One Pot Pumpkin Mac and Cheese
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This one-pot Pumpkin Mac and Cheese is a simple pasta dish perfect for fall days during pumpkin season. It’s creamy, delicious, incredibly satisfying, and easy to clean up with one pot and ready in 30 minutes or less!

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It’s fall comfort food at its best!
There aren’t many mac and cheese recipes I don’t love. When combined with butternut squash or pumpkin, it’s autumn in a bowl. The squash gives it a hint of sweetness, and the spices, like paprika, add an undertone of smoky flavor. I think it’s wonderful, creamy, and delicious.
Plus, when you’re craving a simple, comfortable meal to curl up by the fire with, this is most assuredly that!

What to Love about Pumpkin Mac and Cheese
I’m intentionally limiting myself to 3 bullet points. Because honestly, I could go on and on about what to love about this dish. Here’s my best brief effort:
- Creamy, velvety texture with a hint of pumpkin sweetness.
- Makes a great Thanksgiving side dish.
- It’s definitely ranks as a “seconds” kind of meal!

Pumpkin Mac and Cheese Ingredients
This simple, one pot meal, is filled with simple ingredients without sacrificing flavor. The specific ingredient measurements are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Here’s what you need to make this Pumpkin Mac and Cheese:
- Butter for a hint of richness. I like to use salted butter for flavor but both salted and unsalted works fine.
- Garlic for a punch of flavor
- Dried thyme: Although I’m using dried thyme you can substitute fresh if you have it on hand. You will need about 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme if using.
- Short cut pasta: I’m using medium shells but any short cut shape works fine as does gluten free pasta.
- Milk (dairy or non-dairy)
- Cream cheese for richness
- Pumpkin puree: be sure you’re using pure pumpkin instead of pumpkin pie mix
- Shredded cheese: I’m using sharp cheddar but choose your favorite cheese for mac and cheese.
- Seasonings: Onion powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, nutmeg, and salt and pepper.
How to Make Pumpkin Mac and Cheese
All you need is one pot, like a Dutch oven, for this stovetop dish. The simple step-by-step instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post, but here’s a brief overview of how easy this pasta is to make.
- In a large pot, sauté garlic and dried thyme in butter.
- To the pot add the pasta and 4 cups of water; bring to a boil and add salt. Cooking for 8 minutes.
- Without draining the water, stir in the milk, cream cheese, and pumpkin; cook until the cream cheese has melted and the pasta is al dente.
- Stir in the cheese, and remaining seasoning and cook until the shredded cheese has melted. Taste and season with salt and pepper if necessary.
Pumpkin Mac and Cheese Questions
Short-cut pasta is perfect for use with hearty sauces, like ragus, vegetable sauces, tomato sauce, and even pumpkin sauces. Examples of short cut pasta are penne, rigatoni, farfalle, orecchiette, shell pasta, and macaroni.
Gorgonzola pairs really well with pumpkin, as does goat cheese as it offsets the sweetness of pumpkin. Other pairings that work well are Gruyère cheese, Fontina, Gouda, Mozzarella, Havarti or Muenster. I’m particularly fond of sharp cheddar cheese but a combination of a few of these are delicious too.
Stovetop pumpkin mac and cheese is best when served immediately. Once refrigerated, the texture isn’t quite the same. That being said, I store leftovers in individual containers for quick lunches and for me, it’s quite delicious!
More Mac and Cheese Recipes You May Also Enjoy
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One Pot Pumpkin Mac and Cheese
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 cloves garlic (keep whole to remove if desired, or mince the garlic to keep it in the pasta)
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 pound pasta macaroni, shells, etc.
- 1 cup milk dairy or non-dairy, I used coconut milk
- 3 ounces cream cheese
- 1 15-ounce canned pumpkin puree
- 1½ cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Once the butter has melted add the minced garlic and dried thyme; sauté for about 30 seconds.
- To the pot, add the pasta and toss in the butter-garlic mixture. Add 4 cups of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and cook, stirring occasionally for 8 to 9 minutes. Without draining the water, stir in the milk, cream cheese, and pumpkin; cook until the cream cheese has melted and the pasta is al dente.
- Remove whole garlic, if using, otherwise stir in the shredded cheese, onion powder, paprika, turmeric, cayenne, and nutmeg until the cheese has melted and the pasta is creamy. Remove from the heat.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste, and add up to 1/4 cup water or milk to thin the pasta if necessary.
Video
Notes
- I'm using medium shell pasta, but any short-cut pasta works equally well. Think Penne, Rigatoni, Farfalle, Orecchiette or Macaroni.
- I love sharp cheddar cheese in most mac and cheese recipes. But you can substitute your favorite cheese, or use 1 cup of 2 varieties. Gouda is also a nice choice.
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
In developing this meal, I consulted recipes from New York Times, Food & Wine, and Half Baked Harvest.
How do you remove the minced garlic?
Hi Barbara, I don’t remove the minced garlic. If you like the flavor of the garlic, but no the garlic itself, you could smash the garlic cloves making them easy to remove at the end.
Step #3 states to remove garlic. I’m wondering what it really should state
Hi Cin, thank you for your question. I have gone back and forth over the garlic removal piece. I love the flavor of minced garlic in the pasta, but I have family members that don’t. Your question prompted me to be more clear on that issue. My recommendation is if you want the flavor of garlic without minced pieces in the cheese sauce, leave the garlic whole and then remove. Otherwise, you can mince the garlic (or press) and keep it the pasta.