Can I use fresh pumpkin?

Absolutely! Use a fresh pie pumpkin (large carving pumpkins don’t have much flesh or flavor), and roast it. Scoop out the flesh (after discarding membrane) and blend until smooth. Use about 15 ounces of purée for this vegan pumpkin mac and cheese recipe.

Can I use other purée?

Yes, you could use butternut squash (or other winter squash) or even pureed sweet potatoes (canned or fresh).

What can I use instead of silken tofu?

Instead of silken tofu, you can use any other type of tofu (except super/extra firm). Just blend it until smooth—you may need to add a little unsweetened non-dairy milk to get it to blend. If you want to avoid soy altogether, try using soaked raw cashews, sunflower seeds, or white beans. With those options, you will need unsweetened non-dairy milk or water to get the sauce to blend.

Can this be made gluten-free?

Yup, just use your favorite gluten-free pasta. I like the brown rice and quinoa based pastas, or the chickpea or red lentil pastas are good too.

I like to make vegan mac and cheese without cashews for a few reasons. Cashews are very expensive, a lot of people are both vegan AND allergic to nuts so they can’t even have cashews, I feel cashews are a little on the sweet side, and also I just feel they’re really overused in vegan recipes. Even raw cashew pieces are pretty expensive, and I usually find raw sunflower seeds for less than a third of that. I also sometimes like to make my sauces with silken tofu as I do in this recipe. It lowers the fat content, it’s very easy to blend (great if you don’t have a high powered blender), it’s inexpensive, and it makes a recipe creamy without making it heavy.

Vegan Pumpkin Mac and Cheese (Nut-Free)

Name: Vegan Pumpkin Mac and Cheese (Nut-Free)
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Cuisine: Vegan Cheese
Ingredients: 16 ounces dry pasta of choice (use gluten-free if needed); 16 ounces silken tofu (see note 1 for substitutions); 15-ounce can pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling); 2 tablespoons lemon juice; ¼ cup nutritional yeast (see note 2 for substitutions); 2-3 cloves garlic (about 2 teaspoons minced, or use around ½ teaspoon garlic powder); 1 teaspoon dried thyme; ½ teaspoon smoked paprika; 1 teaspoon sea salt, more or less to taste

Description

This creamy, cheesy, cozy Vegan Pumpkin Mac and Cheese is the perfect quick and easy vegan dinner option (especially for fall and winter!). It’s absolutely delicious, but it’s low fat and packed with vitamin A and other micronutrients, but no one will notice because it’s so good!

Ingredients

Units Scale

16 ounces dry pasta of choice (use gluten-free if needed)
16 ounces silken tofu (see note 1 for substitutions)
15-ounce can pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup nutritional yeast (see note 2 for substitutions)
2-3 cloves garlic (about 2 teaspoons minced, or use around 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon sea salt, more or less to taste

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Instructions

Cook pasta: Start by cooking your pasta according to package directions. Many people salt their pasta water (add less salt to the vegan pumpkin cheese sauce if you intend to do this). Also, if you want to salt your pasta water but aren't sure how, first bring the pot of water to a boil, then add the salt and stir so it dissolves easily. The bubbles will slow at the introduction of something room temperature, so then return it to a boil before adding the pasta.
Blend the vegan pumpkin cheese sauce: While the pasta cooks, make the cheese sauce by combining the silken tofu, pumpkin purée, nutritional yeast, garlic, spices, and lemon juice in a blender. Blend until completely smooth. Taste and adjust any seasonings if necessary.
Drain your pasta and leave it in the colander for a moment.
Add the sauce: After you drain the pasta, return the pot to the stove. If you want it super hot, turn the stove back on to low heat. But usually the residual heat from the pasta is enough to warm the sauce enough for us.
Add the pasta back and stir to combine. Season with fresh cracked pepper if desired, and serve immediately.
Storage: Refrigerate leftovers for up to 5 days in an airtight container.

Notes

Note 1: Instead of silken tofu, you can use any other type of tofu (except super/extra firm). Just blend it until smooth—you may need to add a little unsweetened non-dairy milk to get it to blend. If you want to avoid soy altogether, try using soaked raw cashews, sunflower seeds, or white beans. With those options, you will need unsweetened non-dairy milk or water to get the sauce to blend.
Note 2: Nutritional yeast helps with our cheesy factor but you can omit if you prefer. Try adding a pinch of onion powder if you omit this.
Note 3: Why no cashews? I like to make vegan mac and cheese without cashews for a few reasons. Cashews are very expensive, a lot of people are both vegan AND allergic to nuts so they can’t even have cashews, I feel cashews are a little on the sweet side, and also I just feel they’re really overused in vegan recipes. I like silken tofu because it lowers the fat content, it’s very easy to blend (great if you don’t have a high powered blender), it’s inexpensive, and it makes a recipe creamy without making it heavy.

Cook Time: 15 minutes
Category: Cheese, Ingredient, Entree
Method: Blender
Cuisine: Vegan Cheese

Keywords: Vegan, Plant-based, Cheese, Cheeze, Oilfree, Gluten-free, Vegan Cheese