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Bowl of vegan penne alla vodka topped with fresh basil leaves.
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4.93 from 28 votes

Vegan Vodka Sauce

This vegan vodka sauce is rich, creamy and super easy to make with just a handful of ingredients. Perfect over pasta, you'd never guess this decadent sauce was dairy-free!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Entree
Cuisine: American, Italian
Servings: 8
Calories: 260kcal
Author: Alissa

Ingredients

  • 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water 4-8 hours
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 5 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 (28 ounce or 794 gram) can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 (28 ounce or 794 gram) can diced tomatoes
  • 1 cup vodka
  • 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
  • Black pepper, to taste

Optional Accompaniments

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Drain and rinse the cashews, then place them into the bowl of a food processor or the pitcher of blender with 1 cup of water. Blend until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the pitcher or bowl as needed.
  • Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion. Sweat the onion for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent.
  • Add the garlic to the pot and sauté it with the onion for another minute, until very fragrant.
  • Stir in the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes and then the vodka. Bring the mixture to a simmer and reduce the heat to-medium low. Continue simmering the sauce for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens a bit and the alcohol has cooked off (Note 2).
  • Stir the cashew mixture into sauce and bring it back to a simmer, just for a minute, until heated throughout.
  • Remove the pot from heat and season the sauce with salt and pepper.
  • Serve over pasta of choice and optionally garnish with red pepper flakes, fresh basil and/or vegan Parmesan cheese.

Notes

  1. This recipe makes about 8 cups of sauce, which is enough to generously dress a pound of pasta.
  2. The best way to tell when you've reached this point is by taste-testing the sauce.

Nutrition

Calories: 260kcal | Carbohydrates: 19.8g | Protein: 6.2g | Fat: 11.7g | Saturated Fat: 2.1g | Sodium: 509mg | Potassium: 367mg | Fiber: 5.3g | Sugar: 9.9g | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 2.9mg