Creamy Vegan Lemon Pepper Pasta Recipe (Gluten-Free!)
Jul 14, 2020 • Updated Jun 20, 2023
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This creamy vegan lemon pepper pasta is a dairy-free, gluten-free take on a quick, easy, and delicious dish! With a homemade, zesty lemon pepper sauce made from fresh lemon juice, cashew butter, roasted garlic, and cauliflower. It’s bursting with bright, peppery flavor in every bite and takes just under 30 minutes to make!
What Makes This Recipe Great
This creamy vegan pasta with lemon pepper sauce comes together thanks to… well, lemons and pepper, of course! This classic flavour combination is delicious in pasta form, and I’m sharing an easy method to create a creamy, zesty sauce with fresh ingredients. The base of this sauce involves cauliflower and cashew butter (trust me on this one), and the steps are fairly simple.
To make, all you need to do is boil pasta, steam cauliflower, roast or sauté your garlic, blend to create a sauce, and then toss the pasta in! The beauty of this creamy lemon pepper pasta is that it’s made with whole food, plant-based ingredients made without any heavy cream or dairy whatsoever.
This bright, fresh, and simple pasta dish is not only vegan but also gluten-free, and refined sugar-free, and can be made oil-free! The best part? It takes just 25 minutes to make! This truly is the easiest pasta. It’s the perfect dish for busy weeknights and will become a family favorite in no time!
Ingredient Notes
- Gluten-free pasta of choice: I used bow tie pasta (Farfalle) for this pasta dish, but you can make lemon pepper spaghetti, penne, fusilli, angel hair pasta, or your favorite pasta shape.
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice: For the best lemon flavor, I always use fresh lemons in this recipe. For extra brightness and flavor, you can also use a teaspoon of lemon zest. I recommend zesting the lemon first, then slicing it for juicing.
- Cauliflower: You can also use frozen cauliflower if that’s what you have on hand.
- Cashew butter: Be sure to choose an unsweetened version. You can substitute tahini for this if desired.
- Garlic: You can mince fresh garlic cloves or use a jar of store-bought minced garlic. Keep in mind that if you are trying to make this oil-free, I recommend using fresh garlic.
- Nutritional yeast: This gives a ton of flavor and a “cheesy” and nutty flavor. It’s an amazingly rich source of vitamins and minerals, particularly B-complex vitamins. It’s a substitute for parmesan cheese in this vegan pasta recipe.
- Soy milk: Or alternative non-dairy milk. Choose your favorite, but make sure it’s unsweetened and without flavoring.
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Black pepper
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions, cooking until al dente. Drain pasta and set aside, saving 1/4 cup of pasta water.
- Next, prepare your ingredients to create your lemon sauce. Steam cauliflower florets until tender, roughly 5-8 minutes. While cauliflower is steaming, smash and sauté garlic cloves with a splash of olive oil or veggie broth until fragrant. Alternatively, you can use this oil-free roasted garlic.
- Add cauliflower, sautéed garlic, and all remaining sauce ingredients to a high-speed blender or food processor and blend until completely smooth. If necessary, you can add additional soy milk or pasta water to achieve desired sauce texture. Season the smooth vegan pasta sauce with salt and pepper to taste, using lots of pepper (remember, this is lemon pepper pasta 😉).
- Pour the blended lemon sauce into a saucepan over medium heat, stirring and simmering for a few minutes. Add cooked pasta to the saucepan and gently stir to coat, adding pasta water by the tablespoon as necessary and enjoy!
Secrets to Success
- When making this sauce, make sure you pay special attention to the kind of cashew butter and soy milk you’re using. Avoid using sweetened nut butter or non-dairy milk, and ensure no flavours (like vanilla) are added. It will definitely impact the recipe, speaking from experience!
- To spice up this creamy vegan pasta, feel free to garnish with red pepper flakes. Keep in mind it does have some spice from the black pepper, but red pepper flakes add some extra heat, if desired.
- Additionally, you can garnish with chopped fresh basil and vegan parmesan cheese shreds as well.
- Some people like to add chicken breasts to their lemon pepper pasta. If you want to add protein, you can use a vegan chicken substitute or sauté tofu and add to the fresh pasta.
Serving Tips
- Serve this creamy vegan pasta warm and garnish with fresh herbs like fresh basil or fresh parsley, red pepper flakes, and/or vegan parmesan.
- You can serve it on its own or with a simple arugula salad or side salad of choice.
Storage Tips
- Store leftover pasta in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. To reheat, I recommend warming it up in a large skillet over medium-low heat, using a little water or olive oil to break up the pasta, as it will have melded together in the refrigerator.
Try These Creamy Vegan Pasta Recipes
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If you try this creamy vegan pasta recipe out, tag me on Instagram @veggiekins so I can see your delicious re-creations and feature them! As always, I love when you share your star rating and reviews in the comments below, and if you make any fun substitutions, let me know how it worked out below too.
Creamy Vegan Lemon Pepper Pasta Recipe (Gluten-Free!)
Ingredients
- 2 servings pasta of choice I used these gluten-free bowties
- 1/2 large head of cauliflower roughly 2 cups of florets, packed
- 3-4 cloves garlic
- 3/4 cup unsweetened soymilk can use other unsweetened, unflavoured non-dairy milk
- 2 tbsp unsweetened creamy cashew butter or tahini*
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- juice of 1 lemon
- salt and pepper to taste
- optional vegan parmesan
- optional lemon zest to garnish
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions, cooking until al dente. Drain pasta and set aside, saving 1/4 cup of pasta water.
- Next, prepare your ingredients to create your lemon sauce. Steam cauliflower florets until tender, roughly 5-8 minutes. While cauliflower is steaming, smash and sauté garlic cloves with a splash of olive oil or veggie broth until fragrant. Alternatively, you can use this oil-free roasted garlic.
- Add cauliflower, sautéed garlic, and all remaining sauce ingredients to a high-speed blender or food processor and blend until completely smooth. If necessary, you can add additional soy milk or pasta water to achieve desired sauce texture. Season the smooth vegan pasta sauce with salt and pepper to taste, using lots of pepper (remember, this is lemon pepper pasta 😉).
- Pour the blended lemon sauce into a saucepan over medium heat, stirring and simmering for a few minutes. Add cooked pasta to the saucepan and gently stir to coat, adding pasta water by the tablespoon as necessary, and enjoy!
Notes
Secrets to Success
- When making this sauce, make sure you pay special attention to the kind of cashew butter and soy milk you're using. Avoid using sweetened nut butter or non-dairy milk, and ensure no flavours (like vanilla) are added. It will definitely impact the recipe, speaking from experience!
- To spice up this creamy vegan pasta, feel free to garnish it with red pepper flakes. Keep in mind it does have some spice from the black pepper, but red pepper flakes add some extra heat if desired.
- Additionally, you can garnish with chopped fresh basil and vegan parmesan cheese shreds as well.
- Some people like to add chicken breasts to their lemmon pepper pasta. If you want to add protein, you can use a vegan chicken substitute or sauté tofu and add to the fresh pasta.
Serving Tips
- Serve this creamy vegan pasta warm and garnish with fresh herbs like fresh basil or fresh parsley, red pepper flakes, and/or vegan parmesan.
- You can serve it on its own or with a simple arugula salad or side salad of choice.
Storage Tips
- Store leftover pasta in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. To reheat, I recommend warming it up in a large skillet over medium-low heat, using a little water or olive oil to break up the pasta, as it will have melded together in the refrigerator.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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