Vegan Pumpkin Mac ‘n’ Cheese

Did you know that you can remake the classic Mac ‘n’ Cheese absolutely dairy and gluten-free? Yes, that’s exactly right. Mac ‘n’ Cheese can be completely vegan.

Just think about it. How to manage this creamy and cheesy sauce? You use pumpkin instead! It’s so comfortable because you can get pumpkin any time of the year. Plus, of course, now the time is the best because it’s pumpkin season! How does vegan pumpkin Mac ‘n’ Cheese sound to you?

The pumpkin Mac and Cheese is very simple and fast. It requires only a few ingredients and most of them you probably have in your pantry anyway. If you use canned pumpkin pureé than you can skip steps about making your own pumpkin pureé from a real pumpkin. The whole process will take around 15 minutes! If you decide to make your own pumpkin pureé then the overall time for making this Mach and Cheese will be about 45 minutes.

This pumpkin Mach ‘n’ Cheese is super creamy, cheesy, thick, and has a fabulous orange colour. Even better than the classic Mac ‘n’ Cheese! Use vegan-free pasta (macaroni, if you wish) to keep it gluten-free. Try this gluten-free macaroni which doesn’t come out sticky or overcooked.

This recipe is using a lot of dried thyme. If you like, you can swop thyme for sage or tarragon. Here you find more about these amazing herbs and other amazing recipes how to use them in vegan cooking.

Vegan Mac ‘n’ Cheese Recipe

Preparation time: 10-15 minutes

Cooking time: 20-45 minutes

Serving: 4

Ingredients:

2 cups homemade pumpkin pureé from 1/2 pumpkin or 1 can pumpkin pureé

1 tbsp olive oil

1 bag gluten-free macaroni (or any other gluten-free pasta)

1 tsp mixed spice

1 cup plant-based milk

1 tsp ginger

3 cloves garlic, peeled

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp Besan (chickpea flour) or rice flour

4 tbsp thyme or sage/tarragon

2 tbsp vegan parmesan cheese

Salt

More vegan parmesan cheese, for garnish

Instructions:

1. If you make your own pumpkin pureé: Preheat the oven for 220 Celsius degree. Remove the seeds from the pumpkin. Line baking paper in a tray. Use a small brush to cover the flesh of pumpkin with olive oil and put the pumpkin on the tray, the cut side down. If you use canned pumpkin pureé, skip step 1 and 2 and go to step 3.
2. Bake the pumpkin for 30 minutes. The flesh of pumpkin should be very soft by then. Remove from the oven and let it cool down a little bit. Then peel off the skin.
3. Start cooking pasta. Boil water in a medium pot and add pasta. Boil it according to the instructions, usually about 15-20 minutes. When done, drain and rinse pasta with warm water. Set it aside.
4. Add pumpkin pureé to a high-speed blender. Add all other ingredients. If you wish to use thyme and sage/tarragon, you can add 2 tbsp thyme and 2 tbsp sage/tarragon. Blend for 30 seconds or until the consistency is fairly creamy and smooth. If it’s too thick, add a splash of milk. Taste the sauce and add salt, if necessary.
5. In a pot, combine cooked pasta with the pumpkin sauce. Serve with parmesan cheese on the top.
6. Enjoy!

This recipe was inspired by Minimalist Baker’s Pumpkin Mac ‘n’ Cheese. Thank you for inspiration!

Klara Walterova

Klara is a professional freelance writer for hire. She offers web content, blog posting, ghostwriting and copywriting. She writes for a healthy lifestyle, wellness and travel websites. She focuses on veganism and the vegan diet. When she's not writing, she develops new tasty vegan recipes, travels the world or plays with her cats. Please contact her for her online writing services on her website writtenbyvegan.com or visit her Instagram profile @writtenbyvegan.