Garlic Butter Pasta Creamy Vegan Sauce Recipe

If you love a creamy vegan carbonara, you will most likely also enjoy this delicious pasta with garlic butter sauce. The scent of fried garlic in oil or butter is probably my favorite scent when it comes to food. It should be called “Garlic N°5” haha. But seriously, if you are also a garlic fan, you will understand what I mean. In the past, I loved eating Spaghetti Aglio e Olio in Italian restaurants. It’s a simple dish containing garlic, olive oil, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and parsley. This pasta dish is very tasty, however, it didn’t agree with me because it contains loads of fat due to the oil and cheese. I wanted to create something similar, which has the flavor of pasta Aglio e Olio and the creaminess of a carbonara sauce, therefore, I made this garlic butter pasta.

Garlic Butter Sauce Ingredients

This homemade garlic sauce contains a little vegan butter, a lot of fresh garlic, plant-based milk, spices and a little cornstarch to thicken. You can use any other starch of choice, for example, arrowroot flour/starch, or potato starch. Tapioca flour or regular flour should be fine too. I also love adding a little lemon juice which adds a nice refreshing kick! I once replaced a part of the dairy-free milk with white wine which turned out to be a success. Very flavorful and delicious! But this is of course optional. If you decide to give the wine a try, then I would recommend leaving out the lemon juice. This pasta dish is not as greasy as pasta Aglio e Olio, yet it’s creamy like pasta carbonara without containing egg yolks, heavy cream, or Parmesan cheese. The list of ingredients with measurements and nutrition facts (calories, etc.) can be found in the printable recipe card below.

How To Make Garlic Butter Pasta?

Everyone can make this vegan white garlic butter sauce and the recipe has only 5 simple steps. Check the following step-by-step photos: STEP 1: Prepare your favorite pasta (regular pasta, gluten-free pasta, or grain-free pasta) first. Cook the noodles in a pot according to package directions. Then, drain most of the pasta water but reserve a little in a separate bowl (you might need it later to thin out the sauce). STEP 2: For the sauce, heat vegan butter (or oil) in a large skillet and add garlic and the sliced pepper. Fry for about a minute, stirring frequently. Also, add all spices and stir to combine. STEP 3: In a medium-sized bowl combine plant-based milk and cornstarch (or any other starch). Whisk until there are no lumps and pour the mixture into the skillet. STEP 4: Let simmer for a few minutes. The sauce will quickly thicken. Now add lemon juice, hot sauce (or red pepper flakes), and also the cooked pasta. Stir to combine. STEP 5: Finally, taste it and adjust seasonings. Add more salt/black pepper/spices/lemon juice if needed. If the sauce thickened too much, add a little of the reserved pasta water. I also like to sprinkle this vegan pasta dish with nutritional yeast and garnish with fresh parsley.

Tips & Variations

How to store? Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If you plan to make more sauce for e.g. meal prep, I would recommend cooking the pasta separately, as it tastes the best fresh, and to store the garlic sauce in an airtight container in the fridge. Vegan butter: You can use margarine (typically vegan) or oil (e.g. olive oil) if you don’t have vegan butter. Dairy-Free milk: Any plant-based milk like almond milk, soy milk, oat milk, coconut milk, cashew milk, etc. can be used. Make it spicier or less spicy: If you love a spicy kick, simply increase the amount of hot sauce, add a chili, or some red pepper flakes. If you are sensitive to spicy food or have a toddler/kid, then leave out the hot sauce. Add more veggies: Believe it or not, but when I created the recipe and took photos of the dish, I only had a few peppers in the fridge. However, you can add any other veggies of choice, for example, cooked broccoli, asparagus, zucchini, or even mushrooms! Spaghetti: Use spaghetti to make creamy garlic spaghetti.

This White Sauce Is:

Vegan Gluten-free Flavorful (garlicky) A little spicy Comforting Creamy Hearty Easy to make with simple ingredients Quickly prepared

Should you give this tasty garlic butter pasta a try, please leave a comment below, and don’t forget to tag me in your Instagram or Facebook post with @elavegan and #elavegan because I love to see your remakes!

If you love a creamy white sauce, make sure to also check out my delicious Vegan Alfredo Sauce. For other vegan pasta dishes, definitely visit this ultimate guide of my Vegan Pasta Recipes.