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10-Ingredient Creamy Vegan Pantry Pasta

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This 10-Ingredient Creamy Vegan Pantry Pasta is made with just a handful of everyday pantry staples and itโ€™ll quickly become part of your regular easy weeknight dinner rotation. Itโ€™s creamy, cheesy, and smoky and indulgent yet healthy, and guaranteed to be a crowd pleasing meal.
Prep 10 minutes
Cook 15 minutes
Total 25 minutes
5 from 247 votes

I am often in the mood for a creamy comforting pasta, and this 10-Ingredient Creamy Vegan Pantry Pasta is the easiest option that actually tastes amazing.

It’s made with just pantry ingredients, is quick and simple to make, and is packed with flavor. It’s also easy to customize, so you can round it out with your favorite vegetable or protein.

This recipe is straightforward, but if you want a few cooking tips (including the proper way to dice an onion and peel garlic) or want to see me cooking in action, Iโ€™ve included the video down below.

If you love the sound of a pantry-friendly pasta, you should also try my 10-Ingredient Lentil Bolognese and my Italian White Bean and Pasta Stew!

And for even more pasta-recipes, check out my round-up of 30 amazing vegan pasta recipes right here!

Watch: How to make Creamy Pantry Pasta!

Why you’ll love this vegan pantry pasta

10 main ingredients. Okay, not counting water, oil, salt and pepper. But yeah, just 10 main ingredients, woohoo!

Pantry staples. And all those ingredients are pantry staples (i.e., you might already have all the required ingredients in your pantry).

Budget-friendly. In addition to being a pantry meal, itโ€™s budget-friendly!

Weeknight-friendly. It takes 20ish minutes to make, from start to finish.

Comfort food heaven. Itโ€™s creamy, cheesy, and smoky, and incredibly indulgent. It tastes like a slightly smoky version of fettuccine Alfredo! It was inspired by my Creamy Mushroom Stroganoff, which is one of my most popular recipes, so you know it’s good!

Easy to customize. Feel free to make this your own meal. Toss in frozen peas at the end, pair with a side of roasted broccoli, bulk up with some beans or tofu or your favorite protein source. I personally love it with roasted broccoli or charred zucchini and smoked tofu.

10-Ingredient Creamy Vegan Pantry Pasta. Pasta food photography.

Substitutions for this recipe

Gluten-free? Use gluten-free soy sauce (aka tamari), use gluten-free flour or cornstarch, and use gluten-free pasta.

Plant milk. Canned lite coconut milk is the most pantry-friendly option, but I typically use oat milk because I always have it on hand. Any creamy plant-based milk such as oat, coconut, cashew, or soy will workโ€”just make sure itโ€™s a plain / unsweetened variety.

No tahini? The tahini adds extra richness and creaminess, so you can omit it, though at least one reader subbed almond butter with delicious results.

No Dijon or coarse-grain mustard? Add a splash of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice. The acidity at the end helps balance the creamy richness.

creamy pantry pasta in a bowl

If you give this recipe a try, be sure to tag me on Instagram with your recreations and please rate and review the recipe below :)

Big Vegan Flavor

Techniques and 150 recipes to master vegan cooking.

10-Ingredient Creamy Vegan Pantry Pasta

5 from 247 votes
This 10-Ingredient Creamy Vegan Pantry Pasta is made with just a handful of everyday pantry staples and itโ€™ll quickly become part of your regular easy weeknight dinner rotation. Itโ€™s creamy, cheesy, and smoky and indulgent yet healthy, and guaranteed to be a crowd pleasing meal.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Course: Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine: Italian-Inspired, New American
Diet Vegan
Serving size: 3

Ingredients

  • 1 generous tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional, for mild heat)
  • 3/4 cup (180 mL) vegetable broth or water
  • 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium tamari or soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour*
  • 3/4 cup (180 mL) canned โ€œliteโ€ coconut milk or unsweetened oat milk (ideally a creamy full-fat version)**
  • 1 tablespoon tahini
  • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt + more to taste
  • Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 6 ounces (170g) linguine, fettuccine, or any pasta of choice (including gluten-free)
  • Optional garnishes: chopped flat-leaf parsley or vegan parmesan cheese

Instructions

  • Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until al dente.
  • Meanwhile, heat a deep sautรฉ pan over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Once the oil is shimmering, add the onions and season with a pinch of kosher salt. Cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned around the edges. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes (if using), and stir to combine for 1 minute, until fragrant.
  • While the onions are cooking, pour the vegetable broth (or water) into a measuring cup or bowl and add in the tamari or soy sauce and flour. Whisk to combine until all the flour is dissolved.
  • Pour the vegetable broth-flour mixture into the onion-garlic mixture and whisk to combine, ensuring there are no flour clumps. It should thicken almost immediately. Reduce the heat to medium-low and pour in the coconut milk or oat milk, tahini, nutritional yeast, paprika, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and black pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes***, or until the sauce is thickened and very creamy, whisking occasionally.
  • Stir in the Dijon mustard, and taste for seasonings, adding more salt as needed. Turn on the pan with the sauce to low heat and add the hot cooked pasta. Use tongs to toss the pasta until it's well coated in the sauce and it's all heated through. Garnish with parsley and/or vegan parm, if using.

Notes

* If youโ€™re gluten-free, you can substitute with (a) 2 tablespoons gluten-free all-purpose flour or (b) 1 tablespoon cornstarch.
** I use oat milk because I usually have it on hand, but any creamy plant-based milk will work. If all you have is canned full-fat coconut milk, be sure to stir well and water it down a bit.
*** *If your milk is not as creamy, you might need to simmer a few extra minutes. If you double the recipe, simmer for 10 minutes.ย 

Calories: 375kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 780mg | Potassium: 293mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 175IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 2mg

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4.96 from 247 votes (95 ratings without comment)

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342 comments on 10-Ingredient Creamy Vegan Pantry Pasta

  1. Fenice

    5 stars
    So delicious, so umami-ful and so easy. Simple to make gluten free, too.

    1. Kaitlin @ Rainbow Plant Life

      Thanks for the lovely feedback, Fenice!

  2. Deb

    5 stars
    Yum! I made as directed and added peas and kaleโ€ฆ.very good!

    1. Kaitlin @ Rainbow Plant Life

      Hi Deb, it’s great to hear you had success with the recipe. Thanks for the review!

  3. Gregory Bryson

    yes i like the recipe im new to this vegan life but yes im bout to send my email please send me all the recipes

    1. Kaitlin @ Rainbow Plant Life

      Hi Gregory, welcome to the site! You can sign up for our email list here. Cheers!

  4. Steve Elliott

    5 stars
    Easy to make and wonderfully flavoursome. I used wholewheat pasta so a bit bland (and brown ๐Ÿ™„) in colour. Added 150gm of baby broad beans. Problem solved ๐Ÿ˜„

    1. Kaitlin @ Rainbow Plant Life

      We’re thrilled you loved the pasta, Steve! :)

  5. tiny_traveller

    5 stars
    This was surprisingly so good – I was suspicious, but it was so good.

    1. Kaitlin @ Rainbow Plant Life

      Hi there, it’s great to hear you had success with the recipe. Thanks for the review!

  6. Danielle

    5 stars
    Amazing my go to pasta dish

    1. Kaitlin @ Rainbow Plant Life

      Hi Danielle, Thank you so much for such a fantastic review! Appreciate you taking the time!

  7. Crystal

    5 stars
    This was fabulous. I added spinach and mushrooms. This was my first time using tahini in a recipe. It worked very well. The dish was delious.

    1. Kaitlin @ Rainbow Plant Life

      Hi Crystal, Thank you so much for such a fantastic review! Appreciate you taking the time!

  8. Laura S

    5 stars
    I made this yesterday for my family and they loved it! I sauteed mushrooms and mild red pepper with the onions, but otherwise changed nothing in this recipe. This is definitely going to be a regular dish at our house!

    1. Kaitlin @ Rainbow Plant Life

      We’re over the moon to hear you and the family enjoyed the recipe, Laura. Thanks for your kind words!

  9. Suzi

    5 stars
    This recipe was so simple to make. It is a pantry recipe, as I had all the ingredients ready. I did make a few modifications. I subbed bell pepper for the onions (Sadly, I can’t eat them) and added baked tofu for additional protein. I threw in some chopped baby bok choy at the end. The recipe was a bit too smoky for my taste, and I felt it was crying out for some acid. I added the juice of a lemon, which elevated the dish even further. Next time I will cut the paprika in half and add the juice of one lemon.

    1. Kaitlin @ Rainbow Plant Life

      Hi Suzi, we appreciate the feedback! Glad you found the recipe both simple and delicious :)

  10. SNL

    5 stars
    Great, and even better it’s actually quick and easy (no ridiculous prep time). Also no modifications needed (again unusual). I added frozen green beans and peas because I’m a veg in dinner gal. I was happy with water swap (veg stock is too salty). Swap chilli flakes for frozen green chilli also works. Increase nutritional yeast and mustard (at least double) for (ham) cheese and mustard sandwich vibes is my favourite version! Thank you

    1. Kaitlin @ Rainbow Plant Life

      Hi there, Thank you so much for such a fantastic review! Appreciate you taking the time!

  11. SNL

    5 stars
    Great, and even better it’s actually quick and easy (no ridiculous prep time). Also no modifications needed (again unusual). I added frozen green beans and peas because I’m a veg in dinner gal. I was happy with water swap (veg stock is too salty). Swap chilli flakes for frozen green chilli also works. Increase nutritional yeast and mustard (at least double) for (ham) and cheese/ mustard sandwich vibes is my favourite version! Thank you

  12. Netsanet

    5 stars
    Easy and delicious. Thanks. I added sliced mushrooms to the onion and simmered some broccoli florets and okras in the sauce also.

    1. Kaitlin @ Rainbow Plant Life

      Thanks for sharing your experience with us, Netsanet. We’re happy you loved the pasta!

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