If you love a creamy, decadent, and comforting bowl of pasta, then you are going to quickly fall in love with this Vegan Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese. I love serving this pasta at a party because the sauce is so creamy, guests seriously never guess it’s entirely dairy-free. I like to pair this hearty pasta with a light salad like my Classic Vegan Caesar Salad or Longevity Kale Salad. For more cozy pasta recipes, check out Vegan Red Pepper Alfredo Pasta and my Classic Vegan Pesto Pasta.
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Notes on Ingredients
- Pasta: Any shape and kind works. I used gluten-free penne pasta.
- Butternut squash: You can use fresh or frozen. I prefer fresh for more flavor! Feel free to substitute with sweet potato.
- Cashews: Use raw cashews.
- Nutritional yeast: Find this in the baking or spices aisle of your grocery store. It adds cheesiness to the sauce!
Please take note that this is important information about the ingredients used in this recipe and the FULL recipe with measurements and details can be found DOWN BELOW (scroll to it) in the recipe card.
How do you make Vegan Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese?
- Cook the pasta and strain. Save 1.5 cups of the pasta cooking water to blend into your sauce!
- While pasta is cooking, boil the butternut squash and cashews in a separate pot until fork tender.
- Add cashews and butternut squash to a high-speed blender along with all other ingredients besides the pasta. Blend until completely smooth.
- Pour over pasta and enjoy!
Commonly Asked Questions
Sure! Sweet potato will work. Feel free to use either fresh or frozen cubed sweet potato or butternut squash.
This recipe requires the cashews as the base of the sauce. I would recommend making my High Protein Nut Free Vegan Alfredo instead!
For this sauce, I recommend using a high-speed blender, not a food processor, to get the creamiest sauce.
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Extra Helpful Tips
- Boil the cashews in with the butternut squash so they soften and blend into a creamy sauce.
- Adding in ¼ teaspoon of turmeric is optional but adds some anti-inflammatory benefits and will make the mac and cheese more yellow! (Proceed with caution though; turmeric stains!)
- Add more salt to taste as needed.
- There may be extra sauce leftover. I use a lot of sauce because I like it extra creamy but feel free to save leftovers for another night!
How to Store
Store pasta leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. Feel free to store the pasta sauce and noodles separately. Reheat in the microwave for a couple of minutes until warmed through.
If you tried this Vegan Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 5-star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Vegan Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 16 oz pasta I used quinoa pasta
- 3 cups butternut squash cubed, can sub sweet potato
- 1 cup cashews raw
- 1.5 cups cooking liquid
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon pink salt
- ½ teaspoon dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 lemon juiced
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder optional
Instructions
- Boil pasta, strain and set aside when done cooking. Save 1.5 cups of the cooking water for later!
- While pasta is cooking, boil the butternut squash and cashews in a separate pot. Boil until fork tender.
- Add cashews and butternut squash to a high-speed blender along with all other ingredients besides the pasta. Blend until completely smooth.
- Pour over pasta and enjoy!
Notes
- Boil the cashews in with the butternut squash so they soften and blend into a creamy sauce.
- Adding in ¼ teaspoon of turmeric is optional but adds some anti-inflammatory benefits and will make the mac and cheese more yellow! (Proceed with caution though; turmeric stains!)
- Add more salt to taste as needed.
- There may be extra sauce leftover. I use a lot of sauce because I like it extra creamy but feel free to save leftovers for another night!
Jenny says
This recipe is so delicious. My family loved it!!! I forgot to include the lemon juice and it tasted amazing. Next time I will try it with the lemon juice.
Thanks for sharing your recipes!!
Erin says
I love to use this as a cheese sauce for tacos!! What would be the best way to reheat the cheese sauce; stove or microwave?
Danielle Keith says
You can reheat both ways! Either will work.
pauline furlan says
I don’t have a blender…will it work with my old fashioned potato masher ?
Danielle Keith says
You really do need a good blender for this recipe to get the sauce perfectly smooth
Jordan Stacy says
This creamy butternut squash pasta is so good. I make this for all of my nonvegan/nondairy free people and they are always shocked it’s dairy free! It’s so good.