Author: A traditional carbonara is made with eggs, bacon or pancetta, and cheese (hello cholesterol bomb). So it's basically just about the least vegan dish there could be... which is why I had so much fun playing around in the kitchen and veganizing it! Not only did I figure out a way to get the creamy blissful sauce and the chewy delicious bites, but this turned out to be a super fast and easy vegan carbonara recipe. Just the way this girl likes it!
For the bacon, I really wanted that salty, smoky, chewy bite. So I marinated some sun-dried tomatoes in soy sauce and liquid smoke.
For the sauce, I wanted that creamy, slightly sticky, rich tasting sauce. So I sautéd up some onions and garlic and then made a super easy creamy sauce using plant-based milk which I seasoned it with black salt to get that signature eggy flavour.
Then I just boiled up some pasta (I opted for bucantini this time) and tossed it all together in a hot pan.
The result? A 20 minute, easy vegan carbonara with the most glorious, creamy coated pasta noodles, and salty, smoky bites of scrumptiousness throughout.
Perfect for a busy weeknight meal, made from ingredients you probably already have in the pantry. Oh my, oh my, I have found a new favourite.
To make Fast and Easy Vegan Carbonara: mix together the sun-dried tomatoes, soy sauce, and liquid smoke in a small bowl and set aside to absorb the flavours while you prepare the rest of the dish.
You want to make sure that you pick up the dry sun-dried tomatoes and not the kind in oil so they can absorb the flavours. If you only have the kind in oil on hand, then shake off the excess oil as much as possible.
The sun-dried tomatoes will be super salty when you taste them as they are, but when you toss them with the creamy vegan carbonara, they chill out and add gorgeous salty pops of flavour throughout, just like bacon.
Whisk in all of the remaining ingredients. Cook the sauce for about 5 minutes until thickened, whisking as needed.
If the sauce gets too thick, add a splash more plant-based milk, and if the sauce is too thin, simply cook it longer.
Add the cooked pasta and the marinated sun-dried tomatoes to the sauce and toss well to combine. Serve hot. Garnish with parsley and parmegan if desired.
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Fast and Easy Vegan Carbonara
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Ingredients
- 400 g pasta of choice, (spaghetti, fettucini, bucantini, or gluten-free if preferred)
For the smoky sun-dried tomato bites:
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes (the dry kind, not in oil), sliced
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- ¼ teaspoon liquid smoke
For the carbonara:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion,, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic,, minced
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour, (gluten-free if preferred)
- 2 ½ cups plant-based milk, (such as soy or almond)
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- ¾ teaspoon black salt, (also called kala namak), use regular salt if preferred
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the package directions.
- Mix together the sun-dried tomatoes, soy sauce, and liquid smoke in a small bowl and set aside to absorb the flavours while you prepare the rest of the dish.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. When hot add the onions and garlic and sauté until the onion turns translucent and begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle over the flour and stir to coat the onions, let cook for about 60 seconds, then whisk in all of the remaining ingredients. Cook the sauce for about 5 minutes until thickened, whisking as needed. If the sauce gets too thick, add a splash more plant-based milk, and if the sauce is too thin, simply cook it longer.
- Add the cooked pasta and the marinated sun-dried tomatoes to the sauce and toss well to combine. Serve hot. Garnish with parsley and parmegan if desired.
Nutrition
⭐ Did You Make This Recipe?
I’d love if you left a rating and comment, it helps others find the recipe and makes my day! 💕Bon appetegan!
Sam.
Layla says
Hi Sam,
Just wanted you to know that I came across this recipe on youtube with my (carnivore) boyfriend, and we ate it for an entire week and modified the recipe multiple times to make lots of different dishes. Your videos are wonderful and I hope you continue to receive success! x
Sam Turnbull says
Aww thank you so much, Layla!! Thrilled you enjoyed the recipe so much 🙂
Yen says
Usually when i try a new vegan recipe, i almost never end up liking it. This however is AMAZING! Made it just now. I didn't have sun dried tomatoes so instead i sauteed some mushrooms in soy sauce and threw that in at the end and it was perfect. Only other thing i changed was i used almond milk. This tasted great. Two for two on your recipes as I've tried the vegan chili and loved it as well. Will be making more of your recipes very soon.
Thanks for sharing!
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful! Thrilled you are enjoying my recipes so much, Yen 🙂
Jo says
We made this recipe for dinner and absolutely loved it! We made some slight alterations for what we had on hand:
Added an extra 1/2 tsp of black salt
Added an extra 1 tbsp of nutritional yeast.
Used a mixture of oatly culinary cream and oat milk.
Used corn flour to make it GF.
It was so delicious! Can't understand how anyone can say this is bland. It's simple but really tasty.
Sam Turnbull says
That's wonderful, Jo! Thrilled you loved it so much 🙂
Tee Jacober says
Hi! Made this for lunch today and while it didn't look like yours, or taste like the original I still found it incredibly tasty! This is definitely going on my "keep" list! Thank you
Sam Turnbull says
Haha, well I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Conrad says
I made this today with a few twists (didn't have liquid smoke, so I added some smoked paprika to the soy sauce before marinating the tomatos, I also added some baked zucchini because yumm). The sauce was indeed creamy, it's almost strange how eggy it tastes with the black salt. I think I'll try almond milk next time, I feel like soy milk leaves a bit of an aftertaste. I haven't had a carbonara in about 15 years, so I can't really compare it to the original, but it was definitely everything you promised 🙂 My boyfriend loved it too despite not being a pasta guy at all. I'm actually eating reheated left-overs as I'm writing this 🙂 Thanks for your lovely blog and ingenious recipes, Sam! <3
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoyed it, Conrad!
Alocasia says
Made this recipe tonight, and we love it. I did add chili flakes and some additional kala namak, and I used coconut aminos in place of the soy sauce.. Fantastic recipe.. Thanks!
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful! Thrilled you enjoyed it so much !
Jenn says
Made this tonight. Agreed with some other comments that the sauce was a tiny bit bland, but I added in some hili flakes and extra nooch and loved it! I also ended up rinsing the tomato bits because I find liquid smoke so overwhelming... they were pretty salty but delicious in the pasta! I made the amount for two servings, but I ate almost all of it myself. So fantastic!
Sam Turnbull says
Glad you enjoyed, Jenn 😉
Jatal says
This was fantastic! I didn't have sundries tomatoes handy so, instead I used steamed broccoli and mushrooms. I also added crushed red pepper for some spice. I will definitely make this again.
Sam Turnbull says
Glad you enjoyed it!
Steve says
I really liked this! Easy, fast, and tasty. What more do you want?
I am new to vegan cooking and this web site has been a great help. I'm looking forward to trying more of the recipes.
Sam Turnbull says
Thrilled you are enjoying it, Steve 🙂
Kaedama says
Delicious and easy to make! I loved that the sauce was really creamy and could be dressed up different ways.
For example, I added mushrooms and frozen peas, but it would also be great with broccoli or oven roasted brussel sprouts.
I didn’t have liquid smoke, but added a dash of cumin and cayenne to the soy sauce and it worked well.
Thanks for a great recipe!
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful! So happy you enjoyed it, Kaedama 🙂
Cher says
My husband and I really didn't care for this. The sauce was bland & neither of us cared for the tomatoes. Plus the recipe wasn't clear if the extra marinade should be added or not. I added it and honestly it was the only flavor the sauce had even with adding extra nooch.
Sam Turnbull says
Sorry you didn't enjoy it, Cher.
Suzy says
Yes, yes, and yes! This was fabulous!!! I had some Rippl (vegan) half and half that I had leftover and it really made for a dreamy creamy sauce! My only error, and I'm not sure how it affected it, was adding "all the remaining ingredients" (including the tomatoes!) to the sauce. Then I read further down where they weren't supposed to be added until the cooked noodles were. I think they nicely imparted the smoky flavor into the sauce, so it's an "error" I'll likely make again and again! This will stay in rotation for sure. So quick and easy. I served with steamed broccoli and cauliflower. Perfect dinner!
Sam Turnbull says
It's totally ok to add the tomatoes earlier, it just may tint your sauce a little brown. So happy you enjoyed it, Suzy!
Julianne Cochran says
So delicious! Thank you for making my evening!
Sam Turnbull says
Woohoo! Thrilled you enjoyed it so much, Julianne 🙂
Patti says
Brilliant! I absolutely love the smoky, salty sun dried tomatoes!!
That is genius, Sam! Thank you : )
Sam Turnbull says
Woohoo! Thanks Patti! Thrilled you enjoyed 🙂
Joanne says
Wow! This was so easy and delicious! I also added more nutritional yeast - love that stuff! I had a beautiful bunch of broccoli so I added a handful of florets to the pasta for the last 3 minutes. Once again, no leftovers! I restrained myself, but spouse finished it off! Fortunately, he bikes long distances.....
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! Awesome! Thrilled you both enjoyed it so much 🙂
Bruce says
So. Friggin. Delish. I want this all the time. I made it with brown rice spaghetti and coconut milk so it came out super creamy and slightly sweet. The sun-dried tomatoes with liquid smoke and soy is brilliant. I want them on all the things!
Sam Turnbull says
Bahahaha! Love it! 😀
Heather says
This worked great even with me running out of milk and adding pasta water. Also did frozen white onions because I hate cutting onions and the store was out of the frozen yellow. Kid wasn't impressed only because she hates tomatoes unless it is ketchup. Will definitely make again. With ALL the dairy milk next time.
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful, so happy you enjoyed it, Heather 🙂
blinktech says
Crunchy and chewy snacks like these are my favorite kind. Btw, I am a New Girl fan too. Binge watched all seasons
Sam Turnbull says
Aww thanks for being a fan!
Tori says
Hi Sam! This looks amazing and I will definitely be cooking this one up soon. I've been cooking out of your book as well, which my whole family agrees is our favorite recipe book by far. I made some more of your chocolate chip cookies last night as well! I am so excited to make more delicious dishes from it! I do have a recipe suggestion, a vegan Clam Chowder! I loved clam chowder before, and during trips to the coast I always wish there was something I could make that was similar! I've seen several vegan versions of the dish, but they all include mushrooms as the sub for clams. Mushrooms as great for others, but I really do not like them as they make me sick. If anyone could make a mushroom-free (or mushroom optional) Clam Chowder, it would be you! Just a gentle request! <3
Sam Turnbull says
Aww wow, that's amazing! So happy you are enjoying my book so much 🙂 Clam chowder is a great idea, I will add it to my recipe idealist! I do have a potato chowder which may help the cravings in the meantime. Thanks for the idea! 🙂
Tori says
Thank you, that's so awesome! I will definitely check out your potato chowder soon! 🙂
Amber Lihou says
This was so delicious. Quadrupled the amount of nooch though (can never have too much!). Picky hubby also loved it. Going on the favourites list!
Thanks for another great recipe. 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Bhahaha! Love it! So happy you enjoyed it so much, Amber 🙂