Vegan sweet potato mac and cheese (gluten free)

Learn how to make some delicious, creamy vegan macaroni and cheese with sweet potatoes for guaranteed to be a true crowd pleaser.

While mac and cheese is very nice, how about mixing things up by incorporating some sweet potatoes. Yes I said it! I game changer that doubles up as a crowd pleaser for sure. Don’t miss out on making some gluten free dairy free mac and cheese this fall. It’s super easy to make and yields a big batch so the whole family can enjoy it.

I’m so excited to be sharing a mac and cheese recipe. It couldn’t have come any sooner, the timing is perfect (being fall) and with thanksgiving around the corner, I know this recipe will be a hit. It’s gluten free, contains no dairy and doesn’t take super long to make.

I’m partial to adding some seasoning so I included a few herbs but rest assured the taste isn’t overpowering at all. My family HATE bland mac and cheese. It’s in our bloodline to add a dash of seasoning to most cuisines so mac and cheese is no different.

You can use whatever gluten free pasta you want to make this recipe – fusilli, penne, spirali, macaroni. Whatever is easiest for yourself it makes no difference.

In terms of cheese unlike many vegan recipes that use a combination of nutritional yeast and cashew nuts to yield a creamy cheesy consistency. I like to depend on the standard vegan cheese and my favourite brands are Violife and Daiya. Both are very good replica’s of animal cheese and quite foolproof I might add.

Ingredients you will need

• Gluten free pasta (spirali, penne, fusilli, macaroni etc..)
• Vegan cheese (Violife, Daiya etc..)
• Sweet potato
• Dairy free butter
• Almond milk (cashew milk works fine too)
• Tapioca starch (arrow root, potato works as well)
• Sage
• Thyme
• Garlic granules
• Onion powder
• Black pepper
• Pink salt

How to make sweet potato mac and cheese

• Bring a medium sized pot with water to the boil and cook the chopped sweet potato until tender (should take about 5 minutes). (picture 1)
• Reserve the water that the sweet potato has been cooking in and use a slotted spoon to remove the pieces. Then use a blender, masher or immersion stick to puree the sweet potato then set aside.
• Meanwhile, bring the reserved water to the boil then add the pasta and cook until al dente (slightly firm) stir occasionally so the pasta doesn’t stick. It should take about 6 minutes in total (picture 2)
• Drain off the pasta in a colander and set aside.

• On medium heat, melt the dairy free butter and mix together the tapioca starch with the almond milk before pouring into the saucepan. (picture 3)
• Continue to whisk briskly until a thickish white sauce has formed.
• Stir in the black pepper, onion powder, garlic granules, sage, thyme, and pink salt. (picture 4)
• Then stir in the sweet potato, sprinkle in the cheese and fold in the pasta. (picture 5-6)
• Continue to stir until the cheese is completely melted and the sauce darkened in colour (3-4 minutes).

Notes and tips 

• I used gluten free cavatappi aka spirali/cellentani
• You can reduce the cooking time by peeling and chopping the potatoes ahead of time and there is also the option to use frozen sweet potato instead. The frozen kind is already chopped/peeled so very hassle free. 2 cups will yield the amount listed.
• The same principle applies to the pasta, cook it ahead of time if you are pushed for time or want to reduce being the kitchen.
• The seasoning isn’t overpowering, it’s quite subtle and very complementary. If you don’t fancy adding any that’s fine just skip and leave it out.
• Any plant based milk (except pistachio) works for this recipe. However, if you want a creamy texture go for almond or cashew milk
• Feel free to use any gluten free pasta that you see fit.
• Any leftovers can be stored in a refrigerator for 2-3 days or freeze, just make sure it’s covered and wrapped very well to avoid freezer burn.

Vegan side dishes you may like

Sweet potato mash 

Oven roasted vegetable platter

Jamaican steamed cabbage

Southern candied yams

Oven baked spicy plantain and sweet potato

Vegan sweet potato mac and cheese

Learn how to make the creamiest, tastiest vegan sweet potato mac and cheese recipe!!

5 from 7 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Entree

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 4 -6 servings

Calories: 579kcal

Author: Charla

Ingredients

• 5 cups of gluten free pasta 350g(spirali, penne, fusilli, macaroni etc..)
• 1 medium sized sweet potato peeled and chopped
• 2 cups vegan cheese 230g (Violife, Daiya etc..)
• 2 cups almond milk  500g (cashew works fine too)
• 3 tbsp dairy free butter
• 2 tbsp tapioca starch arrow root, potato works as well
• 1 tsp sage
• 1 tsp thyme fresh stems removed, or dried
• 1 tsp garlic granules
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• Pink salt to taste

Instructions

• Bring a medium sized pot with water to the boil and cook the chopped sweet potato until tender (should take about 5 minutes).
• Reserve the water that the sweet potato has been cooking in and use a slotted spoon to remove the pieces. Then use a blender, masher or immersion stick to puree the sweet potato then set aside.
• Meanwhile, bring the reserved water to the boil then add the pasta and cook until al dente (slightly firm) stir occasionally so the pasta doesn't stick. It should take about 6 minutes in total
• Drain off the pasta in a colander and set aside.
• On medium heat, melt the dairy free butter and mix together the tapioca starch with the almond milk before pouring into the saucepan.
• Continue to whisk briskly until a thickish white sauce has formed.
• Stir in the black pepper, onion powder, garlic granules, sage, thyme, and pink salt.
• Then stir in the sweet potato, sprinkle in the cheese and fold in the pasta.
• Continue to stir until the cheese is completely melted and the sauce darkened in colour (3-4 minutes).

Notes

• Reduce the cooking time by peeling and chopping the potatoes ahead of time.
• The same principle applies to the pasta, cook it ahead of time if you are pushed for time.
• The seasoning isn't overpowering, it's quite subtle and very complementary. If you don't fancy adding any that's fine just skip.
•  If you want a creamy texture go for almond or cashew milk
• Feel free to use any gluten free pasta
• Any leftovers can be stored in a refrigerator for 2-3 days or freeze, just make sure it's covered and wrapped very well to avoid freezer burn.

Nutrition

Calories: 579kcal | Carbohydrates: 80g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Sodium: 924mg | Potassium: 118mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 4635IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 203mg | Iron: 2mg

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