This easy wild garlic pasta recipe combines your foraging finds with a fragrant, flavourful cashew cream sauce for a simple meal that's on the table in as little as 20 minutes.
For extra ramson points, stir in a few spoonfuls of homemade vegan wild garlic pesto. 🌱🥳
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Recipe testing notes
- Preparation: Be sure to clean and wash your wild garlic thoroughly before cooking (see recipe notes on safe foraging and preparation).
- Pasta variety: I've used spaghetti here, but you could use any pasta variety you like (gluten-free if necessary).
- Cream: If using homemade cashew cream (recommended), you'll probably need to add more pasta cooking water than if using a shop-bought plant-based cream product. Just keep an eye on the sauce during cooking and adjust as necessary to get the desired consistency.
What you'll need
To make this creamy wild garlic pasta, you'll need:
- Wild garlic leaves that have been washed thoroughly (some stems are also fine)
- Dried pasta of your choice
- Cashew cream or another plant-based cream
- Nutritional yeast for a cheesy umami note
- Lemon zest and juice to help lift all the other flavours
- Herbs in the form of dried thyme and tarragon
How to make wild garlic pasta
See recipe notes for tips on responsible foraging and how to prepare wild garlic.
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta for 10-12 minutes (see package instructions).
Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan on medium/high heat.
Add the shredded wild garlic leaves, season with salt and pepper, and fry for 2-3 minutes or until gently wilted and soft.
Next, add the plant-based cream, dried tarragon, dried thyme, nutritional yeast, lemon zest and juice, and a ladle of pasta cooking water.
Stir well, adding more small ladles of the starchy pasta cooking water to the pan as necessary to keep the sauce fairly loose until your pasta is done.
Note: If using homemade cashew cream, this 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.
Once the pasta is cooked al dente, drain this and add to the pan with the creamy sauce. Turn off the heat, mix well, adjust the seasoning to taste, and serve.
Serving suggestions
Top this one off with chopped fresh herbs such as basil or parsley, a few spoonfuls of homemade wild garlic pesto (or regular vegan pesto), a sprinkling of cashew parmesan or super seed mix, and an extra squeeze of lemon juice.
Smoky vegan pancetta would also be a wonderful addition.
Recipe FAQ
The beauty of wild garlic is that it has a genuinely garlicky flavour while offering up the leafy green-ness of an ingredient like spinach. I haven't added chopped garlic cloves as it's nice to see how the wild garlic leaves shine on their own, however you can of course include this if you'd like a stronger flavour.
To make this gluten-free, simply use a GF dried pasta and make sure your plant-based cream is GF (my suggested recipe for homemade cashew cream is naturally gluten-free).
Once cool, store the cooked pasta in the fridge for three to four days or freezer for up to six months. Note that the cashew-based sauce will thicken when cooled and may require a little water to help loosen it when reheating.
Variations and tips for wild garlic pasta
- Add mushrooms: Fry off sliced mushrooms in the pan until golden, before adding in the sliced wild garlic leaves and carrying on with the recipe.
- Add veg: If you want to add veg to this, quick-cooking ingredients such as peas, broad beans, green beans, or thinly sliced asparagus or pepper would work.
- See also: For a slightly different twist on this recipe with a cashew-based sauce, check out this vegan cheesy pasta.
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More vegan recipe ideas
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You can also check out my full library of vegan pasta recipes.
Full recipe
Creamy Wild Garlic Pasta (Dairy-Free)
Ingredients
- 5-7 oz (150-200 g) dried pasta of your choice (gluten-free if necessary)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3½ oz (100 g) wild garlic leaves, pre-washed and finely sliced (see notes on safe foraging and preparation)
- ½ cup (120 ml) plant-based cream (I used homemade cashew cream – see notes)
- 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- ½ lemon, zest and juice (plus more to taste)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan on medium/high heat. Add the shredded wild garlic leaves, season with salt and pepper, and fry for 2-3 minutes or until gently wilted and soft.
- Next, add the plant-based cream, dried tarragon, dried thyme, nutritional yeast, lemon zest and juice, and a ladle of pasta cooking water. Stir well, adding more small ladles of the starchy pasta cooking water to the pan as necessary to keep the sauce fairly loose until your pasta is done.Note: If using homemade cashew cream, this 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.
- Once the pasta is cooked al dente, drain this and add to the pan with the creamy sauce. Turn off the heat, mix well, adjust the seasoning to taste, and serve.🌱 Serving suggestions >📸 See recipe steps >📖 Table of contents >
Notes
Nutrition
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Dianne
No frills, but very tasty! We've been collecting wild garlic locally and I love coming across new recipes like this. Thank you!
The Pesky Vegan
Simple and tasty – I make cashew cream all the time!