The brightness of fresh lemon contrasts exquisitely with this rich and buttery plant-based cream sauce. You would never guess that this 15-minute Creamy Lemon Pasta is vegan!
Why You Will Love this 15-Minute Creamy Lemon Pasta
What I love most about this recipe is that it is incredibly indulgent and impressive, but it's so quick and easy to make. I'm all about simple dishes that taste fancy!
When you're short on time and have these pantry staples on hand, this is a really comforting meal to throw together for a weeknight dinner. I pretty much always have olive oil, garlic, hemp seeds, coconut milk, and lemons on hand. There are a few additional ingredients, but most are things you probably already have at home!
What You Need to Make the Sauce
This Creamy Lemon Pasta is rich in flavor, but the sauce itself isn't overly thick, making it satisfying but not heavy. The sauce includes:
- Olive oil
- Vegan butter
- Garlic cloves
- Dry white wine
- Full fat coconut milk
- Reserved pasta water
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Hemp seeds
- Nutritional yeast
- Miso paste
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
The sauce is made with twelve ingredients, but as I mentioned, many of these you probably already have!
If you prefer, you can swap out the vegan butter and just double up on olive oil. The taste will be less buttery, which can be a good or bad thing depending on your preference.
Six garlic cloves ensure this dish has a lovely aroma to it, while dry white wine brings in acidity.
Full fat coconut milk gives this sauce its creamy texture, along with the reserved pasta water.
This Creamy Lemon Pasta wouldn't be complete without freshly squeezed lemon juice! Without the lemon this recipe could really be a vegan Alfredo sauce, but the lemons add a bright and uplifting flavor. If you have lemons, why not add them?!
Hemp seeds are my go-to when making nut-free vegan cheese-based sauces. They are creamy, yet subtle in flavor. Pretty much any time you see cashews in a recipe they are interchangeable with hemp seeds—plus you never have to stress about soaking hemp seeds in advance!
Nutritional yeast brings in that extra bit of cheesy flavor, while also thickening the sauce. Miso paste adds umami.
When you are done creating the sauce, taste and adjust for more salt and pepper.
How to Make Vegan Creamy Lemon Pasta
Warm the olive oil and vegan butter in a large frying pan over medium-low heat. Once the butter has melted, add the minced garlic and turn the heat to medium for just two minutes, being careful not to burn the garlic.
Add the wine, letting the sauce come to a bubble for just a few minutes. Reduce the heat to low.
Meanwhile, boil a large pot of water and cook the pasta according to package instructions. When the past is ready, use a measuring cup to reserve a half cup of pasta water to add to the sauce. Drain the pasta.
Add all of the sauce ingredients to a the blender and blend on high.
Add the sauce to the pan, stirring everything together. Bring the heat to medium-low to let everything heat up and combine well.
Let sit for about a minute or two and then reduce the heat back to low and add the pasta to the pan. Stir well to coat the pasta evenly with the sauce.
Garnish with freshly ground black pepper, lemon zest, and grated vegan parmesan.
Notes & Tips for Making this Recipe
- The first time I made this recipe I used a gluten-free, chickpea-based rigatoni. Gluten-free noodles, especially rice-based types tend to soak up more sauce and can get mushy—especially when stored for later. Pictured here are regular rigatoni noodles, which allowed the sauce to coat nicely, maintaining the texture of the pasta and the sauce. You can use any type of pasta—rigatoni, penne, linguine, you name it! Just keep this note in mind if you choose gluten-free.
- Don't skip the lemon zest! I used a microplane grater to grate both the lemon zest and the vegan parmesan. I buy a block of vegan parmesan, which grated so light and fluffy just like real parm!
What to Serve with Creamy Lemon Pasta
Because I really love garlic, I go all out and serve this garlicky pasta with garlic bread. If that's a bit much for your tastebuds, serve with a loaf of warm rustic bread to dip in the pasta sauce.
While this dish is substantial and packed with flavor all on its own, you could always toss in peas, broccoli, or sautéed mushrooms to make it heartier if desired. These additions will detract from the intricacy of the sauce, but can be a fun way to change up a weeknight dinner if this isn't your first time making the dish!
Did you make this recipe?! Snap a pic and tag me on Instagram. I'd love to see your creation!
Looking for another lemon-forward recipe? Try my Lemon Asparagus Risotto. Or for another pasta-like dish, you'll love Creamy Tomato Gnocchi. For another French-inspired recipe, check out French Lentil Soup with Mushrooms.
📖 Recipe
Creamy Lemon Pasta
Equipment
- High speed blender
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter
- 6 garlic cloves peeled (3 minced, 3 whole)
- 16 ounces rigatoni*
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 cup full fat coconut milk
- 2 lemons* juiced, plus lemon zest
- 3 tablespoons hemp seeds
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon miso paste
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground, plus additional to garnish
- Vegan parmesan* freshly grated
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta.
- Warm the oil and vegan butter over medium-low heat in a large frying pan. Once the butter has melted, add the minced garlic to the pan and turn the heat to medium. Cook for two minutes, being careful not to burn the garlic.
- Once the pot is boiling, cook the rigatoni (or other preferred pasta) according to package instructions. When the pasta is done cooking, use a measuring cup to gather ½ cup of pasta water. Then drain the pasta.
- Add the dry white wine to the large pan and bring to a bubble. Let bubble for 3 minutes, then reduce the heat to low.
- Meanwhile, add the ½ cup of pasta water and the 3 peeled garlic cloves to a blender. Add everything on the ingredient list from the coconut milk to the black pepper to the blender. Blend on high until smooth—45 seconds to a minute.
- Pour the blended sauce into the pan and stir to combine with the garlic. Bring the heat to medium-low and warm for about a minute or two. Add the drained pasta to the pan and stir to coat the pasta with the sauce.
- Serve into bowls and garnish with additional black pepper, lemon zest, and freshly grated vegan parmesan.
Notes
- Use gluten-free pasta if needed. Swap rigatoni for your favorite pasta type if desired (penne or linguine, for instance).
- Zest a tablespoon of the lemon before juicing it.
- Vegan parmesan is optional but really adds a nice touch that looks and tastes good. I buy a block of vegan parmesan and grate it to get that light and fluffy texture. I highly recommend this over pre-shredded vegan cheese.
