Nothing screams Fall more than a big bowl of creamy vegan pumpkin pasta! This is a simple and delicious recipe that requires just 10 key ingredients and 30 minutes to make!
As soon as September 1st rolls around, I am in FULL Fall mode. Sweet Potato Smoothies, Pumpkin Oatmeal, Butternut Squash Soup, Apple Pie Chia Pudding, I go crazy with all of it.
This vegan pumpkin pasta is up there on my list of Fall favorites. It’s super creamy, pumpkiny, and only takes about 20 minutes to make.
It’s infused with sage, thyme and nutmeg so it comes off like a fancy Fall dinner, but it’s actually incredibly simple!
Ingredients
- Pumpkin puree: It wouldn’t be pumpkin pasta without pumpkin! I use and recommend canned pumpkin. Just make sure you aren’t using pumpkin pie filling!
- Garlic/Onion: Sauteed with some oil for lots of flavor.
- Arrowroot powder: To help thicken the sauce since we are not using any cashews.
- Coconut cream: To make the sauce very creamy. If you don’t have or can’t find coconut cream, you can chill a can of coconut milk and scoop off the top part and use that.
- Almond milk: To make the sauce, well, a sauce! You can sub with any other plain non-dairy milk of choice.
- Fresh sage and thyme: For fall flavor. If you only have dried, that will work too, just use 1/3 of the amount the recipe calls for.
- Nutritional yeast or cashew parmesan: For a hint of cheesiness. My personal preference is cashew parm because it gets creamier and richer, but regular nutritional yeast will work just as well.
- Nutmeg: Just a pinch for delicious Fall flavor.
- Salt & pepper: Pasta is nothing without lots of salt and pepper!
How to make this recipe
The first step is to bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package instructions. While that’s cooking, we’ll prepare the sauce.
Chop the garlic and onion and add to a pan with the olive oil. They don’t need to be perfectly chopped since they will get blended anyway.
Saute for about 5-10 minutes or until they start to look slightly golden brown and become very fragrant.
Add in the chopped thyme and sage and continue to saute for about 5 minutes to let the flavors blend.
Once that is done, add the mixture to a food processor along with all remaining ingredients aside from the arrowroot powder and process until completely smooth. A high speed blender will also work if you don’t have a food processor.
At this point, the sauce will be thin, but don’t worry, we will thicken it soon! Now, pulse in the arrowroot powder until there are no clumps.
Transfer the sauce to a pan and simmer over low heat to let it thicken. After 5-10 minutes, the sauce should be plenty thick, but you can whisk in an additional tablespoon of arrowroot powder if it needs to be thicker.
Once the sauce is at your desired consistency, taste and adjust the seasonings as desired. Combine the pasta and sauce and serve immediately.
Frequently asked questions
Does it keep? Once prepared, this vegan pumpkin pasta will store in the fridge for 3-5 days. To reheat, add it to the stove with a splash of almond milk to it gets nice and creamy.
What pasta is best? You can use any type and shape of pasta, I used gluten free penne but fettuccine, rotini or spaghetti would all be great!
Can I make it nut free? The almond milk can be subbed for any non dairy milk such as soy if you have an allergy.
Additionally, if you have a coconut allergy, you can simply leave the coconut cream out or sub for cashew cream. It will still be creamy and delicious!
What should I use to thicken the sauce? I have only tested this recipe using arrowroot, but I imagine tapioca starch or a neutral flour like brown rice flour would also work.
Flavor tip: You can sub the olive oil for equal parts non-dairy butter for a richer taste.
Try these pasta recipes next!
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Creamy Vegan Pumpkin Pasta
by: claire cary
Ingredients
- 16 ounces pasta of choice
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 diced white or yellow onion
- 1-2 tbsp arrowroot powder
- 2 tbsp coconut cream or cashew cream
- 2 cups almond milk
- 2 tsp fresh chopped sage
- 2 tsp fresh chopped thyme
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast or cashew parmesan
- ⅛ tsp nutmeg
- 1 – 1 ½ tsp sea salt
- Black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook pasta according to package instructions.
- Mince the garlic, chop the onion and add to a pan with the olive oil. Saute over low heat.
- Once the garlic starts to brown, add the chopped sage and thyme.
- Let cook for about 5 minutes to let the flavors blend together.
- Add this mixture and all remaining ingredients (but not the arrowroot powder) to a blender or food processor and process until smooth.
- Add in the arrowroot and pulse a few times to make sure it is well incorporated. At this stage the sauce will be thin, don't worry it's going to thicken!
- Transfer the sauce to a large pan and heat over low heat. Let it simmer for about 5-10 minutes or until the sauce is nice and thick.
- Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.
- Combine with the cooked pasta and serve immediately with cashew parmesan and red pepper flakes if desired.
Nicole says
I absolutely loved this and I made this the other day for my super picky brother and he thought it was super tasty! Can’t wait to make it again!
Claire Cary says
Yay! Thanks Nicole, so happy you both enjoyed it!
Treena says
This is so delicious! I made it even though it’s still warm
outside and it was perfect! My kids loved it.
Claire Cary says
Love when kids approve!!