This vegan mushroom pasta is a quick and simple dish that's full of flavour and seriously moreish. Featuring a creamy cashew sauce with hints of garlic, tarragon, and mustard, I like to top it off with toasted pine nuts for a balanced plant-based meal that's gluten-free, dairy-free, and ready in under 20 minutes.
By cooking the sauce at the same time as the pasta, you can add spoonfuls of that starchy pasta water to help keep the sauce at a nice consistency. If you want to make the dish nut-free, simply substitute the cashew cream for another dairy-free cream of your choice.
For more vegan dinner ideas, check out these recipes for vegan cheesy pasta, vegan one-pot pasta, and vegan mushroom stroganoff.
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Jump to:
- Why I love it 💚
- Test notes 📝
- Mushrooms 🍄
- Vegan cream 🌱
- Ingredients 📋
- Step by step 📷
- To serve 🍽️
- FAQ ❓
- Variations 🔀
- Recipe 👨🍳
Why you'll love this vegan mushroom pasta
- It can easily be made gluten-free
- You can have it on the table in as little as 20 minutes
- It features the power duo of mushroom and tarragon that I simply love (see also this mushroom couscous)
- You can easily adjust the consistency of the sauce by adding small amounts of pasta cooking water
Recipe testing notes
- Mushrooms: To get the mushrooms nice and golden, don't add salt until they've had a chance to fry and take on some colour.
- Cream: If using homemade cashew cream (which I highly recommend), this will likely require more extra liquid than a shop-bought plant-based cream product. Just keep an eye on the sauce during cooking and adjust by adding as much pasta cooking water as needed.
- Greens: Try adding greens such as spinach or green peas – you can even use the frozen version of these and simply add to the pasta pot for the final few minutes of cooking time.
Which mushrooms are best?
I've used chestnut (or cremini) mushrooms, but this recipe would work well with pretty much any edible variety. From button mushrooms to meaty portobello or oyster mushrooms, you can't go far wrong.
Tarragon for the win
To give the sauce a delicious herby flavour, I've used a mix of dried thyme and tarragon. The latter is one of my favourite dried herbs, also making an appearance in these recipes for creamy tempeh pasta and vegan mushroom and tarragon soup.
Extra mushroom flavour
For bonus points, try adding rehydrated wild mushrooms or a touch of mushroom powder to the sauce. This is often made from dried porcini (a.k.a. ceps or penny buns) and has an intense umami flavour.
We've actually made this ourselves at home in the dehydrator, using foraged mushrooms from autumnal walks here in the UK.
How to make creamy pasta vegan
While there are many dairy-free cream alternatives out there these days, I like to make my own homemade cashew cream with blended cashew nuts and water. This will quickly thicken when it comes into contact with the hot pan, but it's easy to thin out using starchy pasta cooking water.
This cashew cream is a versatile ingredient, having also found its way into my recipes for the ultimate vegan fish pie, black bean curry, smoked tofu risotto, wild garlic pasta, and vegan whisky cream sauce.
For vegan pasta dishes in particular, other methods for achieving a creamy consistency include using hummus, tahini, or vegan cream cheese in the sauce.
What you'll need
To make this delicious vegan mushroom pasta recipe, you'll need:
- Mushrooms that are fried for texture and flavour
- Dried herbs in the form of tarragon and thyme
- Homemade cashew cream or another plant-based cream
- Vegan Dijon mustard for a touch of sharpness
How to make vegan mushroom pasta
If including pine nuts, begin by toasting these in a dry pan on medium heat. Cook for a few minutes until starting to turn golden, moving the pan regularly.
While the pine nuts are toasting, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta for 10-12 minutes (see package instructions).
Once the pine nuts are golden, remove from the pan and set aside in a bowl.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan on medium/high heat. Add the sliced mushrooms and fry for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden.
Once the mushrooms are golden, reduce the heat to medium and add another ½ tablespoon of olive oil. Add the chopped garlic, salt, and pepper and cook for a couple of minutes to soften the garlic.
Next, add the vegan cream, dried tarragon, dried thyme, nutritional yeast, Dijon mustard, and a ladle of pasta cooking water.
Stir well, adding more 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 extra liquid 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.
Once the pasta is cooked, drain this and add to the pan with the creamy sauce. Turn off the heat, mix well, adjust the seasoning, and serve with the toasted pine nuts.
Serving suggestions
To round off this vegan mushroom pasta, try serving with a squeeze of lemon juice, chopped fresh parsley or chives, and a sprinkling of homemade vegan parmesan or super seed mix.
You can also add a burst of extra flavour with a dash of vegan pesto (or wild garlic pesto if in season) and try crispy roasted lentils in place of the toasted pine nuts.
Recipe FAQ
To ensure this is gluten-free, use a pasta variety and a vegan cream that are GF (the suggested cashew cream is naturally gluten-free).
Anything goes! I've opted for fusilli (a.k.a. rotini or spirals), but you could use any variety you like.
You can store this pasta in the fridge for up to four days, reheating in a microwave with a splash of water to help loosen the creamy sauce.
While it's possible to freeze the cooked pasta for up to six months, it will likely affect the texture when defrosted.
Variations and tips for vegan mushroom pasta
- Cashew cream: If you're using my recipe for homemade cashew cream but only want enough for this pasta sauce, you'll want approx. 50 g (⅓ cup) raw cashews to 80 ml (⅓ cup) water.
- Nut-free: To make this recipe nut-free, you'll want to omit the toasted pine nuts and use a nut-free vegan cream instead of the cashew cream (e.g. an oat-based cream, gluten-free if necessary).
- Wine: For extra depth, add a splash of vegan white wine and cook for a minute or so before adding the cream.
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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.
Full recipe
Creamy Vegan Mushroom Pasta
Ingredients
- 5-7 oz (150-200 g) dried pasta of your choice (gluten-free if necessary)
- 1½ tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 3 tablespoons (25 g) pine nuts (optional)
- 10 oz (300 g) mushrooms, sliced (I've used chestnut mushrooms but you could use any variety you like)
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- ½ cup (120 ml) cashew cream (or another plant-based cream – see notes)
- 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon vegan Dijon mustard (plus more to taste)
- Pasta cooking water (as much as is needed)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Lemon juice to taste (optional)
Instructions
- If including pine nuts, begin by toasting these in a dry pan on medium heat. Cook for a few minutes until starting to turn golden, moving the pan regularly.
- While the pine nuts are toasting, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta for 10-12 minutes (see package instructions). Once the pine nuts are golden, remove from the pan and set aside in a bowl.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan on medium/high heat. Add the sliced mushrooms and fry for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden.
- Once the mushrooms are golden, reduce the heat to medium and add another ½ tablespoon of olive oil. Add the chopped garlic, salt, and pepper and cook for a couple of minutes to soften the garlic.
- Next, add the vegan cream, dried tarragon, dried thyme, nutritional yeast, Dijon mustard, and a ladle of pasta cooking water. Stir well, adding more 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 extra liquid 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.
- Once the pasta is cooked, drain this and add to the pan with the creamy sauce. Turn off the heat, mix well, adjust the seasoning, and serve with the toasted pine nuts. I also like to add a squeeze of lemon juice, chopped fresh parsley, and homemade vegan parmesan.📸 Recipe steps >📖 Table of contents >
Notes
Nutrition
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Sue from Adelaide
Hi Alistair. Your creamy mushroom pasta recipe has landed in my email box. I have all the ingredients except the mushrooms, ha ha! I don't have a nut allergy, but wonder if you have a vegan tofu cream recipe which could be substituted. I notice you have a tofu cream cheese recipe, which I must try. I also have lemon thyme growing in my garden, so I may try that instead of ordinary thyme. I hope it won't clash with the tarragon.
The Pesky Vegan
Hi Sue, I don't have a tofu cream recipe but hope you managed to make this pasta and enjoy it!
LJ
Well thought out, easy to make, and best of all, bursting with all the deep rich umami of mushrooms! It's mushroom season all over the northern hemisphere, too! Thanks Angus
The Pesky Vegan
Thanks for the review, glad you enjoyed this one!
Jules
Wow, what a lovely creamy pasta! I love this site :0) thank you
The Pesky Vegan
Thanks, great to hear you've been enjoying this recipe and others!
Jules
Wow, this is gorgeous!
The Pesky Vegan
Thanks, glad you enjoyed!
Arlene
Utterly delicious, a recipe that's going into our regular rotation!
The Pesky Vegan
Great to hear it, cheers for the review!