This vegan pumpkin pasta is ultra creamy and oh so comforting. A delicious fall dinner that comes together in a flash!
This is one of my favorite fall recipes that I actually enjoy all year long, since canned pumpkin is always in season! This dish is creamy, and comforting, so it's perfect for dinner on chilly fall nights, but also any other time of year when you want to just pretend that it's fall (because it is the best season, after all).
It's also dairy-free (though you'd never know by the taste!) and really easy to make.
The vegan pumpkin sauce is pretty much a no-cook deal! Just blend a bunch of ingredients up and you'll end up with a super luscious mixture that has a texture similar to an Alfredo sauce, but with savory fall flavors.
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What You'll Need
- Dried pasta. I used penne, but feel free to substitute with your favorite pasta shape.
- Pumpkin puree. Use the canned variety that you'd find in your supermarket's baking aisle. Make sure you're not using pumpkin pie filling.
- Raw cashews. They must be raw. Roasted cashews will totally mess up the flavor. You'll need to soak your cashews in water for a while to soften them up.
- Non-dairy milk. Just about anything that's unflavored and unsweetened will work.
- Lemon juice.
- Garlic.
- Salt.
- Nutmeg. You can leave this out if it's not your thing.
- Frozen peas. These are optional, but I love the little bursts of sweetness they add to the dish. Just thaw them out before adding them to your pasta.
- Fresh sage. It has to be fresh — dried sage won't work in this recipe.
How to Make Vegan Pumpkin Pasta
The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish, along with some tips! Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe.
- Start boiling your pasta. Be sure to use salted water, and follow the instructions on the package. When the pasta is done you can drain it into a colander, but save a little bit of the water — you might need it later!
- While the pasta boils, make the sauce. Place the pumpkin, cashews, milk, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and nutmeg into a food processor or blender, and blend it up until it's nice and smooth.
- Tip: Be patient when blending. Depending on what type of device you're using, it can take a few minutes.
- Pour the sauce over your pasta and stir it up. If the sauce needs thinning, use the water that you reserved when you drained the pasta.
- Tip: Thinning the sauce with your pasta cooking water helps bond the sauce and pasta together, thanks to the little bit of starch in the water.
- Season your pasta with some salt, then stir in the peas and fresh sage. Hopefully your pasta is still hot at this point, but you can pop it on the stove for a few minutes to heat it up if it's not.
Leftovers & Storage
Leftover vegan pumpkin pasta will keep in a sealed container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. The sauce may thicken up over time — just thin it with a few splashes of water!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Just use your favorite gluten-free pasta.
I haven't tested the recipe with anything but cashews, but raw sunflower seeds and macadamia nuts often work, so they would be worth a try.
The recipe should work with fresh pumpkin, but you'll need to cook and puree it first. Try this method.
Video!
Need more guidance on how to make this recipe? Check out my video!
More Savory Pumpkin Recipes
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Creamy Vegan Pumpkin Pasta
Penne is drenched in a silky cashew pumpkin sauce and seasoned with savory sage and a dash of nutmeg to make this creamy vegan pumpkin pasta.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces dried penne pasta
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water 4-8 hours, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup unflavored soy or almond milk, plus more as needed
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove
- ¾ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ cup frozen peas, thawed (optional)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
Instructions
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Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook it according to the package directions.
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Drain the pasta into a colander and return it to the pot, reserving about a cup of the pasta boiling water.
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While the pasta cooks, place the pumpkin, cashews, milk, lemon juice, garlic, salt and nutmeg into a blender or food processor fitted with an S-blade.
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Blend until smooth. Taste-test and adjust the seasonings to your liking.
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Pour the sauce over the pasta and toss to coat. Thin the sauce with the reserved pasta water, if needed.
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Stir in the peas and sage. Season the pasta with additional salt to taste.
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Divide onto plates and serve.
Recipe Notes
If you timed everything well, your pasta should still be hot by the time you add the sauce. If it's cooled down by then, just place the entire pot of pasta and sauce on the stove once mixed and warm it up for a few minutes before serving.
Followed the recipe exactly and turned out amazing! I won’t chnage a thing, however my kids (although they loved it) want it more creamy next time. The fact that they want it next time is key! It’s hard finding recipes that don’t take long and are so flavorful.
I’m very excited to try quite a few more recipes off your site and I’ve already mentioned the site to several people.
Thank you so much!!
Yay!! I'm so glad it was a hit! If you want to make it more creamy I'd up the ratio of sauce to pasta and maybe add a few splashes more of milk!
I love everything pumpkin, so am anxious to try this one. With company coming for Thanksgiving week, can this sauce be made ahead and frozen?
Thank you,
I've frozen similar cashew-based sauces with good results, so I think so! If anything, you might need to add a few extra splashes of non-dairy milk after you thaw it out. I hope you enjoy it!!
Yummy. I served with Banzo pasta. A shallot would add a nice flavor. The leftover sauce was used to make overnight pumpkin oats.
Glad you enjoyed it, and great idea with the oats!!
This recipe is fantastic. I even eat the leftovers cold haha. The sage really brings out the flavors, I add a little extra each time I make this. Thank you for amazing recipes!
Thank you so much Kim!! I'm glad you're enjoying it!
My daughter is allergic to nuts. Any acceptable replacements that would make it turn out as good? Thank you🌱
You could try vegan yogurt or canned coconut milk - you might just need to cut back on the amount of soy or almond milk. :)
Hi!
Great recipe! I loved it however, my husband did not like the garlic taste. We added 3 cloves precisely. Maybe that was a bit much.
I'm glad you enjoyed it! You can definitely decrease or omit the garlic if you like!
Is a serving one cup for 6 people?
A slightly heaping cup - the sauce adds a bit of volume. :)
This is one of my FAVORITE pasta dishes! It's so creamy, flavorful and easy to make! I keep the sauce and pasta separate in the fridge until ready to serve to keep it from drying out. The sauce is so delicious that I even dip pretzels in it for a yummy snack! SO AMAZING!
I'm so happy to hear that! Thanks so much Laura!
I forgot to put in the garlic and I added some nutritional yeast (2T). Oh my gosh...it was incredible. I used to love pumpkin ravioli and this will replace it easily!
Yay! So glad you enjoyed this! Thanks Rebecca!
Absolutely wonderful midweek pasta dish, made heaps of sauce and the baby had this with mashed pasta and she loved it too. This is the third recipe Ive tried off your website and I can vouch that they are all delicious, family wants seconds and asked when I will make them again, that always a great testament to the recipes....thank you again for great recipes that dont take forever to make and have just a handful of ingredients.....Belissimo...👍🦋👍
Yum! I love all kinds of pasta, and this is something new for me :)
Delicious as always. Thank you for being one of my key resources for great recipes once I went vegan!
Thank you so much! I'm glad you're enjoying the recipes!