Creamy Vegan Garlic Pasta – (Easy & Delicious!)

Make this creamy vegan pasta recipe for week nights, date nights, or family Sunday dinner. The garlicy sauce comes together in just 5 ingredients, with no eggs required!

Why you’ll love this vegan pasta recipe

Tastes like a fancy Italian restaurant dish. Trust me, you are going to dream about this vegan garlic pasta. It’s one of those recipes you will make over and over again.
Impossibly creamy sauce. You’ll be running back to check the ingredients, because it’s almost unbelievable. How can a recipe so thick and smooth contain no heavy cream???
Easy to make. You need just a handful of pantry staple ingredients.
Dinner will never be boring. The pasta works great as a main meal or a savory side dish. Stir in roasted vegetables or grilled tofu, and serve for a hearty plant based dinner. Bonus: you can heat up leftovers for lunch the next day!
Omnivore friendly. My non vegan Italian family ask for this recipe at least once a month.

You may also like this Vegan Mac And Cheese

Step by step video

Above, watch the vegan garlic pasta recipe video

My favorite dairy free pasta dinner

Readers often tell me that they would love to eat healthier or try more meatless recipes, but they just do not have time to cook elaborate from-scratch healthy food every night.

As a new mom, I completely understand. And it’s why I am a huge fan of comforting, easy meals that take longer to eat than to cook.

This homemade pasta may just be my all-time favorite. The entire preparation takes under 10 minutes, from start to finish.

It’s totally vegan, and you will want to put the sauce on pretty much everything.

Noodles, rice, veggies, french fries, Vegan Meatballs, nachos, chocolate bars…

Maybe not that last one. Please do not mix chocolate bars and garlic sauce. It is probably not a good idea.

Then again, you never know.

(Seriously though, I wouldn’t recommend it.)

For dessert, try these Vegan Brownies

Key ingredients

Cashews – Look for unsalted raw cashews at the grocery store, or use raw cashew butter if you do not own a high speed blender. You can substitute unsalted roasted cashews if you want a smoky, nutty flavor. And I’ve included two nut free options in the recipe box below.

Nondairy milk – Coconut milk, oat milk, or soymilk yield an extra creamy vegan sauce. Or go with almond milk for a low calorie option. I suggest an unsweetened milk… unless you think vanilla flavored pasta sounds good. I won’t judge.

Garlic – I find it easier to buy minced garlic in a jar, but chopped fresh garlic works just as well.

Onion powder & salt – A half teaspoon of onion powder adds umami flavor to the nondairy cream sauce. Salt amplifies the garlic and balances the acidity for a rich finish.

Olive oil (optional) – Sometimes I include a tablespoon of good quality olive or coconut oil to help the sauce better adhere to the pasta and add a buttery taste. However the oil free version is still delicious so it’s your choice.

Garnishes – Feel free to top your plant based pasta with black pepper or dairy free Parmesan, fresh herbs, a squeeze of lemon, or vegetarian bacon bits. I like to sprinkle on nutritional yeast, which imparts a cheesy flavor without cheese.

What type of vegan pasta is best?

The recipe makes enough sauce to cover eight ounces of dry pasta, which yields around four cups of cooked pasta. This can be any shape, really.

I love whole wheat penne, spaghetti, or even vegan ravioli.

Chickpea pasta is great if you are looking for a high protein dinner. Or choose gluten free pasta for guests avoiding gluten.

*Many boxed dry pastas are naturally vegan. However, some brands and types of noodles contain egg. Be sure to read the ingredients on the box of pasta before serving to vegans, to ensure it is egg free.

The sauce is also great over other foods besides pasta. I often whip up a keto version for my friends on a low carb diet, swapping macadamia nuts for the cashews and serving over spaghetti squash, zucchini noodles, or steamed vegetables.

How to make vegan garlic pasta

If you are using raw cashews, start by soaking them in a bowl of water for six to eight hours. This step is optional but will give you a creamier, smoother sauce.
Drain the cashews and pat them fully dry. Then blend the nuts, dairy free milk, salt, minced garlic, onion powder, and optional oil in a high speed blender (like a Vitamix) until smooth. If using cashew butter, you can skip the blender and whisk everything together by hand with a spoon or wire whisk.
Cook pasta of choice until al dente, following the package directions. Drain but do not rinse, because rinsing noodles washes away the starch and makes it harder for sauces to stick to their surface.
Heat the white sauce in a small saucepan or in a microwave safe dish just until it begins to boil. Pour sauce over the cooked pasta and divide among four plates or bowls. Garnish each serving as desired.
I like to serve the recipe with a small side tomato and spinach salad. It’s also tasty if you stir in roasted broccoli, mushrooms, brussels sprouts, or a vegan protein source for a healthy and filling one bowl meal.
If you find yourself with leftovers, store them in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to four days. Reheat leftover pasta in the microwave or on the stove top, or bake it in the oven. You can also serve the recipe cold, turning it into a quick vegan pasta salad.

Easy Vegan Pasta Dish (Dairy Free Sauce)

The vegan recipe was adapted from this Cashew Alfredo Sauce.

1. If using raw cashews, I like to first soak them in a bowl of water for about 6 hours. (When time is up, drain off all the water and pat dry.) This step is optional but yields a smoother vegan sauce.
2. Blend the nuts, dairy free milk, salt, garlic, onion, and optional oil in a high speed blender (like a Vitamix) until completely smooth. If using cashew butter, simply whisk all of the ingredients together with a spoon or wire whisk.
3. Cook your pasta (or pasta alternative) according to the package directions. Drain, but do not rinse the noodles.
4. Heat up the cream sauce in a small saucepan or in the microwave. Then pour over the cooked pasta. Garnish as desired, and serve.
5. Store leftover vegan pasta in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to four days, and reheat before enjoying.