Creamy Pumpkin Macaroni and ‘Cheese’



Pumpkin Macaroni and Cheese. Dairy & Gluten Free



Talk about decadent! This macaroni and ‘cheese’ is so creamy, gooey and delicious, it’s hard to believe that its’ dairy free. You heard me right, no cheese, and to top it all off, no gluten either. This is the best vegan mac and cheese that I have ever tried or made, hands down. The pumpkin in the sauce makes this the perfect fall comfort food, and I think it would be safe to say that even the pickiest of eaters would enjoy this. My fiance Ben not only ate an entire large plate of this, he went back for seconds. He was absolutely shocked at how good this was. If you’re looking for a fall inspired comfort meal, look no further. This macaroni and ‘cheese’ is sure to hit the spot.

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Vegan Pumpkin Macaroni and ‘Cheese’
 
Cuisine: American
Author: The Lean Clean Eating Machine
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Decadent macaroni and cheese for the dairy and gluten free. Vegan friendly.
Ingredients
  • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 Tbsp. Earth Balance Butter Substitute
  • 1 Tbsp. arrowroot starch
  • 6 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
  • 1 tsp. dijon mustard
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1 tsp. onion powder
  • 1 tsp. lemon juice
  • 1 cup canned 100% pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
  • 1 8oz package of gluten free elbow noodles (I used Ancient Harvest Quinoa Pasta)
  • 1 tsp. olive oil
Instructions
  1. In a large pan, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil with 1 tsp olive oil.
  2. Add in pasta and cook according to package directions. Do not rinse off finished pasta unless otherwise specified.
  3. In small saucepan, melt 1 Tbsp of Earth Balance.
  4. Add in arrowroot starch and almond milk. Whisk thoroughly and bring to a gentle boil.
  5. Once mixture begins to boil, turn burner to low and add in nutritional yeast, dijon mustard, salt, pepper, nutmeg, garlic powder, onion powder and lemon juice. Whisk thoroughly until mixture is smooth.
  6. Once mixture has thickened, add in pumpkin and whisk until smooth. Remove sauce from heat.
  7. Once pasta is finished, drain water and return noodles to pot.
  8. Add in the pumpkin sauce and thoroughly mix.
  9. Enjoy!
 
Notes
This recipe serves 2-4 people. If you want your macaroni even creamier, add in 1/4 cup of canned full fat coconut milk to finished pasta prior to serving. This will give pasta a slight coconut flavor so if you’re not a fan of coconut, use a little extra almond milk. Add in flat leaf parsley or chopped spinach for color. For leftovers, stir in a little almond milk before reheating to get the creamy, original texture.

 

10 comments on Creamy Pumpkin Macaroni and ‘Cheese’

  1. jessica
    November 8, 2013 at 1:56 pm (10 years ago)

    This vegan mac n cheese was great. I happened to have everything on hand but I wasn’t convinced it’d be that good until I made it. I used regular shell pasta and I ended up adding 1/2 a cup instead of 6 tbls of Nutritional yeast, a splash more almond milk, and it definitely made more than enough sauce to yield 8 oz. I would just go for it and use an entire 12 oz box of pasta.

    I’m so impressed with how savory and rich this cheese sauce turned out. Such a great alternative to my usual cashew mac n “cheese” sauce, and much less calories. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Danielle
      November 8, 2013 at 2:46 pm (10 years ago)

      So happy to hear you enjoyed it, Jessica!

      Reply
  2. Paula
    November 12, 2013 at 4:30 pm (10 years ago)

    Hi there! I plan to make this tonight and am wondering if I can swap cornstarch for the arrowroot? Thank you!!

    Reply
    • Danielle
      November 13, 2013 at 1:40 pm (10 years ago)

      Sorry for the late response! Yes, you could swap it out, you may have to mix it with cold water first though

      Reply
  3. Kristena
    November 14, 2013 at 11:03 am (10 years ago)

    Just tried this recipe. I liked the creaminess of it, which is kinda hard to get with other vegan mac & cheese recipes I’ve tried. And it was super easy to make; usually I need to drag out my food processor to make mac and cheese, but this was much simpler. I think that my lemon was a little too juicy though, and it kinda overrode the other flavors and messed the whole dish up.. Next time I’ll use half a lemon !

    Reply
    • Danielle
      November 14, 2013 at 11:10 am (10 years ago)

      Hi Kristena! Thank you or the suggestion! I actually agree with you on the lemon juice. When I was preparing it, the lemon I used was pretty small, so I just adjusted the recipe to 1 tsp. rather than the half a lemon. I can see how it would definitely be overpowering if you were to use a large lemon. Hope that helps!

      Reply
  4. Michelle
    December 16, 2014 at 5:40 pm (9 years ago)

    I know this is an old ppst but I just came across this and made it tonight. It was awesome. I’m just wondering what you topped yours with? It looks like red pepper flakes but I’m wondering if it was anything else. Thanks.

    Reply
    • Danielle
      December 17, 2014 at 9:54 am (9 years ago)

      So glad to hear you enjoyed it, Michelle! You are correct, it is red pepper flakes and some freshly ground black pepper :)

      Reply
  5. Katalina
    October 1, 2017 at 5:46 pm (6 years ago)

    Amazing recipe! So quick and easy

    Reply

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