Yesterday’s joke has actually turned into a self-fulfilling prophecy; I’ve been eating pumpkin non-stop all week. And I can’t seem to stop. Maybe there is some truth to my Long Weekend Hangover theory after all. Pumpkin does make everything better.
Oh, and I have a great Pumpkin chia pudding recipe coming up. It might be one of my all-time favourite quick & easy pumpkin recipes. It’s that exciting.
But so is this cheeze sauce…
I was thrilled to find out that many of you went crazy for my Butternut Mac ‘n Cheeze recipe. This recipe might go down as one of the most popular in 2011. I received all kinds of comments, tweets, Facebook comments, and emails about this recipe last week. It’s always good to know that you guys enjoy the same crazy things that I do!
I knew a pumpkin version of this cheeze sauce was not far away. Many of you commented and told me that you made a pumpkin version and it turned out great. I was pretty excited about how quickly it would come together. All I had to do was stir in a cup of canned pumpkin at the end of making the sauce. Quick and easy!
There’s no blender required. No food processor. Just a stove top (but I’m sure you could also make this in the microwave too).
This Pumpkin Cheeze sauce exceeded my expectations. I couldn’t keep my spoon out of it.
Ok, Ok, it was my finger. Sue me.
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Pumpkin Mac ‘n Cheeze Sauce
Dear KD & Velveeta, deepest sympathies. xo
Adapted from Butternut Mac n Cheeze.
Yield: ~1.25-1.5 cups or approx. 4 servings
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp Earth Balance (or other non-dairy butter replacer)
- 3/4 cup unsweetened and unflavoured Almond milk
- 1 tbsp arrowroot powder (or cornstarch or flour)
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 6 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 cup canned pumpkin
- Kosher salt & black pepper, to taste (I used 1/2 tsp salt)
- herbs/seasonings, to taste (sage or cinnamon would be nice!)
1. Add Earth balance in a pot over low-medium heat.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together milk and arrowroot powder (or cornstarch or flour) and garlic powder until clumps are gone. Add into pot and whisk.
3. Stir in nutritional yeast, Dijon, S & P and whisk over low heat until thickened (about 5-7 minutes or so). Lastly, add in 1 cup of canned pumpkin and stir until combined and heated through.
Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 7 days.
Nutritional Info: (per serving, based on 4 servings): 138 kcals, 4 grams fat (1 gram sat fat), 18 grams carbs, 6 grams fibre, 11 grams protein, 2 grams sugar.
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This was so easy I wanted to shed tears of happiness. I’ve been having my share of frustrations with recipes over the past couple weeks and to have something come together perfectly on the first try was welcomed.
I love how orange the sauce is too. I never thought I would see the day when I would eat a cheeze sauce and feel healthy! The nutritional info was also a pleasant surprise (see end of recipe). I forgot how much protein and fibre nutritional yeast has in it!
I also wanted to point out that I made a couple adjustments to the original recipe. I cut the milk down to 3/4 cup instead of using 1 cup to make the sauce a bit thicker. I also cut down the salt to 1/2 tsp instead of 3/4 tsp. Lastly, I increased the nutritional yeast to 6 tbsp instead of 5 tbsp. I’ve updated these changes in the Butternut sauce recipe too.
I made two servings of pasta and added enough sauce until I felt like it was enough.
…which is a lot. :)
Bring it on!
As for which version I like better?
It’s close. I would have to say the butternut version wins by an inch. You really cant beat fresh, roasted butternut! With that being said, I know I will end up making this version more often just because it’s so easy.
Now, you can spice up this sauce any way you’d like.
I think a little cinnamon stirred in would be lovely to bring out the pumpkin flavour. I actually added some dried sage (after the photoshoot) and that was nice too.
I served it with red kidney beans and sautéed kale and a sprinkle of Herbamare. I also used some leftover cornbread topping and mixed it into my mac ‘n cheeze. Great idea.
Wondering where to purchase nutritional yeast? You can find it in the natural foods section of many grocery stores (Loblaws/Superstore carries it) as well as bulk food stores and health stores. I’m sure you can find it online too. For those of you who purchase nutritional yeast, please leave a comment and let me (and others) know where you buy it!
What other ways do you think this sauce could be adapted? Any other mix-in ideas? Any other vegetables?
I vow to try them all.
This is great! I love making my mac and cheese with butternut squash – so satisfying!
Hi Angela! I love your site and all your recipes. I can’t wait to make this for my family! I have a GIGANTIC thing of canned pumpkin and don’t have any idea how I’m gonna finish the entire batch. I tried your pumpkin spiced latte and I just have to say that it is AMAZING. Even I, a person who hates coffee, loved it. I’m so excited to try this! I’m probably going to top it with nutmeg because I love that junk. Also, recipe suggestions: Sweet Potato Hummus? Pumpkin Nut Bread? Soft Vanilla Sugar Cookies? How To Make Applesauce Fun?
P.S. Recipe suggestions means things I am craving right now
Yum! I haven’t even had a chance to make the butternut squash mac n’ cheese and here you come up with something that looks equally delicious! Now I have to decide which to make first. I just made your GF Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies for a friend who is GF and Dairy Free for health reasons and she loved them! Keep up the good work.
Made the butternut squash one last week, I was AMAZED at how delicious something so simple was. Changes I made were to add a whole cooked onion to my coconut oil (rather than earth balance) and frozen peas at the end to the blended sauce. I think the onion did add some depth and flavour, worth the extra effort.
Ooh this is going to be topped over steamed veggies in the very near future!
I have been buying most of my health food store necessities from nutsonline.com since moving overseas….shipping is pretty fast. might be an option for some of you looking to buy nutritional yeast. I have a HUGE butternut squash on my kitchen cart right now…..after seeing this ….i think it’s calling my name!!! Let me turn the oven on, NOW!
This sounds yummy, but I’m wondering if the pumpkin makes it sweet? I definitely would want it to be savory :)
I wouldn’t say it’s very sweet. I don’t find pumpkin tastes sweet though.
Angela, I live in Germany and when I buy nutritional yeast the package says the yeast shoudn’t be cooked otherwise the vitamins are lost – they are supposed to be sensitive to heat. Do you know anything about that?
Hey Juliana, No I haven’t heard that before! I hope it’s not true..
OMG…I just love pumpkin season..I have been eting it in almost everthing these past few weeks! I buy my nutritional yet at Whole Foods and Wegmans in the bulk bins.
Yum, so creative! I posted your Pumpkin Butter on my blog today! I love the stuff! Going to have it in my yogurt for breakfast this morning!
Mmm so tasty sounding! Yum!
I subbed in smart balance light for less calories in the butter & only did 5T of nutritional yeast (I don’t like it to be too overpowering) and this recipe was DELICIOUS! I ate it with pasta & broccoli yesterday and plan on eating it again the same way for lunch today. :) Your recipes are my favorites. I am always sending non-vegan friends to your site to show them that vegan food IS delicious!
I am not vegan and have never tried nutritional yeast, but I think it might be time to give it a shot! The nice thing is that it is sold at our local health food market (called Strawberry Fields) in bulk, so I can buy as much as I need and not worry about wasting it if I can’t quite handle the taste. Thanks for posting this recipe… for vegans and non-vegans who are just trying to expand their meatless meal options!
I didn’t like nutritional yeast when I first tried it…well the first few times, so I suggest starting with a bit and add & taste as you go :)
Hi – this looks great! Can I substitute olive oil for earth balance? Or another type of oil?
I’m not sure…I’d worry it might make it a bit too oily in consistency? You could probably try using 1 tsp oil? I really love the flavour that earth balance lends though so I’d worry about a strong tasting oil. Please let me know if you try it!
I just skipped the earth balance and I thought it was fine. I am trying not to do too many oils due to the processing etc and from what I have seen, earth balance is made of several oils (though I cannot find the ingredients of some of them – only the type they have in our store).
Oh My Gosh, this looks amazing! Funnily enough, I made the butternut version last week & used the leftover squash to make a pumpkin recipe: http://veganstastebetter.net/2011/10/09/shells-and-squeeze-pumki-pie-oatmeal/
I just bought some nutritional yeast, 4.5 oz, from Fry’s which is like Sam’s Club/Safeway, only I think it’s only in Arizona. they carry a lot of Kroger products and the yeast was found by the specialty baking products (Bob’s Red Mill stuff). It was pretty cheap too.
This looks delicious! I cannot wait to try it! I love all your pumpkin recipes – I was in India last year and what I missed most was fall and pumpkin foods! (though they had great pumpkin there that I just steamed and ate – but not the same in boiling hot weather!) I think this would be great on any grain – esp rice.
Two ideas for you…a vegan pumpkin black bean soup (have looked for recipes but not crazy about any yet) and I have also made pumpkin soft pretzels…yummmmmm!
Thanks for another great recipe – I am excited to be home this weekend (after many weekends away) to cook the long list of recipes from your blog that I keep a list of!
Oh – and for nutritional yeast – not sure if anyone has posted about this but I order from Vitacost (not sure if they ship to canada) – I get so much from them and it is all discounted – supplements, cleaning and beauty products and organic foods. Last time I got nutritional yeast and lots of organic canned pumpkin and butternut squash! And free shipping to boot!
I buy nutritional yeast at Whole Foods. They carry it in bulk and in a giant container. I usually buy in bulk only what I need. I cannot wait to try this recipe out on Sunday! Thanks!
Just made this recipe, and wanted to let you know it was nothing short of AMAZING! It was so quick and easy to make, and even my die-hard lacto-carnivore brother in law was in love with it. I’ve tried a ton of vegan cheezy sauce recipes in the past, and they always end up a little too “nutritional yeast-y,” for lack of a better term. The blend of both the yeast AND the pumpkin was exactly what I was looking for — smooth, creamy, savory and delicious!
Hey Val, I’m glad to hear that!
I love love love pumpkin and can’t get enough of it! I love all of your recipes with pumpkin, keep them coming! One question, I have never used nutritional yeast (I am not vegetarian but I love your website and recipes!) is this something I can just leave out of this recipe when I make it?
I am curious about this too. I seem to be allergic to yeast so have not tried making this sauce as I don’t know if it needs the yeast for flavor or not. . . .
Don’t leave out the nutritional yeast, that’s definitely what brings in the cheeze flavor. Almost every vegan cheeze recipe I have found uses nooch. It tastes so much like cheese its scary…as in I frequently put it on broccoli by itself for faux cheeziness.
Hey Liz! Yes, Mary is right. The nutritional yeast is essential in the cheeze recipes as it’s what gives it the cheese-like flavour. I hope you can find some (there are a lot of wonderful suggestions on where to buy it in this comment thread too).
NY is different from baking yeast and is okay for you to eat.
I am eating this right now, as I type this, and just had to interrupt my meal to say — THIS IS DELICIOUS! It is so yummy and so easy. I’m never making box mac n cheese again! (well, as soon as I finish the Costco box of Annie’s in the pantry)
I browsed but didn’t READ all 165 preceding comments, so I’m sorry if I’m repeating information. I just wanted to let you know that I recently found (and love) a canned version of organic butternut squash at Whole Foods. The brand name is Farmer’s Market Foods, and they usually have butternut, pumpkin, and pumpkin-pie filling. In our store, it’s on the same aisle with the canned fruits and other pie fillings. I have a hard time distinguishing between the taste of pumpkin and butternut squash once they’re mixed into a recipe, so I interchange them any time I have one fresh, but not the other, but I keep a can of each type on hand for pumpkin/winter-squash emergencies.
Vegetarian Times has an AWESOME reader-submitted recipe for Butternut Squash Enchiladas, and if you’ve never tried them, I HIGHLY recommend you go to their site, search on the recipe, and head straight to the kitchen. LOVE. :)
Hey Monica! That sounds great I will keep my eyes peeled for it next time Im at WF. I’m also going to check out that recipe…do you have a link by chance?
Hi Angela,
I just made this recipe for dinner tonight, and it is FABULOUS. I cannot believe how delicious it is! I was wondering if you had ever experimented with this cheeze sauce as a pasta bake or something like that?
Going back for seconds :)
Thank you!
I don’t think I have, but I really want to!
In the states you can buy it at Better Health stores or the bulk food store. I’m sure whole foods has it also.
Hey Angela,
I just tried your recipe; used it as the sauce for a pasta bake dish with spinach and kale and it is delish.
Thanks!
I made the pumpkin cheeze sauce and it was amazing! I made a spicy version and poured it over some baked tortillas. The pumpkin is barely detectable but the cheezy flavor really comes through. This is a great year-round recipe! Thanks!
I finally made this tonight and love it! I might have added the pumpkin early but I still think it turned out tasty :)
Mmmmmmmm….had this with brown rice, black beans and broccoli last night. Delicious! My son and husband devoured it too! (my other 2 barely tried it – they are soooooo picky and it is mostly in their heads – they do not know what they are missing!). Thanks Angela
This was so good! I didn’t have any pumpkin so I had to use squash, but I couldn’t stop eating it!
I made this tonight for dinner and it was incredible! My carnivore boyfriend even loved it and went back for seconds. I can’t wait to pour this sauce over even more foods! I found that one recipe was enough for 1 lb of macaroni, and I added some steamed kale in and it was so delicious. Thanks for the recipe!
Angela, that cheese sauce looks AMAZING!!! I can’t wait to try it!
I just made this for dinner tonight, and it was amazing! I had never tried a vegan “cheese” sauce before, and I was amazed at how cheesy it tasted! I also loved the subtle pumpkin flavor. I added the sauce to some pasta and peas, and it was perfect! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Made this last night. LOVED it. Husband not so much but that’s okay cuz there is more for me!
OH.MY.HEAVEN! I just slumped back in my chair and savored every morsel of this delicious sauce! Thank you SO SO much for a wonderful recipe!
Made it for dinner and mixed it with pasta and a few handfuls of steamed spinach and kale and then topped it with Annie’s cheddar crackers and Daiya cheese and it was delish!!! :)
Yumm thanks!
This sauce is absolutely delicious! I made a few additions by blending some cashews with almond milk and white miso and adding it to the sauce at the end. For me, miso adds that “tangy” cheese taste. My whole family loved it. Thanks as always!
Just made this and I can’t believe how good it is!! My husband even loves it! I put it on broccoli, cauliflower, and whole wheat pasta. It def made the whole wheat pasta palatable. Can’t say enough how much I love your blog. I have grown so much as a vegetarian:)
I made this last night and combine it with kelp noodles, some ground ostrich and rainbow chard. It was delicious. Thanks for another great recipe.
I’d like to know WHO would be storing this sauce in the fridge? I cannot wait to try it! I don’t think it will last more than five minutes!
WONDERFUL recipe!! I made it for dinner, and thoroughly enjoyed every bite! Can’t wait for leftovers tomorrow :)
I made this last night and it was delicious! The only thing is, I used cornstarch because I didn’t have arrowroot and it made it quite thick- I ended up using a full cup of (nondairy)milk instead of 3/4 to thin it out.
I made this with corn starch like Nikita and it was too thick. But very delicious!
Just made this and it was a HUGE hit!
Great recipe, thanks! It was delicious over raw spiralized zucchini as the pasta.
I used coconut oil instead of Earth Balance since I don’t eat soy, and I used some water down coconut milk in place of other milk. I also upped my seasoning to include more garlic, some onion powder, and more mustard.
For my non-vegan hubby, I sprinkled some real cheddar cheese over the top so that he wouldn’t realize that the rest wasn’t actually cheese and he was totally fooled. I think that when I make it next time, I’ll sprinkle a little raw vegan nut cheese on the top for myself too.
Regarding the nutritional yeast, I purchase it at Whole Foods in the bulk bins. I was pleased to find it my local Vitamin Shoppe. Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Just tried this and I am pleasantly surprised! I didn’t add a full can of pumpkin (it was too overpowering for my taste, maybe I would like the butternut better) and I added a little Valenica hot sauce and a ton of fresh cracked pepper. Yummy! Thanks for the recipe.
Wow! Nothing short of amazing and has me thinking about all the other pureed veggies I can turn into ‘cream’ sauce! I served mine casserole like with blanched spinach layered on top sprinkled with bread crumbs. And unlike real mac n chz it actually tasted good as leftovers, maybe even better as leftovers!
I loved this pumpkin recipe – very creamy and cheezy. Next time, I will try it with soy milk instead, I’m not a huge fan of almond milk myself but I did enjoy it regardless.
I just made this and i just want to say thank you.
My tummy thanks you.
My mind thanks you.
Holy delicious-ness, Angela!
((Wegmans has nutrtional yeast))