Creamy Vegan Pasta Alfredo Recipe

This 4-step piquillo alfredo farfalle recipe is a must have in your vegan recipe arsenal! Quick to prepare, and high in protein; the plant-based alfredo contains unique ingredients including piquillo peppers, cashews, and hemp seeds. Blended together, these ingredients create a creamy and lavish sauce.

The lack of nutritionally balanced vegan pasta recipe options available online is insane - this recipe is sure to hit the mark on both flavor and nutrition!

4-Step Vegan Pasta Alfredo Recipe

The dairy free sauce is a fabulous vegan option for various plant based meal prep ideas. One recipe will yield 6 - ½ cup servings, can be stored in the fridge up to 5 days, and is freezer friendly. Try it baked into a creamy broccoli casserole or on top of whole-roasted portobello mushrooms.

Ingredients 

• 1 box chickpea or lentil pasta farfalle (or pasta of choice) 
• 2 cups almond milk, soy milk, or hemp milk 
• 1 cup cashews, raw, unsalted
• ½ cup roasted jarred piquillo peppers, drained 
• 2 tablespoons hemp seeds
• 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoons onion powder 
• 2 teaspoons mustard powder 
• 1 lemon, juiced
• Pinch of salt and black pepper to taste 

Tools

• Blender (traditional or hand-held)
• Microwave
• Pasta pot and strainer 
• Measuring cups
• Tablespoon measure 
• Spatula 

Gentle reminders: 

• Mise en Place - gather and prep your ingredients before starting the cooking process. 
• Recipes are templates to build off of and be inspired by, try not to get too attached to words on the page and focus on the techniques. 

Technique

Step 1: Get your Pasta Water on The Stove 

I can’t stress this enough: always get your pasta water started first! Multi-tasking is a key to time-efficient meal preparation. You don’t want to get everything done, and then be waiting for the water.

A watched pot never boils! While the water is heating up, move on to step 2.

Step 2: Heat your Cashews and Almond Milk 

In a microwave safe bowl or measuring cup, heat your cashews and almond milk for 3 minutes. Stop and stir, then microwave another 2 minutes.

I choose to use an almond/cashew milk for this sauce, but any alternative (i.e. soy or oat) will work.

Microwaving these together softens the cashews quickly making it easier to blend a smooth sauce. Alternatively, you could skip the microwaving process by soaking the cashews and milk in the fridge overnight to soften them. 

Step 3: Grab a timer and Cook the Pasta 

Grab your phone or kitchen timer and set it to the required time on the package to cook the pasta to an ‘al-dente’ firm texture. Place your pasta in the boiling water and start the timer.

Here is a trick we use in restaurants: pre-cooking and shocking the pasta. To save time on cooking, boil the pasta ahead of time then ‘shock’ it in ice water to stop the cooking process.

How to Shock Your Pasta

Drain it from your pot of boiling water, place it in a bowl of ice water, and then drain it again. To prevent sticking, toss it in a little bit of olive or avocado oil. The pasta can be stored up to 5 days in the fridge. Reheat it with sauce in the microwave or on the stove top.

Step 4: Blend sauce and enjoy 

In the blender place all other ingredients for the alfredo sauce, gently pour over the cashews and warmed liquid.

Secure the lid on your blender and puree until smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Once it has been blended smoothly simply toss with your pasta and dig in! 

Looking for a low-carb option, try this vegan alfredo fettuccini recipe with tofu-shirataki fettuccini noodles.

Feeling inspired? Here is a list of 15 more high-protein vegan recipes!

Become a vegan meal prep pro with this free meal prep toolkit. A step by step guide that includes meal planning templates, plant based whole food lists, and RD advice for a healthy vegan lifestyle.