Creamy Vegan Pumpkin Pasta, made all in one pot in just 20 minutes. It's cozy and lusciously rich, as well as being quick, incredibly easy, and so delicious!
Love pumpkin pasta dishes? Be sure to give my Vegan Pumpkin Mac & Cheese a try next!
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FEATURED COMMENT:
"Made this tonight and it was delicious! One of the best pastas I've made since going vegan. Love it!" - Ashleigh ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ More reviews →
Pumpkin and pasta are partnering to settle every possible fall carb craving in style. Yes, we're cooking up piles of cozy, luscious, Vegan Pumpkin Pasta, and we are going to fill our faces.
It's garlicky, it's pumpkin-y, it's SO simple, and I am obsessed. Finish with a little vegan parmesan cheese, some fresh sage if you have it, some vegan garlic bread on the side, and HELLO...New fall favourite dinner!
Mel x
P.S. Looking for more savoury pumpkin recipes? You'll love my Vegan Pumpkin Mac and Cheese!
Ingredients
Vegan Pumpkin Pasta is made from mostly pantry staples. Here is exactly what you will be needing, along with some notes and substitution suggestions:
- Pumpkin puree - You can use homemade or canned pumpkin puree. Just make sure you don't accidentally pick up pumpkin pie filling! Butternut squash puree would make a great sub. Got more pumpkin to use? Check out my other vegan pumpkin recipes or freeze it for another time. It will keep well in the freezer for about 3 months.
- Pasta shapes - Any shaped pasta will do here, such as penne, rigatoni, rotini, fusilli, gemelli, etc. Use gluten-free pasta if necessary. I have not tested this recipe with spaghetti or fettuccine.
- Nutritional yeast - Important for umami flavour.
- Tomato paste - It might seem like a strange addition in pumpkin pasta sauce, but it adds depth of flavour, body and richness. All things that pumpkin puree is a little lacking. It doesn't make the sauce taste tomatoey.
- Sage - The perfect pumpkin partner. Dried or fresh. Fresh sage leaves really elevate this dish and make it feel extra special, and they are great as a garnish too.
- Dairy-free milk - Any unsweetened and unflavoured non-dairy milk such as cashew milk, soy milk, oat milk or almond milk. Double-check the ingredients list if it's store-bought. You really don't want to accidentally use one with sugar or vanilla in it for a savoury dish!
- Stock - Any vegetable stock works well, or a plant-based chicken flavour one. I usually use Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base to make mine.
- White wine vinegar - Important for a bit of acidity. Apple cider vinegar works too.
Chef's Tip
Love vodka sauce pasta? Try replacing half a cup (120ml) of the stock with vodka. It works incredibly well in this pumpkin pasta recipe!
How To Make Vegan Pumpkin Pasta
This recipe could not be easier to make. You don't even have to boil the pasta in water! Here's a quick visual walkthrough (see the recipe card and recipe video for the full and detailed version)
1 - First up, we make the pumpkin sauce, and it's easy peasy. Start by sautéing the onions and garlic for lots of flavour. Prefer the texture of a super smooth pasta sauce with no onion/garlic bits? There's an easy fix... Once the onions and garlic have been sautéed, add them to a blender with a little of the stock and blend until smooth. Return to the pan and continue with the recipe.
2 - Then everything else except the pasta gets thrown in and mixed up. It will be very thin. Don't worry.
3 - Dried pasta goes in. And yes, I mean dried. Don't cook it first.
4 - Simmer until the pasta is tender and the sauce thick. It takes about 15 to 20 minutes depending on the pasta shapes you use.
An optional step that I think takes this pasta right over the top is to stir in a couple of tablespoons of vegan butter right before serving. It makes it extra rich and glossy!
Serving Suggestions
Garnish your pumpkin pasta with plenty of cracked black pepper, red pepper flakes, fresh herbs like sage, thyme, or basil, and plenty of vegan parmesan. A small mountain of crispy baked zucchini slices on top is dinner perfection!
A crisp salad and some crusty bread to dip in that vegan pumpkin pasta sauce are a must. I highly recommend my No Knead Focaccia. And if you want to stretch the recipe a bit further try serving it with some sliced, pan-fried vegan sausage or chicken pieces.
Recipe
Vegan Pumpkin Pasta
Author:Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil , or saute with a little water for oil-free
- 1 medium onion, diced finely
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1½ cups(352 grams) pumpkin puree, NOT pumpkin pie filling
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste (tomato puree in the UK)
- 4 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt, adjust as necessary if using table salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dried sage, or 3 to 4 fresh leaves chopped
- 2 cups (480 mls) vegetable stock
- 1½ cups (360 ml) dairy-free milk (It must be unsweetened & unflavoured)
- 14 oz (400 grams) dried pasta, uncooked
Optional to finish
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter
- vegan parmesan
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a wide, shallow pan, heat the oil over medium heat, then sauté the onion until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more, until lightly golden.
- Add the pumpkin puree, tomato paste, nutritional yeast, white wine vinegar, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and sage. Stir together to break up the tomato paste, then gradually add the stock, working out any lumps as you go.
- Pour in the milk and the dried pasta. Stir well.
- Leave uncovered and let it come to a boil, then turn the heat down just enough to keep it at a gentle simmer, stirring about every 5 minutes or so, until the pasta is tender and the sauce is thick. The time varies depending on the pasta you use, but it should take around 15 to 20 minutes.
- Just before serving, add the optional vegan butter and stir well to combine. Serve immediately with plenty of vegan parmesan.
- If not serving immediately and you find the sauce thickens up a little too much, add a splash of dairy-free milk, stock, or water to thin as necessary.
NOTES
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Claire says
omg this is amazing. thank you for this. I used onion powder instead, as well as ground sage and apple cider vinegar. this is soooo delicious and comforting and we devoured it!!
Barbara says
I love, love, love this recipe! Even my non-vegan, non-pumpkin-fan son thought it was yummy! This will definitely be featured again in my meal planning. Thank you, yet again, Mel, for another excellent recipe! (I personalized it by using 5 large cloves of garlic instead of 4; 1 1/2 medium onions instead of 1; 1/3 c of nutritional yeast instead of 1/4 c; a generous 2 tsp of Italian seasoning; just half the pasta - 200 g (chickpea pasta for the protein boost; and yumminess!); 1 c soy milk instead of 1 1/2 c., and a scant 1/2 tsp salt without the other half even being missed.)
Janene says
We're having this for lunch at the moment. The flavour is amazing. Rich and creamy. We'll definitely make it again. Thanks for sharing!
Martha says
Mine wasn't as pretty as the picture on the site, but yum!
Melanie McDonald says
So pleased you enjoyed the recipe, Martha! If it makes you feel better our regular dinners don't look like the pictures on my site either. I spend hours styling/setting them up and lighting them perfectly. My husband always laughs at the comparison when he has perfect looking photoshoot leftovers for dinner compared to regular dinners that just gets splodged on the plate any how...🤣
Ashleigh Hardcastle says
Made this tonight and it was delicious! One of the best pastas I've made since going vegan. Love it!
Avie says
Why is the vinegar needed? Could lemon juice work instead?? Thanks
Samantha says
This was savory, delicious and easy! We made it with whole wheat pasta and ended up using closer to 3 1/2 cups of the broth.
YUM.
Sarah Howell says
This was so yummy!!! I made it in the instant pot. I added another cup of broth to make sure the pasta was covered and I cooked it at manual pressure for 4 minutes( half of the original cook time for the pasta) and then did a quick release. It wasn’t overly soft, but probably could have reduced the time if you like it a little more al dente. I stirred in the recommended butter at the end and it was delicious. This was a perfect fall pasta and would be great for a holiday table. Thanks again for another great recipe!!!
Melanie McDonald says
I'm glad it worked out well in your IP. I'll have to try it one day!
Ruth says
Sounds really yummy, I bet you are right and this will cook well in the instant pot. I’m getting one for Christmas so I’ll let you know how I get on next year 🤣
Melanie McDonald says
If I get around to trying it I will add the directions in the recipe notes ;O)