Take your everyday vegan mac and cheese up a notch with this Vegan Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese! It’s an easy vegan weeknight dinner with cheesy and subtly sweet and smoky flavors. Ready in 25 minutes!
Just think of this Vegan Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese as your favorite vegan mac and cheese, but with a fall-inspired twist. Cashew cheese sauce is blended with cooked butternut squash and savory seasonings, then poured over your favorite pasta noodles. Every bite is well-balanced, subtly sweet, and just as comforting and cheesy as the classic.
This butternut macaroni and cheese recipe is easy to make in about 25 minutes total, making it a great choice for stress-free weeknight dinners. Plus, my time-saving tips will help you get it on the table even faster. It’s sure to become your newest fall and winter staple!
Recipe features
- Deliciously creamy, comforting, and cheesy, without needing any dairy!
- It’s quick, easy, and ready in about 25 minutes. Just cook the pasta, blend the sauce, and stir the two together!
- There are a handful of time-saving tips to make the entire recipe as hassle-free as possible.
- It’s a wonderful way to use up the extra winter squash you have left behind from making butternut squash bread or butternut squash chickpea chili.
Ingredients
Pasta - Use any short-cut pasta noodles you like. Both regular and gluten free pasta works great!
Cashews - Raw, unsalted cashews are soaked ahead of time so they’re easy to blend. Once blended, cashews transform into a luxurious cashew cream sauce that you can use as the base in vegan cheese sauce, smoothies, vegan queso dip, vegan cheesecake, and so much more.
Butternut squash - Buy pre-cubed squash to make this recipe as hassle-free as possible and feel free to cook it a few days ahead of time (the cubes can be boiled, steamed, or roasted). Once blended, the sauce takes on the squash’s sweet and earthy flavors and gives it a gorgeous orange color (it looks like real cheese!).
Nutritional yeast - This gives the vegan cheese sauce its cheesy flavor. Try not to skip it!
Apple cider vinegar - You need the tangy acid for balance. Feel free to use lemon juice instead.
Spices - Smoked paprika, red pepper flakes, onion powder, salt, and pepper will add warm, smoky flavors to help balance the naturally sweet and nutty squash.
Step-by-step instructions
Step 1: Cook the pasta. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Drain the water, then pour the pasta back into the sauce.
Step 2: Make the sauce. Add all of the sauce ingredients to a blender and blend until the mixture is completely smooth and creamy.
Step 3: Stir the sauce into the pasta. When it’s ready, pour the sauce over the pasta in the pot. Stir until the pasta noodles are completely coated and the sauce is warmed through. Scoop into bowls and enjoy!
Tips and FAQs
- Soaking the cashews in boiling water for 10 to 20 minutes is a speedy solution for when you forget to soak them ahead of time.
- Save time by cooking the butternut squash up to 2 days ahead of time. Keep it in an airtight container in the fridge until it’s time to make the “cheese” sauce.
- Reserve about ½ cup of the pasta cooking water. Adding a little to the pasta and “cheese” sauce will help the sauce stick to the pasta.
- You can upgrade this recipe by stirring in panko breadcrumbs (for crunch), chunks of roasted butternut squash, crumbled vegan bacon, vegan parmesan cheese, steamed broccoli, or green peas.
- Serve the pasta as-is or enjoy it with simple vegan side dishes, like Weeknight Broccoli, Maple Roasted Carrots, or Sauteed Asparagus.
What can I use instead of cashews?
Cashews are essential to this recipe because they give the sauce a thick and creamy consistency. You can try using sunflower seeds if you have an aversion to nuts, but I haven’t tested this.
Can I make the vegan butternut cheese sauce ahead of time?
Yes, you can blend the sauce and keep it in an airtight container in the fridge 1 or 2 days ahead of time.
Can I omit the nutritional yeast?
No! The nutritional yeast is a must because it gives the sauce its "cheesy" flavor.
Storing
Refrigerator: You can store leftover vegan mac and cheese in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 to 5 days.
Freezer: Keep the leftovers in a freezer-safe container or ziploc bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Let them thaw in the fridge before reheating.
Reheating: Reheat the leftover mac and cheese in the microwave or a saucepan on the stove. Add a splash of plant milk or water to help loosen up the sauce.
More vegan dinner recipes
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Vegan Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 lb. pasta
- 1 cup raw cashews soaked
- 2 cups butternut squash cooked
- 1 cup oat milk or milk of choice
- ½ cup vegetable broth
- 3 tablespoon vegan butter melted
- 3 garlic cloves
- 4 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to the package instructions. Drain, then pour the pasta back into the pot.
- While the pasta is cooking, make the sauce: add the cashews, cooked squash, milk, broth, melted butter, garlic, nutritional yeast, mustard, vinegar, salt, smoked paprika, onion powder, red pepper flakes, and black pepper to a blender and blend for 1 full minute on high speed until the sauce is smooth and creamy.
- Pour the sauce into the pot with the cooked pasta and stir until the pasta is coated and the sauce is warmed through. Enjoy!
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