Easy Vegan Alfredo Pasta
This easy vegan Alfredo pasta is the ultimate plant-based comfort dish! It’s a recipe that requires minimal clean up, and features a clever cooking method that turns the pasta water into creamy sauce. Best of all, it’s ready in 15 minutes!
Alfredo pasta is one of my favorite dishes. Usually I make a hidden veggies alfredo sauce or a version with cashew cream. But sometimes, you don’t want to saute or blend, you just want a quick dinner and minimal clean up afterward.
This easy vegan alfredo pasta recipe is made all in one pan, takes 15 minutes, and mostly uses ingredients from your pantry. Need I say more?
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- One-pan recipes are basically magic. Everything cooks together, creating a creamy pasta sauce and leaving barely any cleanup.
- Unless you enjoy spending your entire day in the kitchen, weeknight dinner has to be quick and convenient. This easy vegan alfredo pasta is exactly that, and you can enjoy leftovers for lunch, too!
- Soy milk and nutritional yeast create a rich, silky vegan alfredo base while starch in the pasta water thickens the sauce. Have I mentioned it’s all cooking in one pan?
- Pantry-friendly and beginner-friendly. This recipe uses ingredients many people already have on hand, and it’s hard to mess up!
Key Ingredients
- Spaghetti (or fetuccine) is my go-to choice when making alfredo. Cooking the pasta directly in the broth helps release starch, naturally thickening the sauce.
- Soy milk creates the creamy base without dairy. Along with pasta, it actually adds some protein to the dish, too. I’ve been using Califia’s new Organic Soymilk and am obsessed!
- Nutritional yeast adds a subtle cheesy flavor that gives Alfredo its signature richness.
- Garlic is a must when cooking anything remotely Italian. It builds aroma and flavor from the very beginning.
- Lemon juice balances the savory flavor and keeps the sauce from feeling too heavy.
Hack It!
- Add greens or frozen veggies – it’s just as easy, and you get to eat more plants!
- If you’re trying to avoid food waste, you can also throw in leftover produce. If you have some bell peppers, mushrooms, or cauliflower knocking around in the fridge, add it to the mix!
- If protein is a priority, top with crispy tofu cubes or roasted chickpeas. You can also stir in some tofu cream into the sauce.
- Use gluten-free spaghetti if you can’t eat wheat or gluten.
How to Make Easy Vegan Alfredo Pasta
Step 1: Add the spaghetti, garlic, vegetable broth, soy milk, nutritional yeast, salt, and black pepper to a large skillet or sauté pan. Cover and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat.
Step 2: After about 5 minutes, stir to separate the noodles. Cover again and cook for another 3 minutes. Then, remove the lid and continue cooking while stirring frequently, until the pasta is al dente and most of the liquid has been absorbed.
Step 3: Finish with the lemon juice and fresh parsley. Taste and adjust with additional salt and pepper as desired.
Step 4: Enjoy immediately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Warm gently on the stove or in the microwave with a splash of plant milk or broth to loosen the sauce.
Yes. Cashew milk or almond milk work well, but make sure you use unsweetened milk.
Add a little bit of water or vegetable broth and keep cooking for a little longer. Stir regularly so that the pasta cooks as evenly as possible.
More Plant-Based Pasta Recipes
- Marry Me Orzo
- French Onion Pasta
- Creamy Corn Pasta
- Zucchini Pesto Pasta Sauce
- One Pot Cherry Tomato Basil Pasta
If you loved this recipe, there is plenty more in the PlantYou Cookbook and Scrappy Cooking! My cookbooks are for people who love an elegant visual recipe style and enjoy simple delicious meals.
The Recipe: Easy Vegan Alfredo Pasta
Ingredients
- 12 oz spaghetti, 340grams, dry
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1½ cups soy milk, I use Califia's organic Soymilk
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- freshly ground black pepper, a couple of twists, or to taste
- 1 lemon, juiced
- fresh parsley, chopped
Equipment
- Large skillet or saute pan
- Lid
- tongs or spatula
Instructions
- Add the spaghetti, garlic, vegetable broth, soy milk, nutritional yeast, salt, and a few grinds of black pepper to a large skillet or sauté pan. Spread out the spaghetti so you avoid it cooking in a clump. Cover and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat.
- After about 5 minutes, uncover and give the pasta a good stir to separate the noodles. Cover again and cook for another 3 minutes.
- Remove the lid and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the pasta is al dente and most of the liquid has been absorbed, forming a creamy sauce that coats the noodles.
- Finish with the lemon juice and fresh parsley. Taste and adjust with additional salt and pepper as desired. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Add greens or frozen veggies – it’s just as easy, and you get to eat more plants!
- If you’re trying to avoid food waste, you can also throw in leftover produce. If you have some bell peppers, mushrooms, or cauliflower knocking around in the fridge, add it to the mix!
- If protein is a priority, top with crispy tofu cubes or roasted chickpeas. You can also stir in some tofu cream into the sauce.
- Use gluten-free spaghetti if you can’t eat wheat or gluten.