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, Iโve 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, itโs budget-friendly!
Weeknight-friendly. It takes 20ish minutes to make, from start to finish.
Comfort food heaven. Itโs 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 workโjust make sure itโs 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 โliteโ 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
This was tasty! I’d add in tofu and mushrooms next time to make it a more balanced meal.
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Lyndsay!
Hi there!!! Just wondering if you can make the sauce the day before? Thanks!
Hi AC, yes but you may need to thin it out with a splash of veggie broth on the day of cooking, as it will thicken in the fridge.
Love the cashew cream. With all the ways you can use it, I suggest creating an ebook on this topic! :-)
Thanks for the great feedback, Ruth! We appreciate you!
This was so tasty!!! I wanted to make some pesto pasta for Valentineโs Day but i couldnโt find any fresh basil for it so i panic searched on the internet to find an alternative recipe. Thank god I came across your recipe because it was such an incredible and easy recipe to make in a pinch! Iโm excited to check out your other recipes!
Yay, we’re so happy the recipe came in handy, Jeesoo! We hope you get a chance to make the other recipes on the site as well :)
Excellent! Delicious! Family approved by all. As usual you have never let me down. You are my go to when I do my weekly meal planning. Thank you for your videos and your dedication to what you do. Everyone of your recipes is a work of art. I canโt wait until your cookbook comes out.
Hi Myra, thanks for such a lovely comment. It’s amazing to hear you’ve found so much value in the recipes :) We hope you continue loving the recipes for years to come!
I make this every time I want to impress somebody with my cooking, and it ALWAYS does the trick. I love this pasta so much! Thank you Nisha!
Hi Joie, Thank you so much for such a fantastic review! Appreciate you taking the time!
This turned out sooooo good!
We’re over the moon to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Supriya. Thanks for your kind words!
Thank you for this recipe Nisha, and for all your work. The pantry pasta was quick and easy to make and very tasty. I made it with wholegrain spelt tagliatelle and it worked very well.
Your review made our day, Andreea! Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and for trying out the recipe.
you saved my evening! didn’t realize it was a holiday so couldn’t go shopping. I wanted a pasta dish made from pantry…. et voilร ! I threw some smoked tofu in and it was delicious!! thank you Nisha.
Sounds very tasty, Sophie! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review! :)
Hey Nisha! I’m excited to try this but I wanted to run a few substitutions by you first. Is it okay if I substitute peanut butter for tahini, and a white onion instead of a yellow one? I also have a shallot if that is better than white onion.
Thanks in advance!
Sanne
Hi Sanne, we donโt recommend peanut butter, as the taste is too strong and will overpower the dish. Tahini is fairly subtle in flavor. A white onion should be fine though. If you have a few shallots, I would use those instead, but either will work.
Another winner recipe by RPL! <3
Hi Regan, we’re glad you think so! :)
This is absolutely delicious! I would definitely make and serve this to guests. I think it would also be great with mushrooms.
Thank you for your lovely comment, Cheryl! It makes us happy to know that you enjoyed the recipe.
Sooo good! I leave the garlic out and take some asafoetida instead.
For the veggies i make a beetroot-apple-salad. So quick and so yummie!
Thanks
Hi Michaela, thank you so much for your kind review! That pasta salad combo sounds heavenly!
I want to make this but I’m allergic to sesame so can’t do Tahini. Can I substitute it with something else?
Hi Nadia- you can just omit it, though at least one reader subbed almond butter with delicious results so that could be a potential swap!
Can I add mushrooms?
Hi Virginia, sure! We especially love cooking mushrooms in oil for a few mins undisturbed on the pan so they get super crispy. Enjoy!
Amazing, like everything else! This pasta recipe is great for this time of year. It’s creamy, spicy and just delicious. It’s nice having pasta with something other than tomato sauce too!
I agree this recipe is a winner, Treena! Thanks for the review!
Just WOW.
Super tasty – thank you!
Hi Pepe, thank you so much for your kind review!
I am new to Vegan life style. Your recipes make me excited. I plan to buy at a bookstore soon.
We’re happy to have you here, Ken! We can’t wait for you to dig right into these recipes :)
Truly delicious pasta. Such a treat to discover this creamy, spicy recipe thatโs so easy to prepare. This will be on regular rotation: Thank you!
Carolyn, So glad to hear you loved this recipe!
So good! Even my husband loved it and has been asking when I’m going to make it again.
Hi Kristin, Thank you so much for such a fantastic review! Appreciate you taking the time!