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Creamy vegan tomato pasta that's quick and easy to make, you can have it ready in under 30 minutes! It's made without dairy and it’s nut-free, so no cashews. It's a great vegan dinner recipe to make on busy weeknights.
Top your creamy vegan pasta with vegan cheese, fresh basil or parsley, or make it spicy with red pepper flakes, it’s very customizable and can also be made gluten-free.
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I haven't shared a savoury recipe with you in quite a while, so here's a new one, creamy vegan tomato pasta. If you love creamy pastas, this easy recipe is for you!
You can have this simple vegan meal ready in under 30 minutes (20 minutes to be exact!) and it's a versatile recipe that can be customized. All of the details are below.
You know I've got you covered with plenty of dessert recipes, but if you're looking for vegan dinner recipes or vegan lunch ideas, here are a few:
- Vegan Mushroom Stew
- Lentil Sloppy Joes
- Slow Cooker Lentil Sweet Potato Chili
- Creamy Vegan Garlic Pasta
- Vegan Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Now let's talk about this delicious tomato vegan pasta!
Ingredients You'll Need
Most of these simple ingredients are staples in a vegan pantry, below I've listed all of them along with information about substitutions.
Ingredient and Substitution Notes
Pasta - I recommend using penne for this recipe but any short pasta will work like rotini, fusilli, ziti, etc. Short pasta that has grooves and/or a hole in the center will cling onto more sauce making each bite even more delicious. If you don't have this kind of pasta, you can use a long one (like spaghetti, tagliatelle, or fettuccine). Regular or gluten-free pasta will both work in this recipe.
Olive Oil - Just a little is needed to sauté the garlic. If you don't want to use oil, use water or broth but keep a close eye on it and keep adding more as it evaporates.
Garlic - Garlic is essential in many pasta dishes, feel free to add a little more than what the recipe calls for if you're a garlic lover.
Tomato Paste - The sauce is made with tomato paste, but just a little is needed to enhance the tomato flavour in the sauce.
Crushed Tomatoes - You'll need canned crushed tomatoes with NO SALT added for this recipe. If you cannot find a salt-free brand, then omit the salt in the recipe and add it only if needed. I highly recommend using a good quality canned tomato brand such as Mutti. I find that high-quality canned tomatoes are not as acidic and have a sweeter flavour that does not need to be adjusted to tone down the acidity.
Vegan Heavy Cream, Vegan Whipping Cream OR Silken/Soft Tofu - Make sure that the cream you are using does not contain sugar. Vegan heavy cream (or whipping cream) is meant to be a substitute for regular heavy cream or whipping cream. Silk, Country Crock, Califia Farms, and Violife are just a few brands that make it. If you can't find any of these brands, you can use canned coconut milk, lite or full fat, but your pasta will have a little bit of a coconut flavour. To make it without cream, you can also use an unsweetened barista blend milk but note that your sauce will not be as thick and creamy.
If you don't want to use vegan cream, I have tested this recipe with blended silken/soft tofu as well and the recipe turned out perfectly. BUT, the only downside is if you have leftovers, the sauce will not remain saucy and will not be able to be revived when reheating like it can when the cream is used. I don't recommend using any other type of tofu other than silken/soft.
Nutritional Yeast - This ingredient enhances the flavour of the sauce and it's such a unique ingredient that there is no substitute for it.
Italian Seasoning Blend - This blend is made up of several dried herbs and spices. It can be found in the spice section of your grocery store, but if you don't have it, rather than recreating the blend, you can use dried basil and dried oregano in its place. Quantities can be found in the recipe notes.
Salt - A range is given in the recipe, start on the low side and work your way up as needed. If the crushed tomatoes you are using contain salt, you may not need to add salt to the recipe.
Black Pepper - Just a little is needed to enhance the flavour, feel free to adjust as needed.
For more quick and easy weeknight meal recipes, browse through these vegan main courses.
Optional Add-Ins
This dish is perfect as-is but you can add some other ingredients if you'd like, however, be careful not to add too much of your add-in or the sauce may not be enough.
- baby spinach (stir a handful or two in while the sauce is simmering so it wilts)
- roasted vegetables (any type, this roasted cauliflower would be good!)
- precooked vegan ground beef or chicken
- precooked chopped or sliced vegan sausages
- sautéed mushrooms
- chopped sun-dried tomatoes
How to Make It
(Note: I’ve outlined the step-by-step on how to make this recipe here, but find the full recipe, ingredients, and directions in the recipe card at the end of this post.)
Start by cooking the pasta until it's al dente, while it's boiling, prepare the sauce.
1. Sauté the garlic in a large pan.
2. Add the tomato paste and the crushed tomatoes and stir until everything has combined.
3. Add the vegan cream.
4. Add all of the seasonings and stir. Let your creamy tomato pasta sauce simmer for a few minutes, don't let it boil. Once the cooking time has passed, carefully taste the sauce (it's hot!) and adjust the salt, if needed.
5. Add the cooked pasta to the skillet.
6. Stir until all of the pasta is coated with the sauce.
**MEAL PREP TIP** The sauce can be pre-made on its own and stored in an airtight container or jar for 3-4 days. When you're ready to use it, prepare the pasta, drain, add the pasta back to the pot and then add the vegan tomato pasta sauce to the pot. Stir to reheat the sauce and incorporate it with the cooked pasta. Garnish and serve!
What to Serve It With
This dish is best served immediately and you can top it with any of the following if you'd like:
- fresh herbs such as chopped fresh parsley or chopped fresh basil
- storebought or homemade vegan Parmesan cheese
- vegan cheese shreds
- red pepper flakes
- garlic breadcrumbs
On the side, any of the following would work well:
- salad
- vegan garlic bread
- roasted vegetables (broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, zucchini)
Storing Leftovers
After the pasta has fully cooled, place the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Reheating
The delicious dairy-free creamy tomato sauce will thicken and stick to the pasta when it's refrigerated.
To reheat it so it becomes creamy and saucy again, add the pasta to a skillet on low heat and add a small amount of broth, a splash of water, or a little vegan heavy cream to the skillet and stir until the pasta has fully reheated and everything has loosened up and become creamy again.
You can also reheat it in the microwave.
Tips for Success
- Use high-quality crushed tomatoes. Some (not all!) brands can be very acidic which will affect the flavour of your sauce. Look for a brand that is a product of Italy or try using crushed San Marzano tomatoes. If you do end up with tomatoes that make your sauce too acidic, you can add a small amount of sugar to the sauce to balance it.
- Make sure the cream you use does not contain sugar. Some come sweetened so be sure to read the ingredient list before buying.
- Adjust the amount of pasta if you'd like. If you want extra saucy pasta, cut back a little on the amount of pasta you use so there's more of the creamy sauce to be distributed among the pasta.
- Read through the recipe before getting started and read through this post from top to bottom for lots of tips to make it perfect, every single time.
- Follow the recipe as it’s written for the intended and very best results.
If you're looking for a quick dessert to serve after dinner, how about one of these delicious vegan gluten-free dessert recipes?
If You Make This Recipe...
Tell me about it! Please leave a comment and star rating below or post a picture of your version of this easy vegan tomato pasta and tag me on Instagram (I'd love to see it! I'm @delightfuladventures on Instagram)
If You Like This Recipe...
You may like these other quick and easy vegan pasta recipes perfect for any pasta lover:
Creamy Vegan Tomato Pasta (without Cashews)
Suggested Equipment:
Ingredients:
- 340 g (12oz) uncooked penne pasta (gluten-free if needed, see note below)
- 2 teaspoons olive oil (use water or broth for oil-free)
- 3 cloves (15g) pressed or finely minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons (30g) tomato paste
- 1 can (13.5oz (398ml)) crushed tomatoes (no salt added, see note below)
- ¾ cup (180ml) unsweetened vegan heavy cream or vegan whipping cream (see notes below)
- 3 tablespoons (8g) nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½-1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- vegan Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley for garnish (optional)
Instructions:
- Boil pasta until it's al dente using the directions on the package. Drain and set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes, don't let it burn.
- Add the tomato paste and the crushed tomatoes to the skillet, and stir until all ingredients have combined. Add the vegan heavy cream and stir the sauce once again.
- Add the nutritional yeast, Italian seasoning, ½ teaspoon of salt and the pepper. Stir.
- Turn the heat down to low and let the sauce simmer for 5 minutes, don't let it boil.
- Turn the heat off, remove the skillet from the heat, and carefully taste the sauce. Adjust the salt, if needed.
- Add cooked pasta to the skillet and gently toss until all noodles are coated with the sauce.
- Garnish with chopped fresh parsley or with vegan Parmesan, if desired. Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes:
- Please read through all info and tips above before making this recipe.
- This recipe makes 2 meal-sized servings or 4 smaller lunch-sized servings.
- I recommend using a short, shaped pasta when making this recipe, either penne or rotini. If you don't have either of these on hand, use the type you have. This recipe works with either gluten-free or regular pasta.
- To make this recipe without added oil, use water or broth to sauté the garlic.
- Use high-quality canned crushed tomatoes that have no added salt. If you only have crushed tomatoes with salt, omit the salt from the recipe and taste when the sauce is done and add more if needed before adding the pasta to the skillet.
- A range for the salt is given in the recipe, start by adding a half teaspoon and add more as needed to suit your taste.
- If you don't have Italian seasoning, rather than recreating it from scratch with a handful of separate seasonings, just use ½ teaspoon of dried basil and ½ teaspoon of dried oregano in its place.
- Use an unsweetened vegan heavy cream or vegan whipping cream that is meant to be a substitute for regular heavy cream or whipping cream. Silk, Country Crock, Becel, Califia Farms, and Violife are just a few brands that make vegan heavy cream. If you can't find any of these, you can use canned coconut milk, but your pasta will have a little bit of a coconut flavour. You can also use an unsweetened barista blend milk but note that your sauce will not be as thick and creamy.
- If you don't want to use or don't have vegan cream, I have tested this recipe with blended silken/soft tofu and the recipe turned out very well. BUT, the only downside to using tofu is if you have leftovers, the sauce will not remain saucy when stored and will not be able to be revived when reheating like it can when the cream is used. So keep that in mind. I don't recommend using any other type of tofu other than silken/soft.
- This recipe is best when served immediately after preparing but if you have leftovers, cool completely, place in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. The sauce will thicken and stick to the pasta when it's refrigerated so to reheat, add the pasta to a skillet on low heat and add a small amount of broth, water, or heavy cream to the skillet and stir until the pasta has fully reheated and everything has loosened up and become creamy again. You can also reheat it in the microwave.
- To save time, the sauce can be pre-made and stored in an airtight jar or container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. When ready to use, prepare pasta, add the sauce to a skillet over medium heat to warm up and add prepared pasta to the sauce and toss to coat.
- Nutrition info is based on 1 of 4 servings of the recipe prepared as written, using gluten-free penne and no garnishes. Nutrition info is only to be used as a rough guide. Click to learn how nutrition info is calculated on this website.
Leeann Lopez says
I made this for Valentine's Day for my boyfriend and we both enjoyed it. I added some chopped up sun-dried tomatoes. I will definitely make it again, it was so simple, easy and delicious.
Gwen Leron says
I'm glad you liked it, Leeann! I make it often, it's a favourite over here. Enjoy!
Barbara says
This is a super easy and deliciously creamy pasta sauce. It sat so well in my tummy and was super satisfying! Thank you for the recipe!
Gwen Leron says
You're welcome, Barbara! I'm so glad to know you like it! Thanks so much for coming back to leave your review, I appreciate it!