Creamy Vegan Mushroom Pasta (Gluten-Free)

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 sauce and vegan mushroom stroganoff.

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 mushroom 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, 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 creamy 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 creamy mushroom pasta, try serving with a squeeze of lemon juice, chopped fresh parsley or chives, and a sprinkling of homemade cashew parmesan.

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.
• Salt: To get the mushrooms nice and golden, don't add salt until you've fried these first.
• Wine: For extra depth, add a splash of vegan white wine and cook for a minute or so before adding the cream.
• Greens: Why not 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.

Hey you – let me know what you think

If you made this recipe and enjoyed it – or did anything differently – I'd love to hear from you down below in the comments 👇

You can also find me and let me know on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook @thepeskyvegan 🌿

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