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    Home » Vegan Pasta

    Vegan Carbonara

    Published: Jul 2, 2019 Updated: Nov 8, 2021 by Alison Andrews This post may contain affiliate links

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    Vegan Carbonara

    This super easy vegan carbonara is rich and creamy and ready in less than 30 minutes! It’s the perfect weeknight meal.

    Vegan carbonara in black bowls.

    This vegan carbonara is on the money! 

    I asked Jaye to take the lead on this recipe and he created something really fantastic. 

    A classic carbonara recipe usually has bacon or pancetta in it, and an egg sauce that is poured over the top. 

    So we decided to use mushrooms to replace the bacon and to use the ‘eggy’ sauce from our vegan tofu scramble along with some cashews (for thickening) to create the egg effect for the sauce. 

    And it worked so well. This is seriously delicious and has heaps of flavor as well as being really easy and quick to make. 

    And if you love super quick and easy vegan pasta recipes like this one then you’ll also love our hummus pasta and our vegan vodka pasta. 

    Vegan carbonara in a black bowl topped with chopped parsley.

    How To Make Vegan Carbonara Pasta

    You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.

    The vegan carbonara sauce is made in the blender, and it’s a mix of raw cashews, nutritional yeast, turmeric, dijon mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, black salt aka kala namak and non dairy milk. 

    Blend until smooth and you have your ‘egg’ sauce! 

    Collage of two photos showing ingredients for carbonara sauce added to blender and blended.

    Set that aside until you need it later. 

    Get some spaghetti on the boil and cook it up according to the package instructions. 

    Then melt some vegan butter in a pan. Add sliced mushrooms, crushed garlic and smoked paprika and fry until the mushrooms are softened. 

    Two photo collage showing sliced mushrooms, vegan butter, garlic and paprika added to frying pan and sautéed.

    Add in the cooked spaghetti and toss that in with the mushrooms. 

    Two photo collage showing cooked spaghetti added to mushrooms and tossed.

    Pour in the blended sauce and then add in some sea salt and black pepper and toss together until everything is coated and heated together. 

    Two photo collage showing cabonara 'egg' sauce poured over pasta and mushrooms and tossed together.

    Serve with chopped parsley and a sprinkle of black pepper. 

    Vegan carbonara in a frying pan with a serving spoon.

    Ingredient Notes

    1. Black salt, also called Kala Namak (and not actually black in color at all) creates the ‘egg’ flavor in the sauce. It’s a salt that tastes just like eggs. It’s pretty crazy! You don’t need to use a lot to get a lot of flavor. We used half a teaspoon and got heaps of flavor.  If you don’t have it you can use regular salt instead, but it is definitely recommended. 
    2. Turmeric is used just for color, so if you don’t like it for any reason, you can easily omit it. 
    3. You can use any non-dairy milk you like, we used soy milk, but any milk will work great. 
    4. The mushrooms we used are the large flat brown mushrooms. But button mushrooms or cremini mushrooms (also called portobellini or baby bella) would also work great here. 
    Vegan carbonara in a black bowl topped with chopped parsley.

    Make It Gluten-Free

    If you want to make this meal gluten-free, just use a gluten-free spaghetti and that’s all there is to it.

    Storing Tips

    Keep leftovers stored in the fridge and enjoy within a few days. You can reheat it in the microwave.

    A fork twisting into a bowl of vegan carbonara.

    More 30 Minute Vegan Pasta Recipes

    1. Vegan Mushroom Pasta
    2. Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff
    3. Vegan Alfredo
    4. Vegan Pesto Pasta
    5. Hummus Pasta
    6. Vegetable Linguine

    Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!

    Vegan carbonara in a black bowl.

    Vegan Carbonara

    This super easy vegan carbonara is rich and creamy and ready in less than 30 minutes! It’s the perfect weeknight meal.
    5 from 42 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Entree, Savory
    Cuisine: Italian-Inspired, Vegan
    Diet: Vegan
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 459kcal
    Author: Alison Andrews

    Ingredients

    For the ‘Egg’ Sauce:

    • ⅔ cup Raw Cashews (100g)
    • ¼ cup Nutritional Yeast (15g)
    • ½ tsp Turmeric
    • 1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
    • ½ tsp Garlic Powder
    • ½ tsp Onion Powder
    • ½ tsp Black Salt Kala Namak*
    • 1 cup Soy Milk (240ml) or other non-dairy milk*

    For the Pasta:

    • 8 ounces Spaghetti (226g) Dry Weight

    For the Mushrooms:

    • 1 Tbsp Vegan Butter
    • 2 ½ cups Mushrooms (240g) Sliced
    • 2 tsp Crushed Garlic
    • ½ tsp Smoked Paprika
    • ¼ tsp Sea Salt
    • ¼ tsp Black Pepper

    For Serving:

    • Fresh Chopped Parsley
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Add the ingredients for the ‘egg’ sauce to the blender and blend until smooth. Set aside.
    • Put the spaghetti on to cook and cook it according to the package instructions.
    • Add the vegan butter to a pan and heat until melted. Add the sliced mushrooms, crushed garlic and smoked paprika and fry until the mushrooms are softened.
    • Add the cooked spaghetti into the pan with the mushrooms and toss them together.
    • Pour the blended sauce over the top of the spaghetti and mushrooms and toss together. Add the sea salt and black pepper and toss together until everything is coated and heated together in the pan.
    • Serve with chopped parsley and a sprinkle of black pepper.

    Video

    Notes

    1. If you can’t get hold of black salt (kala namak) then you can just use regular salt. But black salt is highly recommended.
    2. We used large flat brown mushrooms, but you can switch this for cremini mushrooms (also called portobellini mushrooms, baby bella) or even white button mushrooms.
    3. Keep leftovers stored in the fridge and enjoy within a few days. You can reheat it in the microwave.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1Serve | Calories: 459kcal | Carbohydrates: 60.9g | Protein: 18.3g | Fat: 16.3g | Saturated Fat: 3.2g | Sodium: 560mg | Fiber: 4.6g | Sugar: 4.6g
    DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below, or tag @lovingitvegan on Instagram and hashtag #lovingitvegan
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    About the Author

    Hi I'm Alison Andrews, I'm the voice and cook behind Loving It Vegan. I love making delicious vegan food and creating vegan versions of all your old favorites, so that you’ll never feel like you’re missing out. Find out more about me here.

    Loving It Vegan is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This site may contain some of these links to Amazon.com. If you make a purchase through one of those links, Loving It Vegan will receive a small commission from the purchase at no additional cost to you.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. JeannetteZ says

      May 01, 2022 at 11:36 am

      We used to make Spaghetti Carbonara on a regular basis. Then I decided to switch to Veganism and I missed the creamy carbonara a whole lot. I was ecstatic when I found this recipe on your website. My husband made it for us. It was quickly made and it is so DELICIOUSLY CREAMY. We are making this Vegan Carbonara on a regular basis now and we love it.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        May 03, 2022 at 9:58 am

        Yay! Thanks so much for the awesome review!

        Reply
    2. Rachel says

      April 27, 2022 at 1:38 pm

      Delicious, quick, easy and satisfying. I added broc, peas and corn because I didn’t have enough mushrooms, and chilli flakes. I’m definitely going to make this again. I did eat too many servings though, kept going back for more :/ Thanks for the recipe👍5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        April 28, 2022 at 9:29 am

        Awesome Rachel, thanks so much for the great review.

        Reply
    3. Katie says

      February 17, 2022 at 12:33 pm

      Instant addition to regular roation meals. Just delicious, quick to make. Thank you for this amazing recipe. Next time, I’m going to try it with penne or rotini, I found it pretty sticky and clumpy with spaghetti. Would give ten stars if that were an option5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        February 17, 2022 at 12:58 pm

        So glad you liked it Katie! Thanks so much for the awesome review!

        Reply
    4. Laurel says

      December 13, 2021 at 7:42 pm

      Wow, I am so impressed with how this turned out! I didn’t have black salt but I am sure it would be even better with it. I always struggle with vegan recipes that resemble cheese because the nutritional yeast flavor overpowers it and does not taste cheesy at all, but this recipe really impressed me.

      I used spinach and sundried tomatoes instead of mushrooms and it was amazing! Thanks for this!!

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        December 15, 2021 at 10:20 am

        So happy you enjoyed it Laurel!

        Reply
    5. Rachel says

      October 17, 2021 at 6:28 am

      Yum!5 stars

      Reply
    6. Gil says

      September 11, 2021 at 4:01 pm

      This is the best!! And the black salt makes it so interesting.

      You rock Alison! I”m a fan hehe 🙂5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        September 13, 2021 at 11:51 am

        Thanks so much Gil! 🙂

        Reply
    7. Beth says

      August 11, 2021 at 4:52 pm

      was excellent…. i added roasted tomatoes and roasted zucchini which made it even better 😉5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        August 13, 2021 at 11:02 am

        Wonderful! Thanks for sharing Beth!

        Reply
    8. Ashley says

      August 10, 2021 at 10:23 pm

      Delicious! I did a quick soak on the cashews and added vegan Parmesan….definitely will be making this more!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        August 11, 2021 at 10:23 am

        Awesome! Thanks Ashley!

        Reply
    9. Nick says

      July 02, 2021 at 7:48 am

      This was really delicious and a big hit with the family. Very quick and easy too!

      I made it using tagliatelle and the increased surface area of the pasta meant that I should have probably used more liquid to make the dish more “saucy”. Didn’t detract from the flavours or enjoyment of the meal though.

      I also added, like Jennifer S did above, a dash of liquid smoke to give the mushrooms more of a smoked flavour, which worked a treat.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        July 02, 2021 at 10:17 am

        Thanks so much for sharing Nick!

        Reply
    10. Belinda says

      April 30, 2021 at 6:57 am

      We love this recipe and make it regularly. I often use some ‘facon’ as well as mushrooms, it’s also very forgiving when I’m out of black salt and smoked paprika, simply delicious!!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        April 30, 2021 at 9:56 am

        Fantastic! Thanks so much Belinda!

        Reply
    11. Rose says

      April 29, 2021 at 4:43 pm

      Do the cashews need to be soaked first?

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        April 30, 2021 at 9:51 am

        Hi Rose, we didn’t soak them first. They blend with a fair bit of liquid so it’s usually an easy blend.

        Reply
    12. Elisa says

      April 28, 2021 at 5:35 pm

      Deeeelish! I threw in some vegan ‘bacon’ lardons with the mushrooms and a handful of peas in with the pasta at the end and it was absolutely gorgeous. Defo making again. Thank you x5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        April 29, 2021 at 10:01 am

        Sounds awesome! Thanks for sharing and the great review Elisa!

        Reply
    13. bradley stoll says

      April 11, 2021 at 2:46 am

      I picked up some “fancy” mushrooms just for this! Used penne pasta instead. This allowed the sauce to seep inside the noodles…what a delicious recipe. I also tossed in some green onions from our garden! I may try peas next time…that idea sounds wonderful!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        April 12, 2021 at 11:43 am

        So glad you enjoyed it Bradley! Thanks for the great review.

        Reply
    14. Claire Baiz says

      February 17, 2021 at 8:13 pm

      I didn’t have mushrooms, so I substituted zucchini, peas and a little kale. Easy and tasty!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        February 18, 2021 at 10:28 am

        Wonderful! So glad it worked out great, thanks for sharing!

        Reply
    15. Estella says

      November 25, 2020 at 3:08 am

      Made this for dinner last night it was soooo good will definitely be adding this to my rotation. I used almond milk and Portobello mushrooms. It was quick and easy my kind of recipe. Thank you for sharing.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        November 25, 2020 at 11:22 am

        So glad you enjoyed it Estella! Thanks so much for the great review.

        Reply
        • Gayle Ryan says

          March 16, 2021 at 7:10 pm

          Just made this tonight. It was absolutely beautiful. Many thanks for sharing.

          Reply
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