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, I’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, it’s budget-friendly!
Weeknight-friendly. It takes 20ish minutes to make, from start to finish.
Comfort food heaven. It’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.
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 work—just make sure it’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.
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 🙂
Introducing
Big Vegan Flavor
Techniques and 150 recipes to master vegan cooking.
10-Ingredient Creamy Vegan Pantry Pasta
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 “lite” 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 sauté 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.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Love this? Leave a rating below!
so tasty!!!!
Hi Natalie, we’re so happy you enjoyed this pasta recipe! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review 🙂
One word describes this meal, DELICIOUS!
Awesome, Rita. Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review!
This dish comes together so quickly and is super flavorful! This will definitely be added to the rotation.
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Jalyn!
Wow, I just made this tonight as part of the 30 day challenge, and I was very impressed with the results. I used oat milk instead of coconut, the salted pasta water instead of broth and added a little more tahini to compensate for the reduction in fat. I also added some mushrooms and broccoli. I love how easy it was and how quickly it came together. This might just be my new favourite pasta sauce.
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Sam!
We made this with plain soy milk and it was really creamy and flavourful. It’s easy and tasty and we’ll make it again on a night when we need a quick meal!
Jesss, So glad to hear you loved this recipe!
a really easy menu when you are crunched for time or just feeling a little lazy. I dehydrated my shrooms & used the soaking liquid for the broth, blended some oats with water & used everything so no need for flour and stir fried some broccoli & bell pepper with the mushroom. The result is a creamy pasta with layers of flavor and a hint of smokiness. Such a winner!
Thanks for sharing, Meiji!
I made this last night as part of the Veganuary contest. It was SO good! Very easy to make. I subbed pasta for what was in my pantry. Easy to make. Tastes great! I had some for lunch today. Even better!
Awesome, Carolyn. Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review!
Quick, easy and delicious pasta dish.
We’re so happy you think so, Joan!
780 mg sodium is kind of much for me. I wonder where you could cut down and not lose too much flavor? low sodium broth? maybe half the salt? I love tamari and would not want to lose that flavor but blood pressure is a concern. I love me some salt… dangit.
Hi Steph, you could use water instead of veggie broth and use low sodium soy sauce. We hope you can make the recipe!
You could make your own stock and leave out the salt. I have a jar of herbs and condiments already made up in the pantry. I can send you the recipe if you like.
Can’t wait to make this Kaitlin. Really been in need of some quick easy recipes instead of reaching for the freezer chips 🌻h
That’s right, Avril! We hope you love the pasta 🙂
OMG! So good and creamy! Definitely recommend! I shared this with my grandma, mom, and brother. They absolutely loved it and we have plenty of leftovers! Thanks Nisha!
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Simran!