This easy pumpkin mac and cheese recipe is a creamy, cheesy, healthy fall comfort food!
Homemade pumpkin mac and cheese
In a healthier take on traditional macaroni and cheese, pumpkin acts as heavy cream, adding bold fall flavor and flavor. reducing calories.
The sauce only requires six ingredients and is delicious for lunch or dinner.
Try it on pasta, cauliflower, spaghetti squash, quinoa, or roasted vegetables.
Over the years, hundreds of readers have written in to say this is the best pumpkin macaroni recipe they’ve ever tried, because the pumpkin enhances, but overpowers, the other mac and cheese ingredients.
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Healthy pumpkin mac and cheese benefits
While the best part of this recipe is its rich and cheesy taste, it also offers numerous health benefits.
Thanks to nutritious pumpkin and milk, each serving provides you with more than 200% of your daily needs for calcium, iron, potassium and vitamin A.
A healthy dinner recipe can be high protein, high fiber, egg free, vegan, gluten free, cholesterol free and no added sugar.
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Ingredients for pumpkin pasta
The recipe calls for just a few basic ingredients: cheese, garlic, salt, butter, milk, your choice of pasta, and mashed pumpkin.
Pumpkin puree – For a quick and easy time-saving lunch option, I like to go with canned pumpkin puree.
You can roast your own pumpkin and blend the flesh until smooth to make homemade pumpkin puree. Or replace the pumpkin with roasted butternut squash or mashed sweet potatoes.
garlic – Minced garlic adds flavor to the recipe. If all you have is garlic powder and you want to save a trip to the grocery store, use half a teaspoon.
milk – Canned coconut milk, whole milk, or dairy-free unsweetened cream make for the creamiest mac and cheese. However, most other milks (including skim and oat) will work.
For best taste, do not use vanilla flavored milk.
Butter – This ingredient adds richness to the food. To make vegan pumpkin mac and cheese, simply use one of the many plant-based oils available at the store.
Substitute olive oil or coconut oil if you like, or omit the oil altogether and double the amount of salt in the recipe.
Cheese – Use one cup of shredded American or cheddar cheese, or substitute three-quarters of a cup of nutritional yeast. As a vegetarian, I use dairy-free cheese when making the recipe just for myself.
salt – The recipe calls for only half a teaspoon of salt. Depending on your personal taste, you can add additional salt and ground pepper.
Optional items – Add a few drops of liquid smoke for a smoky flavor. Or mix in a pinch of cayenne for a spicy mac and cheese.
You can also stir in a handful of spinach or bacon slices before serving.
What kind of pasta?
Choose your favorite noodle or mac and cheese pasta shapes.
Try penne, spaghetti, fettuccine, rotini or fusilli, ziti or elbow pasta.
You can also pour the sauce over cooked ravioli, tortellini or lasagna.
For a low-carb or keto alternative, creamy butternut squash sauce is great with baked spaghetti squash, steamed asparagus or broccoli, or roasted vegetables.
Honestly, the sauce is so thick and delicious that you might taste a spoonful and choose to skip the pasta altogether and serve it as a pumpkin soup.
Pumpkin mac and cheese recipe video
Watch the step-by-step video above
How to Make Pumpkin Macaroni and Cheese Sauce
The first step is to read the recipe instructions. I recommend gathering all the ingredients together and measuring everything before you start.
If you plan to put the sauce over pasta, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook eight ounces of pasta according to the directions on the box.
Meanwhile, start preparing the sauce. Combine all the pumpkin sauce ingredients except the cheese in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil.
*Note: If you like the flavor of brown butter, brown the butter on its own first.
As soon as it begins to boil, reduce the heat to low. Add the shredded cheese and stir continuously until completely melted.
Turn off the heat and enjoy the pumpkin cheese sauce. Add a pinch of ground pepper, a pinch of nutmeg, and additional salt to taste, if desired.
Pour the sauce over cooked pasta or vegetables, roast chicken, shirataki noodles or rice, or serve in bowls like pumpkin soup.
The recipe yields about three cups of sauce.
Baked Pumpkin Mac and Cheese
For those who want to turn this into a convenient pumpkin pasta casserole, start by following the recipe below, adding a third of a cup of milk in addition to the sauce.
Spread the cheesy noodles in a greased eight-inch baking dish, or double the recipe to fill a standard nine-by-thirteen-inch casserole dish.
Melt two tablespoons of butter or coconut oil in a pan and mix with a cup of breadcrumbs. Heat until lightly browned.
Spread the toasted breadcrumbs over the pumpkin mac and cheese casserole.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Then bake the dish on the middle rack of the oven for about twenty-five minutes or until hot and bubbly.
Tips for storing leftovers
Let the pasta cool before transferring it to a bowl with a lid or dividing it into meal prep containers for lunches during the week.
Cool and reheat in the microwave or in a pot on the stove before serving. A good tip for leftover creamy pasta is to add a little milk before reheating.
When refrigerated in an airtight container, this pumpkin mac and cheese recipe should last for up to three or four days.
You can freeze leftovers in an airtight container for about three months. Thaw and reheat before serving. Frozen leftovers won’t retain the same creamy texture as fresh pasta, but they’re still plenty tasty.
This makes a great side dish or main dish for Halloween, Thanksgiving dinner, or any night you find yourself craving some cheesy Kraft-style mac and cheese!
The recipe is adapted to me Vegan Mac and Cheese
- 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
- 2 c.q chopped garlic
- 1/2 c.q salt
- 2 spoon salted butter (or see the substitution note below)
- 1 1/3 cups milk choice
- 1 cup shredded cheese or vegan cottage cheese (or substitute 3/4 cup nutritional yeast)
- 8 oz uncooked pasta or a grain or vegetable of choice
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*Canned coconut milk or whole milk will yield the richest, creamiest mac and cheese. If you want to omit the butter or replace it with oil, double the amount of salt in the recipe.To make the pumpkin mac and cheese, heat all ingredients except the cheese and optional macaroni in a medium saucepan. Once it starts to boil, reduce the heat to low and stir until the cheese is completely melted. Taste, then season with additional salt and pepper if desired. If adding pasta, cook according to the directions on the pasta or noodle box, then drain. Pour the pumpkin sauce over cooked pasta or roasted vegetables or whatever you like. The recipe yields about three cups of pumpkin cheese sauce.See nutrition facts
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