Creamy Vegan Pasta

This easy creamy vegan pasta is cashew-free, tofu-free and not just plant-based milk thickened with flour. Make this creamy tomato pasta with just four ingredients and in 10 minutes.

What makes this the best creamy vegan pasta?

The best thing about this vegan tomato cream sauce is NO CASHEWS! 

Don’t get me wrong, cashews are great for creamy sauces but damn they’re expensive and a lot of people are allergic to them.

The next best thing about this nut-free creamy pasta sauce is that it doesn’t need any thickeners.

So many vegan pasta sauce recipes call for plant-based milk thickened with flour or cornstarch.

I’ve tried it with oat milk, almond milk and soy milk and they’re all weird. I wouldn’t really describe those recipes as creamy but rather thick and pasty.

My vegan cream sauce recipe is super simple to make and only calls for FOUR ingredients.

There is no chopping in this recipe and it takes only as long as boiling the water and cooking the pasta.

But despite how easy this vegan pasta recipe is, it is big on flavour!

Creamy pasta without cream

The best way to make creamy vegan pasta without cashews is with coconut milk and coconut cream.

It’s cheaper than cashews and you don’t have to worry about soaking nuts ahead of time or the sauce not blending smoothly.

The trick is to make sure it doesn’t taste like coconut. 

I do that by combining it with super flavourful ingredients that will overpower the coconut taste. 

In this dairy-free tomato cream sauce, just like in my vegan tomato soup recipe, I use umami-packed sun dried tomatoes. 

The combination of blended sun dried tomatoes and coconut cream make a thick and creamy sauce that’s super easy to prepare and can be tweaked to your taste and preferred consistency.

Is pasta vegan?

Most pasta is vegan, but not all pasta is vegan. 

Dried pasta is usually vegan but there are some brands or products that use egg. 

Oftentimes, if pasta contains egg it will say so on the front of the package. 

However, when buying a new brand for the first time, it’s always a good idea to check the ingredients. 

Vegan-friendly pasta is made from durum wheat semolina and (in North America) is usually enriched with vitamins and minerals of vegan origin.

Fresh pasta from the refrigerated section is usually not vegan as it contains egg. 

Ingredients you’ll need

This basic creamy vegan pasta calls for just four ingredients (plus salt) that you can find in any supermarket.

Coconut cream: Coconut cream is thicker than coconut milk. You can buy cans of coconut cream in well-stocked supermarkets, or you can scoop the cream off the top of a can of chilled coconut milk. I usually get about ½ cup of cream off the top of a can of coconut milk, but some brands may have less so you may need two cans. 

Sun dried tomatoes: I use sun dried tomatoes packed in oil with herbs. I haven’t tried it with the re-hydrated sun dried tomatoes that come in packages but I imagine that they would work.

Vegetable stock: Any nice-flavoured vegetable stock.

Pasta: Since this is a creamy tomato sauce, a pasta shape with nooks and crannies to hold the sauce is best. I use fusilli. 

Salt: For seasoning. The amount will depend on how salty your vegetable stock is.

How to make creamy vegan pasta

Cook the pasta: Put a large pot of water on to boil. Add a generous amount of salt and your pasta of choice. Boil until al dente, as indicated on the package instructions.

Prepare the tomato cream sauce: While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce. 

Scoop ½ cup of the cream off the top of a can of coconut milk or coconut cream. Add it to a food processor along with ½ cup drained sun dried tomatoes. 

Measure ½ cup of vegetable stock. If your stock or coconut cream has been refrigerated and is cold, put the stock in the microwave for 30 seconds to warm up. This is because the coconut cream can curdle if it is blended with something cold. 

Add the stock to the food processor and blend it all into a creamy, smooth sauce.

If you find the sauce too thick, you can easily thin it by adding more vegetable stock. If it’s too thin, add more sun dried tomatoes.

Add salt to taste. The amount will depend on how salty your stock it.

Optional: if your pasta still needs a few more minutes to cook, you can transfer the cream sauce to a pan, covered, over low heat to keep it warm.

Combine: Once your pasta is al dente, drain it in a colander. 

Return the pasta to the pot and pour over the tomato cream sauce. Toss to combine and serve immediately.

Variations and substitutions

This creamy vegan pasta can easily be adapted with your choice of additions.

For a cheesier flavour, add a couple tablespoons of nutritional yeast to the sauce. I find that nutritional yeast doesn’t blend very well so the sauce might not be as smooth and creamy with it added.

Another trick to adding a cheesy taste is with one or two teaspoons of white miso paste. 

You can add some vegetables in with the pasta. Toss a couple handfuls of spinach into the pot of pasta just at the end of cooking, or pan-sear some mushrooms and add them in with the sauce.

To keep this recipe super simple with no chopping necessary, I didn’t add onion and garlic. If you would like to pan fry some diced onion and garlic and add it to the sauce, feel free.

Garnish your pasta with some fresh chopped parsley or basil, vegan bacon bits or grated vegan Parmesan cheese.

FAQs

Make ahead and storage tips

This creamy vegan pasta is super quick to make so there’s not much that needs to be done ahead of time!

The sauce can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. 

Coconut cream thickens when chilled so the sauce will be quite a bit thicker than when you made it. 

Gently reheat the sauce in a pan over low heat and it should return to its original consistency. You can add a few splashes of warmed vegetable stock to thin if necessary.

Likewise, any leftover pasta with sauce on it will lose its creaminess in the refrigerator. It’s more difficult to make it creamy again in the microwave once the pasta and sauce have been combined.

If you anticipate having leftovers, I recommend storing the pasta and sauce in separate containers to more easily reheat the sauce back to its original creaminess and add more stock if necessary.

I don’t recommend freezing this pasta because coconut cream does not freeze and thaw well.  

What to serve with vegan pasta?

You can’t got wrong with a nice vegan garlic bread and a green salad.

This dish pairs well with steamed or roasted vegetables such as asparagus, broccoli, or cauliflower.

Garnish you pasta with some fresh chopped parsley or basil. Grate over some vegan Parmesan cheese.