This Creamy Vegan Alfredo Pasta is made with everyday ingredients and perfect for your next weeknight meal! Creamy and garlicky with vegetables and a homemade cashew sauce.
I'm to the point in this stay-at-home mom life where I'm ready to just carb load with a cozy, warm bowl of pasta by the end of the day. But, still figure out a way to carb load with a pasta that is so easy to make with a little bit of nutrition...hello Creamy Vegan Alfredo Pasta!
It's so easy to make. Add everything for your sauce in a high quality blender (like this one), saute some of your favorite veggies, and throw it all together with a cooked pasta. Who doesn't love a meal with blended ingredients?
Not vegan or don't want a vegan recipe? Try the Creamy Garlic and Vegetable Pasta Recipe instead!
📋 Ingredients
- For the Sauce:
- Cashews. I use raw, unsalted cashews. This is the base of the sauce. This really gives the sauce a rich creamy texture that we all want from an alfredo.
- Nutritional Yeast. Nutritional yeast is a complete protein (has all 9 essential amino acids) and a great source B vitamins, especially B12. Great addition to your foods for vegan and vegetarians!
- Garlic, Black Pepper & Salt. This really gives the sauce it's flavor! Always use fresh garlic if you have it available.
- Vegetable Broth. I always have low sodium on had, however, if you don't just taste test before adding the salt. If you don't have vegetable broth, you're welcome to use water, although this will make it slightly less flavorful.
- For the Dish:
- Pasta. In this dish, I used rigatoni pasta. Another favorite of my family's is farfalle pasta.
- Vegetables. I used mushrooms, onion, broccoli, and spinach. This dish is versatile so feel free to add your favorite vegetables! Other vegetables I can suggest are peas, asparagus, onions, or bell peppers.
- Additional Add Ins. Truffle oil is a great addition to the dish. You can either blend it into the sauce or drizzle it on at the end.
📖 Step By Step
- If you haven't already, soak your cashews in hot water for about 30 minutes. This gives your sauce a smooth and creamy texture and guaranteed to blend the cashews well!
- Add the sauce ingredients into a high quality blender and blend until smooth and creamy. You can add more broth or water if need at this time or later in the cooking process to get your desired consistency.
- Cook the pasta according to the package instructions and set aside. I used rigatoni pasta, however, I have made this dish with any pasta I had on hand and it tasted delicious!
- Use a large pan to saute the garlic and vegetables in oil. Cook until soft.
- Add the cook pasta, then add the sauce. If you'd like, you can add more broth to get it to your desired consistency.
- Serve immediately. The pasta thickens as it sits and loses the creamy consistency. If you are making this for later, I suggest either adding the sauce at the end before serving. If you have already added the sauce and want to serve later, adding a tablespoon of vegetable broth or water at a time while reheating.
🍴 Other Recipes You May Love
- Vegetable Pasta with Sweet Potato and Brussels Sprouts
- Creamy Garlic and Vegetable Pasta
- Spaghetti with Avocado Spinach Pesto
- Mushroom and Asparagus Risotto
If you loved this Creamy Vegan Alfredo Pasta recipe, let me know in the comments below! I’d love to connect with you on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest! Subscribe for my weekly emails at the bottom so you never miss a new recipe!
📖 Recipe
Creamy Vegan Alfredo Pasta
Ingredients
For the Sauce:
- 2 cups cashews; soaked in hot water for at least 30 mins
- 2 tsps sea salt + more to taste
- 2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 2 ½ cups vegetable broth, or water
- 3 cloves garlic
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
For the Pasta:
- 8 oz pasta; I used rigatoni
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
- 1 small onion, sliced
- 1 cup spinach
- 2 cups broccoli florets
Instructions
For the Sauce:
- If you haven't already, soak your cashews in hot water for about 30 minutes.
- Add the soaked cashews, sea salt, nutritional yeast, vegetable broth, and black pepper into a high speed blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
For the Pasta:
- Cook the pasta according to the package instructions and set aside.
- Heat oil in a large pan. Saute the garlic and vegetables. Cook until soft.
- Add the cooked pasta to the vegetables, then add the sauce. Combine well. Add more vegetable broth at this time if you would like your sauce slightly creamier.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- The pasta thickens as it sits and loses the creamy consistency. If you are making this for later, I suggest either adding the sauce at the end before serving. If you have already added the sauce and want to serve later, adding a tablespoon of vegetable broth or water at a time while reheating.
- If your sauce gets too liquidy, just continue to simmer the pasta until it boils down to your preference.
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