This creamy vegan pasta is coated in a luscious sauce that's entirely dairy-free! It's a tangy blend of white beans, lemon juice & nutritional yeast.
This creamy vegan pasta is my favorite recipe to make when I’m craving comfort food but don’t have hours to spend in the kitchen. From start to finish, it takes just over 20 minutes to make, so it’s the perfect weeknight meal. All you need to do is boil the pasta, blend up the sauce, sauté onion and broccoli, and toss it all together. Then, you can sit down to devour warm bowls of noodles and veggies coated with this super creamy vegan pasta sauce. While this sauce looks like a rich cream or cheese sauce, it’s actually a tangy, luscious blend of white beans, lemon juice, and nutritional yeast. So this recipe is not only quick & comforting, but it’s also healthy!
Vegan Pasta Recipe Ingredients
Of course, this creamy vegan pasta sauce is totally dairy-free, but it’s also different than many vegan pasta sauces I make. Often, I turn to raw cashews or coconut milk in these recipes, but this time, I went in a different direction. Here’s what I used:
- White beans are the secret ingredient that make this sauce thick, smooth, and creamy! They also add a good amount of plant-based protein. Use canned beans, or cook your own.
- Lemon juice brightens it up.
- Olive oil adds richness.
- Nutritional yeast fills this vegan pasta with yummy cheese-like flavor.
- Onion powder & garlic amp up the savory, umami flavors in this recipe.
- Vegetable broth (and pasta cooking water, if you like) loosens the sauce as needed.
- Pasta. I used small shell pasta, but use what you have on hand. Orecchiette, bow ties, or rigatoni would all be great. Read the label on your pasta to make sure it’s vegan – most dried pastas are.
- Broccoli and chopped up broccoli stems. This recipe is a great way to use up the whole vegetable. If your broccoli still has leaves attached, toss those in too!
- And pine nuts add a delicious crunch!
One note about this recipe – it’s not mac and cheese. I know it looks cheesy, but this sauce isn’t meant to recreate cheese (head over to this vegan mac and cheese recipe if that’s what you’re looking for). Instead, it’s a tangy, comforting garlic pasta that’s delicious in its own way.
Easy Vegan Pasta Recipe Variations
This vegan pasta is a great recipe to play with! The creamy, luscious vegan pasta sauce is a fantastic starting point for different combinations of vegetables, noodles, seasonings, and more. Here are a few ideas for changing it up:
- Switch the vegetables. Sautéed broccoli and onion are my go-to veggies here, but roasted broccoli, roasted cauliflower or Brussels sprouts would also be delicious. In the summer, stir in roasted tomatoes. In the spring, add market-fresh asparagus.
- Skip the actual pasta. Instead of regular pasta, serve this sauce over spaghetti squash or zucchini noodles.
- Spice it up. I love adding a few pinches of red pepper flakes to my bowl. Pickled jalapeños would be another fun, punchy addition.
- Get creative with flavor add-ins. Amp up this creamy vegan pasta with chopped sun-dried tomatoes, dollops of vegan pesto, or fresh basil leaves.
If you love this vegan pasta recipe…
Head over here to find more of my favorite plant-based recipes, or try one of these delicious pasta dishes next!
- Pasta pomodoro with creamy vegan tomato sauce
- Roasted vegetable pasta
- Carrot tomato tagliatelle
- Easy baked ziti
- Roasted vegetable lasagna
- Fettuccine Alfredo with Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce
Creamy Vegan Pasta
- 2½ cups small shell pasta
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 5 cups broccoli florets, chopped stems, and leaves (keep stems separate)
- ¼ cup toasted pine nuts
- lemon wedges, for serving
- 1½ cups cooked white beans, drained and rinsed
- ¼ cup vegetable broth, more as needed
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast*
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Make the sauce: In a blender, combine the white beans, broth, lemon juice, olive oil, nutritional yeast, garlic, onion powder, salt, and pepper, and blend until smooth. Set aside.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Prepare the pasta according to the instructions on the package, cooking until al dente. Drain and set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the chopped broccoli stems and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes or until tender. Add the broccoli florets and leaves and a splash of water or vegetable broth. Cover and turn off the heat.
- Allow the broccoli to steam for 2 to 3 minutes or until tender but still bright green. Add the pasta, then stir in ¾ of the sauce, adding more broth if the sauce is too dry.
- Season to taste with more salt, pepper and lemon juice, as desired, and portion into bowls. Divide the remaining sauce onto each bowl. Top with the pine nuts and serve with lemon wedges on the side.
Loved this Creamy Vegan Pasta sauce! It is now a staple at our house for a comforting, delicious, weeknight meal. My two-year-old can’t get enough.
We have been eating plant-based as a family for almost 6 months and it has been so fun exploring new ways of cooking and some really exciting new foods.
Thank you for the fantastic recipe!
Hi Tracy, I’m so glad you all loved it!
Easy and delicious!! Will make on the reg for sure.
Made this pasta last night & it was awesome! Love the creamy sauce with the lemon. Even better as leftovers. I will make this again & again.
I made this tonight and loved it! Loved the bean and nutritional yeast sauce! Thanks to coronavirus and what’s in my pantry I made some substitutions here and there (for instance, I didn’t have any lemons so instead used some lemon pepper seasoning on the broccoli and a splash of white wine vinegar in the sauce). I also took one of your variation suggestions and roasted the broccoli. Actually, I appreciate that this recipe uses mostly pantry ingredients and is versatile enough for easy substitutions.
Hi Karissa, I’m so glad it was so flexible!
I’m so glad you loved it!
LOVE this recipe. I added fresh spinach for more greens. I didn’t have nutritional yeast, so I replaced with parmesan. It was so good! I will definitely make this again.
Hi Robyn, I’m so glad you loved it!
I made this for dinner tonight! I didn’t have pine nuts or onions, but it was still delicious! The sauce has white cheddar vibes, and I love that it’s made with beans! I’m on a strict budget so this was a very tasty and cheap dinner. It was also incredibly filling!
Hi Kathryn, I’m so glad you loved it!
I love how easy and adaptable this is! This is one of those recipes that can be adjusted to fit whatever is in the fridge.
I threw some fresh basil into the blender with the sauce. I wanted to double the recipe, but didn’t have more white beans, so half ended up being tofu and coconut milk. I also just had broccoli crowns so added a few leaves of spinach into the broccoli mix.
Thank you so much!
Awesome easy to follow recipe that taste amazing!
Havent tried but excited to try white bean sauce. Was excited to see vegan recipe.
Hi Linda, I hope you enjoy the recipe!
I make this recipe a couple times a month and LOVE that it’s vegan yet I still get protein from the beans along with my carbs and veggies! On a whim, I tried it over brown rice instead of pasta tonight and found it even more yummy and hearty. Highly recommend!
I made the sauce tonight and it was so delicious! I served it with Banza pasta and roasted veggies that I had on hand but definitely will try the full recipe next time 🙂
Made this recipe and it was great! I brought leftovers to work the following day and they were still delightful. The only annoying thing was the dishes afterward because I wanted to dig right in not rinse and wash, hahahaha.
So this recipe is so good it blew my mind. I am vegan and the ONE thing I crave is cheese. And this did it. LOVE IT.
So delicious! I am not a fan of creamy sauces..partially because of texture, partially because of nutrition…my husband on the other hand loves them and can’t get enough of them. What a great compromise. The nutritional yeast gives a great texture and flavor. I will definitely put this recipe in our rotation.
Hi Michelle, I’m so glad this one was a great compromise! I’m excited to hear that it’s made it to the rotation 🙂
Wow!I thought it would taste straight up like beans but with all the spices, it had so much flavor. It really is creamy and delicious. Enjoyed this. It’s healthy but doesn’t taste like it. I will definitely make it just because it’s so easy.
Really, really enjoyed this meal! It came together super quick, filled us up, and tasted yummy! Thanks for a successful dinner! Also, we doubled the garlic in the sauce because that’s just how we roll and it was perfect- not too garlicky at all!
I made this last night and loved it! Most of the time when we have pasta I find I’m hungry half an hour later, but this dish was filling and satisfying–I’ll be putting it in my regular rotation. I added a handful of cashews and a little extra nutritional yeast to the sauce. I also threw in some spinach once the broccoli was done cooking, and added some vegan parmesan and crushed red at the end. I also left out the pine nuts. So good, thanks for sharing!
Hi Claire, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Just made this for dinner and it was awesome! Such a healthy alternative to heavy cream as pasta sauce 👌🏻
I’m so glad you loved it! Thank you for coming back to let me know!
Amazing recipe! It looks really good!
Find out how you can lose weight in 2018 here: http://bit.ly/2srkBoA
Have a nice day!