If you're looking for a homemade tomato sauce that will blow your mind, you need to try this extra creamy vegan vodka sauce served over penne. This sauce feels and tastes so luxurious – it's so much creamier than a regular marinara sauce. It's made with just a few simple ingredients, including fresh cherry tomatoes, lots of shallots and fresh garlic and a generous splash of vodka. If you like this vegan vodka pasta, you may also like our vegan creamy mushroom pasta.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- It's the perfect vegan romantic dinner for date night. We like to make this homecooked meal on Valentine's day.
- This vegan version of the famous vodka sauce uses cashew butter to make it extra creamy. According to our experience, no one ever guesses that it's actually vegan. We've proven this many times with this vegan bechamel, mushroom pasta and pumpkin pasta, which all use cashew butter.
- This vegan vodka sauce recipe is made without coconut milk and coconut cream, which can overpower the tomato flavor.
- You can make this pasta dish within 30 minutes. No need to soak raw cashews for hours.
Key ingredients and substitutions
Cherry tomatoes are perfect to make this sauce since they are usually a little sweeter and less meaty than grape tomatoes. They also have thinner skins, which allows them to fall apart more quickly. You could however make this sauce with regular tomatoes or even canned tomatoes if needed.
Sundried tomatoes deepen the flavor without adding tomato paste. We like to use sundried tomatoes preserved in oil.
Vodka makes the sauce even creamier and adds a hint of heat without altering the flavor of the sauce too much. We usually go with vodka from a medium price range, such as the "Absolut" Orignal Swedish Vodka.
Cashew butter is the key ingredient to make vegan penne alla vodka. Its relatively neutral taste doesn't alter the flavor of the sauce. When heated with liquid, it melts and turn the tomatoes into a creamy sauce.
Vegetable broth. You could use homemade vegetable broth from scraps in this recipe. If you don't have broth on hand, just use water.
Penne pasta is usually the type of pasta that is usually served with vodka sauce (hence the name penne alla vodka). Choose gluten-free pasta if necessary. Our favorite line of gluten-free pasta is the one from Barilla.
We consciously made the choice not to add nutritional yeast to this sauce as we like to highlight the flavor of the vegetables. We personally find nutritional yeast a little overpowdering in this recipe. You can however serve the final dish with vegan parmesan cheese if you'd like.
Elo's tips
- Mince the garlic, shallots and sundried tomatoes very finely if you don't want to blend the sauce.
- Use ripe and flavorful fresh tomatoes. Make sure they look juicy and bright red. If possible, choose locally grown tomatoes.
- Wait for the vodka to evaporate. Otherwise, there could be a strong alcoholic aftertaste.
- Blend the sauce to make it extra smooth.
How to make vegan vodka sauce (+ pictures)
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions while the sauce cooks.
Cut the vegetables. Mince the shallots and the garlic. We like to use a garlic press to crush the garlic cloves. Wash the cherry tomatoes and cut them in half. Remove the sundried tomatoes from the jar and let the oil drip off. Cut them into small pieces.
Sauté the tomatoes. Heat a large pan with olive oil (or your preferred cooking oil) over medium-high heat. Sauté the shallots and garlic until translucent. Add the cherry medium-high heat. Sauté the shallots and garlic until translucent. Add the cherry tomatoes and the sundried tomatoes to the pan. Let them cook over medium heat (or medium-high heat depending on your stove) until they fall apart. It should take about 10 to 15 minutes.
Deglaze with vodka. Once the tomatoes have fallen apart (see picture), pour in the vodka. Gove it a good stir and let it simmer for at least 5 minutes. This allows the alcohol to cook off.
Add the cashew butter and the vegetable broth to the pan. Stir to melt the cashew butter until the sauce thickens and reaches a creamy consistency.
Blend and serve. If desired, blend the sauce with an immersion blender. Alternatively, you can transfer the sauce to a food processor and blend it without the pusher to let the steam escape. Add the sauce back to the pan.
Add the cooked pasta to the pan. Optionally serve with some fresh basil or red pepper flakes on top.
Frequently Asked Questions
Vodka deepens the overall flavor of the tomato sauce without altering its flavor. It does, however, add a pleasant heat.
You can replace the vodka in penne alla vodka with gin, white rum, tequila or even white wine. However, they'll add a new unique bunch of aromatics to the sauce. You can also replace the vodka with some vegetable broth or water and a squeeze of lemon.
The easiest way to replace heavy cream and to make a vegan vodka sauce is to use cashew butter and a splash of vegetable broth or water. Cashew butter has a neutral taste and will melt into the sauce, making it extra rich and creamy. Alternatively, you could use a vegan (or dairy-free) cream alternative (e.g., soy cream).
You can store vodka sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days.
You can freeze vegan vodka sauce for up to 3 months. The best way to thaw it, is to let it sit in the fridge overnight.
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The recipe
Vegan Vodka Sauce (Penne Alla Vodka)
Equipment
- 1 Cutting board and knife
- 1 Large pot
- 1 Large pan or skillet
- 1 Immersion blender
Ingredients
- 2 shallots
- 2 cloves of garlic or ¼ teaspoons garlic powder
- 18 ounces (500 g) cherry tomatoes or fresh tomatoes
- 6 sundried tomatoes in oil
- 4 servings of gluten-free penne
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or preferred cooking oil
- ⅓ cup (60 ml) vodka
- ¼ cup (65 g) cashew butter
- ½ cup (120 ml) vegetable broth or water
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Finely mince the shallots and garlic.
- Roughly chop 6 sundried tomatoes (let the oil drip off first).
- Wash the cherry tomatoes and cut them in half.
- Bring water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain when cooked.
- Heat a large pan or skillet with olive oil. When hot, sauté the shallots and garlic for 2 minutes over medium-high heat.
- Add the cherry tomatoes and the sundried tomatoes to the pan. Sauté for 10-15 minutes until the tomatoes start to fall apart.
- Deglaze with vodka. Let the sauce cook for at least 5 minutes.
- Add in the cashew butter, water and salt. Simmer over medium heat until the cashew butter melts and a sauce forms.
- Optionally blend it with an immersion blender (or in a food processor). Toss the pasta with the sauce and serve.
Notes
- On average, 1 serving of pasta equals 2-3 ounces (60-85 grams).
- Mince the garlic, shallots and sundried tomatoes very finely if you don't want to blend the sauce.
- Wait for the vodka to evaporate. Otherwise, there could be a strong alcoholic aftertaste.
- If blending the sauce in a food processor, make sure to remove the pusher to let the steam escape. Add the sauce back to the pan and toss with the pasta.
- Storage tips: you can store the sauce in the refrigerator for 4-5 days and in the freezer for up to 3 months,
Nutrition
More creamy vegan pasta sauces
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