Dreamy sweet potato mac and cheese is a delicious way to sneak in veggies and extra nutrients. It’s creamy and flavourful with absolutely luxurious texture, thanks to roasted sweet potatoes and cashews.
This recipe was originally published in April 2019. It has been updated for content and photos.
Here’s why you’ll LOVE this dish
- Just like my butternut squash mac and cheese, this sauce is so creamy and luscious, despite the fact that there’s no cheese in it! Nutritional yeast and cashews do a lovely job of adding thick, creamy, cheesy flavour, and roasted sweet potato gives it that perfect orange hue that any good mac and cheese needs.
- It’s simple to make, and the entire family will love it, so you only need to make 1 meal. (That’s always my favourite part.) This picky eater approved and kid friendly dish is perfect for the entire family.
- This silky cheese sauce is not only cheese and dairy free, but it’s vegan and gluten free too. Just combine the sauce with your favourite gluten free pasta for a gluten free meal, if needed.
- Roasting the potatoes, along with the onion and garlic, really amplifies the flavours, without being overly powerful in any one ingredient or flavour.
- Whether you’re vegan, vegetarian, or neither, you will enjoy this decadent, creamy sweet potato mac and cheese. This dish has been shared, over and over again, with vegans and non vegans, and everyone always enjoys.
How to make sweet potato mac and cheese
(This is a summary with step by step photos, full recipe measurements and instructions are in the recipe card below.)
Start by gathering your ingredients.
Then peel and cube your sweet potato, quarter your onion, and place them, along with your garlic cloves on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Drizzle the veggies with the olive oil, if using, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. (photo 1)
NOTE: For oil free, omit the olive oil and spray or drizzle your veggies with a little water or broth to prevent them from burning.
Roast the veggies for about 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes are fork-tender. (photo 2)
Add your roasted veggies, along with the cashews, nutritional yeast, seasoning, vegetable broth, and cashew milk to a blender. Process on high until smooth and creamy. (photos 3-4)
NOTE: If you do not have a high speed blender (like a Vitamix), soak your cashews first, in boiling hot water for about 30 minutes to soften them. Then, drain and add them to your blender.
While the veggies are roasting in the oven, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and then cook your pasta according to package directions for al dente pasta. (Don’t overcook!) Drain and return to the pot. (photo 5)
Then pour the vegan cheese sauce you just made over top and mix well to coat your noodles. (photos 6-7)
You may serve your sweet potato mac and cheese as is, in its creamy, silky state.
OR, if you can spare a few more minutes, take it one step further.
Optional baked steps
You may optionally transfer your coated pasta to an oven safe dish and broil on high for about 2-3 minutes, checking often to ensure it doesn’t burn. (photos 8-9)
This will give your dish a nice crusty top, while keeping the middle smooth and creamy for a nice balance of texture.
I personally like my mac and cheese with a little crunchy layer on top, but it tastes fantastic both ways!
For picky eaters, keep it smooth. Or remove some and bake the rest.
Can I prepare it in advance?
Yes!
To make ahead, you may roast the veggies in advance and blend everything up when you’re making your pasta.
Or, make the sauce completely, but note that it will thicken as it cools. When reheating, you may need a splash or two of milk or broth to make it nice and creamy again.
If you’re also making the pasta in advance, store it separately from the sauce. Otherwise, the pasta will absorb the sauce, and the pasta will get very soft.
How long does it keep?
Leftovers keep refrigerated for 3-4 days; however, if you’re expecting to have leftovers, store the sauce and pasta separately for best results. Keep in a sealed container and reheat in a skillet on the stove top.
The cheese sauce may be frozen in an air-tight container, but I don’t recommend freezing the pasta. If you want to make this ahead of time for a freezer meal, freeze the sauce, but make fresh pasta when ready to thaw and reheat your sauce.
Variations/Substitutions
- For nut free: Sub the raw cashews with sunflower seeds, and the cashew milk with soy, oat, or any preferred milk you like. Sunflower seeds are a little less mild in flavour when compared to cashews, but they are definitely not overpowering. Especially when considering all the other flavours and seasoning in this dish. As an added bonus, sunflower seeds are budget-friendly and lower in fat too!
- For oil free: Omit the oil for roasting the veggies. Instead, you can spray or drizzle the veggies in water or broth to keep them from burning. Watch them carefully.
- For “nooch” free: If you don’t have, can’t find, or don’t want to use nutritional yeast, you may sub for 1-2 tablespoons of miso paste or soy sauce, but omit the teaspoon of salt from the sauce. Keep in mind this substitution will give you a nice umami flavour, but not the cheesiness that nutritional yeast offers.
- For more crunch: If you’re optionally baking your mac and cheese, you may also add half a cup of panko breadcrumbs on top before broiling. This will add even more flavour and added crunch to the top layer.
More delicious vegan pasta dishes
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Buon appetito
Rosa
📖 Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2.5 cups sweet potatoes cut into half inch cubes (approx 2 small potatoes)
- 1 yellow onion quartered
- 2-3 cloves garlic unpeeled
- 1 teaspoon olive oil omit for oil free, see notes**
- ½ cup raw cashews
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme optional
- 1 cup unsweetened cashew milk or milk of choice
- 1 cup low sodium vegetable broth
- 1 lb macaroni pasta or your choice, gluten free if needed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F roast and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Add the cubed sweet potato, quartered onion and garlic (with the peel) to your baking tray. Drizzle with the olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake for 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes are fork tender. Remove from the oven.
- Now peel the garlic, and place all the roasted veggies, along with the cashews, nutritional yeast, paprika, salt, thyme, milk, and veggie broth to your blende and process until smooth.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook your pasta according to package directions for al dente pasta. Drain and return to pot. Pour the sauce over the pasta and mix well.
- Optional: Set the oven to broil and transfer the pasta and sauce to an oven safe dish. Place on top rack for 2-3 minutes until the top is golden and crispy, or to desired 'doneness'. Check often so it doesn't burn.
Michelle says
I’ve made this so many times. The quantities makes me two batches which is a bonus. Didn’t have any paprika this time so used smoked paprika and it was a really nice alternative.
Rosa says
So glad you’ve been enjoying our sweet potato mac and cheese, Michelle! Thanks for the review. 🙂
Laura says
Wonderful and creamy. My kids loved it. My diet is oil free, so I put the potatoes, onions, and garlic in a baking bag with a little water.
Rosa says
Thrilled you and your kids enjoyed it, Laura! 🙂
Gail Thieme Kelly says
Making this soon!!
Question- how many watts would classify as a high speed blender? I have 600 w Nutribullet which I love, wondering if 900 would be sufficient for sauces in reducing some of the grittiness that exists with the 600.
Rosa says
I’d recommend between 1200-1500 watts.
Siniteanu says
instead of toasting veggies in the oven I boiled the sweet potato (and used the leftover water to soak the cashews) and sautee’d the onion and garlic. Ended up using half of the sauce and it came out really great and cheesy looking 🧀
Rosa says
Thrilled you enjoyed!
Rachel says
I’ve tried 2 other similar recipes and this is BY FAR the best!! Omitted the salt and used miso, added a layer of sharp cheddar, panko breadcrumbs and chopped sage leaves on top. Will be making for years to come.
Rosa says
So glad you enjoyed Rachel!
Celyn says
Hello, was the sauce can be freeze?
Rosa says
Hi Celyn, yes you may freeze the sauce separately from the pasta for up to 3 months. Enjoy.
Mila says
Hi! Wanna try this but can’t eat cashew nuts… I am NOT a vegan so is there anything else I can use instead?? 🥺
Rosa says
Hi Mila, you may sub the cashews for raw macadamia nuts, or raw pepitas with similar results. Hope you enjoy. 🙂