This Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Vegan Pasta combines tender pasta, intensely flavorful sun-dried tomatoes, fresh spinach, garlic, and a silky cashew cream sauce for a comforting dinner made entirely without dairy. It has the richness you expect from creamy pasta while keeping every ingredient plant-based.

The secret is the sauce. Soaked cashews are blended with unsweetened plant milk, nutritional yeast, garlic, and seasonings until smooth and creamy. Sun-dried tomatoes bring concentrated tomato flavor and a subtle sweetness, while a little of their flavorful oil gives the sauce even more depth.

Better yet, this isn’t a recipe that requires hours in the kitchen. While the pasta cooks, you can prepare the sauce and sauté the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes. Everything comes together in one skillet at the end, making this an excellent weeknight vegan dinner when you want something cozy but still easy.

Easy Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Vegan Pasta

A good dairy-free pasta sauce needs more than simply replacing heavy cream with plant milk.

It needs body, richness, and enough savory flavor to stand on its own.

That’s where cashews work particularly well. After soaking and blending, they create an exceptionally smooth base that coats pasta naturally. Nutritional yeast contributes savory depth, while lemon juice keeps the sauce from becoming flat or overly rich.

Then come the sun-dried tomatoes.

Their concentrated flavor is much stronger than fresh tomatoes, so you don’t need an enormous quantity. Sautéing them briefly with garlic and red pepper flakes releases their flavor into the skillet before the cashew sauce is added.

Spinach goes in toward the end so it wilts without disappearing completely.

The final pasta should be creamy and glossy with clearly visible sun-dried tomato pieces and spinach—not swimming in sauce and not dry or sticky.

⭐ Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Completely vegan
• Dairy-free
• Rich and creamy without heavy cream
• Packed with sun-dried tomato flavor
• Easy weeknight dinner
• Ready in approximately 35 minutes
• Plenty of fresh spinach
• Simple pantry-friendly seasonings
• No complicated vegan substitutes
• Easy to customize
• Comforting enough for fall and winter
• Bright enough to enjoy year-round
• Great for meal prep
• Restaurant-style appearance with straightforward ingredients

🛒 Ingredients

Pasta

Use 12 ounces pasta.

Linguine works particularly well because the creamy sauce coats the long strands beautifully.

Fettuccine, spaghetti, penne, rigatoni, or another favorite pasta can also work.

If you need the entire recipe to be gluten-free, choose a certified gluten-free pasta.

Raw Cashews

Use 1 cup raw, unsalted cashews.

These form the creamy base of our sauce.

The cashews need to be soaked before blending so they become soft enough to produce a silky texture.

Allergy note: cashews are tree nuts and can cause serious allergic reactions in people with tree-nut allergies. FDA identifies tree nuts among the major food allergens.

Unsweetened Plant Milk

Use 1 cup unsweetened plant milk.

Unsweetened oat milk or soy milk works particularly well.

Avoid vanilla-flavored plant milk.

Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Use ¾ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and sliced.

Reserve approximately 1 tablespoon of the oil from the jar.

Oil-packed tomatoes tend to be softer and work beautifully in creamy pasta.

Baby Spinach

Use 3 packed cups fresh baby spinach.

It looks like a lot initially but wilts dramatically once added to the hot sauce.

Garlic

Use 4 large garlic cloves, finely minced.

Fresh garlic is important here because the ingredient list is relatively simple.

Nutritional Yeast

Use ¼ cup nutritional yeast.

Nutritional yeast contributes a savory, slightly cheesy flavor without dairy.

Lemon Juice

Use 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice.

The acidity balances the richness of the cashews.

Tomato Paste

Use 1 tablespoon tomato paste.

This reinforces the tomato flavor and gives the sauce a subtle warm color.

Italian Seasoning

Use 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning.

Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

Use ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes.

This adds gentle warmth rather than making the pasta aggressively spicy.

Increase it if you prefer more heat.

Olive Oil

Use 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus approximately 1 tablespoon reserved sun-dried tomato oil.

Salt

Use approximately ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, then adjust after the pasta and sauce have been combined.

Black Pepper

Use ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.

Fresh Basil

Use approximately ¼ cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves for finishing.

Don’t cook all of the basil into the sauce. Its fresh flavor is most noticeable when added at the end.

👩‍🍳 How to Make Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Vegan Pasta

1. Soak the cashews

Place 1 cup raw cashews in a heatproof bowl.

Cover them completely with very hot water.

Let them soak for approximately 20–30 minutes.

If you have more time, you can soak them in room-temperature water for several hours instead.

2. Prepare the vegetables

While the cashews soak, slice the sun-dried tomatoes into irregular strips.

Mince the garlic.

Wash and dry the spinach if necessary.

3. Bring the pasta water to a boil

Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil.

Season the water with salt.

4. Cook the pasta

Add 12 ounces linguine or your chosen pasta.

Cook according to package directions until al dente.

5. Reserve pasta water

Before draining, carefully scoop out approximately 1 cup pasta cooking water.

This is important because we’ll use some of it to adjust the sauce.

6. Drain

Drain the pasta.

Do not rinse it.

7. Drain the cashews

Drain the soaked cashews thoroughly.

Discard the soaking water.

8. Build the cashew sauce

Add the soaked cashews to a high-speed blender.

Add:

• 1 cup unsweetened plant milk
• ¼ cup nutritional yeast
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon salt
• approximately half the black pepper

9. Blend

Blend on high until completely smooth.

Depending on your blender, this can take 1–2 minutes.

Stop and scrape down the sides if necessary.

The mixture should look silky rather than grainy.

10. Heat the skillet

Place a large deep skillet over medium heat.

Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and approximately 1 tablespoon reserved sun-dried tomato oil.

11. Add the sun-dried tomatoes

Add the sliced sun-dried tomatoes.

Cook for approximately 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

12. Add the garlic

Add the minced garlic.

Cook for approximately 30 seconds, stirring constantly.

Don’t let it burn.

13. Add the seasonings

Stir in the Italian seasoning and crushed red pepper flakes.

Cook for approximately 15–20 seconds.

14. Add tomato paste

Add 1 tablespoon tomato paste.

Cook for approximately 1 minute, stirring it through the tomatoes and garlic.

This helps remove the raw taste of the tomato paste.

15. Reduce the heat

Turn the burner to medium-low.

16. Add the cashew cream

Pour the blended cashew mixture into the skillet.

Stir slowly.

17. Add pasta water

Add approximately ¼ cup reserved pasta water.

Stir until the sauce becomes smooth and creamy.

18. Simmer gently

Let the sauce cook gently for approximately 2–3 minutes.

Do not aggressively boil it.

19. Add the spinach

Add the baby spinach.

It may look like too much initially.

20. Wilt the spinach

Fold the spinach through the sauce for approximately 1–2 minutes until wilted but still visibly green.

21. Add the pasta

Transfer the drained linguine directly into the skillet.

22. Toss

Using kitchen tongs, gently toss the pasta through the creamy sauce.

Continue until the strands are evenly coated.

23. Adjust the consistency

If the sauce becomes too thick, add reserved pasta water 2 tablespoons at a time.

Remember that cashew sauce thickens as it sits.

24. Taste

Taste the pasta.

Adjust salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, or lemon juice if necessary.

25. Remove from heat

Once the pasta is glossy and thoroughly coated, remove the skillet from the heat.

26. Add basil

Tear or roughly chop most of the fresh basil.

Fold it gently through the pasta.

27. Plate

Twirl generous portions into shallow pasta bowls.

28. Garnish

Finish with:

• Fresh basil
• Black pepper
• A few finely sliced sun-dried tomatoes
• A restrained sprinkle of nutritional yeast, if desired

29. Serve

Serve immediately while the sauce is creamy and warm.

🍽️ Equipment Needed

• Large pasta pot
• Large deep skillet
• High-speed blender
• Colander
• Cutting board
• Chef’s knife
• Measuring cups
• Measuring spoons
• Wooden spoon
• Kitchen tongs
• Heatproof bowl

🔁 Variations & Substitutions

Vegan Sun-Dried Tomato Penne

Replace linguine with penne.

The shorter pasta makes the recipe easier to portion and works especially well for meal prep.

Mushroom Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta

Add 8 ounces sliced cremini mushrooms.

Brown them before adding the sun-dried tomatoes.

Allow the mushrooms to release and evaporate most of their moisture before continuing.

Broccoli Version

Add small steamed broccoli florets when you add the pasta.

Extra-Spicy Version

Increase crushed red pepper flakes to ½ teaspoon or more.

Roasted Red Pepper Version

Blend approximately ½ cup roasted red pepper into the cashew sauce.

This gives the sauce a stronger red-orange color and sweeter pepper flavor.

Vegan Protein Pasta

Use chickpea, lentil, or another higher-protein pasta.

Keep in mind that different pastas absorb sauce differently, so adjust with pasta water as necessary.

Gluten-Free Version

Use your favorite certified gluten-free pasta.

The sauce itself contains no wheat ingredients as written, but check individual packaged ingredient labels if gluten avoidance is medically necessary.

Nut-Free Version

Because cashews are central to this sauce, replacing them changes the texture substantially.

For a nut-free variation, try a creamy base made from unsweetened oat cream or another suitable cooking cream, thickening as necessary.

Always check packaged-product labels when cooking for someone with food allergies. FDA advises consumers with food allergies to read ingredient labels carefully.

💡 Pro Tips for Success

Soak the cashews. Even a powerful blender produces a smoother sauce when the cashews have softened first.

Use raw unsalted cashews. Roasted salted cashews create a noticeably different flavor.

Choose unsweetened plant milk. Vanilla plant milk will ruin a savory pasta sauce.

Don’t discard all the pasta water. The starch helps loosen and integrate the sauce.

Cook the tomato paste briefly. This deepens its flavor.

Don’t burn the garlic. Thirty seconds is usually plenty once the skillet is hot.

Add spinach late. It only needs enough heat to wilt.

Don’t make the sauce too thick before adding pasta. Cashew sauces continue thickening as they sit.

Use oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes. They’re generally softer and their seasoned oil adds useful flavor.

Add fresh basil at the end. This keeps its flavor bright.

Serve promptly. Creamy cashew pasta is at its best immediately after tossing.

🧊 Storage & Freezing

Refrigerator

Transfer leftovers to airtight containers and refrigerate promptly.

USDA advises refrigerating leftovers within two hours and generally using cooked leftovers within 3–4 days.

Reheating

The pasta will absorb sauce while refrigerated, so expect it to look considerably thicker the following day.

Add a splash of unsweetened plant milk or water before reheating.

Warm gently in a skillet over medium-low heat, stirring frequently.

Individual portions can also be microwaved.

Freezing

You can freeze the pasta, although the texture of the noodles won’t be quite as good after thawing.

For better results, freeze the sun-dried tomato cashew sauce separately and prepare fresh pasta when you’re ready to serve it.

The sauce can be frozen in an airtight freezer-safe container for approximately 2 months for best quality.

❓ FAQs

Is sun-dried tomato pasta vegan?

Not always. Many creamy versions contain heavy cream, butter, or Parmesan.

This recipe is specifically formulated without dairy or other animal-derived ingredients.

How do you make pasta creamy without dairy?

In this recipe, soaked cashews are blended with plant milk to create the creamy base.

Nutritional yeast contributes additional savory flavor.

Does cashew cream taste like cashews?

It has a mild nutty flavor, but once combined with garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, nutritional yeast, herbs, and lemon, the cashew flavor isn’t dominant.

Can I make this without cashews?

Yes, but you’ll need a different creamy base. Unsweetened vegan cooking cream is the simplest alternative.

Can I use dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes?

Yes.

However, oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes are generally softer and give us the bonus of flavorful tomato oil for sautéing.

Can I use frozen spinach?

Yes.

Thaw it first and squeeze out excess water before adding it to the sauce.

What pasta works best?

Linguine, fettuccine, spaghetti, penne, and rigatoni are all good choices.

I particularly like linguine because the creamy sauce coats the long strands beautifully.

Why did my cashew sauce become too thick?

Cashews naturally create a thick sauce, and it thickens further as it sits.

Add reserved pasta water or plant milk until it loosens.

Why is my cashew sauce grainy?

The cashews may not have soaked long enough, or your blender may need additional blending time.

Is this pasta spicy?

Only slightly.

The ¼ teaspoon of crushed red pepper adds warmth rather than substantial heat.

Can I meal prep this recipe?

Yes.

It keeps well for several days, although you’ll want to add plant milk or water while reheating because the sauce thickens considerably in the refrigerator.

🍽️ What to Serve With Vegan Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta

This pasta is rich enough to work as the main course.

Pair it with:

• Garlic bread
• Roasted broccoli
• Roasted asparagus
• Simple green salad
• Balsamic tomato salad
• Roasted zucchini
• Sautéed green beans
• Vegan focaccia
• Grilled vegetables

A fresh salad with a bright vinaigrette is particularly good because its acidity balances the creamy cashew sauce.

🛠️ Troubleshooting

My sauce is too thick

Add reserved pasta water a few tablespoons at a time.

My sauce is too thin

Let it simmer gently for another minute or two before adding the pasta.

Remember that it will also thicken as it cools.

My sauce is grainy

Blend longer.

If necessary, add a small splash of plant milk and continue blending until smooth.

My pasta absorbed all the sauce

This happens naturally as pasta sits.

Add warm pasta water or plant milk and toss again.

My sauce tastes bland

It probably needs more salt, lemon, garlic, or nutritional yeast.

Taste before adding more of everything.

My garlic tastes bitter

It was likely cooked too long or at too high a temperature.

Garlic only needs a short sauté here.

My spinach released lots of water

Make sure washed spinach is well drained before adding it.

📊 Nutrition

Approximate nutrition per serving, based on 6 servings:

Calories: ~480 kcal
Protein: ~15 g
Carbohydrates: ~62 g
Fat: ~20 g
Fiber: ~6 g
Sugar: ~7 g

Nutrition will vary significantly according to the pasta, plant milk, sun-dried tomatoes, and serving size used.

🔗 More Easy Recipes:

If you love creamy chicken dinners, try our Creamy Tuscan Chicken or Marry Me Chicken Pasta next.

For another slow-cooker comfort meal, Crock Pot Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup is an especially natural internal link.