This vegan white pasta sauce has it all: it is silky, creamy, garlicky, savory, delicious, and versatile. And it's made with good-for-you beans. Serve it warm over a ribbon pasta like fettuccine, pappardelle or linguine.
When it comes to vegan white pasta sauces, I've tried them all. I love this vegan alfredo sauce, and I've tried a version with cauliflower. The cashew sauce, although delicious, is not an everyday indulgence because it is higher in fat than most sauces I would cook (although it has nowhere near the amount of calories in an authentic cream-and-butter-and-cheese alfredo). The cauliflower version, well, isn't bad, but honestly, I can never get past the cauliflower smell which doesn't quite go away. And I sometimes make a healthy, protein-rich chickpea sauce, but delicious though it is, it seems to dry up on me rather quickly which means it is best consumed the day it's made.
This version of a vegan white pasta sauce I have for you today is a clear winner on every front. It's really healthy, for one, because it's made with white beans: great northern beans, to be exact. All it needs, besides the beans, are six ingredients that I am willing to bet are already in your pantry.
The payoff is spectacular: this is a rich, luscious sauce, so there's no deprivation here. Not an ounce of. The sauce coats the pasta silkily and wraps your tastebuds in the warmth of garlic and oregano. I can eat it by the bowlful, just as it is, and not feel a bit guilty: it's just beans, guys, and food doesn't get any more nutritious than beans.
I added some cashews to the sauce and they not only help add some richness, but they also do a magnificent job of keeping the sauce from drying out over time: something bean-puree sauces often tend to do. I brown-bagged the pasta to lunch the day after I made it, and the sauce was still velvety and smooth and quite perfect.
Great northern beans have a nutty, delicious flavor which makes them perfect for this sauce, but you can use another white bean, like cannellini, navy or lima. You can cook the beans from scratch, which I prefer to do, or you can use canned, but white beans do not usually take as long to cook as some other types of legumes, so start with the dry beans if you can for the purest flavor.
You can make this sauce cheesy, if you wish, by adding some nutritional yeast -- perfect if you're subbing this for an alfredo sauce. I didn't add any this time because it was already so good, I didn't want to gild the lily. If you do add nutritional yeast, add no more than a couple of tablespoons because you don't want to overwhelm the savory, garlicky flavor.
I was a little nervous serving this to Jay because, like every child, he has an inner radar that uncannily tells him when a food is healthy and therefore not edible. This time, I had that radar fooled. He ate it up, beans and all, and licked up every last bit of the sauce of his plate. 🙂
Winner.
More tasty vegan pasta sauces:
- Vegan Basil Pesto
- The Best Vegan Marinara Sauce
- No-cook Tomato Sauce
- Vegan Alfredo Sauce with Mushrooms
The best vegan white pasta sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry great northern beans , soaked overnight and cooked until tender. If using canned, substitute with 2 15 oz cans, drained
- 6-8 cloves garlic , crushed and sliced
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ cup raw cashews , soaked for at least 30 minutes
- Salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lemon , juiced and zested
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the garlic and stir-fry until it begins to turn blonde.
- Add the red pepper flakes and oregano and stir-fry for a minute.
- Add the beans and salt to taste. Let the mixture come to a boil. Add a cup of water if too dry. Lower heat to a simmer and let the beans cook with the garlic and oregano for about 10 minutes.
- Remove the beans to a blender, add the cashews, and blend into a very smooth, creamy sauce. You can add water as needed, but add a little at a time to get just the consistency you want.
- Add the sauce back to the saucepan and bring to a boil. Keep stirring the sauce to ensure it doesn't stick to the bottom -- don't use more than medium heat. Add water if the sauce gets too thick. When the sauce begins to boil, turn off the heat and add the lemon juice and zest and stir in. Check salt and serve hot with pasta.
Recipe notes
- Add some baby spinach to the sauce just before it's ready, and bring to a boil. Let the spinach cook about a minute until wilted. Serve.
- Stir in a couple of tablespoons of nutritional yeast after turning of the heat, for a cheesier flavor.
- I like to serve this on top of pasta with some minced parsley.
Audrey
Hello, I've been looking for a recipe like this for a while and almost all of them call for cashews (I'm allergic)... do you know of a good substitute for the cashews?
Christine
How does this sauce freeze? Interested in having it on hand in the future for an easy dinner!
Vaishali
Hi Christine, it will freeze well, just thaw and add water when you reheat if it gets too thick.
Courtney
Delish! I used this as an Alfredo sauce for pizza and topped it with sautéed spinach, fresh tomato, and broccoli with a little homemade vegan Parmesan cheese. Will make again!!
Liam
I'm looking very forward to making this! If using canned beans do I include the liquid? If using dried, do I use the cooking water? I see to add 1 cup of water if it's too dry but I can't figure out how it will boil with no water initially. Thanks.
Vaishali
Hi Liam, add a cup of water and bring to a boil. The sauce tends to thicken as it stands so fine to add more water or stock as needed!
Briana
This was fantastic! I am sensitive to spicy and this was just enough, so 10/10 here!
I didn't use the cashew water in the blender, but I wish I did. The sauce was a little thick for what I was hoping for. I know for next time, along with adding the nutritional yeast...
Ate this with butternut squash ravioli.... soooooo good!
Vaishali
Hi Briana, thanks for letting me know and for the feedback. You can definitely thin it out because the cashews make this sauce thicken as it stands.
Isamar
Hi! I’m not a vegan yet, but am working on transitioning. I can’t wait to try this recipe. I do have a question though: what temp should the cashew soak in?
I know the answer might seem obvious but i just wanted to know because I have seen recipes where the cashew is boiled instead of soaked.
Briana
I used lukewarm water and the cashew mixed fine for me!
Alynn
Currently distancing ourselves. I have pinto beans or garbanzo beans. Which would be a better substitute for the white beans?
Vaishali
The pintos!
Jo
Soooo spicy. I added 1/4 tsp of the red pepper flakes. Definitely not able to serve. I see someone else has commented on this so I am guessing there may be some varieties of red pepper flakes that are super hot.
I noticed there is no liquid mentioned in the ingredients, yet is says to bring it to a boil and and add some water if too dry. Yes, definitely needed some water, the beans weren’t going to boil on their own!
I may try making an adjusted version and use some vegetable stock.
Thanks!
Carrie
Instead of cashews, I would use mushrooms for a nice smoky flavor. We have nut allergies so cashews are out.
Asha
My 3 year old said this was “delicious!” And my 10 year old also enjoyed it, although he was suspicious while I was making it, lol. Great healthy recipe- thank you! I just discovered your site yesterday and already spent over an hour browsing and pinning recipes. Great work!!
Vaishali
Aww, that's so nice to hear. Happy your kids loved it! Thanks for letting me know. 🙂
Anonymous
Can we use roasted cashews? What’s the difference?
Thank you
Whitney Wilson
Roasted cashews won't give the same creamy texture.
Christine
Can you suggest a substitute for the cashews? Allergy to nuts. Thanks!
Marc
My 14 year old and I found that it was to spicy. I actually cut the recipe in half but still found 1/2 tsp of chili flakes was to much. I am going to try it again but she might not be up for trying it after the burn. Maybe mention that even a little chili can be a bit much. Thank you.
Nikki
Wow that isn’t spicy at all. You have very sensitive taste buds.