This creamy tempeh pasta combines blended cashews with tarragon, garlic, broccoli, and mushrooms for a delicious vegan dinner packed full of plant-based protein.
Recipe originally published in 2021 and updated with minor changes in 2024.
If you don't have cashew cream or want to make the dish nut-free, simply substitute for another plant-based cream of your choice. It all comes together with the meaty tempeh pieces for a quick and easy meal that's filling, dairy-free, and gluten-free.
If you're looking for more ways to get tempeh and pasta in a bowl together, check out my recipe for vegan tempeh bolognese.
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- Why I love it 💚
- Test notes 📝
- Tempeh 💪
- Dairy-free 🚫🐮
- Nutrition 🌱
- Ingredients 📋
- Step by step 📷
- To serve 🍽️
- FAQ ❓
- Variations 🔀
- Recipe 👨🍳
Why you'll love this pasta
- It can be ready in around 25 minutes
- It's creamy and decadent despite being dairy-free
- The pasta cooking water is what helps to keep the sauce at a nice consistency
- The ingredients are packed full of nutrients including protein, fibre, iron, and vitamin C
Recipe testing notes
- Pasta cooking water: There's no specific measurement for how much to include – just continue adding small amounts to keep the creamy sauce at the desired consistency.
- Lemon juice: A squeeze of fresh lemon juice at the end really helps to lift the other flavours in the dish.
- Tarragon: Don't skip this! I may be a little bit obsessed with the flavour of tarragon, but it works really well here and ends up in a lot of my cooking (see also these recipes for mushroom and tarragon soup, mushroom couscous, baked tofu, and broccoli and potato soup).
- Removing bitterness: If you find tempeh a little bitter, try adding the uncooked pieces to a wide microwaveable bowl with a small amount of water and microwaving for a couple of minutes. Remove and drain, then continue with the step of pan-frying.
- Frozen tempeh: If using frozen tempeh, defrost this first according to package instructions.
Is tempeh good in pasta?
Absolutely! Tempeh is a delicious alternative to tofu (or other plant-based meat substitutes), with a great texture and nutritional profile. In this pasta recipe, it pairs nicely with the light flavours of the creamy sauce.
Hardly a week goes by where I don't cook something at home that involves tempeh – here are a few recipes on the blog that you can try for yourself: 👇
How to make a creamy sauce without dairy
This recipe uses homemade cashew cream for a plant-based spin on the traditional dairy ingredient. All you have to do is soak cashew nuts to soften them, then blend thoroughly with water until you have the desired consistency.
Don't worry if the cashew cream seems too thick when added to the hot pan – you can simply thin out the sauce using pasta cooking water (just like in this creamy mushroom pasta and this wild garlic pasta).
Another trick for creating a creamy vegan sauce can be found in this recipe for hummus pasta.
Is this dish healthy?
While the cashews and tempeh in this recipe certainly contribute to the fat content, one serving of the dish packs a whopping 34 grams of plant-based protein (68% of the average recommended daily amount). It also provides:
- Fibre: 7 grams (29% of RDA)
- Vitamin C: 54 mg (65% of RDA)
- Iron: 6 mg (33% of RDA)
(Info based on a third-party nutrition calculator – see bottom of recipe card for more details)
What you'll need
This pasta dish has a relatively small list of ingredients. To make it, you'll need:
- Dried pasta (gluten-free if necessary)
- Tempeh for a meaty texture and great source of protein
- Cashew cream or another plant-based cream of your choice
- Broccoli and mushrooms that go nicely with the creamy sauce
- Dried tarragon for its delicious herbal notes
- Extra flavour in the form of garlic and nutritional yeast
How to make creamy tempeh pasta
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan on medium heat and add the tempeh pieces (1).
Fry gently for 2-3 minutes on each side or until lightly browned.
While the tempeh is cooking, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta according to package instructions (usually 10-12 minutes). The sauce should be ready around the same time as the pasta.
Once the tempeh is a light golden-brown on both sides (2), remove from the pan and set aside.
Using the same pan, heat ½ tablespoon of oil on medium/high heat and add the mushrooms. Stir regularly for 3-4 minutes until starting to colour.
Once the mushrooms have browned slightly, reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic, salt, and pepper (3). Cook for 2 minutes.
Next, add the vegan cream, dried tarragon, nutritional yeast, and cooked tempeh (4).
Stir well, adding small ladles of pasta cooking water to the pan as necessary to keep the sauce fairly loose.
Note: Homemade cashew cream will likely require more water than e.g. a shop-bought oat cream – just keep an eye on it and add as much pasta cooking water as needed. This water will be starchy, which helps to keep the sauce at a nice consistency.
Around the same time you add the cream to the saucepan, add the broccoli pieces to the pasta pot (5).
These will become tender during the remaining pasta cooking time (you can add the broccoli earlier if you prefer it well-cooked).
Once the pasta and broccoli are cooked through, drain them together and add to the pan with the creamy sauce (6).
Mix well, adjust the seasoning, add a squeeze of lemon juice, and serve.
Serving suggestions
This pasta dish is delicious as it is, with an extra squeeze of lemon juice and fresh parsley to finish it off. You can also make some homemade vegan parmesan or super seed mix to sprinkle over the top.
To take it in a slightly different direction, you could also include smoky vegan pancetta or a small spoonful of vegan pesto.
Recipe FAQ
Tempeh is often naturally gluten-free, but you may want to double-check that yours is certified or labelled as such. You'll also want to use a GF pasta variety, and ensure your vegan cream is gluten-free (the suggested cashew cream is naturally gluten-free).
Store this pasta in the fridge for up to four days. The cashew sauce will become a little clumpy, but it should thin out after reheating with a splash of water.
I don't usually freeze cooked pasta, but this should keep well in the freezer for up to six months.
Variations and tips for tempeh pasta
- Cashew cream: My recipe for cashew cream can be used to make a thinner 'single' cream or thicker 'double' cream. This pasta sauce is based on the single cream, however the thickness doesn't matter as you'll be thinning it out as needed with pasta cooking water. If you're using my recipe for cashew cream but only want enough for this pasta sauce, you'll want approx. 50 g (⅓ cup) cashews to 80 ml (⅓ cup) water.
- Other veg: This dish would also work with spinach or green peas. If using frozen versions, simply add these to the pasta pot for the final few minutes.
- Nut-free: To make this dish nut-free, you'll want to substitute the suggested cashew cream with a vegan cream that isn't made from nuts (e.g. soya cream). If necessary, you'll also want to make sure that it's gluten-free (e.g. oat-based creams may contain trace amounts of gluten).
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More vegan recipe ideas
If you liked this recipe, you may also enjoy:
You can also check out my full list of vegan pasta recipes and dairy alternative recipes.
Full recipe
Creamy Tempeh Pasta with Cashew Tarragon Sauce
Ingredients
- 5 oz (150 g) dried pasta of your choice (gluten-free if necessary)
- 1½ tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 5 oz (150 g) fresh tempeh, chopped into even, bite-sized pieces (gluten-free – see notes)
- 4-5 medium mushrooms, halved and sliced (closed-cup, chestnut/cremini, etc.)
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- ½ cup (120 ml) cashew cream (or another plant-based cream – see notes)
- 1½ teaspoons dried tarragon
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- ½ medium broccoli head, cut into bite-sized florets (including the stalk)
- Pasta cooking water (as much as is needed)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Lemon juice to taste
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan on medium heat. Add the tempeh pieces and fry gently for 2-3 minutes on each side or until lightly browned.
- While the tempeh is cooking, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta according to package instructions (usually 10-12 minutes). The sauce should be ready around the same time as the pasta.
- Once the tempeh is a light golden-brown on both sides, remove from the pan and set aside. Using the same pan, heat ½ tablespoon of oil on medium/high heat and add the mushrooms. Stir regularly for 3-4 minutes until starting to colour.
- Once the mushrooms have browned slightly, reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Next, add the vegan cream, dried tarragon, nutritional yeast, and cooked tempeh. Stir well, adding small ladles of pasta cooking water to the pan as necessary to keep the sauce fairly loose.Note: Homemade cashew cream will likely require more water than e.g. a shop-bought oat cream – just keep an eye on it and add as much pasta cooking water as needed. This water will be starchy, which helps to keep the sauce at a nice consistency.
- Around the same time you add the cream to the saucepan, add the broccoli pieces to the pasta pot. These will become tender during the remaining pasta cooking time (you can add the broccoli earlier if you prefer it well-cooked).
- Once the pasta and broccoli are cooked through, drain them together and add to the pan with the creamy sauce. Mix well, adjust the seasoning, add a squeeze of lemon juice, and serve.🌱 Serving suggestions >📸 See recipe steps >📖 Table of contents >
Notes
Nutrition
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Chris Roberts
So delicious! I doubled the quantities and swapped broccoli for kale as we had some that had to be eaten, but otherwise followed the recipe, and the result was fantastic.
The Pesky Vegan
Wonderful, thanks very much for the review!
Lisa
Holy cow, is this GOOD. I also doubled the recipe but otherwise made as written. I was worried the cashew cream would make the dish sweet, but with salt, pepper , nutritional yeast and tarragon and a must-have squeeze of lemon in the pan and a bit more in my bowl, and it's not at all sweet and is deliciously light but still somehow decadent. A creamy pasta with only 5 grams of saturated fat is a miracle. Will definitely make again.
The Pesky Vegan
Great to hear, cheers for the review!
Carol
This was delicious, love using cashews to make cream!
The Pesky Vegan
Good stuff, glad you enjoyed!