This vegan butternut squash mac and cheese is rich, creamy and super cheesy! It’s also so easy to make and the perfect comfort food.
This vegan butternut squash mac and cheese is everything you want it to be. Cheesy, saucy, creamy, rich and satisfying.
And you will seriously not believe how cheesy this is! But oh my – it is.
It’s also really quite simple to make. The hardest part is waiting for the butternut squash to roast in the oven. Once your butternut squash is roasted, it’s just a case of blending up your sauce, mixing it with your pasta and dinner is served.
And of course if you love a good mac and cheese recipe then check out our classic baked vegan mac and cheese!
How To Make Vegan Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
- Roast the butternut squash. Add peeled and cubed butternut squash to a mixing bowl along with olive oil, crushed garlic, smoked paprika, sea salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper and toss together well.
- Spread it out evenly in a roasting pan or parchment lined baking tray and roast in the oven at 390°F (200°C) for 35 minutes.
- Prepare your sauce. Add raw cashews, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion powder, dijon mustard, lemon juice and 1 cup of vegetable stock to the blender jug and blend until smooth. Set aside.
- Prepare your pasta. 15 minutes before the butternut is finished roasting, cook and drain your pasta.
- Put it all together. When the butternut squash has roasted, add it to the blender jug on top of your cashew sauce. Add in another cup of vegetable stock and blend until you have a smooth sauce. Return the cooked pasta to the pot, pour over the sauce and gently toss it together until the pasta is well coated. Stir it over low to medium heat for a few minutes to gently warm everything together.
- Serve. Serve it topped with fresh chopped parsley and ground black pepper.
Ingredient Notes
Raw Cashews. These make up the base of the sauce. If you have a cashew allergy then slivered or blanched almonds would also work. We did not soak them first as when they are first blended up there is quite a lot of liquid so it is an easy blend. But you know your blender best, if you think your blender will struggle, then soak them first. Place the cashews into a bowl, pour over hot water from the kettle and let them soak for 15 minutes, then drain and rinse.
Nutritional Yeast. Creates some of the cheesy flavor. This is completely different to a regular yeast that you would use in baking bread. Nutritional yeast is a cheesy flavor bomb and it’s delicious. However, we do also create cheesy flavor here with the cashews and butternut squash so you can leave it out if it’s really hard to find where you are, or if you don’t like it.
Dijon Mustard. This is one of our favorite ingredients to really bring out cheesy flavor! Regular prepared yellow mustard also works just fine.
Pasta. We used macaroni pasta but elbow macaroni or penne or shells would also work great.
Add Veggies. If you want to add some veggies in then green veggies like broccoli or peas would be a great addition, also cauliflower, roasted bell peppers, asparagus or zucchini. Just toss the cooked veggies with the pasta and sauce.
Recipe Q&A
You absolutely can, it’s super easy to do. All you have to do is use a gluten-free pasta and you’re done! The cheese part of this macaroni and cheese is already gluten-free.
You sure can. If you want to bake this, it would be divine! Instead of serving it right away, transfer it into a 9×13 baking dish, top with some vegan cheese or breadcrumbs and bake for 20 minutes at 390°F (200°C).
Leftovers keep wonderfully in the fridge for 4-5 days and can be reheated in the microwave or on the stove. You can add in a dash of non-dairy milk when reheating if the sauce gets too thick.
It’s freezer friendly for up to 3 months if you want to freeze it.
More Delicious Vegan Dinners
- Vegan Alfredo Sauce
- Classic Baked Vegan Mac and Cheese
- Vegan Shepherd’s Pie
- The Best Vegan Lasagna
- Vegan Pasta Bake
- Vegan Stuffed Shells
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
Roasted Butternut Squash:
- 5 cups Butternut Squash (750g) Peeled and Chopped
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Tablespoon Crushed Garlic
- ½ teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- ¼ teaspoon Sea Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- ¼ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
Cashew Cheese Sauce:
- 1 cup Raw Cashews (150g)
- 3 Tablespoons Nutritional Yeast
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
- 2 cups Vegetable Stock (480ml) Divided
Pasta:
- 16 ounces Macaroni Pasta (450g) Dry Weight
Serving:
- Fresh Chopped Parsley
- Ground Black Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C).
- Add peeled and cubed butternut squash to a mixing bowl along with olive oil, crushed garlic, smoked paprika, sea salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper and toss together well.
- Spread it out evenly in a roasting pan or on a parchment lined baking tray and roast in the oven for 35 minutes until roasted.
- While butternut squash is roasting, add raw cashews, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion powder, dijon mustard, lemon juice and 1 cup of vegetable stock to the blender jug and blend until smooth. Set aside.
- 15 minutes before the butternut is finished roasting, cook and drain your pasta.
- When the butternut squash has roasted, add it to the blender jug on top of your cashew cheese sauce. Add in the remaining cup of vegetable stock and blend until you have a smooth sauce.
- Return the cooked pasta to the pot, pour over the sauce and gently toss it together until the pasta is well coated. Stir over low to medium heat for a few minutes to gently warm everything together.
- Serve topped with fresh chopped parsley and ground black pepper.
Video
Notes
- Cashews: We did not soak them first as when they are first blended up there is quite a lot of liquid so it is an easy blend. But you know your blender best, if you think your blender will struggle, then soak them first. Place the cashews into a bowl, pour over hot water from the kettle and let them soak for 15 minutes, then drain and rinse.
- Pasta: We used macaroni pasta but elbow macaroni or penne or shells would also work great.
- Add veggies: If you want to add some veggies in then green veggies like broccoli or peas would be a great addition, also cauliflower, roasted bell peppers, asparagus or zucchini. Just toss the cooked veggies with the pasta and sauce.
- Make It Gluten-Free: Just use a gluten-free pasta to make this meal gluten-free.
- Storing and Freezing: Leftovers keep wonderfully in the fridge for 4-5 days and can be reheated in the microwave or on the stove. You can add in a dash of non-dairy milk when reheating if the sauce gets too thick. It’s also freezer friendly for up to 3 months if you want to freeze it.
- This recipe was first published in October 2017. The recipe has been updated with new photos and an improved and simplified recipe.
Can I use frozen butternut squash and roast it? Or would it change the texture?
I think that will be fine!
I was expecting legit Macncheese taste but it didn’t quite live up to the hype. I respect the whole food ingredients, texture, and color but taste wasn’t quite there.
I wasn’t too sure about this recipe but when it was ready, I was blown away! It was delicious! I did cover with some spiced breadcrumbs and baked it in the oven and my husband and I loved it!
So glad you loved it Penny! Thanks so much for the amazing review.
This was amazing, I have really struggled with giving up cheese, this may not be “real” Mac n Cheese but it was sooo satisfying! I have found my replacement recipe! Thank you, I did a happy dance when I tasted it!lol!So delish!
Awesome Kanetta! Thanks so much for the great comment!
Hi there. I’d like to make this for dinner. Do I have to soak cashews first?
You don’t have to soak them first unless you know your blender will really struggle. When you first blend the cashews there is a lot of liquid so it’s usually an easy blend. However, you know your blender and if you think a quick soak is necessary then you can do so, just place them in a bowl, pour over hot water from the kettle and let them soak for 15 minutes.
Do you have any tips on cutting/peeling butternut squashes because it’s like a workout just to get it down to cubes!
Trim both ends off so they’re flat, then slice the butternut squash in half in the center, so that both halves have flat ends so they can stand upright without wobbling. Then use a sharp knife to slice down the sides and shave the skin off. When all the skin is removed, slice each half in half again. Use a spoon to scrape out seeds. Lie them down on the flat sides, not the curved sides so that it’s stable and then you can easily cut into cubes or semi circles or whatever you need. Hope that makes sense!
Save your fingers! Don’t. Roast the squash way whole or after cutting in half. If you want cubes, take it out to cool once a fork can be inserted. Then you can cube, slice or peel easily and put it back in the oven. Since the recipe is for liquid, you could also just roast it completely – just takes a bit more time than cubes. Nearly lost a finger once, now I always pre-roast my hard squash.
I usually use sunflower seeds for my cheeses, cashews are very expensive here. Sometimes I also use strained oat milk.
I finally found a delicious vegan mac and cheese recipe. I’ve tried a few others and they have been bland but not this one. The squash really adds a flavorful and nutritious element. I baked the squash instead of dicing it just because it is much easier and I’m always afraid I’m going to lose a finger peeling squash. I didn’t need to blend it after because it was already soft. Just mixed it in with the cashew sauce and was done. Very good recipe!
Thanks Vicki! So glad you enjoyed it.
My husband gave the Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese recipe the greatest compliment. (Breakfast is his favorite meal of the day.) “The greatest compliment I can give a dish is having it for breakfast!” As for me, the BSMC recipe was very moist like bechamel mac & cheese:)
Awesome! Thanks so much Jamie!
I have not made this yet but i am giving it 5 stars because I have tried other recipes on your site and they are so good. I have a question about the squash thou. Can I use frozen butternut squash? If so how would I do it? I hope you can advise me as am craving baked mac and cheese! Thank you so much!!
Hi Shannon, if you’re craving a baked mac and cheese then I think our classic baked mac and cheese recipe would be right up your street. If you want to make this one though then I think frozen butternut squash would also work fine. 🙂
Thank you for replying!! I have some frozen pureed squash in my freezer! I just need to get a few things then i am making this! I will check out your other mac and cheese also
I spent two weeks with my niece and her family who are vegetarian and I enjoyed the food and never missed the meat. I have done some vegetarian meals at home but decided to go to a plant based diet fully. I went to the internet for recipes and came across your site. I sent for your book and this is the first recipe I tried and it is absolutely delicious and easy to make. I did not put on the Topping this time but it was still great. One thing though my immersion blender was not making it smooth so I just scooped it into my blender and all was well. Thank you so much
Hi Joan! So awesome to hear you are enjoying a plant based diet! And so glad you liked this recipe, thanks for posting! 🙂
Made this as a treat and it was delicious I added broccoli to.
Oh awesome, adding broccoli would be great for this! Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
Amazing and fabulously cheesy mac and cheese!
Looks incredible! OMG!
Thanks! It tastes amazing too! 🙂