This is the creamy pasta sauce of your dreams - it's made without cream or cheese, completely dairy free, high in protein and so damn delicious. The best part is that you only need 3 ingredients and 15 minutes to make it.
If you know me, you know that I love using cashew butter to make a good creamy sauce! Proof are these creamy mushroom pasta, pumpkin pasta, vegan vodka sauce penne and vegan bechamel sauce that I make one repeat! Needless to say that it's a staple in my kitchen!
This white sauce pasta is definitely a close take on a creamy alfredo sauce. However, it's made without butter, heavy cream and parmesan cheese. It has definitely become one of my favorite pasta dishes that you can either serve as a main dish or as a side.
Why you'll love this recipe
- It's so easy, ANYONE can make it!
- It has 12 grams of plant-based protein per serving, which makes it super nutritious.
- It comes together in 15 minutes (cooking time of the pasta included).
- It's life-saving when the fridge is empty as it's made with pantry samples only.
- You don't have to soak cashew and wait for hours.
- You don't have the coconut taste that you get by replacing whole milk or heavy whipping cream with coconut milk (as many dairy-free recipes recommend).
Key ingredients
- Cashew butter is the star of the show. Combined with vegetable broth, it's the best heavy cream substitute. Choose 100% pure cashew butter and try to find a brand that has a relatively neutral flavor. DON'T use any other nut butter for this recipe as their taste would be overpowering.
- Vegetable broth is essential to add flavor to the sauce. I use vegetable broth powder but broth from the carton works, too. Whatever you use, try to find a brand with minimal ingredients and no natural flavors.
- Nutritional yeast adds a cheesy flavor that will make you second guess whether this recipe is actually vegan. However, it's totally optional and the sauce also tastes great without it!
- Garlic powder and nutmeg are my favorite spices to add to the sauce. It really makes it taste like a vegan bechamel sauce - but without cream. You could add a teaspoon of your favorite Italian seasoning, but I like to keep it simple.
- Pasta. I like using plain gluten-free pasta for this recipe. I wouldn't recommend any whole grain, chickpea or lentil pasta as they would mask the taste of the sauce.
Elo's tips
- Get unroasted, unsalted cashew butter. It's the one with the most neutral taste and exactly what we want for this recipe. I find that the whiter the color of the cashew butter, the more neutral the taste is.
- Skip the blending process by leaving out the nutritional yeast. You can heat up the broth and cashew butter in a saucepan or in the microwave right away.
- Cook your pasta in a large pot of salted water. It gives them more room to cook and dilutes the starches released into the water, which prevents them from sticking to each other.
- Add pan or oven-roasted veggies to make the pasta more nutritious. Check out this recipe I made with mushrooms or this one with pumpkin.
- Add lemon zest and a tiny bit of lemon juice to the sauce for a zesty touch.
Step-by-step instructions
STEP 1: Add the cashew butter, veggie broth, nutritional yeast and a little garlic and nutmeg to a blender. I like using a small blender as I'm not making huge quantities. You can use a food processor if you're cooking for more people.
STEP 2: Blend until perfectly smooth (you don't want to taste the nutritional yeast flakes afterward). That should take about 30 seconds to 1 minute if you have a semi-powerful blender.
STEP 3: Heat up the sauce. You can do that over medium heat in a saucepan as pictured. Alternatively, transfer the sauce to a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds at a time at 700-800 W. Whisk and microwave again until it has the desired consistency.
STEP 4: Whisk until the sauce reaches a thick and creamy texture. It should stick to the back of a spoon.
STEP 5: Drain the pasta in a sieve once they are al dente. They'll cook slightly more when you add them to the cashew cream sauce.
STEP 6: Combine the sauce and the cooked pasta. Give it a good mix to make the sauce cling to the pasta. Top with black pepper and/or fresh parsley.
Watch the video!
Frequently asked questions
You can find cashew butter at the grocery store in the nut butter section. Walmart and Whole foods carry it for sure.
You can store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
Add the leftover pasta to a saucepan with a little bit of water or vegetable broth. Give it a good mix and slowly reheat it over low heat. If reheating it in the microwave, top the pasta bowl with a plate to prevent the pasta from drying.
I don't recommend substituting the vegetable broth as it's the one ingredient that really gives this simple white sauce all its flavor. If you're not vegan or vegetarian, you could however replace it with chicken broth.
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The recipe
Creamy Pasta Sauce Without Cream (Or Cheese)
Ingredients
- 2 servings of pasta gluten-free
- ¼ cup 100% pure cashew butter
- 1 cup vegetable broth or water + vegan bouillon powder
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast more to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package directions.
- Blend the cashew butter with the vegetable broth, nutritional yeast, garlic powder and nutmeg until perfectly smooth.
- Add the sauce to a saucepan and whisk over medium heat until it thickens. Alternatively, transfer it to a bowl and heat it at 700-800W at 30-second intervals. Whisk in between until it reaches a thick and creamy consistency.
- Mix the cooked and drained pasta with the sauce.
Video
Notes
- Get unroasted, unsalted cashew butter. It's the one with the most neutral taste and exactly what we want for this recipe. I find that the whiter the color of the cashew butter, the more neutral the taste is.
- You can skip the blending process by leaving out the nutritional yeast. Simply heat up the broth and cashew butter in a saucepan or in the microwave right away.
- On average, 1 serving of pasta equals 2-3 ounces (60-85 g).
- Add pan or oven-roasted veggies to make the pasta more nutritious. Check out this recipe made with mushrooms or this one with pumpkin.
Nutrition
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I love pasta and I'll try to put this wonderful bechamel into my lasagna! 😍 thank you for creating my favorite foodblog and all these inspiring recipes!
Thank you!! I'm sure this sauce will be great in a lasagna!
Best creamy sauce ever and super easy to make (even better than the original one 😋)
I agree, I like it even better than a traditional cream sauce!
Very good pasta and so easy to do
Will do it again next week !
So happy to read that!