If you’re on the prowl for a meal that’s nourishing, easy to make, and quick enough to toss together at the end of a busy day (i.e., 30 minutes or less), then this Vegan Creamy Garlic Lemon-Pepper Pasta is about to make your wildest plant-based dreams come true. This ultra-creamy pasta comes together with just 8 ingredients (plus s + p) and 30 minutes of time. It’s easy enough for a quick weeknight meal at the end of a busy day and special enough for a fancy weekend occasion. The sauce is made by blending together boiled cauliflower, raw cashews, plant-based milk, fresh lemon juice, nutritional yeast, lots of black pepper, and sea salt. The creamy mixture gets stirred in to six cloves of sautéed garlic and simmered until hot and bubbly. Final step? Add heaps of hot pasta to the pan + toss.
Not only does this dish come together in 30 minutes flat, it requires just 8 ingredients (plus s + p). Better yet, you’re bound to have most, if not all, of the ingredients on hand.
Big promises, I know, but are you ready for an even bigger one?
This dish has quickly climbed the recipe ranks to become one of my all-time favorite savory meals, effortlessly nudging itself past tried and true favorites, and I have a feeling it will do the same for you.
Outta the way!! Simple and sexy pasta comin’ through!
Words like ‘sexy’ are normally reserved for chocolaty, velvety things like this cake, but who says pasta can’t be sexy, too?
This pasta is ultra-creamy with a captivating zesty, garlicky, and peppery bite. The sauce is made with cauliflower, raw cashews, plant-based milk, oodles of garlic, big pinches of pepper, and a few squeezes of fresh lemon juice.
And it’s out. of. this. world.
Serve this silky pasta to hippy-dippy, tree-hugging vegans or meat lovers with big, bold appetites. It’s a crowd-pleaser that knows no bounds and leaves no appetites unsatiated.
To make this utterly dreamy, super rich and creamy vegan pasta, you’ll start by cooking your noodles of choice and boiling 2 1/2 cups of cauliflower florets until fork tender (about 7 minutes).
Add the cauliflower florets to a blender along with a cup of plant-based milk, 1/4 cup raw cashews, two tablespoons fresh lemon juice, one tablespoon nutritional yeast, sea salt, and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Blend on high for two minutes, or until smooth and creamy.
Meanwhile, add a drizzle of olive oil and six minced cloves garlic to a large sauté pan, and cook until the garlic is soft and fragrant (about 2 minutes).
Then, pour the cauliflower sauce into the pan, increase the heat, and simmer for 3 minutes, or until the sauce is hot and bubbly.
Finally, add the pasta to the pan and toss to coat.
If desired, add a bit of pasta water to thin the sauce. Then, taste and season with more black pepper.
Twirl the hot pasta into bowls and serve it up.
Peppery pasta perfection.
CREAMY VEGAN GARLIC LEMON-PEPPER PASTA
This ultra-creamy pasta comes together with just 8 ingredients (plus s + p) and 30 minutes of time. It's easy enough for a quick weeknight meal at the end of a busy day and special enough for a fancy weekend occasion. One pasta, best of both worlds. The sauce is made by blending together boiled cauliflower, raw cashews, plant-based milk, fresh lemon juice, nutritional yeast, lots of black pepper, and sea salt. The creamy mixture gets stirred in to six cloves of sautéed garlic and simmered until hot and bubbly. Final step? Add heaps of hot pasta to the pan and get stirring.
Ingredients
Pasta
- 12 ounces gluten-free linguine or rigatoni*
Garlicky Lemon-Pepper Sauce
- 2 1/2 cups small (1-inch) cauliflower florets (fresh, not frozen)
- 1 cup unsweetened plain plant-based milk (I use almond milk), plus more if needed to thin**
- 1/4 cup raw cashews***
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste if desired
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes, plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
- 3/4 to 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic, minced (more or less, to taste)
Instructions
For the Pasta
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. (As they say, your pasta water should be as salty as the sea.)
- Add the pasta and cook until al dente.
Strain off the cooking water.
For the Garlicky Lemon-Pepper Sauce
- Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add the cauliflower florets to the pot and boil for 7 minutes or until very fork-tender. Strain off the water.
Add the boiled cauliflower florets, almond milk, cashews, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, sea salt, and black pepper to a high-speed blender (do not use a food processor).
- Blend on high for 2 minutes or until completely smooth and creamy. Set within reach of the stove.
- Heat the olive oil and garlic in a large sauté pan over low heat. Cook for 2 minutes, or until soft and fragrant.
- Stir in the cauliflower sauce, increase heat to medium, and simmer for 3 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.
Turn off the heat, add the pasta to the pan, and toss to coat. If a slightly thinner sauce is desired, add more plant-based milk, one small splash at a time, to thin. (Note: If you add more milk, you'll need to increase the seasoning to accommodate.)
Taste and generously season with more sea salt and black pepper to taste.
- Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
*For a rich and super creamy pasta (as pictured), use 12 ounces of pasta. For a slightly less saucy pasta, use up to 16 ounces (1 pound).
**Ensure that your almond milk is plain, unsweetened, and free from "natural flavors". Some brands of almond milk (e.g., Califia) add "natural flavors" to their plain/unsweetened almond milk that, to me, impart an undesirable sweetness in savory dishes that's difficult to overcome even with added salt and seasonings.
***If you're not using a high-speed blender (e.g., Vitamix or Blendtec), soak the cashews for at least 2 hours or boil for 10 minutes to soften.
Pasta is definitely sexy, especially this one! It looks like it would be perfect for a date night ;)
Looks tasty! :) Is the chopped arugula a typo and/or from a previous version?
Thanks!
Thanks, Chelsea! Yes, total typo that’s since been removed. Thanks for catching!
This looks great and I can’t wait to make it!
Can you clarify something? The instructions say to add the arugula, but arugula is not one of the ingredients, and there doesn’t appear to be any in the pictures either. Can you confirm? Thanks for your great recipes!
Hi, Jamie! Thanks for catching the arugula typo—totally an error on my part. This recipe uses a similar technique to another on the site, and the arugula note was lingering from there. It’s since been removed, but thank you again for catching! Enjoy! xo
Made it this weekend. So yummy! I used zoodles with mine and it was FAB! Great recipe
Any potential substitutes for the cashews if you are allergic? Would tahini work? It looks so good!
Hi, Mimi! I can’t say for sure since I haven’t tested it myself, but hemp seeds or tahini should work texture-wise. Both will impart a stronger flavor than cashews though. If you use tahini, I’d recommend starting with 2 tablespoons, tasting, and working your way up from there since it tends to have a slightly bitter aftertaste. Hope this helps and enjoy!
Love love love this :)
Making this tonight! Just wondering, is this for 2 or 4 servings? And I like the thought of mixing arugula into this, which is mentioned in the recipe, but not the ingredient list?
It makes 3 to 4 servings (see recipe headnotes), depending on appetite! Thanks for catching the arugula error. This recipe uses a similar method to another recipe on my site, and that sentence accidentally made its way over. It’s been removed. I wouldn’t recommend arugula in this dish, because it will distract from the sauce but totally a matter of personal preference!
Thank you for this delicious and quick recipe :) If you feel like something a little bit more decadent, add a few drops of truffle oil.
I totally enjoyed watching you make this dish with Mike last night and LOVED being able to enjoy it! Even the meat lovers were totally satisfied with this delicious pasta! It’s interesting how much flavor it packs for such a light and simple recipe. I will definitely be making this on my own.
Thank you for sharing!
Just finished eating this meal for dinner. It was so delicious!! Baby and todddler approved, even! I’ve made cauliflower sauces before and the cashews definitely put this sauce over the top for me. They added a creamyness that was so dreamy. I used a half cup of cashews because I love them. I will definitely use that measurement next time as well. I added broccoli and it went perfectly with the sauce. My baby was basically drinking the sauce from his bowl lol. This will absolutely be a repeat in our house. Thank you!!
Ummmm, when exactly do you add the cashews?
Along with the cauliflower, almond milk, etc. Corrected now. I’m having some issues with a new recipe plugin I’m using (not saving changes), but I just triple checked and it’s in there now.
I might be blind, but I don’t see where you add cashews in the recipe. I’m assuming it’s in the blender with the boiled cauliflower florets, etc? Can’t wait to make this tonight!
Yep! Along with the cauliflower, almond milk, etc. Hope you enjoy/ed!
I made it and it was SO delicious! Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
So glad you enjoyed it, Samantha! Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback!
This recipe was wonderful! I’m new to the vegan cuisine world, with recently developed sensitivies to gluten and dairy. Finding this blog was such a relief! I tried this recipe tonight in the company of voracious meat and dairy eaters, and the result was a table that went back for seconds. Everyone was impressed, and everyone cleaned their plates. The only modifications I made to the recipe were adding more lemon juice to really boost the tang, and using cashew butter instead of raw cashews as that was what I had on hand. I’m so glad to have found this recipe!
Thanks so much for sharing.
Greer, I’m thrilled to hear you’re enjoying the blog and that this recipe satisfied a wide range of lifestyle/taste preferences. Warms my heart to hear this. Thanks for taking the time to come back and share your feedback as well as your modifications (great to know that it also works with cashew butter)!
Just made it ! I served it over brown rice instead. It made for a kind of cheat risotto ^^
Texture was super dreamy, I loved it. But then I love cauliflower. My special someone doesn’t though and wasn’t too excited by the slightly bitter aftertaste it gave. I need to find a way to take it away. Maybe by using more cashew and adding a tablespoon or two of maple syrup?
Hi, Sandy! Happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe. I probably wouldn’t go the maple syrup route (too sweet and will impart a maple flavor), but you could try doubling the amount of cashews as they’re a bit sweet. You could also try increasing the nutritional yeast or boiling the cauliflower a bit longer to reduce its pungency even more. Hope this helps!
I just made this over the weekend and WOW was it ever good! The combination of spice, creaminess and lemon was spot on! Hacks I made were instead of all almond milk (1 cup) I substituted 3/4 cup vegan chicken broth and 1/4 cup almond milk. I also sauteed some Beyond Meat chicken strips and added them at the end. Other than that, this recipe will be in my regular rotation for sure! Also, next time I think I will do 1.5 the amount of sauce because when it cools, the noodles absorb a lot of the sauce, leaving your leftovers dry. I will hold back the .5 amount on the side to use for leftovers and add when I reheat.
Sounds like a nice recipe! By the way, do I need to use yeast in the sauce? I mean is it necessary or replaceable?
Thanks, Lamia! The nutritional yeast (inactive form of yeast, which is very different than baker’s yeast) is important because it adds a slight cheesiness and depth of flavor. I don’t recommend omitting it.
Made tonight! It was delicious! I added some asparagus and it was great. I was wondering though, how well would this keep overnight for left overs?
My batch heated up great the next day! Just added a tablespoon of water for one serving before microwaving to re-thin the sauce a bit.
Finally got around to trying this last night and it was delicious and so simple to make. Even the carnivore hubby approved and took leftovers for lunch the next day-it’s rare he will even touch leftovers!
This may be a dumb question, but can I use a food processor instead of a blender?
Hi, Sarah! Not a dumb question at all. I wouldn’t recommend it though—a food processor isn’t quite as skilled as a blender when it comes to creating super-smooth sauces, so you’ll have a tough time achieving the right texture.
This was the most disgusting thing I’ve ever made. Very thick consistency and little flavor. Completely inedible .
Hi, Sara. I’m so sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy this recipe. Everyone’s tastes are different, and I know how frustrating it can be to make a recipe that disappoints.
This was a lovely recipe! Very easy to make, and I found it even more enjoyable when I ate the leftovers the next day. Thank you so much!
Can I make the sauce the night before and refrigerate?
Hi, Mel! I’m guessing that would be fine, but I haven’t tested it myself so can’t say for certain. Enjoy!
I’ve made this a ton of times now and it is really great. I tried it with squash instead of cauliflower tonight – still great. I’ve also used it with courgetti instead of actual spaghetti and, guess what? Still great. Because there’s no flour, or say arrowroot, in the recipe it is a lot creamier and not so heavy. Super!
Wow! I was blown away by how delicious this sauce was! Smooth and creamy like the most delicious Alfredo without even a note of cauliflower. I didn’t have cashews so had to leave them out. Used unsweetened coconut beverage (carton, not can) and cut the salt and black pepper in half. Also, omitted nutritional yeast. Also boiled he cauliflower in the pasta water after cooking and removing the pasta. My husband loved it so much that we have no leftovers! Will be making this again and again! Thanks again.
I made this sauce using cashew milk and I added mushrooms when frying the garlic and some peas after pouring in the sauce. I was a bit worried as the sauce smelt very strong when raw but it tasted delicious in the end! Served with side salad and buttered bread. My first time making a VEGAN creamy sauce and cooking using plant based milk, nuts and nutritional yeast and it was very simple and easy to follow.
So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Yasmin! Thanks for taking time out of your day to come back and share your thoughts!
This was not only as delicious (and creamy) as promised, but also as easy to make as you had mentioned.
Will become a staple recipe when I’m in a rush and don’t have much time to cook but still want something very yummy on my plate. Perfectly accompanied with a salad …
also, approved by my non vegan friends! Thanks!
I make this delicious recipe regularly. My Omni hubby and I love it. Tonight I’m wishing to make this but have not fresh cauliflower. Can it be made successfully with frozen? It would be helpful to me when I don’t have fresh on hand.
Hi, Bev! So glad you’re enjoying the recipe. Yes, it can be made successfully with frozen cauliflower. You might just need to boil it a touch longer. Hope this helps and enjoy!