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    Home » Recipes » Recipes

    October 14, 2020 27 Comments

    Vegan Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

    2.6K shares
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    This vegan butternut squash mac and cheese is gorgeously creamy, rich, and cheesy tasting. Just 9 ingredients and 30 minutes to make, this healthy pasta is the perfect easy to make dish to enjoy during squash season!

    Vegan butternut squash mac and cheese is gorgeously creamy, rich, and cheesy tasting. Just 9 ingredients and 30 minutes to make, this healthy pasta is the perfect easy to make dish to enjoy during squash season! #itdoesnttastelikechicken #veganrecipes

    To say I'm obsessed with vegan mac and cheese is an understatement. This recipe will be my 5th variation! I mean, what's not to love about pasta + vegan cheese? Adding butternut squash to this version makes the pasta so flavourful and creamy, this recipe has become a new autumn favourite!

    Vegan butternut squash mac and cheese is gorgeously creamy, rich, and cheesy tasting. Just 9 ingredients and 30 minutes to make, this healthy pasta is the perfect easy to make dish to enjoy during squash season! #itdoesnttastelikechicken #veganrecipes

    The key to making this vegan mac and cheese taste super cheesy is the addition of white miso paste. Now I know that may sound a bit odd, but the miso paste is the secret ingredient that adds an aged umami tang that really gives this pasta a cheddar vibe. Then I also add nutritional yeast for more cheesiness, and it's actually kinda crazy how cheesy this tastes!

    How to Make Vegan Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese:

    Cook the butternut squash with the onions, garlic, and vegetable broth.

    Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the macaroni according to the package directions.

    In a large saucepan, melt the vegan butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for about 5 minutes until the onion turns translucent and begins to brown. Add the butternut squash and vegetable broth. Cover and cook 10 - 15 minutes until the butternut squash is very tender when pierced with a fork.

    Blend the squash mixture with miso paste, nutritional yeast, and salt.

    Add the cooked butternut squash mixture to a blender along with the nutritional yeast, miso paste, and salt. Blend until completely smooth and creamy, stopping to scrape the sides as needed. Be careful not to fill the blender too high so it doesn’t erupt.

    Alternatively you could use an immersion blender straight in the pan. If your sauce is too thick, you can add another ¼ cup of vegetable broth or water.

    Toss with the cooked macaroni.

    Return the sauce the pan, and add the cooked macaroni to the sauce and toss well to coat. Serve hot.

    Vegan butternut squash mac and cheese is gorgeously creamy, rich, and cheesy tasting. Just 9 ingredients and 30 minutes to make, this healthy pasta is the perfect easy to make dish to enjoy during squash season! #itdoesnttastelikechicken #veganrecipes

    I love this vegan butternut squash mac and cheese all on its own, but to make it a heartier meal you could serve it with a side of roasted cauliflower or asparagus, and if you really want a gorgeous meal my Italian seitan sausages. YUM!

    Bon appetegan!

    Sam Turnbull

    Print Recipe
    5 from 12 votes

    Vegan Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese

    Gorgeously creamy, rich, and cheesy tasting. Just 9 ingredients and 30 minutes to make, this healthy pasta is the perfect easy to make dish to enjoy during squash season!
    Recipe adapted from my butternut squash pasta recipe.
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time20 mins
    Total Time30 mins
    Course : Main CoursePasta
    Cuisine : American
    Servings: 6 (makes about 6 cups)
    Author: Sam Turnbull • It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken

    Ingredients

    • 3 cups macaroni noodles (gluten-free if preferred)
    • 1 tablespoon vegan butter (or other light oil)
    • 1 yellow onion, chopped
    • 3 cloves garlic, minced
    • ½ medium butternut squash 580g peeled, deseeded, and chopped into 2 inch cubes (4 cups cubed)
    • 1 ½ cups vegetable broth
    • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
    • 1 tablespoon white miso paste
    • 1 teaspoon salt
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    Instructions

    • Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the macaroni according to the package directions.
    • In a large saucepan, melt the vegan butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for about 5 minutes until the onion turns translucent and begins to brown. Add the butternut squash and vegetable broth. Cover and cook 10 - 15 minutes until the butternut squash is very tender when pierced with a fork.
    • Add the cooked butternut squash mixture to a blender along with the nutritional yeast, miso paste, and salt. Blend until completely smooth and creamy, stopping to scrape the sides as needed. Be careful not to fill the blender too high so it doesn’t erupt. Alternatively you could use an immersion blender straight in the pan. If your sauce is too thick, you can add another ¼ cup of vegetable broth or water. Return the sauce the pan, and add the cooked macaroni to the sauce and toss well to coat. Serve hot.

    Notes

    Gluten-free: use a gluten-free pasta, my fave is brown rice pasta.
    Oil-free: to make this dish oil-free, use water or vegetable broth instead of the vegan butter to sauté the onions and garlic. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving (recipe makes 6 servings) | Calories: 279kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 751mg | Potassium: 546mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 10490IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 2mg
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Carl says

      December 14, 2022 at 11:55 am

      5 stars
      I'm giving this 5 stars because it met my expectations and provided that comfort food kind of feeling, without the fat hangover. I've passed on every recipe that uses cashew cheese, as the saturated fat content is too high for me; may as well eat regular cheese.

      After looking at the ingredients, I did not for one minute expect that 'processed cheese food' kind of experience, and perhaps that's what allowed me to really appreciate this recipe. Realizing this, I also subbed in some chickpea pasta to assuage my wife's misgivings about a super carb-y dish.

      I did find that I needed to cook the squash several minutes longer than the recipe states. The key is cooking it to 'very tender', no matter how long it takes. I took it all the way to the point where it was almost melting away, leaving less work for the food processor to do, which I think results in a smoother consistency.

      I still have the other half of the butternut squash....perhaps I'll make it again!

      Reply
    2. Anonymous says

      June 28, 2022 at 11:06 am

      5 stars
      Everyone I’ve shared this recipe with absolutely adores it, even if they normally don’t like butternut squash. I also am not a huge butternut squash fan so I was skeptic all of trying this one out, but it was amazing! It’s great as-is, and I’ve also had success making it as a baked mac and cheese with a bread crumb topping. So good!

      Reply
    3. Veronica says

      December 21, 2021 at 4:03 pm

      It's not bad, but not very good. Very bland and kind of sweet. I don't know if I did something wrong, but I might try again with more spices. I also used shiro miso so that might have thrown it off.

      Reply
    4. Sylvia W says

      October 21, 2021 at 4:49 pm

      Somewhere recently someone mentioned butternut mac & cheese and my back brain sprang a leak it sounded so good.....but I have a reaaaaallly nasty allergy to cow milk in any form. Waaah! Then, when I came to my senses, I realized anything that sounds that good, someone must have done a Paleo and/or vegan version, so I started looking. Didn't take long to find a good double digit collection for my Pinterest 'cheezy' folder, but out of all of them this site stood out. I already have a bunch of email subscriptions to various recipe blogs, and I rarely add a new one since my time is limited.... But how could I resist a blog with a name like this one!?! Too clever by half, and so far I have liked the attitude, and the recipes. Hoping to have time to start cooking some of these, now that the evenings are finally cooling down a bit (central Florida takes its own sweet time acknowledging the change of seasons).

      Reply
    5. Rachel says

      February 01, 2021 at 11:13 am

      5 stars
      Loved this! It's sweet from the butternut squash and while it doesn't *quite* scratch the mac and cheese itch for me, it's SO good in its own right! The texture is divine. I added a quarter teaspoon of mustard powder (in a lot of cheese sauce recipes) and a bit of turmeric to make that yellow really pop. 🙂

      Reply
    6. Barb says

      December 04, 2020 at 4:59 pm

      How can you cut the sodium

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        December 17, 2020 at 9:10 am

        Reduce or omit the salt. 🙂

        Reply
    7. Moose Repole says

      November 21, 2020 at 4:51 pm

      I have been sooo excited to make this for weeks and once I finally set out to do it, I'm heartbroken to say it came out awful for me. I don't know if I undercooked my squash and that's why it didn't blend properly, or this is not a recipe that should be attempted with a low-speed blender like I have. The sauce came out chunky/watery and flavorless, and there was twice as much sauce as pasta. I don't really know how or why this happened, maybe I just messed up and added the wrong amount of some ingredients. I've loved every single other recipe I've ever made from this blog (which is MANY! <3), but I'm going to have to throw this one away. 🙁

      Reply
      • Carl says

        December 14, 2022 at 11:35 am

        I found that I needed to cook the butternut squash far longer than the recipe states. This will vary depending on the size of the cuts of squash you make. The recipe does state that the squash should be very tender. I think if you'd continued cooking the squash like I found I needed to, it would have turned out less chunky and watery.

        Reply
    8. Henna says

      November 19, 2020 at 5:28 pm

      5 stars
      So delicious! The texture and creaminess of the sauce is EVERYTHING! I'll definitely be making this again in the future!

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        November 26, 2020 at 12:27 pm

        Woohoo!! So thrilled you loved it, Henna 🙂

        Reply
    9. Stella says

      November 15, 2020 at 7:52 pm

      I loked it a lot. My meat eating family not so much 🙁 Do you know if the puree can be frozen for easier mac and cheese in the future?

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        November 19, 2020 at 4:38 pm

        Yes it should freeze nicely, enjoy!

        Reply
    10. Beth says

      October 23, 2020 at 8:26 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious! We made your tofu crumbles and mixed them in. A winning combination 🙂

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        October 28, 2020 at 4:04 pm

        OOO sounds delish!

        Reply
    11. Sarah Jones says

      October 22, 2020 at 12:56 pm

      5 stars
      Amazing! This was so easy to make and came out so delicious. I used rotini pasta. The creaminess from the butternut squash makes this recipe a new favorite. I'll have to stock up on squash and make this all winter!

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        October 28, 2020 at 4:00 pm

        Wonderful! So happy you loved it, Sarah 🙂

        Reply
      • Tiffany says

        February 14, 2021 at 1:41 pm

        5 stars
        This is amazing! Thank you for this recipe, it’s better than any Mac and cheese I had before going vegan! I could eat it everyday

        Reply
        • Sam Turnbull says

          February 15, 2021 at 4:17 pm

          Haha, amazing! So happy you enjoyed Tiffany 🙂

    12. Jennifer says

      October 18, 2020 at 4:20 pm

      This was sooooooo good! I used penne pasta. My whole family loved it! It was so simple to make with already cut up squash. So very healthy and I was impressed that it tasted so good without any nuts or coconut milk! It’s a keeper!

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        October 22, 2020 at 11:22 am

        Wonderful! Thrilled you loved it so much, Jennifer!!

        Reply
    13. Sherry Schreffler says

      October 15, 2020 at 10:54 am

      I have light yellow miso. Will that work ok? Or should I get white. Thanks! I can't wait to make this recipe!!

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        October 16, 2020 at 9:54 am

        That should work fine. Enjoy!

        Reply
    14. Lettuce says

      October 14, 2020 at 2:15 pm

      Hey, Sam! Was there a specific way to cook the butternut squash for this recipe or just until it’s soft enough to blend?

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        October 16, 2020 at 9:53 am

        Full instructions are written in the recipe. 🙂

        Reply
    15. Jenn says

      October 14, 2020 at 12:53 pm

      5 stars
      OMG!!! OMG!!! This is AMAZING!!! Took a shortcut and used frozen steamable butternut squash & extra nutritional yeast & some red pepper flakes. So So yummy & easy. Finally a no nut mac n cheeze. Thank you

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        October 16, 2020 at 9:50 am

        Woohoo! You're so welcome, Jenn! Thrilled you enjoyed 🙂

        Reply

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    Sam Turnbull

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