Ok, I need to be honest. This spicy vegan vodka pasta recipe has no vodka.
But just because there’s no alcohol, doesn’t mean this pasta doesn’t taste as good as it’s restaurant counterpart. In fact, I would argue this version tastes even better. Because instead of using vodka, this recipe utilizes lemon juice to add that zing to the sauce.
This spicy vodka pasta has become one of my favorite weeknight dinners when I’m too tired (or lazy) to cook. It relies on pantry essentials like pasta (duh), tomato paste and cashew milk as the main ingredients.
Plus, this easy spicy vegan vodka pasta whips up in under 25 minutes.
Spicy Vodka Pasta Ingredients
Here’s everything you’ll need to make this spicy vegan vodka pasta.
- Pasta: Rigatoni and penne are the best shapes for a pasta sauce like this one. Jovial makes amazing gluten-free brown rice pasta.
- Shallots
- Garlic
- Tomato paste
- Cashew milk: Linking my cashew milk recipe here. I recommend using this because it’s super creamy and thick, so it’ll replicate the heavy cream that’s traditionally used in vodka sauce.
- Lemons
- Olive oil
- Red pepper flakes
- Kosher salt
- Fresh herbs: I used basil and oregano, but parsley or even thyme are both great garnish.
How to Make the Spicy Vegan Vodka Sauce
Briefly outlining how to make this spicy vegan vodka sauce. As always, the full recipe with detailed measurements is in the recipe card below.
- Start by finely mincing your shallots and garlic cloves. Lazy tip, instead of mincing garlic with a knife, I like to use a grater instead. So much easier!
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot or pan on medium heat. Once the oil is hot and shimmering, add in the shallots and garlic and let them cook for 3-4 minutes until translucent and soft. Make sure to stir occasionally to ensure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan.
- Next, add in the tomato paste and red pepper flakes. Smash and stir the tomato paste on the bottom of the pan; this is crucial to cook out the “raw” flavor of the tomato paste. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, for an additional 1 minute.
- Lower the heat to medium-low and add the cashew milk, pasta water, lemon juice, and salt. Stir and then let the sauce cook for 2 minutes on low until bubbling.
- Dump in the pasta and stir to coat, cooking an additional 1 minute. And that’s all there is to this sauce.
Pro tip, instead of using pasta, add in gnocchi!
A Few Tips…
- Use a thick and creamy cashew milk. Since this spicy vegan vodka pasta has no cream, it relies entirely on cashew milk to make the sauce…well, creamy. Which is why I recommend using my homemade cashew milk recipe; it’s much creamier and thicker than store-bought plant milk.
- Swap out the shallot for sweet onion. I know shallots aren’t exactly a pantry staple, so if you don’t want to go to the store to buy one single shallot lol, you can swap in a sweet white onion instead.
- Prep the sauce ahead of time for lazy weeknight dinners. This sauce is super easy to make and even easier to store. Make the sauce according to the recipe directions, and then store in a glass jar in the fridge for up to 4 days. Legit one of the best ways to ensure you’ll be eating good during the week, even if you don’t want to cook. And for those with larger families, just triple or quadruple the recipe!
More Healthy Vegan Pasta Recipes
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Spicy Vegan Vodka Pasta
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 1 serving 1x
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
This pasta dish has become one of my favorite quick weeknight dinners when I’m too tired (or lazy) to cook, because it whips up in under 25 minutes and tastes phenomenal!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups Rigatoni
- 3 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 small Shallot ((about ¼ onion))
- 2 medium Garlic cloves
- 1 ½ tbsp Tomato paste
- 2 tsp Red pepper flakes
- ½ cup Cashew milk
- ¼ cup Pasta water
- 2 tbsp Lemon juice
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- Minced basil and oregano for garnish
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package instructions, reserve ¼ cup of pasta water, and drain and rinse the pasta with cold water. Set aside.
- Moving on to the sauce, start by finely mincing your shallots and garlic cloves. Lazy tip, instead of mincing garlic with a knife, I like to use a grater instead. So much easier! Heat the olive oil in a large pot or pan on medium heat. Once the oil is hot and shimmering, add in the shallots and garlic and let them cook for 3-4 minutes until translucent and soft. Make sure to stir occasionally to ensure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan.
- Next, add in the tomato paste and red pepper flakes. Smash and stir the tomato paste on the bottom of the pan; this is crucial to cook out the “raw” flavor of the tomato paste. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, for an additional 1 minute.
- Lower the heat to medium-low and add the cashew milk, pasta water, lemon juice, and salt. Stir and then let the sauce cook for 2 minutes on low until bubbling. Dump in the pasta and stir to coat, cooking an additional 1 minute.
- Serve the pasta with an extra drizzle of olive oil, a generous sprinkle of minced basil and oregano, along with a sprinkle of nutritional yeast. You can also use vegan parmesan cheese as well if you're feeling fancy (it's not healthy, but it's fun to have once in a while).
I made this last night and it was seriously sooo good! I have never had cashew milk before so I was a little skeptical (I used store bought unsweet), but I was pleasantly surprised and even put it in my coffee this morning! This is such a great recipe, I will probably be making it weekly 🙂
MAKING MY DAY! 🙂 Cashew milk is legit my favorite plant milk ever, it’s so creamy and replicates dairy milk so well.
Nothing compares to such wonderful Pasta! I lpve this recipe. A clear 5 stars 🍝💖👌