VEGAN PUMPKIN ALFREDO SAUCE

This Vegan Pumpkin Alfredo Sauce is a creamy, rich, and flavorful sauce made with pumpkin puree and homemade vegan parmesan. It is the ultimate fall recipe perfect for pasta. And it is done in less than 15 minutes.

THE BEST PUMPKIN ALFREDO SAUCE RECIPE:

I am a huge fan of creamy pasta sauces, and this one is of the best I ever had! It may seem complicated to make your vegan parmesan cheese, but it really isn’t. And you will have enough left to make a few more dishes with it (or put it on top of everything as I do).

This Pumpkin Alfredo Sauce is so easy to whip together. And it goes so well with the sautéed mushrooms and spinach – you must try it! It’s the best comfort food.

THIS PUMPKIN ALFREDO SAUCE IS:

• vegan
• egg-free
• dairy-free
• gluten-free
• creamy
• rich
• garlicky
• healthy
• flavorful
• easy to make
• so delicious
• made with homemade vegan parmesan
• loaded with pumpkin
• perfect for pasta

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE VEGAN ALFREDO SAUCE:

You need the following ingredients to make this Vegan Alfredo Sauce:

• Vegan butter – Feel free to use oil, such as sunflower oil, olive oil, or coconut oil.
• Fresh garlic – Garlic adds a strong flavor to the Pumpkin Alfredo.
• Soy cream – Use any plant-based cooking cream such as oat, cashew, or rice. You can also use coconut milk, but this will add a coconut flavor to the Alfredo sauce. If you don’t have any cream, plant-based milk can work too, but the result will be less creamy.
• Pumpkin puree – The pumpkin acts as a thickener in this sauce. I used homemade pumpkin puree, made from boiled orange Hokkaido pumpkin (also known as red kuri pumpkin). Use any sweet pumpkin/winter squash of your choice to make the pure or use canned pumpkin puree.
• Sea salt
• Black pepper
• Vegan parmesan cheese – You can read below how to make super easy 3-ingredient homemade vegan parmesan cheese.

Equipment you need:

• A saucepan
• Wooden spoon

HOW TO MAKE EASY HOMEMADE VEGAN PARMESAN CHEESE:

Making homemade vegan parmesan cheese is so easy! You will need only three ingredients and a food processor or blender.

• 100 g raw cashews
• 27 g nutritional yeast (= 6 tbsp)
• ¾ tsp sea salt

Put everything into the food processor/blender end pulse until ground and combined. Store in a glass container with a lid at room temperature or in the fridge.

SERVINGS IDEAS:

This Pumpkin Alfredo sauce is best to serve with pasta – fettuccine, linguine, penne. You can also eat it with crackers, tortilla chips, fries, roasted potatoes, roasted vegetables.

I like to serve mine with pasta and sautéed mushrooms and spinach.

What you need for sauteed mushrooms with spinach:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 60 g mushrooms (meadow mushrooms) =cca 1 cup
• sea salt
• black pepper
• 20 g baby spinach (=1 cup)

How to make sauteed mushrooms with spinach:

Heat the olive oil in the pan, slice the mushrooms and add to the pan. Season with salt and pepper, stir, and let sauté until the mushrooms are soft (it should take about 5 minutes). Then add baby spinach to the pan and stir. Add pot-lit to the pan, and let cook for about 2 minutes. Then it’s ready to serve on a pasta dish.

HOW TO MAKE THE BEST VEGAN PUMPKIN ALFREDO WITH SAUTEED MUSHROOMS AND SPINACH:

You will find the instructions and ingredients list in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

1. Step: Make vegan parmesan cheese

Put raw cashews, nutritional yeast, and sea salt into food-processor/blender end pulse until ground and combined.

2. Step: Cook the pasta – If serving with the pasta

Cook the pasta in salted water according to the instructions on the package. Cook until al dente.

3. Step: Saute garlic in vegan butter

Heat the vegan butter in a saucepan over medium heat, add minced garlic, stir, and saute for about 30 seconds until soft (be careful not to burn the garlic).

4. Step: Add the rest of the ingredients and let cook

Slowly stir the soy cream and the pumpkin puree. Next, add sea salt, black pepper, and homemade vegan parmesan cheese. Stir and let simmer for about 5-7 minutes until it starts to thicken. Remove the sauce from the heat.

5. Step: Saute mushrooms and spinach – OPTIONAL

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in the pan, slice the mushrooms and add to the pan. Season with salt and pepper, stir, and let sauté until the mushrooms are soft (it should take about 5 minutes). Then add baby spinach to the pan and stir. Add pot-lit to the pan, and let cook for about 1-2 minutes.

6. Step: Add cooked pasta

Add cooked pasta to the saucepan and fold everything together to coat the pasta with the sauce. If you need to thin the sauce, add a bit of reserve cooking liquid from the pasta or more of the soy cream.

Top with sautéed mushrooms and spinach and additional vegan parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

CAN I USE MILK INSTEAD OF CREAM IN PUMPKIN ALFREDO SAUCE?

Yes. If you don’t have any cream, you can use plant-based milk, but the result will be less creamy. I recommend using vegan cooking cream (soy or oat). Or you can also make your homemade cashew cream by blending soaked raw cashews with a little bit of water. Coconut milk is all right, but it will add a coconut flavor to the Alfredo sauce.

HOW TO STORE VEGAN PUMPKIN ALFREDO SAUCE?

Store the Pumpkin Alfredo sauce in a covered container in the fridge. It will last for about 5 days.

CAN I FREEZE PUMPKIN ALFREDO SAUCE?

Yes, make a large batch and freeze it. Store the Pumpkin Alfredo sauce in a covered container in the freezer (after completely cooled) for up to 3-4 months.

MORE PUMPKIN RECIPES:

• Creamy Roasted Pumpkin Soup
• Vegan Pumpkin Bread
• Healthy Pumpkin Spice Latte

 

If you try this recipe, please let me know by leaving a comment below. Or share your photo on Instagram and tag @plantifulbakery.