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!
I'm Shannon, the writer and photographer of Yup, it's Vegan! I'm a morning person based in Baltimore, USA. My mission is to create healthy plant-based recipes that anyone would enjoy, using seasonal produce with inspiration from global flavors.
James Webber-Salmon says
Hi there! I’ve yet to try this dish but it looks delicious 🙂
I couldn’t find this recipe on your recipe index. I wanted to let you know.
Have a great day!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
It’s on the recipe index in the lunches/dinners section!
daddy veggie says
sweet mother of pearl, it was fantastic!
it was a bit too sweet and runny at first, however.
i did some things differently though…
i accidentally put too much minced garlic. that probably contributed to its sweetness.
i used an onion instead of a shallot.
i used almond milk instead of soy. that made it a bit runny, but there was a simple solution. read on.
i used regular vegetable broth/stock instead of the reduced sodium. the vegetable broth was a bit sweet too.
i accidentally put too much pepper so it was very spicy!
but there was a simple solution to those problems (too runny, too spicy): flour! (make sure it’s vegan)
flour makes pasta creamier! kinda like how it thickens up gravy.
flour also offsets spiciness!
as for the sweetness, i added lemon juice, but like the author said, make sure it’s on your portion, not in the whole thing, because if you have leftovers the lemon can curdle.
so the problems i had with this dish was probably on my part. all in all, it was amazing! my family had it and they didn’t know it was vegan. they loved it!
Kaitlyn says
Super duper quick and easy recipe! I used vanilla almond milk because it was all I had and it still tasted great. I also added miso paste and nutritional yeast then loaded it up with grated courgette, broccoli, green beans and peas. All up a fairly healthy dinner and two lunches in less than 20 minutes.
Lauren says
Delicious!! So easy, quick to come together and tasty! I added some nutritional yeast and some sautéed mushrooms. Yum 😋 will definitely make it again
Vicky says
This was amazing!! I made it tonight. Our family is new to the Vegetarian lifestyle and this sure made it easier
Kristie says
This was delicious! Loved this recipe so much! I added some peas and nutritional yeast to it!
Will definitely be making it many more times!
Basil says
i also added some raw cashews and some cashew milk (all the non-dairy i had on hand) to my nutribullet** and made a creamy cashew paste to add in as well, and it really put it over the edge. my parmesan obsessed partner tried some and was amazed, so much so that he didn’t even want to add anymore cheese (practically unheard of). it’s super delicious!!!
** (i think with other blenders you need to soak them overnight for the right consistency but don’t quote me on that)
Chelsea says
We make this a couple times a month and love it every time!
Cassidy Royster says
Okay I am a fifteen year old newbie vegan in a house full of omnivores and this is amazing!! I used whole wheat pasta and almond milk and it thickened perfectly!! Thank you (my meat loving sis loved this)
Queen Wifey says
This recipe was a hit! I have been trying to find a good, creamy, plant based, easy, quick pasta recipe for years and this is THE one! I followed the base recipe to the T, but I added spinach at the very end and sautéed some Cajun creole veggie mix and it was great. Make sure to add your seasonings along the way as suggested to fine tune the flavor. My toddler didn’t like it but my very picky husband and 11 year old did so it’s a win!
Donna Laird says
Thank you for this creamy, dairy free, one pot alfredo. Since I have been diagnosed with eosinophilic esophagitis last December, I have had a hard time finding foods that are good to eat and don’t cause me to have reactions. This was so good that my husband and son, who is on the spectrum, loved it. The only thing I did differently was I added sauteed chicken, spinach and oven roasted tomatoes. This is one dish that I will be making again. God Bless!
Lara Dennison says
Wish I could leave a photo of this that I made as it looks like what you’ve made and it is the yummiest Vegan version I’ve tasted and the easiest quickest creamy meal I’ve made even my 2 fussy kids ate this.
Slowly transitioning to Vegan and meals like these are making the transition a whole load easier.
Easy not much fuss and would recommend to any busy person to try.
Thank you for awesome recipes like this 🙂
Shanasy says
This looks so yummy! Can’t wait to try it! Since it is quick, easy and only uses a few ingredients, I shared it with my group ‘Super Quick Plant-Based Recipes’ – they will love it AND your site! Thank you!
Jen says
Could this be prepared using frozen zucchini noodles? I’ve made it with linguine and it was delicious!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
If you want to make this with zucchini noodles, you’d need to add something to thicken the sauce. Maybe reduce the liquid and add tapioca starch? The starches from the pasta are what thicken the sauce, and zoodles won’t have that.
Rina Malik says
it’s Definitely Delicious. I will Try it. Thanks For Sharing Your Recipes.
Becki says
Amazing recipe! I made it with Manischewitz Eggless Noodles, miso, broth, peas and some spices. Came together perfectly!
Luke says
I can’t believe how great this tasted! I love the simplicity and how flexible it is. The white miso was a must in my opinion and red pepper flakes rounded it out. Thank you for the delicious recipe!
Abbey says
This is amazing.omg!!!😍 We used unpasteurised miso as well worked a treat!
Lex says
Hi! I just made this recipe for dinner and it was DELICIOUS! It is wonderfully creamy and smooth. The pasta cooks wonderfully, which was something I was worried about.
I did make a mistake on my own part, however. I LOVE garlic, so I decided to add two extra cloves as well as some garlic powder. I am now grateful that my roommates are not here, because I have to worst garlic breath of my life!! Don’t make the same mistake I did, and just stick to the recipe!
Also, for all my GF friends out there, this works amazing with some gluten free spaghetti.
Anastasia Rykova says
Hey Shannon,
I tried this recipe last night. It tasted great, but came out too watery for me. I couldn’t seem to get it creamy at all even after adding nutritional yeast. I think I will use cornstratch for the second batch. I used almond milk and vegetable broth. But the whole dish gave me this really odd sticky, but dry film over my teeth. I don’t know what could have caused that.
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hi Anastasia, this sounds related to the ingredients you used – under normal conditions this recipe would not turn out like that. Unfortunately I can’t really be sure.
savannah says
This was so yummy. I used Almond milk (because that is what i had) and it turned out great. I added some fresh basil, oregano, and some red pepper flakes for even more flavor. I also went ahead and added cananelli beans (because why not) and some kale. Definitely a new favorite!
Vanessa says
This looks so good How far ahead of time can I make it?
Tanisha says
Quick question! – could I use homemade coconut milk? Just wondering if all the added “stuff” in store bought almond or coconut milk help make the sauce turn out correctly, and if my homemade stuff will not work? Planning to make tomorrow, so excited! Hope to hear back, thank you!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hi Tanisha, sorry for the late reply as I was on a much needed vacation :). Homemade non-dairy milk will work for this. It’s the starches from the pasta that thicken it. For example, the non-dairy milk that I use, and recommended throughout this post, has no added ingredients other than soybeans and water.
Robert C. Mustain says
Fantastic! I made this last week and instantly added it to our regular meal rotation. I couldn’t wait too long to have it again so I made it last night, too. Miso paste, cream of tartar, and nutritional yeast made this super creamy and was the closest thing to cheesy I have tasted in all my vegan years.
Ewa says
This is amazing!!!!!!!!!!! I did use a bit of tapioca starch to thicken at the end. We really enjoyed this recipe and couldn’t believe how easy it is.
Richard says
We are trying this vegan thing out and I’m not really a vegetable eater (meat and potatoes kind of guy), but this sounded good and most of all didn’t contain any vegetables that I didn’t like. I have to say, my wife made this tonight and it is delicious! Her and I loved it and are going to add it into our rotation of recipes. I think I’ll try the red pepper flakes next time as I love spice/heat.
Melita Bulluck says
I was wondering what edits I might need to make if I was going to try this with gnocchi, or whole wheat gnocchi. Or is that not likely to work? Thank you.
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hi, Melita, I honestly have no idea what would happen if you tried to make this with gnocchi. Please report back if you do.
Craig Reynolds says
I messed with this recipe a bit… added 1 cup of white wine, some extra garlic and extra shallots also used fresh homemade semolina pasta (300g) Was absolutely delicious but would suggest cooking off the sauce for 10 minutes before adding fresh pasta as it over cooked quite a bit.
Stephanie says
I made this with canned coconut milk, since I didn’t have soy, and added a little bit f nutritional yeast and fresh spinach. It was SO good. The entire family loved it, including the kids and my omnivore husband. We will definitely be adding it to the rotation!
Chase says
This recipe is the best cream pasta I have had in months! I am studying abroad in India and there is barely any dairy substitutes here and I love some alfredo and the occasional vegan junk food. This recipe made me feel less deprived of vegan comfort food. I used soy milk & added some Nutritional yeast (I had brought form the US with me & definitely recommend adding for that true alfredo taste). I also added some sun dried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes and Italian seasoning. I had a little trouble thickening the sauce but it is delicious none the less. I never comment on blog recipes I use but had to tell you thank you so much for this simple delicious recipe!!