If you need a simple but insanely flavorful pasta recipe, look no further! This vegan vodka sauce with rigatoni is a creamy and delicious dinner recipe. It’s completely dairy free, ready in under 30 minutes.
Oops, I did it again. I made an insanely delicious and creamy and luscious and amazing pasta sauce. And did I mention it’s made with simple ingredients and ready in under 30 minutes?? Sounds like a total winner to me.
Smooth and creamy tomato based sauces are kind of my thing. So far we have a creamy pomodoro sauce, tomato basil cream sauce, and this vegan vodka sauce that will impress just about anyone.
Vodka sauce has always been one of my favorite kinds of sauces (tbh I’ll like any sauce if it’s put on pasta), and I missed it when I gave up dairy.
But thankfully we have cashews, so it’s incredibly easy to make a creamy pasta sauce without dairy.
This particular vodka sauce is rich, creamy, vegan and so easy to make. Try my cauliflower mac and cheese or vegan pasta bake next!
What does vodka sauce taste like?
Pasta alla vodka is a super creamy, tomatoey sauce that tastes similar to a tomato cream sauce, only with a deeper flavor thanks to the vodka.
The sauce itself won’t taste anything like vodka because all of the alcohol cooks off. BUT, when you add the vodka to the pan to simmer, you will get a strong wiff of alcohol, so beware!
However, as the vodka simmers with the onion and garlic, it brings out rich, almost nutty undertones that you’re going to love.
Instructions
For this recipe, you’ll start by bringing a large pot of water to a boil and cooking your pasta according to package instructions. While the pasta is cooking, add the minced garlic and chopped onion to a saute pan with olive oil.
Cook down until the garlic browns slightly and the onion looks a bit translucent. This will take about 5 minutes.
After a few minutes, pour in the vodka and let the flavors blend. The alcohol will cook off pretty quickly, so you only need to heat for a few minutes.
When you add the vodka in, you’ll get a strong alcohol scent, so keep your nose away if that bothers you!
Once all of the vodka has cooked off, add in both cans of tomatoes and stir everything together. Cover and let simmer for 10 minutes.
Next, you’ll add the contents of the pan to a food processor or blender and process with all of the remaining ingredients aside from the basil. Be sure to drain and rinse the cashew before adding to the blender.
Process until completely smooth and then transfer the contents to a pan and simmer over low heat. Stir in the cooked pasta and basil and top with fresh black pepper if desired.
You can make this dish more protein rich by using chickpea pasta or having some grilled chicken on the side.
Frequently asked questions
What vodka is best? You can use any neutral flavored vodka for this recipe, just be sure it is plain, but an extremely cheap vodka is perfectly fine for this sauce. The alcohol will cook off, so it doesn’t need to be anything special.
Does it call for nutritional yeast? This recipe calls for my vegan parmesan cheese, but you can substitute it for nutritional yeast or leave it out entirely if desired. It will still be delicious without!
Does it keep? Once prepared, this recipe will store in the fridge for about 5 days. Store in an air tight container for best results. You can heat it up on the stove with a splash of milk to make it nice and creamy.
Can I make it nut free? I recommend sticking with the recipe as written for best results, but you can try subbing the cashews for coconut milk or cream or tahini. If using tahini, you’ll want about 1/4 cup, if using coconut cream, you’ll want about 1/2 cup. Let me know if you try either of these options!
Try these next
- White Wine Cream Sauce
- The Best Easy Vegan Mac and Cheese
- Creamy White Bean Pasta Sauce
- Roasted Carrot Pasta
- Sundried Tomato Tahini Pasta
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Vegan Vodka Sauce with Pasta
by: claire cary
Ingredients
- 16 ounces uncooked pasta of choice
- 4 tablespoons olive oil or vegan butter
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 ½ cup chopped white or yellow onion
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ cup vodka
- ½ cup raw cashews
- 2 15 ounce cans diced tomatoes
- ¼ cup cashew parmesan
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- Black pepper to taste
- ¼ cup chopped basil plus more for garnish
Toasted breadcrumb
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter or olive oil
- ⅓ cup gluten free breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup vegan parmesan click for recipe
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package instructions.
- Add the cashews to a bowl and cover with boiling water. If you ever have an issue with cashews not getting smooth in your blender, add them a a pot on the stove with water and boil for 20 minutes, then drain off the water.
- Mince the garlic, chop the onion, and add to a saute pan with the olive oil.
- Saute until lightly golden brown, about 5 minutes over medium/low heat.
- Add in the tomato paste and saute for 2-3 more minutes.
- Reduce heat to low, pour in the vodka and let simmer for about 5 minutes. Be sure all of the vodka is cooked off before moving on to the next step.
- Add the cans of tomatoes to the mixture, along with 1/2 of the salt and simmer for 10 minutes so the flavors can blend.
- Transfer to a blender. Add in the drained and rinsed cashews and all remaining ingredients, including the remaining salt but aside from the basil.
- Process until completely smooth, about 1 full minute.
- Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.
- Pour the sauce back into the saute pan. Stir in the basil. If using the vegan parmesan cheese, stir it in and let it cook for a couple of minutes.
- Combine with the cooked pasta and stir until well incorporated.
- Top with extra fresh basil and enjoy!
Kathryn says
Wonderful!! So delicious and easy. Only note is that even at low heat, my pan (cast iron on a gas stove) has caught fire at the vodka stage every time I’ve made this. No big deal, it’s not huge and goes out if I blow on it a few times, but suggest turning heat off before adding the vodka if using a cast iron on gas 🙂
Claire Cary says
Oh no! I haven’t made this in a cast iron pan, but will try it out and see if I have any tips I can give!
Grace says
Loved this recipe!! As someone who can’t eat dairy, I hadn’t had rose sauce in years, and this recipe is a game changer! Super creamy and filling, despite being totally plant-based.
Claire Cary says
Thank you Grace! So happy you enjoyed this recipe!
Brooke says
Wow! If you are looking to go vegan, or reduce “bad” cholesterol, this recipe will get you there deliciously. The cashews are a surprising replacement for cream in the vodka sauce and the recipe is easy to follow. I spiced this to my own taste, but the base is perfect. I will make this one again! Thank you!
Claire Cary says
Thank you, Brooke! It’s one of my favorites 🙂
Julia says
This recipe was fairly easy and delicious! I think I might add a bit more basil next time, but otherwise, very good as is.
Claire Cary says
Always good with extra basil!
barby says
Clearly a winner!! This dish was a big hit with my family. Easy and fun to make. Delicious and a beautiful restaurant like presentation. Thank you @eatwithclarity.
Leighann says
Love this recipe! Came out perfect and just what I remember vodka sauce tasting like before I went vegan! Thank you!!
Sarah says
This sauce is so good! My stepson couldn’t believe it didn’t have cream in it. I refrigerated the leftover sauce for a couple of days and it was still great. I just added some fresh basil to it. Thank you for an awesome recipe!
MM says
This sauce is delicious. I love it’s creaminess and taste .
Jenn says
Is it okay to make this recipe without the Vodka? I don’t have any on hand 🙁
Claire Cary says
Yes, should be fine!
MacKenzie says
So delicious! Will definitely make again & again 🤤
Stella says
Hey I think your calorie calculation is a bit off. When I added it up it was more like 680 cal/serve, not 480.
Claire Cary says
Nutrition is calculated automatically, you have to take it with a grain of salt!
Linda says
I make this all the time. My husband has a hard time with dairy but detests anything labeled “vegan”. However, he will request this sauce all the time. My kids love it too. I’ve made it for my husband’s family and they didn’t even notice it was dairy-free.
Claire Cary says
Perfect! So glad you found something everyone likes!
Kristy says
Didn’t check to see if anyone had done this, but I used coconut cream and it’s delicious. You can detect the coconut, barely, but the tomato overpowers it for the most part and it blended up beautifully.
Claire Cary says
Oh perfect! Good to know the coconut cream worked well.
Cali says
Did you still do the steps with the water? Or go straight to the blender with the coconut cream?
Claire Cary says
You would skip the steps with the soaking cashews in water if you use coconut cream instead!
Maria says
so so good!!
we added some lemon juice, nutritional yeast, and dried basil (since we didn’t have fresh).
and then after my partner helped me taste test , he poured a bunch of vodka into it while i wasn’t looking …
still turned out awesome!! looking forward to making it again and playing around with it!
Beth says
Delish! New vegan here and this made hubby, college freshman daughter (who is spoiled with yummy sorority meals) all feel back at home again! I didn’t change the recipe at all and can’t thank you enough!!!
Claire Cary says
Perfect! So happy you found something everyone could enjoy!
Rachel says
Better than vodka sauce made with cream! I subbed a jar of marinara sauce for the cans of tomatoes as that is what I had on hand. Great recipe! Thank you!!
Jackie says
I’d give this 10 stars if I could! It was amazing! The recipe was so easy and everyone in the house loved it. My modifications: I used nutritional yeast instead of the parm (as per the suggestion), dried basil, and left out the vodka.
Theodora says
Nothing short of amazing!!!!!!!!!
Kid friendly and mom friendly it’s easy to make and with no fuss LOVE IT!!!!!!
Claire Cary says
Thank you Theodora! So happy you enjoyed it!
Mitch says
Amazing recipe! So simple and came together really quickly. Was hesitant that just the cashews would be enough to make the sauce creamy but was shocked how smooth and rich it was. Added a bit of chili flakes to add some heat, but other than that recipe is perfect as written.
Claire Cary says
I know, I was always skeptical of cashews, but they work so well in sauces! So happy you enjoyed it!
J, O'Neil says
This dish came out fabulous! I did make two small changes – I did not use oil – I sautéed the onions and garlic in veg. broth. I also added two TBS of tomato puree and cooked them with the onions and garlic after the vodka burned off. Otherwise I followed the directions. I can’t believe this is a Whole Foods plant based recipe.
Vicky says
Best penne alla vodka recipe I’ve tried! I usually do the cashews separately and then add to the sauce, but boiling them and adding them to the blender along with the tomatoes makes a much creamier sauce. This will be me go-to recipe from now on. The hunt for the best is over!
Claire Cary says
what a nice review! So so glad you liked it and the hunt is over!
Emily RF says
Absolutely delicious! And super easy to make too. Thank you for posting!
Manisha says
Looks yummy! Can you use roasted/salted cashews for this recipe?
Claire Cary says
I haven’t tried roasted cashews in any pasta sauces because it generally gives a much stronger flavor, but you can definitely try if that’s all you have! Let me know how it turns out.
Emily RF says
I made it with roasted cashews and it was still delicious! I just made sure to soak for a little longer (I soaked overnight and then again with boiling water).
Claire Cary says
Perfect! So glad to know that worked.
Finn Lewis says
Absolutely loved the recipe, super simple and super tasty! Thank you
Claire Cary says
Thanks Finn! It’s one of my favorites 🙂
Susan Deaver says
What an easy, amazing recipe that everyone loved!
Claire Cary says
Thanks Susan, this is one of my favorites too!
Elizabeth says
I couldn’t believe how delicious the pictures made this dish look, so I had to try it out for myself. The ingredients were so simple, and the sauce tastes incredible – would never guess it was vegan. I can’t wait to share this dish with friends!
Claire Cary says
Love to hear that! So happy you enjoyed it, thanks Elizabeth!
Briana says
Amazingly delish recipe!! My whole family didn’t believe me when I said it was dairy free!! I boiled my cashews for 15 minutes prior and it blended perfectly, and subbed dried for fresh basil because that’s what I had on hand.
Claire Cary says
Great idea with the cashews! So happy you all enjoyed it. Thanks Briana!
Aztekium.pl says
Very interesting article.
Eliza says
Amazing flavor and so easy to make
Claire Cary says
Thanks Eliza! So glad you liked it!