Easy Vegan Pumpkin Mac + Cheese

Mac and cheese is loved by all, but not all can consume dairy. For an all-inclusive meal, try this amazing Easy Vegan Pumpkin Mac + Cheese made with gluten-free ingredients, pumpkin puree, homemade Cajun seasoning, and vegan cream cheese!

Mac and cheese is the definition of comfort in a bowl. Sometimes, you want to come home and enjoy a hot bowl of pasta on the couch in front of a rom-com. You wrap yourself in a blanket, you pour a mocktail, and you chill out. This Easy Vegan Pumpkin Mac + Cheese is for the vegans and gluten-free folks that also want to treat themselves in the same way.

This recipe is 100% vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free. I like to use GF pasta and flour to make this recipe attainable for any diet. The pumpkin puree adds a beautiful yellow color, giving the mac and cheese a visual familiarity.

The taste is unlike any mac and cheese you've ever had; it is creamy, yet light. It is cheesy thanks to nutritional yeast and homemade vegan cream cheese mixed right in. Also, this dish is super flavorful thanks to homemade Cajun seasoning!

The Secret to Creamy Vegan Mac + Cheese

This silky sauce is spectacular when paired with macaroni. The sauce is thick and rich thanks to homemade vegan cream cheese made with soaked raw cashews. It is seasoned with apple cider vinegar, lemon, and rosemary. The next step to the perfect vegan cheese sauce is to make a roux. I made a roux using vegan butter and GF flour before adding almond milk and the homemade vegan cream cheese.

These two sauce methods combine to make the perfect silky sauce. Cheesy flavor is added with a homemade Cajun spice mix and nutritional yeast. You can't make a vegan cheese sauce without nutritional yeast! Pumpkin puree, ground mustard, and red pepper flakes add additional flavor and color to round out this incredible Easy Vegan Pumpkin Mac + Cheese.

Can I Use This Sauce for Other Recipes?

YES! Feel free to use this creamy sauce for other vegan dishes that require a cheese sauce. You can also keep the vegan cream cheese in the fridge for gluten-free bagels.

Some vegan dishes you can use this sauce with are:

• Nachos
• Dip/crudite
• Broccoli side dish
• Baked potatoes
• Charcuterie

Ingredients in Easy Vegan Pumpkin Mac + Cheese

• a box gluten-free macaroni shells
• 1 cup pumpkin puree (not pie filling!)
• 1 ¾ cups almond milk
• 2 tablespoons vegan butter
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ¼ cup GF 1-to-1 Baking Flour
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• ½ teaspoon ground mustard
• 1 teaspoon juice of a lemon
• red pepper flakes, garnish
  For the Homemade Cajun Seasoning:
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon sea salt + black pepper
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
  For the Vegan Cream Cheese:
• 1 ½ cups raw cashews, soaked overnight, drained, + rinsed
• 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
• ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt

How to Make Easy Vegan Pumpkin Mac + Cheese

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add macaroni and cook according to packaging. Once cooked, drain and set aside.

To Make Vegan Cream Cheese:

Add the cashews, grapeseed oil, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, rosemary, and sea salt to a high-powered blender. Blend for about 1 minute on medium-high speed, until smooth, and it looks like a thick paste that resembles cream cheese.

**NOTE: If too thick, add a little warm water (1 tablespoon at a time), until desired consistency is formed.

In a medium saucepan, heat butter on medium-high heat and add garlic and sauté for a minute or so. Next, add flour and whisk until well incorporated and bubbly.

Slowly add Almond milk and pumpkin puree, whisking frequently. Once the mixture becomes thick, add 1 ½ cups vegan cream cheese, whisking frequently again. Add nutritional yeast, ground mustard, cajun seasonings, lemon juice, and red pepper flakes. Continue to whisk the sauce until well combined.

Once fully combined, add drained pasta and toss in sauce carefully.

Garnish with red pepper flakes (optional) and enjoy!

Bon Appetit!

Other Recipes You'll Love

My Easy Vegan Pumpkin Mac + Cheese is a smash hit, so if you like this one, you will love these recipes!

• Southern Baked Mac and Cheese with Breadcrumbs
• Baked Vegan Buffalo Mac and Cheese
• One-Pot Cajun Pumpkin Alfredo with Pasta
• Homemade Pumpkin Sunflower Butter Soft Pretzels
• Easy Vegan Pumpkin Poppyseed Pancakes

Easy Vegan Pumpkin Mac + Cheese

5 from 3 votes

Amazingly creamy and comforting, this Easy Vegan Pumpkin Mac + Cheese is flavored with homemade vegan cream cheese and Cajun seasoning that will leave you coming back for seconds!

Author: Shanika

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 20 minutes mins

Total Time: 35 minutes mins

Serves: 6 servings

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Ingredients

• ▢ 1 (8 oz.) box GF macaroni shells
• ▢ 1 cup pumpkin puree (Canned version; Not Pie Filling!)
• ▢ 1 ¾ cups Almond milk  (You can use your fave plant-based milk!)
• ▢ 2 Tbsps vegan butter
• ▢ 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ▢ ¼ cup GF 1-to-1 Baking Flour (You can sub with Arrowroot Starch as well!)
• ▢ 2 Tbsps nutritional yeast
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground mustard
• ▢ 1 teaspoon juice of a lemon
• ▢ red pepper flakes, garnish

Homemade Cajun Seasoning:

• ▢ 2 Tbsps garlic powder
• ▢ 2 Tbsps Italian seasoning
• ▢ 2 Tbsps smoked paprika
• ▢ 1 teaspoon sea salt + black pepper
• ▢ 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• ▢ 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• ▢ 1 tablespoon onion powder

Vegan Cream Cheese:

• ▢ 1 ½ cups raw cashews, soaked overnight, drained, + rinsed (See Notes!)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil (See Notes!)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon juice of a lemon
• ▢ ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon sea salt

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add macaroni and cook according to packaging. Once cooked, drain and set aside.

To Make Vegan Cream Cheese:

• Add the cashews, grapeseed oil, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, rosemary, and sea salt to a high-powdered blender. Blend for about 1 minute on medium-high speed, until smooth, and it looks like a thick paste that resembles cream cheese. **NOTE: If too thick, add a little warm water (1 tablespoon at a time), until desired consistency is formed.
• In a medium saucepan, heat butter on medium-high heat and add garlic and sauté for a minute or so. Next, add flour and whisk until well incorporated and bubbly.
• Slowly add Almond milk and pumpkin puree, whisking frequently. Once mixture becomes thick, add 1 ½ cups vegan cream cheese, whisking frequently again. Add nutritional yeast, ground mustard, cajun seasonings, lemon juice, and red pepper flakes. Continue to whisk sauce until well combined.
• Once fully combined, add drained pasta and toss in sauce carefully.
• Garnish with red pepper flakes (optional) and enjoy!
• Bon Appetite!

Tips & Tricks

STORAGE: Any leftovers can be kept in a tightly sealed container and refrigerated for up to 3-4 days.

CAJUN SEASONINGS: Any leftover cajun seasoning mix can be stored in a ziploc bag for later use or used as garnish.

SOAKED CASHEWS: To best soak cashews, add 1 cup of cashews to a bowl or measuring cup and cover with cold water, sealing the top with plastic wrap and leaving it out (at room temp.) overnight. When ready to use, drain and rinse. If not able to soak overnight, simply cover cashews with boiling water and let sit for 30 minutes, drain, + rinse.

OIL: Instead of grapeseed oil, you can substitute with extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil.

Nutrition

Calories: 445kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 642mg | Potassium: 498mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 7906IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 170mg | Iron: 6mg

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Easy Vegan Pumpkin Mac + Cheese.

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