and adds a cheesy flavor.
I’m not sure what you added?
I hope to make this recipe soon. I am a big pumpkin fan and can’t wait to share it with my family. I love to cook and bake.
Hope you’ll love it! ❤️
Did this last weekend and I’m definitely going to do it again in the near future! It is so amazingly surprising and tastes so good! Everyone at school wanted to taste it!
So glad you love this vegan mac and cheese! Thank you so much for your wonderful comment! Lots of love, Bianca <3
Very tasty pasta recipe 🙂
Thank you! 🙂
I found this dish to be tastier the next day! The flavours definitely settled more over night. I also added a pink of cayenne for some spice, it was super yum! 🙂
So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you! 🙂
This is genuinely one of my new favorite pasta recipes! I’m a huge pumpkin fan, especially during the fall months. This was the perfect pumpkin mac and cheese recipe to add to my go-to meals. I used canned pumpkin and it still tasted great! I will definitely be making this recipe again 🙂
Hi Rosalie, thank you soooo much for your lovely comment! So glad that you enjoyed this pasta and that you’ll make it again! I would love to hear your feedback when you tried it with homemade roasted pumpkin puree! I totally love the roasting flavors! 🙂 Lots of love, Bianca <3
LOOOVE this recipe!!! So easy and so delicious! It would be a great addition to a Thanksgiving or Christmas menu.
Hi Brittany, so glad to hear that you liked this recipe! I’m very sure it’ll be perfect for Christmas dinner! Thank you so much for your feedback! 🙂 <3