Comfort, ease, and nourishing goodness all wrapped up in one creamy, luxurious, 7-ingredient vegan sweet potato cream pasta. Sweet potatoes are boiled until fork tender and then blended until smooth with almond milk, garlic, nutritional yeast, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. The sauce is simmered for just 3 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Then, it's tossed with heaps of warm pasta (gluten-free, if you please), yielding a dish that's just as satisfying as it is nourishing. The flavor of the sauce is intended to be soft and delicate (think vegan bechamel—aka "basic cream sauce"—with a subtle hint of sweet potato). I love it as is with a sprinkle of vegan parmesan, but perhaps you'll prefer a more amped-up flavor. In that case, feel free to add fresh or dried herbs or up the seasoning.
This vegan sweet potato cream pasta unites comfort, convenience, and feel-good nourishment in one bowl.
It's made with just seven ingredients (plus s + p) and comes together in a speedy 30 minutes.
To make it, boil two cups of peeled and cubed sweet potatoes until soft and nearly fall-apart tender.
Strain off the excess water and add the sweet potatoes to a high-speed blender along with...
Plant-based milk (I use almond milk).
1 to 2 cloves garlic.
Spoonful of nutritional yeast.
Drizzle of olive oil.
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
Sea salt.
Freshly ground black pepper.
Blend on high for a minute, or until completely smooth.
By this point, you'll have a naturally glowing, delicately flavored, and ultra creamy sweet potato sauce with a flavor reminiscent of a classic cream sauce or bechamel (with just a subtle hint of sweet potato)...
Pour the sauce into a large sauté pan and whisk over medium heat until hot and bubbly.
Add heaps of warm pasta (gluten-free, if you please) to the pan and toss to coat.
Then, season to taste with a bit more sea salt and black pepper.
Nestle tangles of the warm vegan sweet potato cream pasta into bowls.
Finally, twirl, twirl, twirl to your heart's content.
This pasta is intensely satisfying.
It hits that sweet stride, elegantly dancing between energizing lightness and creamy indulgence.
This is a light and delicate sauce by nature (think bechamel or basic cream sauce with a hint of sweet potato). If you want to bump up the savoriness, taking this pasta to more flavorful heights, be sure to finish it with a sprinkle of vegan parmesan.
Mangia tutti!
📖 Recipe
VEGAN SWEET POTATO CREAM PASTA
Ingredients
Pasta
- 12 ounces regular or gluten-free tagliatelle or linguine
Vegan Sweet Potato Cream Sauce
- 2 cups (12oz. or 340g) peeled and cubed sweet potatoes (about 1 medium sweet potato, but be sure to measure)
- 1 ¼ cups plain unsweetened plant-based milk (I use almond milk), plus more if needed to thin
- 1 to 2 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes, plus more to taste if desired
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Vegan parmesan cheese, to taste (see notes for recipe)
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 according to package instructions.
- Drain and set aside.
For the Vegan Sweet Potato Cream Sauce
- Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add the sweet potatoes to the pot and boil for 10 minutes, or until very fork-tender. Strain off the water.
- Add the boiled sweet potatoes, plant-based milk, garlic, nutritional yeast, olive oil, lemon juice, sea salt, and black pepper to a high-speed blender.
- Blend on high for 1 to 2 minutes, or until smooth and creamy.
- Pour the sauce into a large sauté pan. Heat over medium heat and whisk constantly for 2 to 3 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.
To Assemble
- Add the pasta to the pan and toss to coat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to cook for 2 minutes, or until the sauce clings to the pasta. If the sauce is too thick, add more plant-based milk, a couple tablespoons at a time, to thin to desired texture. (Note: if you add more plant-based milk, you'll need to adjust the seasoning, adding more sea salt and black pepper to taste than you would had you not thinned the sauce.)
- Remove from the heat.
- Taste and generously season with more sea salt and black pepper, to taste. Liberally sprinkle with vegan parmesan (see note* for recipe).
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Abby @ Heart of a Baker says
Ohh goodness, I love a good creamy pasta! I don't know why I never thought about using it in with a pasta sauce, but this is brilliant! xo
Casey the College Celiac says
Always love a good vegan pasta sauce! And that vegan parmesan sounds AMAZING!
Leonie says
What a locely coincidence I just bought sweet potatoes. This looks amazing!
Tarin says
This is definitely going on my meal plan for next week! I love all of your recipes (and your cookbook is beautiful)! I'm new-ish to gluten free eating. Do you have any gluten free pasta brands you recommend?
Ashley says
Hi, Tarin! I'm so sorry for the delay in answering your question. I recommend Bionaturae's gluten-free pasta ( most Whole Foods carry it). Unlike most gf pastas, it's not nearly as prone to becoming mushy/breaking apart. Hope this helps and enjoy!
Celeste Jackson says
This looks so satisfying and simple! I am looking forward to making this soon.
Jess @hellotofit says
So creamy from the sweet potato, so comforting!! YUM. I haven't had dinner yet and am currently wishing I had a plate of that ;) xoxo
Katie says
Can I make this without nutritional yeast?
Ashley says
Hi, Katie! I wouldn't recommend it because the nutritional yeast adds depth of flavor and savoriness. That said, omitting it won't affect texture so you can, but it won't taste quite as savory or rich.
Nora @ plantstrongfamily says
This looks so yummy. I think my 1 year old will love it, too!! Thanks for a great recipe. :)
Ashley says
Thanks, Nora! Hope you and your little one enjoy it!
Daphne says
SO Tasty!!! Family favorite
Ashley says
So glad you and your family enjoyed it, Daphne!
Ulf says
Looks great, and sounds great too. Unfortunately my girlfriend and I found this to be incredibly bland. The texture of the sweet potatoes just doesn't make for a good pasta sauce (and yes, it was boiled and pureed in a vitamix). We followed the recipe to a T, and if I took a picture you would think "that looks great"! Sadly, this really isn't worth anyones time or effort. I would not recommend.
Ashley says
Hi, Ulf. I'm so sorry to hear you and your girlfriend didn't enjoy this dish. Everyone's tastes are different and what tastes great to some isn't always going to taste great to others.
Rose says
Hi, I kind of have to agree with Ulf, just about it being a bit bland (the texture to me, is superb - smooth and creamy and I don't have a vitamix, just a regular old blender). I boosted up the flavour with a bit of chopped thyme, more black pepper and salt. I dunno, it's still just missing a bit of...something, but I can't put my finger on it. Will let his sit in the fridge overnight and see if the flavours develop further. Thank you for the recipe!
Ashley says
Hi, Rose! Thanks for your feedback. Great to hear you're enjoying the texture. The flavor is meant to be a bit more delicate to let the sweet potato's soft flavor shine through but I should probably make that more clear in the description. The flavor leans more toward a bechamel or basic cream sauce with a hint of sweet potato, but I love the idea of sprucing it up with herbs. Thanks again for your input!
Jen says
This is really good with bbq sauce, as strange as that sounds!
Kassandra says
For those saying that the sauce is a bit bland, I recommend adding some nutmeg! Nutmeg pairs really nicely with sweet potato and it may be the little something extra that you think the recipe is missing.
Ashley says
Great tip, Kassandra! Thanks for sharing!
Steve says
Trying on vegan quesadillas to replace the cheese. Are there any updates on additional adds to improve taste. I have not made yet. Also how long can sauce store in fridge, want to make on the weekend for meal 2-3 days later
Ashley says
Hi, Steve! This is a cream sauce (not supposed to be cheesy), so I wouldn't recommend it as a cheese replacement. Instead, I'd use this recipe to replace the cheese on vegan quesadillas: https://www.blissfulbasil.com/vegan-cashew-cheddar-cheese/ (Note: You'll want to make this just before serving/enjoying. It only takes 5–10 minutes to make!)
Brooke Ashley says
Oooohhh yeeeessss!
I can't stop eating this, it is SO essentially delicious.
I love how it is a simple, nourishing, creamy dish using basic pantry ingredients and I think one that will please my young picky kids.
I did find 2 garlic cloves to be too strong to be suitable for the kiddos, but I corrected this for their palette by adding an additional: 1/2 tsp of lemon juice, 2.5 tbsp nutritional yeast, 1 tsp maple syrup for sweetness (because kids), and then a sprinkle of turmeric powder for circumin.
This recipe has made it's way into out favourites. Thank you for sharing an amazing family-friendly recipe!