*This post may contain affiliate links. Read more »
Yeah, well you could serve a fairly basic mac as part of your holiday menu, but you aren't the most boring person in the galaxy, so… This vegan pumpkin mac and cheese is baked under crispy seitan bacon with sage and panko. Anything but basic, and wayyy more deluxe than your most closed-minded non-veg guests can resist.
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Cinnamon Snail.
I know what you are worried about, because it was the same thing I feared when I first came up with my vegan butternut squash mac and cheese too. Nope, this isn't sweet and weird. Instead it's unmistakably cheesy, rich and doesn't taste a wee bit like a savory version of vegan pumpkin pie, so chill.
This isn't a quick stovetop mac either, but actually, that's a feature, not a bug.
Baking it under that crispy panko-bacon-sage insanity gives you something that earns its spot on the table next to the big stuff instead of getting relegated to the kids' table because it's "just tired ol' mac and cheese."
Jump to:
🥰 Why you'll adore this vegan pumpkin macaroni and cheese recipe
🎃 It's Not Sweet & It Actually Works: Like my pumpkin risotto, this isn't a sweet pumpkin monstrosity. Smoked paprika, nooch, Dijon, and miso opened a deeply savory alternate pumpkin reality that just happens to be orange.
🌾🙅♀️Easily Made GF: Simply use Tinkyada brown rice macaroni and GF panko, and use my tofu bacon as your weapon of choice, and you've got one of your new fave gluten-free vegan recipes at long last.
🥓 A Vegan Bacon Choose Your Own Adventure: Don't want a project? Grab store-bought. Ambitious? Make your own from one of my zillion bacon recipes and spend a fraction of the price for bacon that's exactly how you want it.
✅ Tested and Approved Worldwide: Like all my vegan recipes, this one already survived over 1,000 recipe testers before it ever saw daylight. Apparently, a few people just ate it plain with a fork standing at the kitchen counter. That's chill.
I'm on my knees staring weirdly into your eyes, asking you in a soothing voice to be my taste-testing partner in crime. Sign up for the recipe testing crew and get early access to new recipes before they're published.
🧀 Pumpkin Mac and Cheese Ingredients
Pumpkin Puree
Grab plain pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. That stuff's already loaded with sugar and spices you don't want here.
If you bought a giant can of pumpkin puree and now you're staring at 3 leftover cups, my vegan pumpkin muffins, vegan pumpkin cinnamon rolls, or vegan pumpkin creme brûlée are all ready to help you dispose of them in the yummiest ways.
Nutritional Yeast
Yeah, 1 ½ cups is basically a megaton of nooch, but that's exactly why the sauce actually tastes like cheese instead of butternut squash hummus. Flakes, powder, doesn't matter, they work interchangeably, so buy whichever's cheaper.
Tapioca Starch
Tapioca starch is what turns this sauce more melty-cheese-adjacent than being just tofu stuff that dressed up as orange puree for Halloween.
No tapioca on hand? Potato starch is a solid stand-in.
The Miso
Rather than using salt, white miso's salty, fermented umami makes the cheese sauce taste way more complex. It's not a 1-trick pony either. If you don't know what to do with the rest of your miso, it's awesome in Japanese sweet potato soup and maple roasted carrots too.
The Pasta
Elbow macaroni, small shells, or any short pasta with ridges works great here, since it holds onto all that creamy sauce instead of letting it slide right off.
If you're making this gluten free, Tinkyada is the best out there. It holds its texture through baking way better than most GF pastas that tend to fall apart. My wife's GF, and I make this for our whole family regularly, and for real, our kids can't even tell it's not "regular" pasta.
The Bacon
Folded in and also piled on top, bacon gives this Mac the smoky, salty crunch that makes it next level.
Marbled seitan bacon is the winner texture-wise, staying chewy instead of going limp on you. But tempeh bacon, carrot bacon, and tofu bacon all work too and those can be your options if you are making this gluten-free. Skip rice paper bacon for this one, it just dissolves into nothingness once baked into a sauce.
If you are just grabbing one from the store to use, old school as it is, Lightlife's still my go-to, and for folks who want to make this GF, mycelium-based "My Bacon" works, though fair warning, it's a little weird, kinda like eating a fried kombucha SCOBY.
The Breadcrumbs
I love the texture of panko for topping mac, but regular breadcrumbs or even GF panko both work fine too. Skipping the baking and eating it as-is instead? Don't even bother with this layer. Unbaked breadcrumbs are not doing anything for you there.
*See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact quantities, nutritional info, and detailed cooking directions.
🤯 Other Autumnal Macs
Vegan Truffle Mac and Cheese
My vegan truffle mac and cheese uses potato, tofu, and a generous pour of truffle oil, I've actually served tens of thousands of pounds of this off my food truck, so better bet it's pretty dang good.
Vegan Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
Different squash running the show. Vegan roasted butternut squash mac and cheese has been one of the most popular recipes I have shared over the years in my annual online vegan Thanksgiving programs.
50 stunning holiday classics designed to win over even the most anti-vegan guests.
Grab my easy-yo-use app that builds your whole week with real, chef-tested vegan dinners in 30 seconds, customized to your budget, time, and taste, with a shopping list sorted by aisle.
📖 How to make vegan pumpkin macaroni and cheese
This one's got 3 things happening at once, pasta, sauce, and bacon, so if you've ever successfully cooked dinner and answered a text at the same time, you're already qualified. Follow the steps and tips below, or scroll to the recipe card if you've done this dance before.
Step One
Boil George:
Bring the water and salt to a boil in a large pot. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions until just al dente.
Step Two
In Drain In The Membrane:
Drain the pasta and rinse under cold running water for about 2 minutes to stop the cooking.
Step Three
Blend It Like Beckham:
While the pasta cooks and drains, get the cheese sauce going. Crumble the drained tofu into a blender pitcher or food processor along with the garlic, onion, pumpkin puree, tapioca starch, plant milk, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, nutritional yeast, smoked paprika, Dijon mustard, and white miso.
Blend on high for 90 seconds until completely smooth, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides.
Step Four
Got the Ick? More Like Got The Thicccc.
Transfer the cheese sauce to a large saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. After 4 to 6 minutes it will start to thicken. Continue cooking for 2-3 minutes, stirring the whole time, until smooth and bubbling.
Step Five
Bacon Bad:
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped vegan bacon and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned all over.
Step Six
Sage Francis:
Add the sage to the cooking bacon and sauté for 30-45 seconds, just to wilt the leaves. Remove from the heat.
Step Seven
Bacon Up Is Hard to Do:
Add the drained pasta and cooked bacon mixture to the sauce and stir until evenly coated. If the sauce is too thick, add a few tablespoons of plant milk at a time until it reaches the consistency you want.
Step Eight
Mac to the Future:
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Transfer the macaroni and cheese to a baking dish and spread into an even layer.
Step Nine
Panks A Lot:
Sprinkle the panko and uncooked vegan bacon over the top. Drizzle with olive oil and bake for 15-20 minutes, until the topping is crisp and the edges are bubbling.
Step Ten
Pump' Fiction:
Garnish with sage leaves and chives before serving.
💡Serving Ideas
This is enough to eat solo, no company required. But on Thanksgiving it doesn't get to be a lone wolf.
Set it next to a stuffed vegan turkey roast or a vegan mushroom Wellington. Throw a butternut squash salad or cranberry ezme on the side, so that you have some fresh, bright, raw flavors in the mix too.
Come Halloween, this thing crashes a completely different party, right next to vegan pumpkin cheesecake, vegan pumpkin donuts, or a full extra-creepy human tofu baby if you're actively trying to traumatize your non-vegan relatives at dinner.
👉Top tips
- Broil It for the Last Minute If You Can: Once the bake time's up, flip to broil for 60-90 seconds and do not walk away, not even to check your phone. This is the fastest route to deeply golden, actually crispy panko.
- Taste the Sauce Before It Hits the Pasta: Once this thing's assembled and baked, you're stuck with whatever seasoning you committed to. Taste it solo first and get the salt, smokiness, and tang exactly right before it's too late to fix anything.
- Cover Loosely With Foil If the Topping Browns Too Fast: Hot oven, overachieving panko, cold center, nobody wins. Tent it loosely with foil for the last few minutes so the middle can catch up without the top burning to a crisp and the whole thingy is drying TF out.
🤷♀️ Recipe FAQs
Uh, heck yes you can.. Small shells, cavatappi, or any short pasta with ridges or curves work great since it holds onto the sauce.
Cook it al dente since it's getting a second round in the oven.
If you are rocking this for Halloween, go find yourself some spooky specialty pasta shapes online. There's some fun ones like skulls, bats, little ghosts, and they're begging to be drowning in cheese sauce.
Not as written, seeing as regular pasta and regular panko are both very committed to their gluten. Swap in gluten-free pasta, my go-to is Tinkyada, and gluten-free panko, then double check your vegan bacon ingredient label since gluten loves to hide there.
Yep, easy. This mac doesn't need bacon to function like some people need their morning coffee. Bump up the smoked paprika a touch and move on with your life.
🧊 In the Fridge
Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days. The sauce thickens as it chills, which is completely normal. This doesn't really freeze that well. Sorry.
🔥 Reheating
Warm in a 350°F (175°C) oven for about 15 minutes covered, and then an additional couple of minutes with the lid off.
✌️You'll Adore these other vegan pumpkin recipes too
Unlock a discounted bundle of classes that walk you through vegan Thanksgiving menus with detailed video instruction from Chef Adam Sobel.
Vegan Pumpkin Mac and Cheese Recipe
Equipment
- food processor (optional)
Ingredients
For the Pumpkin Cheese Sauce:
- 14 oz. Tofu medium firm, drained
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- ¼ cup onion minced
- 15 oz. pumpkin puree
- ⅓ cup tapioca starch
- 1 cup unsweetened plant-based milk
- ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 ½ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- ⅓ cup white miso
For the Macaroni:
- 1 lb. Elbow macaroni small shells, or other pasta
- 12 cups of water
- 1 teaspoon salt
Mix Ins:
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- ½ cup vegan bacon chopped
- ¼ cup sage chopped
Optional Topping:
- ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ½ cup vegan bacon chopped, uncooked
- 4 teaspoons olive oil
- 20 leaves fresh sage
- 1 tablespoon chives thinly sliced
Instructions
- Bring the water and salt to a boil in a large pot. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions until just al dente.
- Drain the pasta and rinse it under cold running water for about 2 minutes to stop the cooking.
- While the pasta cooks and drains, get the cheese sauce prepared. Crumble the drained tofu and add it to a blender pitcher or food processor along with the garlic, onion, pumpkin puree, tapioca starch, plant milk, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, nutritional yeast, smoked paprika, Dijon mustard, and white miso. Blend for 90 seconds on high speed until completely smooth. Stop and scrape down the sides of the pitcher once or twice during the blending to make sure everything get's mixed in.
- Transfer the cheese sauce to a large saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. After 4-6 minutes, the sauce will begin to thicken. Continue cooking for 2-3 minutes, stirring continuously, until smooth and bubbling.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped vegan bacon (seitan bacon is my personal top choice for this) and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned all over.
- Add the sage to the cooking seitan and sauté for 30-45 seconds just to wilt the leaves. Remove from the heat.
- Add the drained pasta and cooked vegan bacon mixture to the sauce and stir until evenly coated. If the sauce is too thick, add some additional unsweetened plat based milk a few tablespoons at a time until the desired consistency is reached.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Transfer the macaroni and cheese to a baking dish and spread into an even layer.
- Sprinkle the panko breadcrumbs and uncooked vegan bacon over the top. Drizzle with olive oil and bake for 15-20 minutes, until the topping is crisp and the edges are bubbling.
- Garnish with the sage leaves and chives before serving.
Notes
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Cinnamon Snail.
Leave a Reply