Vegan Penne alla Vodka
Feb 28, 2021 • Updated Jun 20, 2023
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Vegan Penne alla Vodka
This is a 100% vegan, dairy free take on classic pasta dish–Vegan Penne alla Vodka! It features a creamy and easy to make, cashew butter based dairy-free vodka sauce that pairs beautifully with pasta. Vodka sauce is typically made with tomato, vodka and heavy cream with a vibrant orange colour. The vodka is added to the sauce to enhance flavours and contributes to the smooth texture of the sauce. As the name would suggest, the pasta variety used is typically penne!
How to Make Vegan Vodka Sauce
To make vodka sauce vegan, we’re going to replace heavy cream with cashew butter, which provides a rich, creamy consistency! You can also opt to garnish the dish with extra vegan parmesan or grated macadamia nuts and of course, fresh basil. To make the dish gluten free, simply use a gluten free penne pasta.
- The sauce begins with onions and garlic, which are sautéed until fragrant.
- Vodka, if using, is added and cooked down on high heat.
- Next, tomatoes and tomato paste are added to the pan and then the entire mixture is transferred to a blender.
- To the blender, add cashew butter, reserved pasta water and blend until completely smooth.
- Transfer your dairy-free vodka sauce back into the pan and season with salt, pepper and chili flakes to taste.
- Finally, add cooked pasta to the sauce along with a pasta cooking water as needed and enjoy. Garnish your vegan vodka pasta with fresh basil and vegan parmesan if desired.
Using Cashew Butter Instead of Raw Cashews
To make our vegan penne alla vodka, we will be using cashew butter instead of raw cashews. I find this easier to blend completely, and a time saver as no soaking time is required. For this dairy-free vodka sauce, I highly recommend using an unsweetened cashew butter. If you’d prefer to use raw cashews, you can use roughly 1/2 cup raw soaked cashews in place, with pasta water added to achieve desired texture.
Vegan Pasta for Meal Prep
If you’d like to meal prep this pasta, I highly recommend storing the sauce and pasta separately. To enjoy, reheat the sauce, thinning as needed with added filtered water, then toss cooked pasta in the sauce to coat. It’s normal for the sauce to thicken when stored, so be sure to re-heat before enjoying! You can store sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days or store in the freezer.
More Vegan Pasta Dinner Recipes
- Lemon Pepper Pasta
- Pumpkin Tahini Pasta
- 15 Minute Caprese Pasta Salad
- Mushroom Tempeh Bolognese
- Creamy Pumpkin Paccheri Pasta (via Hot For Food)
Vegan Penne alla Vodka
Ingredients
- 10 oz gluten free pasta of choice
- 1 cup reserved pasta cooking water
- dairy free vodka sauce
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small sweet onion finely diced
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup vodka optional
- 15 oz peeled tomatoes
- 2-3 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp creamy unsweetened cashew butter
- pinch red pepper flakes to taste
- salt and pepper to taste
- to garnish
- fresh basil
- vegan parmesan or grated macadamia nut
Instructions
- Prepare your pasta according to package directions, al dente. Reserve pasta water for later.
- Meanwhile, prepare your sauce. Add olive oil to a pan, and sauté onions until translucent and fragrant. Don't brown! Next add garlic, and sauté again for 1-2 minutes.
- Turn heat to high, add vodka and cook down until almost fully evaporated.
- Next, add tomatoes and tomato paste to the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Transfer pan contents to a blender, add cashew butter, 1/4 cup reserved pasta water and blend until completely smooth.
- Transfer your dairy-free vodka sauce back into the pan and season with salt, pepper and chili flakes to taste. Add additional pasta water as needed to thin.
- Finally, add cooked pasta to the sauce along with additional pasta cooking water as needed and enjoy. Garnish your vegan vodka pasta with fresh basil and vegan parmesan if desired.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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