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 :)
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.
Notes
This recipie has become one of our weekly staples, the only change we made is adding a bunch of sautéed mushrooms!
Awesome, Kevin. Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review!
I make this every single week. DELICIOUS! Being vegan made me miss a really good, creamy pasta. This dish hits the spot.
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Katie!
Everyone loved it!
Awesome, Britt. Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review!
This pasta is excellent. I just got back from a camping trip & my fridge is empty. I needed a simple pantry meal & I had all these ingredients. I doubled it to feed 4 adults (+a portion of leftovers). I added diced bell pepper with the onion & some frozen peas at the end. Everyone in the house loved it & my wife suggested I send this recipe to my MiL who loves parmesan noodles, since it’s creamy and she claims the taste is similar. This will definitely be going into my rotation. I’m excited to pair it with other veggies and see how it tastes.
Loren, So glad to hear you loved this recipe! :)
I never leave reviews but I just had to for this recipe! This is like high end restaurant quality pasta! Complex flavor, creamy mouthfeel, and that smoky element just fills my heart with joy! Hands down the BEST pasta recipe on the internet today.
My only suggestion is to double the batch and be sure to have leftovers for a late night snack or for lunch the next day. Learned my lesson this time and I won’t be making that mistake again 😂
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Ryley!
Okay… this recipe should be illegal for how AMAZING it is. Literally I have never tasted a pasta dish quite like this before and it is so delicious. This is an incredible, umami, creamy, and FLAVORFUL pasta dish, and I wish I found it sooner. So unique and tasty; the onions mixed with the soy sauce and mustard… perfection. I added some spinach straight to the sauce and it came out perfect. Another amazing recipe by Miss Nisha!
Raven, So glad to hear you loved this recipe! :) Thanks for the wonderful review!
This is so good! I used the coconut milk and added peas. Next time I might add mushrooms. Even my 19 month old ate a bunch and my husband loved it also!! I will definitely make this again.
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Arianne!
I really love the taste of this sauce! I used oat milk in this which my sister insists made it taste funny (she’s a bit anti-vegan), but my grandmother (who rarely enjoys non-Chinese food) finished her plate. THAT is insanely impressive. There is a slight kick of spice, a pleasant tanginess, and delicious creamy goodness.
I will be making this more often.
Thanks for sharing, Alena!
Amazing recipe, came out perfectly first time round. Boyfriend who I’m attempting to convert to vegan, also a big fan.
I topped with some salted peanuts which went well.
Sinead, So glad to hear you loved this recipe!
This was flippin amazing!! My hubby was a happy man… :)
Heather, So glad to hear you loved this recipe!
I tried this recipe yesterday. I doubled the recipe for meal prep and it’s delicious! It is so creamy yet light!
Yosseline, So glad to hear you loved this recipe!
I don’t usually leave comments on recipes but I had to on this one… the dish is absolutely lovely; creamy, unctuous, savory… hits the spot entirely. I made it exactly as prescribed (using oat milk). You would assume there was a boat-load of cream and butter in this as it’s rich, thick and super silky. Marvellous!
Awesome, Samantha. Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review!
This does not taste like anything else I make, in the best way! Such a unique combination of flavors and so creamy. All with ingredients that are already sitting in my pantry! Love this
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Sarah!
Outstanding, delicious, amazing! Everything came together perfectly. I am excited to try more of your recipes. I am new to the vegan diet. I will definitely take pointers and direction from you.
Thanks for sharing, Jeannine!
Made this tonight— my husband ate his portion and the extra that was going to be my lunch tomorrow;) He added sriracha on top, but he basically puts that on everything. I made it per the recipe, but I’ll probably try it with veggies next time. Very yummy.
Thanks for sharing, Lily!
I received your wonderful cookbook as a gift and have been making your recipes. I’m blown away by the flavor of every single one that I’ve prepared. Thank you for your amazing creations! You are truly a gifted chef!
Thank you so much for leaving this comment, Lenita! We are beyond thrilled you’ve found so much value in the cookbook!
I really like it
Thanks for the lovely feedback!
I make this all the time, what a great weeknight dinner!
Hi Alejandra, we’re thrilled to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating alongside your review? Star ratings are big help to readers who are thinking of making the recipe. Thanks!
Absolutely love this recipe! It has become a staple for us for weeknight dinners. I’ve made many variations with different veggies, mock meats, pastas, etc. and they’ve all turned out great! Only difference I make is omitting the soy sauce because the better than bouillon vegetable broth I use is already salty enough :) Your recipes never disappoint!!
Awesome, Audrey. Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review!
I made this tonight and it was delicious!! It was a little salty, so I added more coconut milk and nooch to even it out. Other than that, perfection! Oh, and I added some frozen veggies. I’m glad I have some leftovers for lunch tomorrow!
Awesome, Michelle. Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review!