Creamy Vegan Lemon Pasta Recipe
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Jump to Recipe Watch VideoVegan Lemon Pasta recipe is a light & creamy sauce, flavorful and loaded with flavor. Dairy free, gluten free, & high protein.
This creamy dairy free lemon pasta sauce is made from tofu to give it richness and texture, and lemon juice and zest for an amazing flavor and taste.
This vegan lemon pasta sauce recipe is a total plant-based comfort food, that is so much better than a restaurant sauce. I absolutely love creamy pastas, and I can’t believe it took me so long to come up with this lemon version. This creamy decadent pasta is ready in about 20 minutes, and the sauce is made right in the blender.
We gave this one a full 10/10 for flavor! It was SO good with a big side salad and garlic bread. This is a fantastic weeknight meal, great for making after work or when you’re short on time.
This Vegan Lemon Pasta Recipe Is:
- Decadent
- Rich
- Creamy
- Garlicky
- Saucy
- Citrusy
- Vegan, Gluten Free, Dairy Free
Make Lemon Pasta Vegan for a Plant-Based Version
This vegan lemon pasta sauce is a simple way to get extra veggies in your diet. I’m all about making recipes plant-based when I can. Vegan cooking does NOT have to be bland, boring, or flavorless… It’s quite the opposite when done right. By building meals around vegan pantry staples and swapping in a few plant-based ingredients you can make better meals for you and your family.
What’s In Vegan Lemon Pasta?
Be sure to visit the recipe card below for full ingredient amounts and recipe instructions!
- Lemons, Onion, Garlic, Parsley
- Wide Fettuccine Pasta – I love a good classic fettuccine noodle to go with this creamy lemon sauce. I used regular pasta for this recipe, but you could always substitute a gluten free version too.
- Cashews: I love raw unsalted cashews in this recipe – there’s no need to get roasted nuts, as the raw cashews make the perfect creamy addition to this recipe.
- Silken Tofu
- Herbs de Provence: my favorite spice blend! This French blend has a mix of rosemary, thyme, sage, and savory for a wonderful and complex flavor.
- Low Sodium Vegetable Stock – I like to use this low sodium vegetable stock for my recipes because it has great flavor… without all the salt. I always use low sodium or no-salt-added broth or stock to start, and then I can add salt or other spices later if needed.
- Nutritional Yeast: not to be confused with bread baking yeast, nutritional yeast has a cheesy nutty umami flavor which is great in all kinds of dishes – I even sprinkle it on fresh popped pop corn and WOW! Also great in soups and sauces of all kinds.
The Best Blender for the Job
I recommend using a good-quality high speed blender for this recipe. I have a fantastic Vitamix blender, which I have been using for years, and it gets daily use in our home.
Choose a blender that has a lot of power, and can pulverize even the toughest of ingredients. My blender can chop ice, dates, frozen fruits, make soups, and even blend nuts into homemade nut butter. Using a good high-speed blender will make perfectly creamy smoothies and sauces every time!
How Do I Make Vegan Lemon Pasta Sauce Recipe?
- In a pot, heat the olive oil over low heat. Add the garlic and onions, and sauté on low heat for 7 to 8 minutes until the vegetables have softened. Add the cashews, tofu, salt, nutritional yeast, lemon zest and juice, and vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer sauce for 20 minutes.
- Bring another large pot of water to a boil, and cook pasta according to package directions. Once cooked, drain and set aside.
- Once sauce has finished cooking, carefully transfer to a blender and blend on medium to high until the sauce is creamy.
- Drain the pasta and toss with the sauce. Stir in parsley and top with extra pepper and chili flakes. Enjoy!
More Creamy Vegan Pasta Recipes You’ll Love!
Creamy Garlic Pasta Shells Recipe
Roasted Carrot Mac and Cheese Recipe
Creamy Mushroom Tetrazzini Recipe
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Creamy Vegan Lemon Pasta
Equipment
- 2 Pots
Ingredients
- 1 16-ounce package fettuccini or other long pasta, use gluten free if needed
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 medium sweet onion
- 2 lemons zested and juiced
- 1 12-ounce block silken tofu
- 1/3 cup raw cashews
- 2 cups Vegetable Stock
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 cup fresh parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon each Sea Salt and Black Pepper
Instructions
- In a pot, heat the olive oil over low heat. Add the garlic and onions, and sauté on low heat for 7 to 8 minutes until the vegetables have softened. Add the cashews, tofu, salt, nutritional yeast, lemon zest and juice, and vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer sauce for 20 minutes.
- Bring another large pot of water to a boil, and cook pasta according to package directions. Once cooked, drain and set aside.
- Once sauce has finished cooking, carefully transfer to a blender and blend on medium to high until the sauce is creamy.
- Drain the pasta and toss with the sauce. Stir in parsley and top with extra pepper and salt. Enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
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Will this dish work without the nuts in it? I’m cooking for someone with a dairy and nut allergy. Thanks for sharing whatever information you can on this topic!
Hi Jean, the nuts add most of the creaminess in the sauce. You could try to replace them with a cooked cauliflower or zucchini (and then blend those vegetables into the sauce), but I haven’t tested that yet. If you do try it – please let me know how it turns out!
– Kelly
I enjoy pastas and this one gets an A+