This one pot creamy garlic pasta is probably the closest recipe I’ll share to a vegan fettuccine alfredo*. Also, sorry in advance for a couple more pictures than usual today. (Now with a recipe video!)
The classic fettuccine alfredo recipe is made with fresh cooked pasta tossed in butter and cheese. The butter and cheese melt together to form a sauce. But nowadays in my neck of the woods, as American takes on dishes are wont to do, our version has managed to evolve to also have the additions of heavy cream, garlic, and more. Regardless, my vegan version has none of those things; but I’d say it’s closer to the bastardized American dish than the authentic original.
The one pot creamy garlic pasta recipe I have here is what I personally find to be an ideal preparation for a creamy vegan pasta dish. Because of the one pan method that cooks together the pasta and the sauce all in one pot, the sauce coats the pasta exceptionally well. Fettuccine is especially suited to coming out to a lovely al dente texture in the final product. Thankfully, if you prefer your pasta cooked differently it’s also easy to adjust.
As I was taking these photos, I was wondering to myself, is it about time for me to finally buy a tripod? Holding the camera in one hand, trying to look through the viewfinder and snap the photo, while maneuvering tongs with my other hand, was a pretty ridiculous exercise in balance. I would say that I was sad nobody was around to help me, but uh… I didn’t have to share this one pot creamy garlic pasta with anyone. Miraculously, the photos came out okay too.
When it comes to nondairy milk, my preferences have changed over the years. The only store-bought nondairy milk I buy nowadays is soy milk, and that’s simply for the reason that I can’t find any other products in my neck of the woods made without processed ingredients or sweeteners. I sometimes make almond milk and oat milk at home. My local grocer sells a soy milk that’s made with only soybeans and water, and in my mind the fact that I tried differently-produced soy milks in the past was why I thought I didn’t enjoy the flavor. Soy milk is also very creamy and thick which makes it a great choice for uses like this, but I understand that it’s not everybody’s cup of tea (milk?).
So while I recommend using an all-natural soymilk in this recipe (<- link is for informational purposes – I buy that brand but not in a 12-pack!), if you already know you dislike soy milk, then obviously don’t use it. Other choices with a higher water content may affect the cooking time and amount of liquid needed, but luckily with this recipe it’s fairly easy to adjust as you go. If you choose something other than soy, I recommend starting with just 1 cup of it and adding more as needed from there. And let me know how it goes!
This one pot creamy garlic pasta recipe is great with spinach or kale added, or served alongside other veggies and sides of choice, and can easily accommodate the addition of your favorite “cheezy” ingredients too, so make it your own, but know that I also love it in its basic form printed here.
One Pot Creamy Garlic Pasta
Ingredients
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 shallot finely chopped
- 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth (see notes)
- 1 and 1/2 cups plain, unsweetened non-dairy milk (see notes)
- 1 tsp salt plus more to taste (reduce if using a salty broth - mine is low-sodium)
- 8 oz dry fettuccine
- black pepper, dried oregano and red pepper flakes to taste
- chopped fresh basil or parsley for serving
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. If possible, choose a skillet that is wide enough to completely fit the fettuccine. Smaller pans will work, but require a bit more fuss to stir and submerge the pasta as it cooks.
- Add the garlic and shallot to the pan along with a sprinkle of salt, and stir. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the garlic is softened and the shallot is turning translucent; avoid browning.
- Add the vegetable broth, nondairy milk, and salt, and stir. Add the dry pasta and gently prod it around to submerge it under the liquid. If not all of it fits now, you will need to gently push it into the pan after the submerged portion has softened later.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Stir occasionally, gently separating any pasta that starts to stick together. Cook for about 20 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened onto the pasta and the texture is to your liking. If too much of the liquid is cooking off, reduce the heat a little bit, and add more nondairy milk.
- Adjust seasoning to taste, and serve with fresh herbs and other toppings if desired. Best served immediately, but leftovers will keep for 3-5 days in the fridge (cool completely to room temperature before boxing up and refrigerating).
Video
Notes
Nutrition
*Never say never, of course. Recipe adapted and veganized from Damn Delicious.
If you loved the ease of this dish then you’ll love these other recipes too:
Or check out my whole gallery of 32 vegan one pot meals!
Sarah says
I made this last night and it turned out amazing! I was questioning my use of oat milk as it took a while to thicken up but it did within the 20mins. My 11month old absolutely loved it too. Will definitely make again with added veggies as I only added mushrooms.
Thanks for the tips at the bottom too 🙂
B says
Recipe looks great. Is it possible to have the metric units of the measuerments you used i.e. in ml and grams please?
I’m from the UK & we don’t use “cups” sorry!
Adagio says
Can coconut milk be used?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
You could use coconut milk, but expect there to be a present coconut flavor in the finished dish. For me it’s too strong but some people don’t mind it.
deepika singh says
seeing it,water is coming in my mouth. I’m very excited to make this pasta. i’ll make it tonight and serve my family. i hope they will like it.
thank you
Jamie says
WOW! This was awesome!! I made it tonight for my family. We eat plant-based, and they’re getting tired of tomato-based pasta dishes. My husband especially is all about the cream sauces. It was a big hit!! I made it with spaghetti because that’s all I had, but will definitely make it again with fettuccini. I threw in some left over roasted broccoli from dinner the night before and some vegan chik’n pieces. I also let the spaghetti cook slowly in the beginning, and then when I knew it was almost tender, I brought up the heat to allow the sauce to boil more and thicken as to make sure I didn’t have too much liquid left over. Easy, tasty, and healthy! Thank you for sharing!
ROSa says
Hi i just ought all the ingredients and I forgot veggie stock but i cooked beans earlier and they are still warm in the pot. Can I see the bean water? It tastes good 🙂 also is am diabetic so I am trying trying this with whole wheat pasta and Hoping for the best
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Sorry I took so long to get back to you… I think bean cooking liquid might be nice as a substitute for broth but I haven’t tried it to be sure! Other commenters have had success with whole wheat pasta + a little less liquid. Let me know how it goes!
Jes says
This was such a great recipe! I used almond milk and gluten free pasta and added roasted cherry tomatoes and spinach. I only used 1 cup of the almond milk for the sauce and it was the right consistency. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
Raj says
can I use the white part of spring onions instead of shallots
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Shallots have a particular flavor that I think is best in this dish but I’m sure that spring onions would also be nice.
Raj says
great thanks
Kira says
Just made this with brown rice pasta and lite soymilk. Absolutely outstanding. My dad the carnivore wanted it instead of his pork chops!
Carla says
Why you do not recommend whole wheat pasta? By the way awesome recipe, done it twice already!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
I believe readers have adapted this to use whole wheat pasta. I just don’t recommend making a direct switch because the whole wheat pasta will not require as much liquid. It definitely does still work with this method though (I used WW spaghetti in my one pot spaghetti puttanesca!) Glad you’ve enjoyed this recipe!
Misty says
Made this for dinner a couple nights ago. Had to use elbow macaroni coz that’s all I had on hand, and I had to substitute a couple of tablespoons of minced onion for the shallot, but it turned out great. A friend of ours came over not long after dinner and the first thing out of his mouth was, “Something smells delicious!” I’ll definitely be making this again! 🙂
Bealthie says
Thank you for the garlic sauce recipe! I’m going to try it for dinner today.
I’m always looking for the perfect pasta sauce, we’ll see if this is the one!
Have a great day,
Bea.
Adriana says
Hi, this recipe looks amazing. I wanted to known what I sjould do if making this with Almond milk and whole wheat fettuccine? Unfortunately I cannnot have soy products and I have tons of whole wheat pasta that I rather use up.
Thanks!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hi Adriana! Whole wheat pasta won’t need quite as much liquid, and almond milk is a little thinner than soy milk, so definitely I would suggest reducing the liquid if making these substitutions. I think it will still work pretty well!
Sonia M says
Hi!! Thank you for this recipe!! I made it today and the whole family loved it!! Even my husband, who is not a vegan but trying to make the transition. It was incredibly creamy and tasty and delicious!!!! I added some roasted walnuts and it was a hit!! Here’s a Spanish fan!!
TRish says
Hadn’t gone shopping and was desperately scouring Pinterest for a simple vegan meal that I could make with what I had. Came across this recipe and decided to make it. Not a lot of ingredients so more than likely everyone has them on hand. I’ve made a lot of vegan creamy sauces and they’re delicious and thick, so when this recipe claimed to be creamy I was very skeptical as this recipe contains no cashews. When I was cooking it, it was pretty saucy and thin so I was disappointed, but then, suddenly, magic happened! It suddenly got thick and creamy! The taste was so good. So good in fact that my non-vegan husband asked for it again the very following night! This recipe will be my go-to recipe from now on. The fact that you can make a creamy thick sauce all without nuts is fantastic! So many possibilities with this recipe to change around the taste by switching noodles and adding veggies. Thanks for a fab recipe!!!
Gemma-louise says
Just tried this recipe tonight using penne. I found I had to double if not triple the liquid as it was cooking out before the pasta was ready. I would also add more garlic next time as I couldn’t taste it as all. I added a handful of mushrooms and kale too as it was a bit boring. I found I had to constantly stir it like a rissotto though. Other than that, it’s a great base recipe.
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hi Gemma, I’d recommend lowering the cooking temperature next time, or using a pan that isn’t as wide (wide pans lead to faster evaporation). This way you won’t have to add so much extra liquid, which is probably one reason the garlic flavor wasn’t as prominent.
Debbie says
I just made this and it is absolutely delicious. Only changes I made was to add mushrooms and a heaped tb of tofutti cream cheese, didnt add shallots. Never added salt and it really didn’t need it. Was sooooo good, I think I will be making this a lot! Thank you for such and yummy vegan recipe?
olivia says
THIS WAS FABULOUS. Very easy to make, although I realised half way through I had made a lot of extra work for myself by using a deep pot, rather than a large heavy pan. Added baby peas, lots of mushrooms & some nutritional yeast (& numeric powder just to counteract they grey colour the mushrooms gave the dish)
I found that I was having to add a lot of extra soy milk, but I’m pleased about this as I really didn’t believe it would reduce at all! Thanks so much for this 🙂
Dana randol says
This turned into a sticky gluey mess. Tastes okay. If I make it again I’ll put it together after the pasta cooks separately. Adding mushrooms? Flat-leaf parsley as a topping improved taste.
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hi Dana, thanks for sharing your experience. It sounds like the heat was set too high, or a bit more liquid was needed. Hope you try it again!
Jennifer says
My non-veg bf was craving alfredo and I made this. We both really loved it. I made it using some miso and nooch, and added peas and sautéed mushrooms. Also a little drizzle of olive oil at the end for some extra richness. The pasta was cooked perfectly and it was so creamy. I will make this again for sure and experiment with different veggies. One of the things I love about this recipe is that it uses simple, cheap ingredients. I prefer this recipe to the cashew based ones I’ve tried.
For those who have trouble getting the sauce to thicken- it does take a bit- I think it took 20 minutes simmering, as the recipe says. I also have a really large skillet so it probably helps that more surface area cooks off. And it might not work as well if you’re using GF pasta.
Mary says
I made this twice already – the first time I followed your recipe spot-on. I used almond milk and had no issues with the sauce thickening, it was perfect! I used standard fettuccini made from semolina flour. (Barilla brand)
The second time, I took a few liberties with your recipe – I added a bit of tomato sauce, some vodka, and substituted penne for the fettuccini, and, voila! Penne ala vodka. yum.
Tonight, I’ve got some fettuccini, mushrooms, and sundried tomatoes – can’t wait to make it.
I’m also thinking farfalle with creamy spinach sauce would be delicious one night.
This recipe is brilliant and can be used to make so many different creamy pasta dishes. My picky Italian husband approves, too. 😉
Agnes Polyvas says
I have made this with brown rice macaroni, and it was better than any macaroni and cheese I have ever tasted!! You are a genius for inventing this recipe. Thank you so much, and I am excited to try your other recipes also!!
Kathrin says
I really enjoyed this, although i messed up and used whole wheat pasta. The sauce didn’t quite thicken, but the taste was still there. Should have read the comments first… 😉 I also added some fresh broccoli towards the end. Because veggies. Will definitely try to make this again! Thank you for the recipe!
Zayn says
Thank you so much for this recipe!! It was amazing. I used rice milk and the sauce didn’t seem to thicken but it was no fear since I added some coconut yoghurt and it was soooo nice. I also used nutritional yeast.
Anonymous101 says
Generaly, I’m a pretty good cook. This was not good at all. I used cashew milk too, but it did not taste like alfredo at all! I’m not vegan, however, I did want to try it. I tried to make it taste better with additional seasonings, but nothing made it better except bbq sauce.
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hey there, thanks for the feedback. I think I made it pretty clear that this doesn’t taste quite like alfredo though it is a creamy savory pasta dish. Nonetheless, I am sorry that you didn’t enjoy it. It may be due to the brand of cashew milk or vegetable broth used, or just preference.
Elle says
This did not turn out for me 🙁 maybe it was because I used almond milk, but it didn’t thicken in the slightest and even with lots of seasoning it tasted just bad….
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hi Elle, I’m so sorry it didn’t turn out. It sounds like something must have gone wrong, because this recipe has been reliable for very many people. What kind of pasta did you use? Was it gluten-free or whole wheat? Also, did you cover the pot when you were cooking it? (This may prevent the sauce from thickening.)
About the flavor, as I state above, this recipe tastes like whatever vegetable broth and nondairy milk that you use. If those things taste bad on their own then they will also taste bad in the recipe. Since this recipe is so simple there isn’t really anywhere for un-delicious ingredients to hide. I have found that some commercial nondairy milks, including some brands of almond milk, have additives like isolated protein or natural or artificial flavor that I don’t enjoy the taste of. I am wondering if this or your choice of broth may have had an impact.
Sorry again that you did not have the result that you wanted with the recipe. I hate it when my recipes do not turn out for people so I hope the above tips can help troubleshoot!
katie says
I tried this tonight and it was amazing! I added a healthy pinch of nutritional yeast and a few spoonfuls of tomato paste to make it more of a tomato cream sauce that I have been really missing. This is a great quick meal for a college girl! Thank you!
Alyssa says
Hey there! I am trying this tonight and can’t wait. What spices would you recommend adding? I would love to add your recommendations.
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hi Alyssa, I’m sorry I didn’t get back to you last night. Let me know how you liked it! I actually really enjoy this recipe as written but will sometimes add some white miso and nutritional yeast (just 1-2 tablespoons of each) and a little mustard (maybe about 1/2 or 1 teaspoon) for a slightly “cheesier” flavor. It’s also nice with some fresh or dried herbs added.
Anita says
OMG, how delicieus is that!!!i made it Tonight and i was stunned,so easy and so good,i used hole wheat pasta and the same amound of Liquid like in the recipe and it was just fine,creamy and thick,i did’nt need to at more Liquid,it Taste heavenly and i could eat the hole pot Mmm! Thank you so much for your recipe?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Glad you loved it Anita and to hear that it worked well with whole wheat pasta! Cheers.
Rosie says
Made this recipe today for dinner and it was delicious!