Creamy Vegan Alfredo Pasta
A plant-based meal that is dairy-free, oil-free, and super nutritious. One of my favorite meals prior to being vegan was Alfredo Pasta. It’s creamy, rich, and super flavorful. I’m not going to lie–if there’s one thing I miss food-wise, it’s probably Alfredo Pasta.
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Due to my love of Alfredo Pasta and pasta in general, I decided to whip up a healthy, vegan alternative to traditional Alfredo Pasta that I had as a kid. This isn’t an identical dish, but this is hands-down my new favorite pasta dish. It’s flavorful, rich, and creamy.
This is also high in vitamin B12, which is a vitamin found primarily in animal products. Thus, if you’re vegan and low in vitamin B12, this is a perfect dish to whip up. Nutritional yeast is high in vitamin B12, so I add it to my dishes whenever I can.
Something I’ve realized is that spices make a world of a difference. This isn’t a complicated recipe at all, but choosing the right spices is key to making any dish flavorful and delicious. This meal is also made with all-natural ingredients. It’s also super versatile and can be easily modified. You can switch up what kind of pasta noodles you use, how much salt you use, as well as what kind of hummus you use.
Ingredients you’ll need:
1. Whole Wheat Penne Pasta
The first ingredient you’ll need is a pasta of your choice. I used whole wheat penne pasta because I absolutely love penne, but you can honestly use any pasta noodle you want.
You can use shells, angel hair, etc. I prefer whole wheat pasta because it’s a bit healthier than white pasta.
Pasta is a great meal to have because it’s rich in carbs, and carbs give you energy. Carbs also keep you feeling full for long periods of time. It’s a great meal to make that’s filling and fully satisfying!
2. Nutritional Yeast
The next ingredient you’ll need is nutritional yeast. Nutritional yeast is a favorite of mine, and I pretty much add it to any dish I make whenever I can. As a vegan, it’s more difficult to get vitamin B12 in your diet, as vitamin B12 is a vitamin primarily found in animal products.
However, nutritional yeast is a great vegan source of vitamin B12, which is why I eat it every single day for additional nutrients.
Nutritional yeast is a cheesy vegan substitute to traditional cheese made with dairy. While it’s not a perfect dupe to cheese, it’s seriously so delicious and a great alternative if you don’t eat dairy.
It’s especially great to add to this vegan creamy Alfredo Pasta because it adds a nice flavor to it.
3. Hummus
Like the pasta noodle, you can use any hummus of your choice. I used a classic hummus that contains natural ingredients with no added oils, but you can use a garlic hummus, pine nut hummus, or any other flavor you wish.
In order to make the alfredo sauce, you need hummus for this pasta dish. I absolutely love hummus alone, and on pasta it’s even better.
If you have never tried adding hummus to your pasta, I highly recommend you trying it out. You won’t be sorry. It was seriously a game changer when I first tried it, and ever since, I’ve been eating it quite often. It has seriously become one on my new favorite meals.
4. Garlic Powder
Up next is garlic powder, which is another one of my favorite spices to use in dishes. Garlic powder is a super flavorful spice that is an essential ingredient in making this vegan creamy Alfredo Pasta dish.
Garlic powder is a little salty, so it adds a nice touch of saltiness to this pasta dish. I like adding garlic powder when I make tofu scramble, veggies, and of course, Alfredo Pasta.
5. Salt & Pepper
You’ll also need a dash of salt and pepper. Add as much salt and pepper as you like. I typically just add a dash of salt to keep the sodium to a minimum, but feel free to add more than the recipe calls for. Pepper is another spice that I pretty much add to any meal I make. I love pepper, but be careful. If you add to much, it might be too spicy!
6. Basil
This one is a completely optional ingredient. I simply added a bit of basil on top as a garnish, but feel free to skip this step.
How to make this pasta dish:
First, cook the pasta until softened.
Then, drain the pasta in a strainer until the liquid is drained.
Next, blend the hummus, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a food processor until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed together.
Lastly, mix the pasta and Alfredo sauce together.
Add basil on top to garnish and enjoy!
*One thing to note is that in my recipe I used original hummus that was oil-free, but any hummus will do just fine! It’s simply the only hummus I had lying around.
Here’s the recipe.
Creamy Vegan Alfredo Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole wheat penne pasta
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/2 cup hummus
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- dash of pepper
- basil to garnish
Instructions
- Cook pasta until softened
- Drain pasta in a strainer and let sit for a few minutes for liquid to drain out
- Blend hummus, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a food processor
- Slowly mix Alfredo sauce in pasta
- Dash of basil on top to garnish
Notes
Final Thoughts
And there you have it. A quick and easy recipe for making vegan Alfredo Pasta. This is seriously one of my favorite vegan dishes to make. It’s super easy to make and is a great meal to meal prep on the weekends for the week.
You can easily bring it on the go and have a yummy and nutritious meal for work or school. I honestly make this meal at least three times a week. It never gets old so I keep making it!
Check out some of my favorite vegan alternatives!
1. Orgain Creamy Chocolate Fudge Protein Powder
2. Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip No Cow Bar
Check out some of my other recipes!
3. No-Bake Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Crustless Pie
