Hi friends!
If you’ve been on the hunt for an amazing plant-based pasta recipe that is truly mouth-watering, stop right here! Creamy vegan pumpkin pasta is here just in time for the holidays, same as my One Bowl Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread and One-Bowl Vegan Pumpkin Brownies!
Made with pumpkin, cashews, cauliflower and spices, this is simple yet amazingly healthy and delicious. Sprinkled with sage on top your guests will be BEYOND impressed with this pumpkin penne pasta.
The best thing about this recipe is that you blend the sauce in a blender! That’s it! How easy is that?! I can’t get over how creamy this turned out…amazing how you can create this texture with just veggies, nuts and spices!
Your Thanksgiving and holidays feasts will be complete once you add this to the menu!
In addition to the holidays, you could make this dish to take to a potluck, to impress your partner, or even just to have for the week – it’s a great meal to meal prep.
Pro tip: if you are going to meal-prep, make sure to leave the sauce separate from the pasta then heat it up with the pasta as you eat it throughout the week. 
One helpful tip: use unsweetened canned pumpkin, they sell it everywhere during the holiday season! It’s much easier than getting a whole pumpkin and cutting + steaming it.
Common Questions:
- Can I make this recipe without a Vitamix? I recommend getting a high-speed blender like a Vitamix. It makes the sauce 100% smooth without any lumps or bumps. You can try making it in a different blender, but for this recipe it will come out best in a powerful blender like Vitamix or Blend Tec.
- Will my guests know this is vegan? I have tested this recipe on vegans and non-vegans – both absolutely loved it and gave it the thumbs up of approval.
- Can I use sweet potato instead of pumpkin? YES! You can definitely use sweet potato if you can’t find pumpkin puree. just make sure to boil it with the cauliflower and cashews.
- Will this recipe make enough?! This will feed a lot of hungry mouths. It makes about 6-8 servings if you have other dishes along with it.
- Where can I find nutritional yeast? Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, your local health food store or Amazon are all great options for finding it.
This creamy vegan pumpkin pasta is:
Creamy
Savory
Comforting
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Warm
Dreamy
Pumpkin-y
Mouth-watering
Rich
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Creamy Vegan Pumpkin Pasta (oil-free)
Ingredients
- 16 oz box of pasta I used penne
- ½ cup raw cashews
- 2 cups cauliflower
- 2 cups cooking liquid save this from boiling cauliflower and cashews
- 1 cup pumpkin puree 100% pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 1.5 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- fresh sage to garnish adds great flavor
Instructions
- Make pasta and set aside. Bring a pot of water to a boil and boil the cauliflower and cashews for about 10 minutes, until soft.
- Add the cauliflower, cashews, cooking water, pumpkin puree, nutritional yeast, salt, pepper, and garlic into a high speed blender like a Vitamix. Blend until completely smooth!
- Stir the pumpkin sauce into pasta, top with fresh sage ribbons and serve hot off the stove!
Notes
In good health,
Danielle
Terri Abrahamson says
How much of the water do you mix in the blender with the items? It just says cook the pasta in water and then add the cauliflower at Cetera but it doesn’t say how much water. I don’t wanted to get too thin. Thanks!
Danielle Keith says
You add 2 cups of the cauliflower cooking liquid into the blender when it’s done cooking.
Boil the cauliflower and cashews in about 4 cups of water. If there somehow isn’t enough cooking liquid left for the recipe just add regular water or almond milk.
Mignon Hunter says
Hey there – great recipe
I was wondering, did you try more nutritional yeast??? I was wondering why it’s only 1/4 cup for the whole recipe …
Danielle Keith says
You can add more nutritional yeast if you’d like.
Jordan says
Can a food processor work in lieu of a blender?
Danielle Keith says
It won’t make it as smooth and it should be.
Karo says
SO GOOD! My family — kid and adults alike — absolutely loved this recipe last night. I stored leftovers together (sauce mixed in w/pasta) and it is even good cold right out of the fridge…even more of the pumpkin flavor comes through and it is super savory. Thanks for the great recipe!
Kristen says
Just made this…it is SOOO GOOD!! I didn’t quite have enough cauliflower so I added a Yukon gold potato. This will be in the regular rotation for sure!
Danielle Keith says
Omg I’m so glad!!! Thank you for your kind feedback.
Kristen says
Also, I discovered that the sauce is an amazing substitute for my holiday cheesy hashbrown potatoes. Add the sauce to frozen hash browns, perhaps a bit more salt and seasoning, some green onions, top with vegan cheese and fried onion if you choose. I’ve made it 4 times in 3 days 🤣
Kel says
Can you use fresh garlic instead of powder and if so, how many cloves would you suggest? Thanks!
Danielle Keith says
Yes! Use 3-4!
Nancy Lillis says
This is mind-blowing! Delicious! Both of my teenage kids (one a serious meat eater) loved this pasta! Thank you!
Malini says
Hi, can I leave out the nutritional yeast?
Margi says
I made this today – delicious!
Teena says
How can I make this recipe nut-free? What purpose do the cashews serve?
Danielle Keith says
The cashews make it thick and creamy – use almonds or sunflower seeds instead. You could even try tofu!
K says
Would coconut milk work?
Daisy says
This was very good! I did add 1/4 hemp seeds and 1 tbsp of Dijon mustard to my sauce before blending everything together. My teen son and hubby were both very happy with this “Mac and no cheese”.
Thanks for sharing this recipe
BS says
How would this be without the nutritional yeast? Could I just leave it out or is there something you would suggest as a substitute? I’ve tried it many times in various recipes and just can’t stand the flavor of it.
Danielle Keith says
just omit! add extra garlic and salt and pepper
Sarah Rumney says
OMG! This pasta is so yummy and comforting! I made it in my food processor since I don’t have a high speed blender, and it was still pretty creamy. If you are looking for a dish for non-vegans, look no further!
Fastbunnie says
Could you sub pumpkin purée for tomato paste or sauce?
Kathy Richards says
This was AMAZING! I’ve tried a lot of different plant based pasta sauce recipes….this is wayyyyy up to the top. Simple, but delicious! Thanks.
Andrea says
Having been gifted two pie pumpkins, I started searching online for a hearty main dish comfort food to make. Found your recipe and had all the ingredients … oh my !,, … my tastebuds started dancing. I immediately went online and purchased your cookbook.
This recipe hit all the right flavor notes. At the suggestion of one reviewer – adding a bit of Dijon mustard was a nice subtle enhancement to the flavors. Thank you and I feel fortunate to have found your new site !