This vegan pumpkin pasta is creamy, rich, loaded with flavor and super easy to make. Best of all it comes together in 20 minutes or less!
This creamy vegan pumpkin pasta is super tasty and satisfying and the perfect comfort food for any occasion.
But aside from how good it tastes you will LOVE that it only takes 20 minutes to make.
It’s made with canned pumpkin, coconut milk and spices for a quick and easy dinner that’s seriously delicious. So if you have any leftover canned pumpkin purée from all those gorgeous fall recipes, then this is the perfect way to use it.
For more vegan pasta recipes ready in 20 minutes or less, try our vegan broccoli pasta and our vegan vodka sauce.
Recipe Ingredients:
Ingredient Notes
- Pasta – you can use any pasta, we used spaghetti.
- Pumpkin purée – canned pumpkin purée is the easiest and this is what we used. However, if you prefer freshly made pumpkin purée you can use that too.
- Coconut milk – should be canned, full fat and unsweetened. Canned, unsweetened coconut cream could also be used for an even richer version.
Step By Step Instructions
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.
- Put your pasta on to cook according to package directions. When it’s cooked, drain it and set aside ½ cup of pasta water to use later.
- While the pasta is cooking, start your sauce.
- Add vegan butter to a pot on medium heat and melt it.
- Add crushed garlic, red pepper flakes, dried sage and oregano and sauté for a minute to lightly toast the spices.
- Add coconut milk and canned pumpkin purée and whisk in until smooth.
- Add nutmeg, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper and whisk to mix well and then bring it to a gentle simmer.
- Let it simmer for around 5 minutes and thicken slightly. Taste test and add more salt and pepper as needed (to taste).
- When the pasta is cooked add it to the sauce and fold it in.
- Add small amounts of the reserved pasta water and toss it with the pumpkin pasta, this helps to thin the sauce and helps it to coat the pasta better. Just add a little at a time until you get to the right consistency.
Serving Suggestions
Serve it topped with freshly chopped parsley and a sprinkle of ground black pepper. It also goes well with sides like vegan garlic bread or vegan focaccia.
A side salad like vegan broccoli salad, vegan chickpea salad or vegan Greek salad would go great as well.
Success Tips
Put salt in your pasta water when cooking. This is all the more important because we save a little of the water that the pasta cooks in, and add it to our sauce. So if it’s a little salty that’s all the better.
Reserve ½ cup of pasta water. Put aside ½ cup of the water that your pasta cooks in. This is because a few splashes of the salty, starchy pasta water helps emulsify your sauce.
Gluten free. Use any gluten free pasta to make this meal entirely gluten free.
Storing Instructions
Keep leftovers stored in the fridge for 3-4 days in a covered container. It reheats very well in the microwave.
You can also freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
More Quick & Easy Vegan Pasta Recipes
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan Pumpkin Pasta
Ingredients
- 16 ounces Pasta (450g) Uncooked
- 2 Tablespoons Vegan Butter
- 3 Cloves Garlic Crushed
- ¼ teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
- 1 teaspoon Dried Sage
- 1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
- 14 ounces Coconut Milk (400ml) Canned, Full Fat, Unsweetened
- 15 ounces Pumpkin Purée (425g) Canned or Fresh
- ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- ½ cup Reserved Pasta Water Reserved from cooking your pasta*
Serving:
- Fresh Chopped Parsley
- Ground Black Pepper
Instructions
- Put your pasta on to cook according to package directions. When it's cooked, drain it and set aside ½ cup of pasta water to use later.
- While the pasta is cooking, start your sauce.
- Add vegan butter to a pot on medium heat and melt it.
- Add crushed garlic, red pepper flakes, dried sage and oregano and sauté for a minute to lightly toast the spices.
- Add coconut milk and canned pumpkin purée and whisk in until smooth.
- Add nutmeg, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper and whisk to mix well and then bring it to a gentle simmer.
- Let it simmer for around 5 minutes and thicken slightly. Taste test and add more salt and pepper as needed (to taste).
- When the pasta is cooked add it to the sauce and fold it in.
- Add small amounts of the reserved pasta water and toss it with the pumpkin pasta, this helps to thin the sauce and helps it to coat the pasta better. Just add a little at a time until you get to the right consistency.
- Serve topped with fresh chopped parsley and a sprinkle of ground black pepper.
Notes
- Pasta – you can use any pasta, we used spaghetti.
- Coconut milk – should be canned, full fat and unsweetened. Canned, unsweetened coconut cream could also be used for an even richer version.
- Pumpkin purée – canned pumpkin purée is the easiest and this is what we used. However, if you prefer freshly made pumpkin purée you can use that too.
- Put salt in your pasta water when cooking. This is all the more important because we save a little of the water that the pasta cooks in, and add it to our sauce. So if it’s a little salty that’s all the better.
- Reserve ½ cup of pasta water. Put aside ½ cup of the water that your pasta cooks in. You won’t need to use it all but a few splashes of the salty, starchy pasta water helps emulsify your sauce.
- Gluten free. Use any gluten free pasta to make this meal entirely gluten free.
- Storing: Keep leftovers stored in the fridge for 3-4 days in a covered container. It reheats very well in the microwave.
- Freezing: You can also freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
This was delicious! I added a few spoons of white miso paste to the sauce for a little umami. Thanks!
Great! Thanks for sharing Gladys!
I printed the recipe on Dec. 6,2022 , which did not have crushed garlic amount , I went ahead used 4 cloves , Love garlic – pasta was delicious
So glad you loved it! And more garlic is never a problem in my view! 🙂
This is such a decadent sauce! Great recipe
(I printed before you added the crushed garlic to recipe, but it was yummy anyway)
Thank you so much!
Blessings
Phyllis
So glad you enjoyed it Phyllis! Yes that was my mistake leaving that out of the recipe card ingredients list, but glad it was good anyway!
In step 4, how much crushed garlic?
Whoops! Thanks for picking that up Karen, I have fixed it in the recipe card!
Hi. I cannot eat wheat. Can I make pasta with something else like spiralizing courgettes etc. Can I use Almond (or other nut) milk? Many thanx! Stef
Hi Stefanos, you can really use any pasta. If you go with a raw spiralized vegetable then you are probably better off adding the sauce to the noodles in the bowl, rather than mixing them together in the pot as you don’t want your spiralized noodles to ‘cook’ and get too soft. Another plant milk will also work fine, but a rich and creamy option will be tastiest.