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    Home > Recipes > Side Dishes

    Vegan Pasta Carbonara

    Published: Jul 31, 2017 · Modified: Dec 15, 2022 by Iosune · This post may contain affiliate links · 36 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    You can enjoy a delicious and creamy vegan pasta carbonara in just 25 minutes. This is a gluten-free version, which is also healthier and lower in fat.

    Vegan Pasta Carbonara. - You can enjoy a delicious and creamy vegan pasta carbonara in just 25 minutes. This is a gluten-free version, which is also healthier and lower in fat.

    Pasta carbonara is made with egg yolks, parmesan cheese and extra virgin olive oil, but in Spain is usually made with cream, even in some Italian restaurants, I don't know why. When I made the traditional recipe for the first time, I fell in love with it and it was actually one of my favorite pasta recipes.

    I hadn't tried this delicious pasta dish since I went vegan, until last April at the best Italian restaurant I've ever been, which is in Edinburgh by the way and also last month at a beautiful restaurant in Rome.

    Vegan Pasta Carbonara. - You can enjoy a delicious and creamy vegan pasta carbonara in just 25 minutes. This is a gluten-free version, which is also healthier and lower in fat.

    When I tried it again after more than three years, I knew I had to make my own version at home and here it is. It's inspired in the traditional recipe and I used our eggplant bacon. I think it's the best plant-based carbonara ever! Cooking at home is awesome because you can make dishes using your favorite ingredients and what you have on hand.

    Vegan Pasta Carbonara. - You can enjoy a delicious and creamy vegan pasta carbonara in just 25 minutes. This is a gluten-free version, which is also healthier and lower in fat.

    If you like this vegan pasta carbonara, check out these pasta recipes: vegan pasta Alfredo, lentil bolognese, 15-minute coconut green pasta, simple vegan piquillo pepper pasta and pasta arrabiata.

    Did you make this recipe? Please leave a comment below, share it, rate it or tag a picture @simpleveganblog on Instagram and hashtag it #simpleveganblog. We’d love to see what you cook!

    Vegan Pasta Carbonara. - You can enjoy a delicious and creamy vegan pasta carbonara in just 25 minutes. This is a gluten-free version, which is also healthier and lower in fat.

    Vegan Pasta Carbonara. - You can enjoy a delicious and creamy vegan pasta carbonara in just 25 minutes. This is a gluten-free version, which is also healthier and lower in fat.

    Vegan Pasta Carbonara

    You can enjoy a delicious and creamy vegan pasta carbonara in just 25 minutes. This is a gluten-free version, which is also healthier and lower in fat.
    4.78 from 9 votes
    PRINT PIN RATE
    Course: Main Dish
    Cuisine: Italian
    Diet: Vegan
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes
    Total Time: 25 minutes
    Servings: 8
    Author: Iosune


    Ingredients 

    US Customary - Metric
    • 18 ounces pasta of your choice, we used brown rice spaghetti
    • 10 ounces firm tofu
    • ½ cup plant milk of your choice, we used soy milk
    • ½ cup vegan parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast
    • ¼ cup nutritional yeast
    • 2 tablespoon lemon juice
    • 1 tablespoon tahini, or extra virgin olive oil
    • 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
    • ½ teaspoon sea salt
    • â…› ground black pepper
    • Vegan bacon to taste, we usually add 3 slices for each serving
    • Fresh parsley to taste
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    Instructions

    • Cook the pasta according to package directions.
    • Place the rest of the ingredients (except the bacon and the parsley) in a blender and blend until smooth.
    • When the pasta is ready, strain it and place it in a frying pan or in the same pot you've cooked the pasta, add the sauce and the bacon (chopped) and cook over medium-high heat for about 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
    • Serve with some fresh parsley on top, more pepper and more bacon (optional).
    • Store the pasta carbonara in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 4 days.

    Notes

    • Use any type of pasta you want.
    • Adding 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder you'll get a beautiful color, but if you're not a big fan of this ingredient, omit it or add just ½ tsp.
    • If you don't eat soy, you could try to use overnight soaked cashews instead of the tofu and any other plant milk instead of the soy milk.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving (excluding the bacon) | Calories: 375kcal | Carbohydrates: 61.3g | Protein: 22.9g | Fat: 7.3g | Saturated Fat: 0.6g | Sodium: 195.9mg | Fiber: 10.6g | Sugar: 2.2g

    More Vegan Side Dish Recipes

    • Creamy Vegan Mushroom Soup
    • Vegan Chicken Salad
    • Vegan Tofu Ricotta Cheese (4 Ingredients)
    • Vegan Bacon
    1.1K shares

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Samantha says

      September 01, 2021 at 8:18 pm

      5 stars
      Very good, traded tofu for soft silken and added water when I heated it up in the pan but the reason everyone keeps saying it’s dry is because the tahini dries up after a while. Either way it tastes really good and I also added vegg egg powder instead of the second serving of mooch which gave it the eggy flavor. I would suggest adding kala namak if you like eggy flavor.I also added peas and chili flakes and it is super good

      Reply
      • Iosune Robles says

        September 03, 2021 at 10:17 am

        Hi Samantha! Thanks for your kind tips 🙂

        Reply
    2. Karl S Keene says

      September 09, 2020 at 11:46 pm

      4 stars
      Though the taste was great, the final product was very dry (even though I followed the directions). Easy fix was to add some soy milk until it got creamy.

      Reply
      • Iosune Robles says

        September 10, 2020 at 10:03 am

        Hi Karl! That's a good solution 🙂

        Reply
        • Greg Nolan says

          May 05, 2021 at 11:19 pm

          If I opt to substitute the cashews for the tofu, how much would I use and would I chop or blend them?
          Thank you

        • Iosune Robles says

          May 06, 2021 at 9:05 am

          Hi! I haven’t tried this recipe with cashews myself, so I can’t help you, sorry!

    3. Amy says

      May 09, 2020 at 4:39 pm

      If I don't have or don't make the vegan parmesan do I still add the 8tbsp nutritional yeast, then the other 4tbsp? Just seems like a lot wasn't too ask before I use it all

      Reply
      • Iosune Robles says

        May 13, 2020 at 5:42 pm

        Hi Ami, if you use nutritional yeast instead of vegan parmesan then only add 8tbsp, not 12tbsp. Unless you love nutritional yeast 🙂 Have a nice day!

        Reply
    4. Sara says

      May 07, 2020 at 7:04 pm

      5 stars
      A lot of vegan carbonara recipes are nice but they are not carbonara. THIS is carbonara. I made it hours ago and I'm still thinking about it, it was amazing. Thank you 💚

      Reply
    5. Elizabeth says

      May 04, 2020 at 9:17 am

      5 stars
      Hi, I made this last night without the Parmesan just with extra nooch and it was delicious!!! I saved a cup of pasta water and added it back in the loosen the sauce a little. Loved the texture of the sauce and it did have a real carbonara ‘eggy’ flavour. I used Vivera bacon pieces. I might add a little nutmeg next time. Can’t wait to make this recipe again thank you so much.

      Reply
      • Iosune Robles says

        May 07, 2020 at 1:00 pm

        Hi Elizabeth, so glad you loved it 🙂 Thank you!

        Reply
    6. Tess says

      September 17, 2019 at 4:29 pm

      If using Nooch instead of the vegan parm, would it really be a total of 3/4 cup nooch for the sauce?

      Reply
      • Iosune says

        September 23, 2019 at 12:56 pm

        Hi Tess! I've never tried it myself, but I think so. I would add the nooch gently until the sauce tastes well and has a good texture 🙂

        Reply
    7. KT says

      June 21, 2019 at 8:12 pm

      This came out extremely dry. Regular or silken tofu would have made this recipe a success. I added quite a bit more soy milk to thin it out, but I had to keep adding and adding.

      Reply
      • Iosune says

        June 23, 2019 at 11:09 am

        Hi Kt! My pasta wasn't dry, but feel free to add more liquid or use silken tofu instead 🙂

        Reply
      • Angus says

        February 16, 2020 at 9:34 pm

        Hi.

        I tried this too and it came out really dry. Do you heat through the sauce before adding to the spaghetti?

        Thanks for the recipe.

        Reply
    8. Chlo says

      May 06, 2019 at 1:22 pm

      Can you freeze the sauce (unmixed with the pasta)? I am the only vegan in my family and it would make more sense to create a batch than a single serving!! 🙂

      Reply
      • Iosune says

        May 08, 2019 at 8:52 am

        Hi Chlo! I've never tried it myself, so I'm not sure, sorry! You could try, or just cut down the recipe. Have a nice day!

        Reply
    9. Loretta Laura Ziegler says

      February 17, 2019 at 4:23 pm

      5 stars
      Cooked it for my boyfriend for his night shift.. ended up eating most of it😊

      Reply
      • Iosune says

        February 18, 2019 at 10:41 am

        Hi Loretta! I'm so happy to hear that 🙂

        Reply
    10. Claire says

      December 03, 2018 at 12:24 am

      5 stars
      Incredible recipe! I made it with vegan Easy egg instead of tofu and used smoked tofu for the bacon and the taste is amazing! Carbonara used to be one of my favourite meals and I'm so happy to have it back!!!

      Reply
      • Iosune says

        December 03, 2018 at 9:18 am

        Hi Claire! Sounds great 🙂 So glad you enjoyed it!

        Reply
    11. robert A magno says

      October 26, 2018 at 9:16 pm

      I have not made this recipe yet. Need a reply to the following questions: Can other nuts be used instead of cashews? Is unsweetened Almond milk ok? I'm assuming the soaking of the nuts is to soften them up, discard the liquid and then grind them into a paste?

      Reply
      • Iosune says

        October 27, 2018 at 9:15 am

        Hi Robert! As you can read in the recipe, you can use any type of milk you want. I've never tried this recipe using other nuts, but I think it could work. Yes, just soak them, discard the water and blend them with the rest of the ingredients. Hope you like it!

        Reply
    12. Salad bar buffet says

      April 19, 2018 at 12:29 pm

      4 stars
      The pasta is very dry. i think 1/2 lb of pasta would be better then 1 lb.

      Reply
      • Iosune says

        April 28, 2018 at 5:09 am

        Hi! As you can see in the pictures, our pasta wasn't dry at all. Have you followed all the steps and used the same ingredients?

        Reply
    13. Annabelle says

      March 08, 2018 at 7:13 pm

      If using soaked cashews instead of tofu, how much cashews are needed? And then blend them after?

      Reply
      • Iosune says

        March 25, 2018 at 5:17 am

        Hi Annabelle! I haven't tried this recipe with cashews myself, so I can't help you, sorry! Yes, you need to blend the sauce 🙂

        Reply
    14. Bryan says

      November 30, 2017 at 3:59 am

      This was amazingly good! Any idea on how to make it a touch creamier?

      I added a little black salt for the sulfur taste of eggs.

      Reply
      • Iosune says

        December 01, 2017 at 9:26 am

        Hi Bryan! So glad you liked it 🙂 Add more milk if it's too thick or more tofu if is too liquid. You could also add more fat (tahini, any nut butter, oil). Have a nice day!

        Reply
    15. Megan Davis says

      August 08, 2017 at 10:51 pm

      This recipe looks great! I just made this and it was AMAZING! Thanks for the recipe.

      Reply
      • Iosune says

        August 14, 2017 at 4:28 pm

        Hi Megan! Thanks a lot 🙂 I'm so glad you liked it!

        Reply
    16. Jan Lancaster says

      August 01, 2017 at 8:02 am

      5 stars
      This was so yummy!

      Reply
      • Iosune says

        August 02, 2017 at 11:33 am

        Hi Jan! Thanks a lot 🙂 I'm so glad you liked it!

        Reply
      • Susan Serventi says

        February 04, 2018 at 7:36 am

        What is the white substance on top of the pasta, below the eggplant bacon? (Looks like a fried egg but I know It's not...)

        Reply
        • Iosune says

          February 05, 2018 at 11:20 am

          Hi Susan! It's the sauce, we added more on top 😉

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    Hi, I'm Iosune! Welcome to Simple Vegan Blog. Here you’ll find nutritious and delicious vegan recipes that will help you stay healthy and happy.

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