This 20-minute vegan pumpkin alfredo is creamy, decadent, and tastes like autumn in a bowl! It’s an easy weekday meal, and even gluten-free!
I know it’s November, but that doesn’t mean pumpkin season is over! It’s already snowed where I am (sadly, it melted when it hit the ground), so I am getting ready to go full on Sinterklaas and Christmas mode! But, I am an exception to the rule I think.
This one is for all you autumn lovers who aren’t quite ready to let go of autumn just yet.
how to make this 20-minute vegan pumpkin alfredo
This recipe is so easy. It comes together in 20 minutes, but doesn’t lack flavour. I hope I wrote the recipe with clear enough directions to help make this come together as quickly as possible. Here are some of my tips for optimizing your time while making this meal:
Start boiling the water before doing anything else: If you make the sauce first, then you’ll have to wait for the water to come to a boil after and that will add extra time. If it comes to a boil too quickly, you can turn down the heat and bring it back to a boil quickly when you’re ready to throw in your pasta. Oh, and don’t forget to SALT YOUR WATER! Like the ocean, friends.
Start the pumpkin alfredo sauce while the water comes to a boil: After you’ve got the water on, heat up a small frying pan with the butter. While that heats, chop up the garlic and shallot. Remember, you’re blending everything together, so don’t worry about chopping things too fine.
Finish the sauce while the pasta is cooking: Just make sure you don’t overcook the pasta!
Do I need to soak my cashews?
Ah, the age old question. The answer is: it depends.
If you’re using a blender like a VitaMix of Blendtec, you do not need to soak your cashews. These are such high powered blenders that the sauce will have no issue becoming silky smooth.
If your blender isn’t as strong, or you’re using a food processor, you should soak your cashews to make sure you can get that silky smooth sauce! About 4 hours should do. There is a short cut you can take, where you pour boiling water over the cashews and let them sit for about 20-minutes. This will add time, though.
Don’t forget to drain those cashews before adding them to the sauce!
Variations on this 20-minute vegan pumpkin alfredo
I love adding a few springs of thyme while I am frying the shallots and garlic. I take them about before blending the sauce up, but you could leave them in for extra flavour. I would just recommend that you take the thyme off the stems if you go that route.
You can also try adding sage to step it up a notch! Fry the sage with the garlic and shallots, remove the leaves before blending everything, then use the fried sage as a garnish.
I have not made this without cashews, but if you have a store-bought vegan cooking cream alternative that should work, too. Omit the cashews and the water, and use about 1/2 cup of the creamer.
Putting it all together
Saving some pasta water is CRITICAL! You’ll use it add the end when you’re combining the pasta with the sauce. Okay, your pumpkin alfredo will still taste good if you sub regular water, but here is why you shouldn’t:
- Pasta water makes the sauce better. After cooking the pasta, it’s got some starch in it and that will help keep the sauce creamy and thick.
- The pasta water is already seasoned. If you’re using just water, there is no seasoning. Remember, you salted the pasta water like the ocean! You’ll have to adjust the salt if you thin this sauce out with water.
- It’s less wasteful. You already have the water! Why drain it down the sink just to pour more?
Looking for more autumn recipes? Check these out!
This 20-minute vegan pumpkin alfredo is creamy, decadent, and tastes like autumn in a bowl! It's an easy weekday meal, and even gluten-free!
- 250 grams gluten-free spaghetti
- salt, for the cooking the pasta
- 1/4 cup vegan butter
- 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
- 1 medium shallot, sliced
- 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/3 cup cashews, soaked unless using a high-power blender*
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/4 cup water
- parsley, for garnish
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Make the pasta: add water to a large pot and season generously with salt. Bring to a boil.
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While the water is coming to a boil, prepare the sauce. Add the vegan butter to a small frying pan and heat over medium heat. When the butter is hot, add the garlic, shallot, salt, and pepper. Fry until they begin to get lightly brown around the edges, about 4-6 minutes.
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At this point, your water should be boiling. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions.
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While the pasta is cooking, finish the sauce. Add the pumpkin puree, cashews, water, lemon juice, and all the fried garlic, shallot, and melted butter to a blender. Blend until smooth. It will be on the thicker side!
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When your pasta is cooked, reserve 1 cup of pasta water before straining.
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Return the pasta to the pot, add the pumpkin alfredo sauce, and mix. Use the pasta water to thin out the sauce to however you like it. I used about 2/3 cup of the reserved water for mine.
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Taste and season with additional salt, pepper, and lemon juice as desired. Garnish with some parsley, if you'd like!
*I don't soak my cashews because I used a Vita Mix. If you don't have a high speed blender like that, it's a good idea to soak your cashews in water for about 4 hours to ensure you have a creamy sauce. If you do soak your cashews, your sauce will be a bit thinner, so you may need less pasta water at the end.
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