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Vegan Pumpkin Mac and Cheese shown in a very small white ramekin. The dish is sitting on top of a gray + white striped napkin. The mac and cheese is topped with fresh sage leaves.

15-Minute Creamy Vegan Pumpkin Mac and Cheese

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.8 from 8 reviews
  • Author: Jess Larson
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: serves 4
  • Category: Pasta Recipes
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: American, Italian
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

This Vegan Pumpkin Mac and Cheese recipe is totally autumnal, getting its creaminess from a simple no-cook dairy-free pumpkin cashew cream sauce. Made with 10 simple ingredients in 15 minutes or less!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 pound DeLallo shells pasta (or other short pasta of choice, such as elbows, cavatappi, fusilli, etc.)
  • ½ cup roasted, unsalted whole cashews (see Recipe Notes)
  • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (or other plant milk of choice)
  • 1 15-ounce can pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling!)
  • ⅓ cup nutritional yeast (see Recipe Notes)
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon allspice
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. Cook the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the shells & stir to prevent sticking. Cook to al dente according to package directions, 10-11 minutes. Prior to draining the pasta, reserve about 2 cups of the starchy pasta water. Drain the pasta. Return the reserved pasta to the pot. Set aside.
  2. Blend the pumpkin cashew cream sauce: Meanwhile, as the pasta boils, make the pumpkin cashew cream sauce. Add the cashews, almond milk, pumpkin purée, nutritional yeast, garlic, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cayenne, salt, & ground black pepper to a high-speed blender. Blend until the cashews completely break down into a smooth & creamy sauce.
  3. Assemble the vegan pumpkin mac and cheese: Pour the pumpkin cashew cream sauce over the pasta. Stir to combine, adding in the reserved pasta water little by little until your desired consistency is reached. The sauce should be very creamy, but cling to the pasta nicely. 
  4. Serve immediately, topped with fresh herbs as desired. Enjoy!


Notes

  • To soak, or not to soak: Whether or not you need to soak cashews is an FAQ when it comes to making creamy cashew sauces. In my experience, use of a high-speed blender really renders soaking unnecessary. (For reference, this is the blender I use, & I never run into issues with the cashews breaking down.) If you’d like to play it safe, simply soak the cashews water overnight OR in hot, hot water for 10-15 minutes to soften up a little bit. Drain the water off before using the cashews in the pumpkin cream sauce in Step 2. 
  • Nutritional yeast: An inactive yeast known for its cheesy & nutty savory flavor. Since it’s dairy-free & vegan, you’ll see it used in a lot of “cheesy” plant-based recipes. I know it sounds a little scary/sketchy, but, as a non-vegan, I can assure you it’s good! It’s pretty widely available at this point; I buy it at Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s. You can even order it on Amazon. If you don’t have nutritional yeast on hand, feel free to see below or omit; the pumpkin cream sauce will still be very yummy without it! 
  • Non-vegan suggestion: If keeping this recipe vegan or dairy-free isn’t a priority, I suggest adding 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese into the pumpkin mac and cheese as you stir it all together in Step 3 of Recipe Directions. It’s totally not necessary (the dish is super flavorful & delish without it), but does add an extra element of nutty & salty cheesiness that’s quite good.