Name: Vegan Pumpkin Mac and Cheese
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 12 oz gluten-free pasta of choice ((you can use wheat-based pasta if not avoiding gluten)); 15 oz canned pumpkin puree; 1 cup canned unsweetened light (or lite) coconut milk (*see substitutions below ); 1/2 cup nutritional yeast; 1 tbsp arrowroot starch/flour (*see substitutions below); 1 1/2 tsp kosher or fine sea salt, plus more to taste, if desired; 1/2 tsp ground mustard; 1/4 tsp garlic powder

This creamy vegan pumpkin mac and cheese is super easy to make in just 15 minutes with less than 10 ingredients! This vitamin A-packed, fall-inspired pasta dish is gluten-free, nut-free and oil-free too! Serve as a main course or side dish.

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overhead of mac and cheese on a white serving plate on a kitchen napkin

I scream. You scream. We all scream for…

PUMPKIN!!!

Wait, what? That’s not how it goes?

Oh, well. It is pumpkin season and all, so I’m taking some pumpkin creative license over here.

Anyway, if you’re like me, you love pumpkin just as much in savory dishes as you do in sweet ones.

Take my tomato and pumpkin pasta sauce or my vegan pumpkin risotto, for example.

But today, we’re talking about another savory dish...

Mac and cheese to be exact.

Jump to:

Ingredients you'll need
How to make vegan pumpkin mac and cheese
Substitutions
Ideas for serving
Storing and reheating leftovers
More vegan mac and cheese recipes
Recipe

overhead of mac and cheese on a white plate garnished with hemp seeds and two forks next to it

Why add pumpkin to this classic pasta dish?

Um, because pumpkin rocks!

Plus, it adds a hefty helping of vitamin A among other nutrients to the mix.

So, what are you waiting for?

Let's make some pumpkin mac and cheese!

front view of serving of mac and cheese on a white plate on a kitchen napkin with a fork on it

Ingredients you'll need

Gluten-Free Pasta - use the shape of your choice such as rotini, elbows, shells, etc.
Canned Pumpkin Puree - using canned saves time and makes this recipe super easy
Light (or Lite) Coconut Milk - adds the perfect amount of creaminess expected in a mac and cheese recipe
Nutritional Yeast - gives the mac and cheese a "cheesy" flavor
Arrowroot Starch/Flour - thickens the sauce
Ground Mustard - just a bit for flavor
Garlic Powder - also for flavor
Salt - for balance

overhead of serving of mac and cheese on a white plate on a kitchen napkin with two forks crossed over each other on the napkin

How to make vegan pumpkin mac and cheese

Cook your choice of gluten-free pasta according to package directions. While the pasta is cooking, start the sauce.

Add pumpkin puree, coconut milk, nutritional yeast, arrowroot, salt, ground mustard and garlic powder to a high-powered blender.

ingredients for pumpkin "cheese" sauce in blender before being blended

Blend on high, scraping the sides as needed, until ingredients are well-incorporated.

Transfer pumpkin sauce to a saucepan.

pumpkin cheese sauce in a saucepan after being blended

Cook over medium heat, stirring or whisking frequently, until heated throughout.

When the pasta is done, drain and add to the sauce.

gluten-free pasta added to saucepan with cooked pumpkin sauce

Stir to combine.

pasta and sauce stirred together in saucepan with a wooden spoon in it

Substitutions

Light Coconut Milk: You can use unsweetened vegan half & half instead, but if you want to keep this recipe oil-free, ensure the brand you are using does not have any oil in the ingredients.
Arrowroot: You can use cornstarch instead, but note that it does make the sauce thicker. Therefore, you might not need as much cornstarch as you would arrowroot.

Ideas for serving

This pasta dish pairs perfectly with our maple Dijon baked tempeh, marinated tempeh, baked tofu bites, chickpea veggie loaf, baked BBQ tofu or your favorite veggie burger or an autumn-inspired salad.

Of course, you could just simply enjoy a bowl of it on its own too!

It's awesome garnished with vegan Parmesan, hemp seeds, crushed red pepper flakes and even crushed up kale chips.

I used Brad's Original Crunchy Kale on mine. 🙂

You could also mix in some cooked kale, spinach or peas.

overhead of vegan pumpkin mac and cheese in a white bowl garnished with kale chips

Storing and reheating leftovers

Store leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Reheat in a covered microwave-safe dish in the microwave until warmed throughout.

You can also reheat in a pot on the stovetop until warmed throughout, stirring frequently. However, note that the pasta might start to fall apart with this method.

More vegan mac and cheese recipes

Recipe

close-up overhead of pasta in pumpkin cheese sauce on white plate

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5 from 2 votes

Vegan Pumpkin Mac and Cheese

Course Main Course, Pasta, Side Dish

Cuisine American, Gluten-Free, Vegan

Keyword dairy-free, mac and cheese, nutritional yeast, pasta, pumpkin, vegan, vegetarian

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Servings -8

Calories 282kcal

Author Sherri Hall

Ingredients

12 oz gluten-free pasta of choice (you can use wheat-based pasta if not avoiding gluten)
15 oz canned pumpkin puree
1 cup canned unsweetened light (or lite) coconut milk *see substitutions below
½ cup nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon arrowroot starch/flour *see substitutions below
1 ½ teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt, plus more to taste, if desired
½ teaspoon ground mustard
¼ teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

Cook your gluten-free pasta of choice according to package directions. Be sure not to overcook. While the pasta is cooking, start the sauce.
Add pumpkin puree, coconut milk, nutritional yeast, arrowroot, salt, ground mustard and garlic powder to a high-powered blender.
Blend on high, scraping the sides as needed, until ingredients are well-incorporated. Taste test and add more salt, if desired.
Transfer pumpkin sauce to a 3-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking or stirring frequently until sauce is thoroughly heated.
When the pasta is done, drain and add to the sauce. Stir to combine.

(Please refer to the post above for instructional photographs for this recipe)

Suggested Equipment/Tools

High-Powered Blender

Colander

Notes

*Substitutions: Instead of the light coconut milk, you can use unsweetened vegan half & half, but if you want to keep this recipe oil-free, ensure the brand you are using does not have any oil in the ingredients. If you prefer, you can use cornstarch in place of the arrowroot, but note that it does make the sauce thicker. Therefore, you can start with 1 teaspoon of cornstarch during blending. Then, add more if needed and blend again.

Store leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.

The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. Accuracy is not guaranteed due to variations in products/ingredients. Information shown should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Nutrition was calculated using brown rice pasta, arrowroot and light canned coconut milk.

Nutrition

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This post originally appeared on Watch Learn Eat on October 11, 2019. It has been republished to reflect both recipe and photo revisions. Changes to the story were also made.

©Watch Learn Eat. All content and images are copyright protected. Recipes and images are not to be used or republished without prior permission. If you adapt this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, and link back to this post for the original recipe.