This is a recipe I have been meaning to share for almost a year now! It is incredibly easy, crazy flavorful, and soul soothing. This creamy vegan butternut squash mac and cheese will totally withstand a fight with the real deal because it is THAT GOOD!
The sauce is quickly made in a blender which is amazingly easy and has so much incredible flavor. Most know that nutritional yeast will give you that cheesy flavor, but the key to this vegan mac and cheese recipe is the dijon mustard. Truly do not skip it!
What you’ll get with this recipe:
- Vegan comfort food
- A hearty meal that makes incredible leftovers
- Creamy vegan cheese sauce that you will keep making again and again
- A perfect recipe for the fall and winter!
- An easy way to use up some cans of butternut squash of pumpkin hiding in your pantry.
Ingredients For Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese Vegan Recipe
- Pasta noodles, of your choosing
- Cashews
- Non-dairy milk
- Nutritional Yeast + Spices
- Butternut Squash or Pumpkin Puree
- Dijon Mustard
- Crackers
- Fresh Thyme
- Vegan Butter
The Instagram post for this recipe was sponsored by Edward and Sons Trading Co., however, this blog post is not sponsored and I just wanted to share this awesome recipe with my non Instagram blog followers!
The icing on the cake, I mean the crust on the mac and cheese is buttery and herby and is totally not optional. I used Edward and Sons Toasted Onion Brown Rice Crackers and crush them up and toasted them with vegan butter, fresh thyme, and salt and pepper. It just adds a nice little oomph to a basic vegan mac and cheese, ya know?
How To Make This Super Easy Vegan Mac And Cheese
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and grease a 10.5 x 7.5 dish with a little olive oil
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package. Leave it a bit al dente as it will continue to cook in the oven the final 10 minutes
- Soak Cashews
- Make your buttery cracker cru: In a pan over medium heat add vegan butter and thyme leaves cooking until nice and fragrant. Add crush crackers, coating entirely and adding salt & pepper to taste. Remove from heat and set aside (try not to eat all the cracker crust)
- Drain and rinse cashews and transfer to a blender with almond milk, butternut squash, spices, mustard, garlic & nutritional yeast. Blend until completely smooth and taste to adjust for seasonings per your liking
- Drain pasta and toss with vegan cheese sauce
- Add mac and cheese to prepared dish and top with toasted onion cracker topping
- Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and devour!
If you make this super easy, creamy, delicious vegan mac and cheese, please let us know by leaving a review and rating below!
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For More Vegan Recipes, Check Out The Following:
- Hearts of Palm Vegan Po Boy
- Vegan Cauliflower Al Pastor Tacos
- The BEST Rustic Soft Sandwich Bread
- Vegan Rugelach 3 Ways
Vegan Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
Butternut Squash Cheese Sauce
- 16 oz. pasta noodles my fav is something a little bigger that catches all the sauce inside!
- 2 cups cashews soaked in boiling water for 20 mins
- 2 cups unsweetened almond milk
- 1 cup nutritional yeast
- ½ cup canned butternut squash or pumpkin
- 5 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
Buttery Cracker Crust
- 1 package of crackers of your choice at least 3.5 oz.
- 4 tbsps vegan butter
- 5 springs of thyme stems removed
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375F degrees and grease a 10.5 x 7.5 dish with a little olive oil
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package, but leaving it a little al dente as it will continue cooking in oven
- While cashews soak, make your cracker topping
- In a pan over medium heat, add vegan butter and thyme and let sit until fragrant. Then add your crushed crackers and coat entirely, tasting and adding a bit of salt and pepper as needed, then remove from heat and set aside
- Drain and rinse cashews and transfer to a blender with almond milk, butternut squash, spices, mustard, garlic & nutritional yeast
- Blend until completely smooth and taste to adjust for seasonings per your liking
- Drain pasta and toss with your vegan cheese sauce
- Add mac and cheese to prepared dish then top with the buttery cracker crust and bake for 10 minutes
- Remove from oven and devour!
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