My family loves this pumpkin mac and cheese! Our recipe is easy to make, and the pumpkin truly makes the cheese sauce extra creamy and delicious. This is the perfect Fall dinner!
If you have yet to try it, adding pumpkin puree to macaroni and cheese makes everything creamier and even more delicious. I was amazed when I first tried it. Pumpkin really makes mac and cheese taste incredible!
Use homemade pumpkin puree, or consider this recipe the perfect excuse for using leftover canned pumpkin during the Fall. I usually break out this recipe after making a batch of pumpkin scones or pumpkin spice lattes.
Key Ingredients
- Pasta: I use pasta with nooks and crannies since they do a great job holding onto our creamy pumpkin sauce. Elbow macaroni and shells are great options.
- Pumpkin: Use pure pumpkin for this (not pumpkin mix, which has some spices added to it). Libby’s or Whole Foods 365 are reliable store-bought options. Or make your own. Here’s our pumpkin puree recipe.
- Butter and Flour: The combination of butter and flour thickens our creamy cheese sauce. You’ll cook them together on the stove and then add the milk. The mixture thickens, and you can add your cheese. Easy!
- Milk: I use whole or reduced-fat milk for the cheese sauce.
- Cheese: I love cheddar cheese for macaroni and cheese. It’s flavorful and melts beautifully. I also prefer to grate the cheese myself. It melts so much better than the bags of pre-shredded cheese.
- Extras: To make this pumpkin mac and cheese taste incredible, I stir in a little mustard, black pepper, and nutmeg.
How to Make Pumpkin Mac and Cheese
Our favorite savory way to use pumpkin is to stir it into a cheesy, velvety sauce and make pumpkin mac and cheese. Just like our baked mac and cheese and this creamy mac and cheese, this pumpkin sauce is easy to make on the stove.
To make it, melt butter in a large pan, then whisk in flour until light brown and nutty. Pour in some milk and whisk until the sauce thickens. Once you have a creamy sauce, it’s all about the seasonings. We add salt, pepper, nutmeg, mustard for some zing, and pumpkin puree.
For the cheese, we use extra sharp cheddar. It just tastes better that way. We also grate the cheese ourselves. After making many batches of mac and cheese, we’ve found that home-grated cheese melts more easily than the cheese sold pre-grated in bags.
When the cheese melts, the sauce is ready for the pasta. For stovetop mac and cheese, you can stop at this point, grab a bowl, and dig in. Or, for an extra cheesy crust, you can bake it. And that’s it! Simple pumpkin mac and cheese! You’re going to love it.
Easy Pumpkin Mac and Cheese
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
My family loves this pumpkin mac and cheese recipe! Pumpkin puree makes a velvety, rich mac and cheese. Use pure pumpkin puree, not the can labeled “pumpkin pie mix,” since spices are added. Homemade pumpkin puree is an excellent option, as well. You can also swap pumpkin for another squash, such as butternut squash. If you are able, buy a block of cheese and then coarsely grate it instead of buying pre-shredded cheese. In our experience, home-grated cheese melts better and becomes more creamy than grated cheese out of a bag.
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
1 pound (450g) pasta, such as macaroni or shells
Salt, as needed
4 tablespoons (55g) unsalted butter
1/4 cup (30g) all-purpose flour
2 cups (470ml) milk, whole or 2% are best
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon finely grated nutmeg
1 cup (227g) pure pumpkin puree, try homemade pumpkin puree
2 cups (226g) grated sharp cheddar cheese, 8 ounces
Directions
1Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Butter a 3-quart casserole dish or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta as directed on the package. (Usually 7 to 10 minutes). Drain.
3Melt the butter in a large, high-sided pan over medium heat. When it begins to bubble, add the flour. Cook, whisking constantly for 2 to 3 minutes until the butter smells fragrant and nutty. The color of the butter-flour mixture will turn light brown.
4While whisking, slowly pour in the milk. Continue to cook, whisking constantly until the sauce bubbles and thickens.
5Reduce the heat to low, and then season the sauce with a 1/2 teaspoon of salt, pepper, nutmeg, and mustard.
6Add the pumpkin puree and three-quarters of the grated cheese. Stir until the cheese has melted and the sauce is smooth. Taste the sauce for seasoning and adjust with more salt or pepper.
7Stir the cooked pasta into the sauce until well coated, then spoon into the prepared baking dish and top with remaining cheese.
8Bake uncovered until golden brown on top, for about 25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing: Keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To freeze, transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 2 months. Bake, covered, in a 350°F oven for about an hour. Or thaw overnight and gently reheat on the stove (if it seems dry, add a tablespoon or two of extra milk).
- Dutch oven: If you have one, make the sauce in an oven-safe Dutch oven. This way, there is no need to dirty a baking dish. Instead, mix the pasta and sauce in the Dutch oven and bake.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
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I halved the recipe but otherwise followed exactly. This turned out really yummy; you can’t even tell there’s pumpkin in it other than maybe the faint hint of nutmeg signaling something is different. As just a mac and cheese recipe, it’s excellent; the pumpkin is just a nutritious plus.
Delicious! We will be making this again for sure!
Everything’s looks so delicious! First time joining anything. I am so anxious to get started. Thanks so much, marjotie
Making the pumpkin Mac and cheese now-might add some cooked bacon- sure sounds good
It was very good even one of my cats liked it.
Thank you. This recipe was a hit at my Friendsgiving. The only major change I made was adding in some smoked gouda in place of about 1/4 of the cheddar. I topped with some parmesan before baking in the oven. Mmm.
So I made this recipe but I added buffalo sauce and chicken to make a spin on my kicken chicken pasta and it’s amazing really creamy and spicy just the best .quick question can I stick it in the fridge and then put it in the oven and let it bake ?
Yes, definitely.
My family loved this! It’s a great way to make mac and cheese a bit heathier!
I use your recipe for Hummus…..love it. I love pumpkin and found this while looking at your hummus recipe so trying this tonight.
Thanks you two.
I didn’t have the dijon mustard but I did make it. It looks good I need to have my family comment. Thank you so much for your straight forward help.
Hi – have just applied to join you for emails.
Wanted to print off the PumpkinMac recipe and wondered how I can do so without the pictures , please?
Glad to have your join our newsletter! Unfortunately we don’t have an option to remove the photos from the printer friendly printout at the moment.