Creamy Vegan Pesto Pasta (GF)

Creamy Vegan Pesto Pasta may sound like a bit of a contradiction but it’s just as rich and indulgent as the real thing and infinitely healthier.

I’ve always preferred creamy pesto sauce to normal pesto sauce – there’s something so satisfying about it’s silky smooth texture and it’s so warming and comforting.

However, being lactose-intolerant it’s always made me feel slightly queasy…so, I decided to try to create a dairy-free version and I’ve finally found the best recipe!

This pesto pasta makes a great quick meal as it all comes together in about 20 minutes. All you need to do is put some basic ingredients in a blender to make the pesto and add some unsweetened almond milk thickened with cornflour.

The trickiest part of this recipe is probably working with cornflour – I’ve found through trial and lots of error that it’s a pretty fickle ingredient that only works if the conditions are exactly right.

You have to dissolve it first in a very small amount cold water and then only add it to the sauce once it’s very hot and bubbling. If you add the cornflour straight to the hot sauce without dissolving it in cold water first, it’ll form small clumps that refuse to dissolve and if you add the dissolved cornflour when the sauce isn’t very hot, the same thing will happen.

However, if you do end up with a sauce full of clumps of cornflour, you can just tip the sauce back into the blender you made your pesto in until you get rid of the lumps and then reheat the sauce in the pan, gently stirring it, and it should thicken up.

Looking for more pasta recipes? You might like my:

• Creamy Vegan Tomato Sauce Pasta
• Creamy Vegan Pumpkin Chestnut Pasta
• Creamy Vegan Sundried Tomato Pesto Pasta
• Creamy Vegan Miso Pasta

If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I’d really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.

Helpful tools to make this Creamy Vegan Pesto Pasta:

measuring jug

Creamy Vegan Pesto Pasta (GF)

This Creamy Vegan Pesto Pasta is just as rich and indulgent as the real thing and infinitely healthier.

5 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: vegan creamy pesto, vegan pesto pasta

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Servings: 2

Calories: 295kcal

Ingredients

• 2 portions of pasta (ensure gluten-free if necessary - I like brown rice spaghetti)

For the pesto*

• 30 g (1oz) fresh basil
• 1 clove of garlic
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 3 tablespoons pine nuts
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt + pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

To make it creamy:

• 2 tablespoons cornflour (cornstarch)
• Splash of cold water
• 230 ml (1 cup) unsweetened almond milk (sub oat-milk for a nut-free version)

Instructions

• Boil pasta according to instructions on packet
• Meanwhile, add all ingredients for the pesto to a blender and whizz until smooth
• Put the cornflour in a bowl and dissolve in a splash of cold water
• Heat up a frying pan and add the milk and pesto
• Once (and only once) the sauce is very hot and bubbling, stir in the dissolved cornflour
• Add the pasta and mix well

Notes

*You can also use store-bought pesto (ensure dairy-free) if necessary

I like to add some peas to this, but you can also add any other vegetables you like - broccoli, spinach, courgette (zucchini) etc

Nutrition Facts

Creamy Vegan Pesto Pasta (GF)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 295

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Made the recipe?Tag @rhiansrecipes on instagram and use the hashtag #rhiansrecipes!

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