This easy pumpkin mac and cheese recipe is creamy, cheesy, healthy Fall comfort food!
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Homemade pumpkin mac and cheese
In this healthier take on traditional macaroni and cheese, pumpkin stands in for the heavy cream, adding bold autumn flavor and cutting way back on calories.
The sauce calls for just 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 pasta recipe they’ve ever tried, because pumpkin enhances but does not overpower the other mac and cheese ingredients.
Readers also like this Pumpkin Spice Latte
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 at the same time.
Thanks to the nutrient packed pumpkin and milk, each serving gives you calcium, iron, potassium, and over 200% of the daily requirement for vitamin A.
The healthy dinner recipe can be high protein, high fiber, egg free, vegan, gluten free, cholesterol free, and added sugar free.
Also try this Cauliflower Pizza Crust
Ingredients for the pumpkin pasta
The recipe calls for just a few basic ingredients: cheese, garlic, salt, butter, milk, pasta of choice, and pureed pumpkin.
Pumpkin puree – For a quick and easy time saving dinner option, I like to go with canned pumpkin puree.
You can roast your own pumpkin then blend the flesh until smooth to make homemade pumpkin puree. Or swap out the pumpkin for roasted butternut squash or sweet potato puree.
Garlic – Minced garlic adds flavor to the recipe. If all you have on hand is garlic powder and you wish to save a trip to the grocery store, use half a teaspoon.
Milk – Canned coconut milk, whole milk, or nondairy unsweetened creamer yield the creamiest mac and cheese. However, most other milks (including skim and oat) work.
For the best taste, do not use vanilla flavored milk.
Butter – This ingredient adds richness to the dish. To make a vegan pumpkin mac and cheese, simply use one of the many plant based butters available to buy at the store.
If you prefer, substitute olive oil or coconut oil or omit the fat entirely and double the amount of salt in the recipe.
Cheese – Use one cup American or cheddar shredded cheese or swap it for three fourths cup of nutritional yeast. As a vegan, I use dairy free cheese when making the recipe just for myself.
Salt – The recipe calls for just a half teaspoon of salt. Depending on your own personal tastes, you may wish to add additional salt and a sprinkle of ground pepper.
Optional ingredients – Add a few drops of liquid smoke for a smoky flavor. Or stir in a pinch of cayenne for spicy mac and cheese.
You can also stir in a handful of spinach or bacon bits just before serving.
What type of pasta?
Choose your favorite noodles 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, the creamy pumpkin sauce is great with baked spaghetti squash, steamed asparagus or broccoli, or roasted vegetables.
Honestly, the sauce is so thick and flavorful that you may taste one spoonful and opt to serve it as a pumpkin soup, skipping the pasta altogether.
Pumpkin mac and cheese recipe video
Above, watch the step by step video
How to make pumpkin macaroni and cheese sauce
The first step is to read through the recipe instructions. I recommend gathering all of the ingredients together and measuring everything out before beginning.
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 of the pumpkin sauce ingredients except the cheese in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil.
*Note: If you like the flavor of brown butter, feel free to brown the butter on its own in the saucepan first.
As soon as it starts to boil, turn the heat to low. Add the shredded cheese, and stir continuously until it melts fully.
Turn off the heat and taste the pumpkin cheese sauce. If desired, add a sprinkle of ground pepper, a pinch of nutmeg, and additional salt to taste.
Pour the sauce over cooked pasta or vegetables, roasted chicken, shirataki noodles, or rice, or serve it in bowls with spoons as pumpkin soup.
The recipe yields about three cups of sauce.
Baked pumpkin mac and cheese
For those who want to turn this into a cozy pumpkin pasta bake, start by following the recipe below, adding an extra one third cup of milk to the sauce.
Spread the cheesy noodles into a greased eight inch baking pan, or double the recipe to fill a standard nine by thirteen inch casserole pan.
Melt two tablespoons of butter or coconut oil in a skillet, and stir in a cup of breadcrumbs. Heat until lightly toasted.
Spread the toasted breadcrumbs on top of the pumpkin mac and cheese casserole.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Then bake the pan on the center rack of the oven for about twenty five minutes or until hot and bubbly.
Tips for storing leftovers
Let the pasta cool before transferring to a lidded container or portioning it into meal prep containers to enjoy for lunch during the week.
Refrigerate, and reheat in the microwave or in a pot on the stove top before serving. A good tip for leftover creamy pasta is to stir in a little milk before reheating.
When refrigerated in an airtight container, this pumpkin mac and cheese recipe should last 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 will not retain the same creamy texture as fresh pasta, but they are still quite tasty.
This makes a great side dish or main meal for Halloween, Thanksgiving dinner, or any night when you find yourself craving cheesy Kraft style mac and cheese!
The recipe was adapted from my Vegan Mac And Cheese
Pumpkin Mac And Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp salted butter (or see substitution note below)
- 1 1/3 cups milk of choice
- 1 cup shredded cheese or vegan cheese (or substitute 3/4 cup nutritional yeast)
- 8 oz uncooked pasta or grains or vegetables of choice
Instructions
- *Canned coconut milk or whole milk will yield the richest, creamiest mac and cheese. If you prefer to omit the butter or substitute it for oil, double the amount of salt in the recipe.To make pumpkin mac and cheese, heat all ingredients except the cheese and optional pasta in a medium saucepan. Once it starts to boil, turn the heat to low and stir in the cheese until fully melted. Taste, then add additional salt and a sprinkle of ground pepper if desired. If adding pasta, cook the macaroni or noodles according to box directions, then drain. Pour the pumpkin sauce over the cooked pasta or over roasted vegetables or anything else you wish. The recipe yields about three cups of pumpkin cheese sauce.View Nutrition Facts
Video
Notes
The Best Fall Recipes
Food world, Katie’s gone and done us a solid. The pumpkin is an excellent substitute for cream in a mac n cheese roux. I found it delightfully smooth and satisfying, not too pumpkiny but all the right flavours. Eating this is like consuming victory.
11/10, would definitely nom again.
Yes, I’m a fan, great recipe!
I made this with butternut squash and served it over steamed veggies. Amazing!! This is a staple in my rotation…I used nutritional yeast. Yum!
I made this tonight, AMAZING! I added breadcrumbs and baked it for a bit too, I’m a fan of baked mac! It was a hit, thanks!
Just made this and it is SO INCREDIBLY DELICIOUS! I sauteed onions and garlic first and then followed the recipe. It didn’t feel like just another alternative to mac & cheese but a healthy AND scrumptious delight where I didn’t even miss the full-fat version.
I just made a huge batch of mac n’ cheese the other day…’tis the season, lol! I added caramelized onions, pancetta, mozzarella, Parmesan and nutmeg and thyme. My kids loved it! I’d love for you to check out my recipe.
I think you’re an absolute genius for thinking of this, Katie. I also associated pumpkin with sweet things but you proved it to not necessarily be true!
Is there a way I could make a low carb version of this?
I made this not reeeeeeally expecting it to be incredible, but I turned out very, very surprised! It was similar to the moment after I tried out your chocolate chip pancakes for the first time. So, so, so surprisingly incredible! (by others’ recommendations, I added to the other ingredients a dash of nutmeg and en equal amount of onion powder as garlic powder) Thanks so much for this staple recipe, Katie!
Hi! My name is Maria, and I am the editorial assistant at KrisCarr.com. We are stepping up our recipe game at KrisCarr.com, and we would love to feature your recipes regularly on the website (with credit and link to you, of course).
It’s fairly simple. I would choose recipes you have already posted that are appropriate for our readers and post them on KrisCarr.com. They would then be posted in our newsletter and on our social media outlets for your increased exposure.
Please e-mail me back at maria@crazysexywellness.com if you’d like to be a regular contributor.
Thank you!
For those who are wondering, this doesn’t taste like pumpkin! I used Daiya cheddar and the sauce mostly tastes like that, but the pumpkin makes it super creamy. This recipe is a keeper for sure!