Pumpkin Mac and Cheese is the perfect fall dinner! It's creamy, family-friendly, easy to make and ready in under 30 minutes. Make the simple pumpkin cheese sauce while the pasta cooks. Or make in the Instant Pot for an easy one-pot dinner.
I love that this pumpkin mac and cheese recipe is super filling on its own. If you want to round out the meal, try serving it with a veggie like air fryer green beans or garlic parmesan air fryer broccoli. Or a protein on the side like pecan crusted pork chops or air fryer pork milanese.
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⭐Why I Love It:
- Simple Ingredients - The pumpkin cheese sauce only uses 5 simple ingredients, plus a couple staple spices.
- Ready in less than 30 Minutes - In the time it takes to boil the water and cook the pasta, you can make the creamy pumpkin cheese sauce.
- Comforting - It's a cozy and comforting recipe that's perfect for chilly days. For another pumpkin pasta, try this creamy pumpkin pasta.
🥘Ingredients Needed:
- Pasta - I like using elbow macaroni or medium shells. But you can use any short shaped pasta
- Evaporated Milk
- Pumpkin Puree - from a can, not pumpkin pie filling. If you have extra pumpkin puree to use, I also love pumpkin in this pasta recipe - Pumpkin Baked Pasta with Sausage, these pumpkin banana muffins, or even in ice-cream like this Ninja Creami Pumpkin Frozen Yogurt or Ninja Creami Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream!
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese - I like to use a sharp or extra sharp cheddar, but you can use your favorite! Or even swap in another cheese.
- Shredded Parmesan Cheese
- Spices - Nutmeg, Garlic Powder, Dried Mustard, Salt and Pepper
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
📖Variations
- Instant Pot Mac and Cheese - Yes! I included instructions in the recipe card. The ingredients remain exactly the same. Just cook the pasta in the instant pot, then stir in the remaining ingredients until creamy and dreamy and delicious. For a classic recipe, try this Instant Pot Mac and Cheese recipe.
- Crispy Topping - Toast some Breadcrumbs in melted butter until golden and then sprinkle on top for a little crunch.
- Add a Protein - Try folding in crumbled bacon or cooked and crumbed sausage or even cubed or shredded chicken.
- Baked Mac and Cheese - You can also dump the Mac and cheese (make sure to only cook the noodles to just al dente) into a greased baking dish, top with extra shredded cheese, and bake at 350 degrees F to make the cheese on top melty and bubbly.
🔪Step by Step instructions
Making Pumpkin Mac and Cheese is easy! Just mix up a creamy pumpkin cheese sauce while the pasta cooks.
- Cook Pasta. Start by cooking the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until just al dente. Reserve 1-2 cups of the pasta water before draining the pasta. Meanwhile make the sauce.
- Make the Pumpkin Cheese Sauce. In a large deep sauté pan or dutch oven, add the evaporated milk and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add the pumpkin, spices, and a pinch of salt and pepper, whisk until combined and smooth. Add the shredded cheeses and whisk until melted, smooth, and combined. Lower heat.
- Combine Pasta and Sauce. Add the cooked pasta to the pumpkin cheese sauce. Toss to combine and add pasta water as needed to thin out the sauce and help everything stick together. I usually use about 1 cup, but it will depend on the moisture of your pumpkin puree.
- Serve and Enjoy. Enjoy as is or top with some toasted breadcrumbs.
See the recipe card for full instructions, including how to make in the Instant Pot.
🍽Leftovers and Storage
Leftovers can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. With the chill and reheat cycles, the sauce will lose some of its smoothness and be thicker. I think it still tastes great, but the texture is best right after making.
💭Recipe Tips
- Save Pasta Water - The starchy water from cooking the pasta is like liquid gold! You'll want to reserve some of it to add to your pasta. This helps thin out your sauce (the pumpkin puree makes the sauce pretty thick). And the starch helps the pasta and sauce stick together.
- Undercook Pasta - Make sure to cook your pasta to just al dente, or even a minute under al dente. When you add the cooked pasta to the pumpkin cheese sauce, it will continue to cook so you want to leave a little wiggle room so the pasta isn't overcooked and mushy.
👩🍳Recipe FAQs
Evaporated milk is an easy thing to keep in your pantry. Evaporated milk is essentially milk that has been heated so some of the water evaporates. The result is a dense, creamy, concentrated milk. Using it in Mac and Cheese makes the cheese sauce less liquidy but still rich and creamy.
I love to pair a nutty cheese like parmesan with pumpkin.Other great options are goat cheese, brie cheese, or a gorgonzola.
Popular spices to pair with pumpkin are warm spices like cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
🍝Related Pasta Recipes...
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PrintRecipe
Pumpkin Mac and Cheese
Pumpkin Mac and Cheese is the perfect fall dinner! It's creamy, family-friendly, easy to make and ready in under 30 minutes. Make the simple pumpkin cheese sauce while the pasta cooks. Or make in the Instant Pot for an easy one-pot dinner.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings
- Category: Pasta, Meatless Monday
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1lb pasta, such as elbow macaroni or medium shells
- 1 12oz can evaporated milk
- 1 15oz can pumpkin puree
- 8oz cheddar cheese, shredded. About 2 cups
- 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried mustard
- salt and pepper
Instructions
Stovetop Instructions:
- Cook Pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until just al dente. The pasta will cook more when it's tossed with the sauce, so you don't want to overcook the noodles. Reserve 1-2 cups of pasta water. Drain pasta and set aside.
- Make the Pumpkin Cheese Sauce. While the pasta is cooking, make the sauce. In a large deep sauté pan or dutch oven, add the evaporated milk and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add the pumpkin, spices, and a pinch of salt and pepper, whisk until combined and smooth. Add the shredded cheeses and whisk until melted, smooth, and combined. Taste and add additional salt and pepper, if needed. Lower heat.
- Combine Pasta and Sauce. Add the cooked pasta to the cheese sauce. Toss to combine and add pasta water as needed to thin out the sauce and help everything stick together. I usually use about 1 cup, but it will depend on the moisture of your pumpkin puree.
- Serve and Enjoy. Enjoy as is or top with some toasted breadcrumbs.
Instant Pot Instructions:
- Cook Pasta. Add pasta, 4 cups of water, and a heavy pinch of salt to the liner of your instant pot. Close the lid and set valve to sealing. Cook on manual high pressure for 3 minutes. Allow to natural release for 5 minutes before quick releasing the pressure.
- Stir in Ingredients. There is going to be some water leftover. You can leave it in the pot for an extra creamy and saucy Mac and cheese. Or, you can drain some of the water. With the instant pot still on the warm setting, stir in the evaporated milk, pumpkin, cheese, and spices. Stir until the cheese is melted and the sauce is combined and creamy. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. If you want your pasta to cook more or the sauce to thicken, you can turn your instant pot to sauté for a couple of minutes.
- Serve and Enjoy. Enjoy as is or top with some toasted breadcrumbs.
Notes
Leftovers - Leftovers can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. With the chill and reheat cycles, the sauce will lose some of its smoothness and be thicker. I think it still tastes great, but the texture is best right after making.
Cheese - I strongly recommend shredding the cheese by hand (the shredding disc on a food processor is great for this). Pre-shredded cheese in the bag doesn't melt as well, but if you're in a pinch you can definitely use it. Remember to use the pasta water to thin and smooth out the sauce.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ⅙ of recipe
- Calories: 601
- Sugar: 8.5 g
- Sodium: 589.2 mg
- Fat: 20.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 73.2 g
- Fiber: 4.5 g
- Protein: 29.6 g
- Cholesterol: 53.2 mg
Christina Conte says
Lovely and comforting mac and cheese recipe for autumn! Love it!
Kathleen says
Thank you, Christina!
Carmy says
This looks SO delicious. I can't wait to make this.
Kathleen says
Thank you so much! 🙂