When you need an ultra-creamy, flavorful, and easy pasta recipe, this vegan vodka sauce will hit the spot! It’s a simple dish that incorporates everything you love about a hearty pasta dish, and it’s ready in only 30 minutes!
I’ve been on a roll the last few weeks with pasta recipes! I’ve made my infamous vegan spaghetti and meatballs, vegan bolognese, vegan puttanesca, and today I’m bringing you another veganized version of an Italian classic recipe, vegan penne alla vodka!
This vegan vodka sauce will hit the spot when you need a fantastic recipe to impress, whether for your small immediate family or a large dinner party! It’s a quick meal that is suitable for everyone! It’s dairy-free and vegan, making it ideal for all eaters. Use gluten-free pasta, and nobody around the dinner table can complain!
This vegan penne alla vodka is a wholesome recipe without heavy cream or vegan butter, making it a more nutritious take on this comforting and indulgent meal.
One bite brings all the warm and cozy feelings. Not to mention, it’s so easy! With a handful of simple ingredients and 30 minutes, you’ll have a mouthwatering meal on the table that will disappear! If you like this recipe, try out my vegan mushroom carbonara, another Italian recipe with traditional flavors!
This Vegan Vodka Sauce Is the BEST
Easy to Make: This sauce is simple to make and only includes a handful of ingredients, most of which you likely already have in your pantry. Plus, it’s ready in 30 minutes!
Impressive: This recipe is perfect for your non-vegan family and friends because they will not notice that it’s vegan and made without dairy. Plus, it tastes like it’s been cooking on the stove all day when, in reality, it only takes a few minutes.
Ultra Decadent: There’s nothing like a creamy pasta dish to fill your heart and soul with warm and comforting flavors in every bite. This penne alla vodka has all of it in spades! It’s an ultra-decadent dish that won’t bust your grocery budget or waistline!
Ingredients and Notes
Pasta: It starts with the pasta! Use high-quality pasta. You can go with any shape you like, although I prefer pasta with lots of ridges to hold onto the sauce. Try using penne or rigatoni. Then, you need to consider the type of pasta to use. If you need gluten-free pasta, I recommend using chickpea pasta. It has a milder flavor than lentils and isn’t quite as sticky as brown rice pasta. If you don’t need gluten-free pasta, consider using whole wheat pasta that has more fiber and increases the dish’s nutritional content.
Cashews: The key to a creamy vodka sauce without cream is raw cashews. Cashews have a mild flavor, and when soaked and blended, they create a super luscious mouthfeel, much like cream. Make sure the cashews are raw and not roasted or salted.
Vodka: Since this is going into the sauce, you don’t need to use your top-shelf vodka, but also don’t use the cheapest stuff you have. Opt for something that’s in the middle. The vodka in the sauce helps bring out the flavor of the tomatoes and emulsify the sauce. The alcohol content in the vodka is cooked off.
Crushed Tomatoes: There are many varieties of canned tomatoes, but for this sauce, be sure to use crushed tomatoes. Diced tomatoes and plum tomatoes won’t work, and tomato sauce has already added seasoning that will interrupt the flavors of the other ingredients.
Garlic and Onions: These aromatics bring tons of flavor to the dish. If you like lots of garlic, don’t be afraid to add a few more cloves.
Fresh Basil: Refreshing and herbal, fresh basil brings brightness to the sauce.
Salt and Pepper: Added to taste.
Vegan Parmesan: For serving.
Variations and Substitutions
Are you allergic to Nuts? Instead of creating cashew cream to add creaminess to the sauce, consider using coconut milk or silken tofu.
Add more spices and herbs! Add various spices and herbs, such as garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, and dried basil, to enhance the sauce’s flavor.
How to Make Vegan Vodka Sauce
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook your pasta according to the package directions.
- While the pasta is cooking, add the cashews to a small saucepan of boiling water. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- In a large saucepan, add the diced onions with olive oil and saute for 3 minutes until softened. Add the minced garlic, and saute for another minute until fragrant.
- Reduce the heat to low, add the vodka, and simmer for 10 minutes or until all the vodka has been cooked off.
- Add the crushed tomatoes and reserved pasta water and simmer for 10 more minutes.
- Transfer the contents to a high-speed blender with the drained cashews.
- Blend until smooth and creamy.
- Pour the sauce over the penne pasta. Fold together until the sauce completely coats the pasta.
- Serve topped with vegan parmesan cheese and fresh basil leaves.
Alison’s Tips For a Smooth and Creamy Sauce
- When it comes to your pasta water, don’t forget to reserve ½ a cup. Not any water will do! Pasta water has been seasoned with salt, and the starches from the pasta that have been left in the water helps to bind the sauce’s ingredients together and help the sauce stick to the pasta when it’s all folded together.
- Make sure you give the cashews enough time to soak and soften.
FAQS
No, the vodka cooks down, which takes the alcohol out of the sauce. The reason for using vodka in the sauce is to bring out the flavor of the tomatoes and to help emulsify the ingredients.
The cream in vodka sauce helps to thicken the sauce. Or, in the case of vegan vodka sauce, it’s the cashews that contribute to the creaminess and thick nature of the sauce. If you want an even thicker sauce, I suggest adding two tablespoons of tomato paste to the crushed tomatoes to create a richer and thicker flavor.
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Serving Suggestions
Serve this sauce over any pasta of your choosing. Enhance the presentation and the flavor by topping the pasta coated in vodka sauce with fresh herbs such as basil or parsley and a tablespoon of vegan parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast for an umami flavor.
Storage
Fridge: Allow leftovers to cool to room temperature. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freeze: The sauce freezes well, but I do not recommend freezing the pasta after it’s been coated in the sauce. Add the sauce to a freezer-safe container. Keep for up to 3 months.
Reheat: When ready to use, defrost in the refrigerator overnight. Heat in a saucepan over medium heat until warmed through.
More Creamy Vegan Pasta Recipes
Recipe
Vegan Vodka Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 ounces whole wheat penne pasta or pasta of choice
- ½ cup cashews
- ⅔ cup vodka
- ½ cup pasta water
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ cup fresh basil chopped
- vegan parmesan cheese for serving
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the penne pasta according to the package directions.
- While the penne pasta is cooking, add the cashews to a small saucepan of boiling water. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- In a large saucepan, add the diced onions with olive oil and saute for 3 minutes until softened. Add the minced garlic, and saute for another minute until fragrant
- Reduce the heat to low, add the vodka, and simmer for 10 minutes or until all the vodka has been cooked off.
- Add the crushed tomatoes and pasta water and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Transfer the contents to a high-speed blender with the drained cashews. Blend until smooth.
- Add the sauce back to the saute pan. Add the cooked pasta, and fold until the sauce completely coats the pasta.
- Serve topped with vegan parmesan cheese and fresh basil leaves.
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Notes
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- When it comes to your pasta water, don’t forget to reserve ½ a cup. Not any water will do! Pasta water has been seasoned with salt, and the starches from the pasta that have been left in the water helps to bind the sauce’s ingredients together and help the sauce stick to the pasta when it’s all folded together.
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- Don’t forget to salt your water! This is essential for creating flavorful pasta out of the gate and gives the pasta water some extra flavor.
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- Make sure you give the cashews enough time to soak and soften.
- Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
- Reheat in a saucepan over medium heat.
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