This vegan spinach pasta is made with a rich and creamy dairy-free sauce with hints of garlic and basil. It's deliciously comforting and so easy to make!
Spinach isn't always my favorite green. I love my greens, but am one of those weirdos who generally prefers tougher greens like kale. But I do love my spinach when it's paired up with creamy sauces, like in my vegan creamed spinach or vegan saag paneer.
With my love for the combination of spinach and creamy sauces in mind, I went and created this vegan spinach pasta recipe. It's so creamy! The sauce is pretty close what you might get with a vegan fettuccine Alfredo, with a touch of basil and LOTS of spinach.
The dish is deliciously comforting and surprisingly easy to make.
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Ingredients You'll Need
- Dried pasta. The recipe calls for fettuccine pasta, which I think works particularly well with this sauce, but you can use any pasta shape you desire. Spaghetti, fusilli, penne, and linguine are all fine options! You can also make the entire dish gluten-free by using gluten-free pasta.
- Raw cashews. These are the base for our creamy sauce. Make sure they're raw (not roasted) so they blend up super creamy and have just the right flavor.
- Water.
- Lemon juice. Make sure you're using freshly squeezed juice for the perfect tangy flavor.
- Garlic.
- Salt & pepper.
- Fresh basil.
- Frozen spinach. Using frozen spinach makes this dish super easy to whip up, since it's precooked. You can use fresh spinach if that's how you roll though. Use the same amount that the recipe specifies, finely chop it, and steam or boil it until it is fully wilted before using it.
- Vegan Parmesan cheese. This is optional, but great for topping vegan spinach pasta. Feel free to use store-bought or homemade vegan Parm.
- Red pepper flakes. Just use these if you'd like to add a little kick to the dish.
How It's Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Start by boiling your pasta according to the package directions. Make sure to reserve about a cup of the water when you drain it. We'll be using this later.
Tip: Try to time it so that the pasta is done at about the same time as when the sauce is ready, so it's still hot. This should be pretty easy since the sauce whips up quick!
Place soaked raw cashews, water, lemon juice, garlic, salt and basil into a blender or food processor bowl.
Blend everything up until the mixture is smooth.
Tip: Blending the sauce fully can take a few minutes, especially if you don't have a high-powered blending device. Be patient.
Make sure your frozen spinach is thawed, then squeeze as much excess water out as you can. Add it to the blender with the cashew cream.
Pulse the machine until the spinach is nicely incorporated into the sauce. The mixture will be very thick.
Return your cooked pasta to the pot after draining it, the add the creamy spinach sauce. It'll probably be a bit too thick. No problem! Just thin it with some of that pasta cooking water that you reserved. Stir everything up.
Tip: Pasta cooking water is ideal for thinning sauce in recipes like this one, because the dissolved starch helps the sauce bond to the pasta. If you forget to save some pasta water, just use fresh water. No biggie!
Season your vegan spinach pasta with more salt, if desired, as well as some black pepper. Serve it with a sprinkle of vegan Parmesan cheese and some red pepper flakes.
Leftovers & Storage
Leftover spinach pasta will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for about 3 days. It can be reheated in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stove. The sauce tends to dry out and get absorbed by the noodles over time, so you may want to thin it with a bit of water during reheating.
More Creamy Vegan Pasta Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Creamy Vegan Spinach Pasta
Ingredients
- 12 ounces dried fettuccine pasta (or dried pasta of choice)
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water 4 to 8 hours and drained
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt, or to taste (Note 1)
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves, packed
- 10 ounces frozen spinach, thawed
- Black pepper, to taste
For Serving
- Vegan Parmesan cheese
- Red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook it according to the package directions. Drain the pasta into a colander but reserve 1 cup of the cooking water. (Note 2)
- While the pasta boils, place the cashews, water, lemon juice, garlic, salt and basil into a blender or the bowl of a food processor fitted with an s-blade. Blend the mixture until smooth.
- Squeeze your thawed spinach well to remove any excess water, then add it to the blender or food processor with the cashew mixture. Pulse the machine until the spinach is evenly incorporated into the sauce. The mixture will be thick.
- Return the pasta to the pot that you cooked it in and add the sauce. Thin the sauce with reserved pasta cooking water, adding just as much as is needed to reach your desired consistency.
- If the pasta has cooled down too much, place the pot over medium heat to warm it up, stirring constantly and adding more water if needed.
- Taste-test and season the pasta with additional salt to taste, along with some black pepper.
- Divide onto plates and top with vegan Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes.
- Serve.
Notes
- If you don't like too much salt, start with 1 teaspoon and add more if needed after combining the pasta and sauce.
- This will be used to thin the sauce after you add it to the pasta. It works particularly well because it will have some starch dissolved in it. Plain water can be used if you forget to reserve some of the pasta cooking water (it happens!).
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Enjoying mot of your recipe's. Most Grateful
Super yummy and so quick! I used a 7oz bag of fresh spinach and it worked out perfect. I also used 1 clove of garlic and 1 tsp of garlic granules to make it not too strong for kiddos. I sautéed a pint of cherry tomatoes before adding the sauce and bowtie noodles and it was perfecto 👌. The kids gobbled it down. Thanks for a great recipe!
I really liked this recipe! With the exception of the fresh basil, this is an awesome nearly no-cook, pantry sauce with loads of spinach. I made a few changes which worked well:
-I reduced the spinach to 8 oz and cooked it in the pasta pot prior to making the pasta. I added about 1/4 cup white vermouth (water would be fine), covered it, and simmered for 5-7 min until tender. I removed the cooked spinach to a blender and then boiled the pasta water in the same pot.
-I used about 1/3 cup cashew butter in place of cashews, since that's what I had on hand, pouring a little hot water over the cashew butter and whisking to remove lumps. This worked well and omitted the soaking time.
-I wasn't careful about draining the spinach and omitted the 1 cup water. I just used about 1/2 cup of oat milk and a few Tbsp pasta water to facilitate blending of the spinach/basil/cashew mixture.
-I added an additional clove of garlic as well.
If I could have given it 4.5 stars, I would have-- it was just a tiny bit bland to my palate as written. I think next time I'll add a few teaspoons of miso as well to increase the saltiness and umami flavor. I'll definitely be making this again! Thank you for a super healthy and quick no-cook pasta sauce that satisfies vegans and non-vegans alike!
Great on veggie noodles too! Very creamy indeed.
We just made this recipe for the first time, and I love it so much! Well balanced flavours, and super yummy over a combination of spaghetti & zucchini noodles. Thank youuuuuu!! :)
Normally I wince when I hear people explain how they'd altered a recipe they'd never made. At least try it once as written before doing your own thing! Now I'm guilty as charged. I had some cannellini beans open that needed to be used, and they are notoriously creamy, so I thought, what the heck, I'll chuck them in with the nuts and blend them into the cream. Makes it a better combination for protein too.
This dish was really yum. I'm cooking for a friend who is hypersensitive to food, so we're doing vegan and gluten-free. It's stretching me and I'm enjoying it. And I would have never made this delicious pasta dish had I not had these restrictions.
So thanks! I'll be doing this one again.
Ha! I'm actually one of those people! I think cannellini beans sound like a wonderful addition and I'm glad you enjoyed this. :)
This has been in regular rotation in our house for the last few weeks! We love it!
I'm glad you're enjoying it! Thanks Elle!
I cannot wait to try this recipe out! Thanks for the share, keep up the posts!
I LOVE SPANAKOPITA and I haven't had it for YEARS ; - (. Jai Jai (the only way I know how to spell it - Greek for Grandmother) used to make it for me along with a few other gems. I sure do miss her. Now with this recipe, I can reminisce each time I make it! Thanks you Alissa!
Thanks Marcia! I hope you enjoy it!!
Oooooo yummy! I love Spanakopita and was JUST wondering how to make it vegan - this pasta may be the answer to my prayers! All that's missing is the puff pastry! ;)