This vegan brown butter pasta is tossed in a rich, nutty dairy-free sauce with crunchy pecans and tender broccolini. It’s super easy to throw together with minimal prep, but oh-so-comforting and satisfying!
My favorite type of recipe is this: feels luxuriously delicious, tastes like it came from a fancy restaurant, but is stupidly simple to throw together. And I noticed something recently — those kinds of recipes often involve pasta. You'd never guess how easy dishes like my cherry tomato pasta, vegan cacio e pepe, and truffle marinara pasta are. They all scream "fancy!"
Vegan brown butter pasta is a new one for me. This dish barely requires a cutting board, but the flavor, textures, and overall vibe make it feel like a seriously special dinner.
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Vegan brown butter was the challenge in creating this one. Vegan butter doesn't contain the proteins that help conventional butter brown, so we need to improvise. That's where pecans come in — they infuse the melted vegan butter with nutty flavor, while a touch of miso paste adds savory notes, making it taste like brown butter (even if you're not actually browning it!).
I've paired my brown butter pasta with earthy fried sage, and I threw the pecans I used to create the brown butter right in with everything. A little seared broccolini balances out the richness, and you'll end up with a seriously comforting meal that might just turn into a weeknight staple in your home.
Ingredients You'll Need
Below you'll find a list of ingredients in this recipe, with notes and substitutions. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe, including the amount of each ingredient.
- Broccolini. This is a cross between conventional and Chinese broccoli. It looks like broccoli with long, thin stems and is a touch sweeter than traditional broccoli. If your store doesn't carry it, try regular broccoli, kale, or asparagus as an alternative.
- Ziti pasta. You can absolutely swap this out with another pasta shape.
- Chopped pecans.
- Vegan butter. Most grocery stores carry this in the refrigerated section, near the regular butter.
- Fresh sage.
- White miso. Look for this in the refrigerated section or international aisle of the grocery store. Another variety of miso, like red or yellow, can be substituted, though the flavor will vary a bit.
- Olive oil.
- Salt and pepper.
- Vegan Parmesan cheese. This is optional, but a delicious addition. Use store-bought or try my homemade vegan Parmesan cheese.
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!
Steps 1 & 2: Blanch the broccolini and cook the pasta. You'll be using the same pot of salted boiling water for both steps. First, blanch the broccolini for about a minute, take it out of the pot with tongs, then boil the pasta. Be sure to reserve about ½ cup of the pasta cooking water before you drain it.
Step 3: Toast the nuts. Heat up a large pot, then add chopped pecans in an even layer. Toast them briefly, until they darken slightly and smell deliciously nutty. Remove them from the pot.
Step 4: Fry the sage. Melt your vegan butter in the pot, then add your sage leaves. Fry them for about 2 minutes, until they become crispy and darken a bit. Be careful not to let them burn. Remove them from the pot, but leave the butter.
Tip: This recipe requires a lot of moving things in and out of the same pot. Have some plates and a small bowl set out in advance for when you need to remove ingredients.
Step 5: Brown the butter. You're not actually browning it. You're infusing it. Remove the pot from the heat, let the butter stop sizzling, then add the nuts back to the pot. Let them sit for 5 minutes. Next, add even more flavor — combine some of your pasta water with miso paste, then stir it in. Pour the mixture into a bowl.
Step 6: Sear the broccolini. Return the pot to heat, add a bit of olive oil, then add your blanched broccolini stalks. Cook them briefly over medium-high heat, until they just start to brown. Sprinkle them with some salt and pepper, then remove them from the pot.
Tip: Don't expect your butter to actually turn brown. This recipe goes for the flavor of brown butter, by infusing it with pecans and miso, but we're not actually altering the color.
Step 7: Finish the pasta. Return the pasta to the pot, along with your brown butter pecan mixture, and heat everything up briefly. Add a bit of your pasta cooking water if it seems dry.
Steps 8 & 9: Finish and serve. Give the pasta a sprinkle with salt and pepper, then divide it into portions and top each one with fried sage leaves, broccolini, and, optionally, some vegan Parm.
Tip: Want to use my vegan brown butter for another recipe? Do it! You can skip the sage for most recipes. Just infuse the nuts and add the miso.
Variations
- Brown butter gnocchi. Replace the pasta with a pound of shelf-stable gnocchi.
- Veggie swaps. Try Brussels sprouts, broccoli, asparagus, green beans, kale, or spinach.
- Add protein. Baked tofu, sautéed seitan, or vegan sausage would round out this meal beautifully.
- Swap the nuts. Walnuts or hazelnuts would be great choices.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yep! Use your favorite gluten-free pasta and make sure your miso paste is certified gluten-free.
Possibly, but I haven't tried. You could try substituting sunflower seeds or pepitas for the nuts. The flavor will be different, and I'm honestly not sure how close it will be to brown butter, but I'm pretty sure it will at least be tasty!
Unfortunately, no. You'll need whole, fresh sage leaves for frying.
Leftover vegan brown butter pasta will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Add a splash of water when you reheat it if it seems dry.
Like this recipe? If so, please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you try it! Also be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes like this one!
📖 Recipe
Vegan Brown Butter Pasta with Fried Sage & Pecans
Ingredients
- 12 ounces broccolini, stems trimmed (Note 1)
- 12 ounces dried ziti pasta (or pasta of choice)
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- ½ cup vegan butter
- 25 fresh sage leaves (about 1 large bunch)
- 1 teaspoon white miso paste
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Vegan Parmesan cheese, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Place a large pot of salted water over high heat. Once the water comes to a boil, add the broccolini. Boil the broccolini for about 1 minute, until the pieces become slightly tender and bright green. Remove the broccolini from the pot using tongs, and transfer the pieces to a plate. Set them aside for now.
- Add the pasta to the water and cook it according to the package directions, until al dente. Reserve about ½ cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta into a colander when done.
- While the pasta cooks, place a large, wide-bottomed pot over medium heat. Give the pot a minute to heat up, then add the pecans. Toast the pecans until they begin to darken and smell nutty, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes. Remove the nuts from the pot and transfer them to a plate or bowl.
- Add the vegan butter to the pot. Melt the butter completely, then add the sage leaves, arranging them in an even layer. Let the leaves sizzle in the butter for about 2 minutes, until they darken and crisp up. Remove the sage leaves from the pot, leaving the melted butter. Arrange the leaves on a plate.
- Remove the pot from heat. Once the butter stops sizzling, stir in the pecans. Let the pecans sit in the hot melted butter for about 5 minutes to infuse it with their flavor. In the meantime, whisk 1 tablespoon of your pasta water together with the miso paste. After the nuts have infused the butter for 5 minutes, stir the miso mixture into the melted butter. Pour the nuts and butter into a bowl.
- Place the pot over medium-high heat, then add the olive oil. Give the olive oil a minute to heat up, then add the broccolini, arranging the pieces in an even layer. Sear the broccolini for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, until lightly browned. Sprinkle the pieces with salt and pepper, then remove them from the pot and transfer them to a plate.
- Add the pasta to the pot, then pour the pecans and butter over the pasta. Toss everything to combine and coat the pasta in the butter, and just cook everything until heated through. Add a splash of your reserved pasta water if the pasta seems dry.
- Remove the pot from heat and season the pasta with salt and pepper to taste.
- To serve, divide the pasta among plates or bowls, topping each portion with the fried sage leaves, broccolini, and optionally some vegan Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
Notes
- Trim off only the tough, woody ends of the stems. The tender stems are edible.
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Nutrition
Nutrition information is provided as an estimate only and may vary based on ingredients, brands, portion sizes, and preparation methods.
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