No-Blend Easy Vegan Cacio e Pepe Pasta Recipe
Jan 22, 2021 • Updated Jun 17, 2024
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Quick and easy creamy Vegan Cacio E Pepe, no blender required! This easy 8-ingredient recipe is a must-try with your favorite pasta.
What is Cacio e Pepe?
Traditional Cacio e Pepe is a quintessential Italian pasta dish originating in Rome. It is celebrated for its simplicity and robust cheesy flavor. The name translates to “cheese and pepper,” and traditional ingredients include spaghetti or tonnarelli, pecorino romano cheese, and freshly cracked black pepper.
This vegan take on a traditional dish involves tossing the pasta with the cheese and pepper, along with a bit of reserved pasta water, to create a creamy, emulsified sauce. The resulting meal is a rich, peppery, and cheesy pasta that is popular in Italian restaurants everywhere but is actually quite easy to make at home.
What Makes This Recipe Great
A few weeks ago I had a hankering for Italian food, specifically, Vegan Cacio E Pepe, but I had no blender and no time to soak raw cashews. I decided to experiment with using cashew butter instead because essentially it’s the same ingredient, pre-blended. The result was this insanely easy, no-blend Vegan Cacio e Pepe, or Cashew e Pepe as I like to call it.
In this vegan version, we’re using a creamy base of cashews. This pasta is rich and creamy without any dairy! It’s *almost* magic. To make it gluten-free, it’s as simple as using gluten-free pasta. In my experience, however, gluten-free spaghetti does not have the best texture, so I opted for a different variety.
This delicious pasta dish comes together so quickly and easily with just a handful of simple ingredients, that it can be enjoyed as a weeknight dinner on the reg. It’s not the best dish to meal prep or store as the sauce loses some of its silkiness as it sits, so it’s best enjoyed fresh and luckily is quick enough to whip up on the spot.
It’s also gluten-free, oil-free, and ready in 15 minutes. The only equipment you’ll need is a large pot to boil your pasta in!
Ingredient Notes
To make this creamy vegan pasta you’ll only need 6 ingredients.
- Cashew butter → No raw cashews required. We’ll be using creamy cashew butter, which means no blending is required. Opt for a cashew-only butter. Cashews provide a creamy base for our pasta.
- White miso paste → Just a touch helps to add depth of flavor profile, and this is an ingredient I use in all of my vegan cheesy recipes.
- Lemon juice → Fresh lemon juice brightens up the creamy sauce base, and again, is a key ingredient used to make cashews taste cheesy!
- Nutritional yeast → Once again, for the cheesy factor. This also helps to thicken up the sauce and adds a nice boost of plant protein and B vitamins.
- Gluten-free pasta → Or regular fresh pasta if you’d like. While spaghetti is more traditionally used, I opted for a gluten-free cavatappi.
- Salt & pepper → Salt to season and freshly cracked black peppercorns. Don’t skimp on the pepper, this is what makes it Cacio E Pepe!
- And some optional vegan parmesan cheese to garnish.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Prepare your pasta al dente according to package instructions. Reserve a 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water, drain the pasta, and set aside.
- In the same pot or a small bowl, whisk together cashew butter, nutritional yeast, miso paste, and lemon juice. Add 1/4 cup of water and whisk until completely smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
- Return the cooked pasta to the pot or transfer to a large bowl and fold in the sauce until coated. If desired, add additional pasta water for extra creaminess. Serve with optional vegan parmesan on the top and more pepper to taste.
Secrets to Success!
- Make it hearty → Use a heavy hand with the vegan parmesan for a more true-to-original experience. You can also add olive oil or vegan butter to your sauce base to give it more richness.
- Boost the nutrition → Sprinkle a handful of microgreens on top, or consider a sprinkle of a nut-based vegan parmesan. Hemp seeds would also make a lovely covert addition to the dish.
- FYI: This recipe is adapted from Bon Appétit.
Serving Tips
Serve with a side salad and some crusty bread!
Storage Tips
Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days. Reheat in a skillet over medium heat with a splash of water to break up any clumps.
More Vegan Pasta Recipes
- 10 Minute Pumpkin Tahini Pasta
- Green Bean + Almond Gremolata Pasta
- Vegan Lemon Pepper Pasta
- 15 Minute Caprese Pasta Salad
- High Protein Tempeh + Mushroom Bologenese
If you try this 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 review in the comments below, and if you make any fun substitutions, let me know how it worked out below too.
No-Blend Easy Vegan Cacio e Pepe Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 oz pasta of choice I used gluten free
- 1/2 cup pasta cooking water reserved
- 3 tbsp creamy cashew butter no added ingredients
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tbsp white miso paste
- juice of half a lemon
- salt to taste
- 1-2 tsp freshly cracked black peppercorns
- optional
- grated vegan parmesan
Instructions
- Prepare your pasta al dente according to package directions. Reserve a 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water, drain pasta and set aside.
- In the same pot, or a small bowl, whisk together cashew paste, nutritional yeast, miso paste and lemon juice. Add 1/4 cup of water and whisk until completely smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
- Return pasta to the pot and fold in the sauce until coated. If desired, add additional pasta water to help to coat. Serve with optional vegan parmesan to top and more pepper to taste.
Notes
Secrets to Success!
-
- Make it hearty → Use a heavy hand with the vegan parmesan for a more true-to-original experience. You can also add olive oil or vegan butter to your sauce base to give it more richness.
-
- Boost the nutrition → Sprinkle a handful of microgreens on top, or consider a sprinkle of a nut-based vegan parmesan. Hemp seeds would also make a lovely covert addition to the dish.
-
- FYI: This recipe is adapted from Bon Appétit.
Serving Tips
Serve with a side salad and some crusty bread!Storage Tips
Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days. Reheat in a skillet over medium heat with a splash of water to break up any clumps.Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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