Vegan Pasta Carbonara Recipe (2024)

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Vegan Carbonara sauce recipe made with cashews, spices, seitan bacon and black salt or Kala Namak that isn’t even black in color actually, go figure..but it gives the ultimate Carbonara flavor. Toss with spaghetti or your favorite pasta noodles like fettuccine or bucatini. Easy, creamy, dairy free sauce that is insanely delicious!

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Vegan Carbonara

Carbonara is a white Italian pasta sauce from Rome traditionally made with cholesterol loaded raw eggs, cheese, guanciale or pancetta and freshly cracked black pepper. Scary stuff but not anymore you guys because I made us the ultimate meatless and dairy free carbonara!

  • Super creamy
  • Luscious
  • Cruelty free
  • No cholesterol
  • Meatless
  • Fast & easy
  • Incredibly tasty.

The Bacon / Guanciale / Pancetta

I’ve experimented with a few vegan options here, from mushrooms to coconut bacon to smoky tempeh to finally the seitan bacon. They are all delicious but the seitan hits every single checkmark: chewy, smoky and salty, absolute perfection.

I used the store bought Benevolent Bacon from Sweet Earth but of course you can make your own from scratch if you prefer.

The Vegan Carbonara Sauce

  1. It has to be rich and silky and creamy with just a little bit of eggy flavor.
  2. Enter black salt Kala Namak known for its magical property to make dishes taste eggy. I don’t know exactly how but it really works, especially when combined with a little dijon mustard and creamy cashews. Alchemy at its finest and not one drop of oil is required.
  3. This sauce is totally oil free and raw, you don’t even need to heat it up in a skillet, unless you want to of course. It’s made in the blender and tossed with your hot pasta of choice and sprinkled with the vegan bacon.
  4. Turmeric for color is optional. I only used 1/8 of a teaspoon anyways, that’s the tiniest pinch ever and you need to keep it that way or leave it out altogether. Trust me, you don’t want your Carbonara to taste anything like turmeric but you want to take advantage of its natural color to give your sauce a little golden boost.

The Pasta

There’s always whole grain spaghetti in my pantry so I’ll usually reach for a box of those but any long noodles work great here. Egg free fettuccine and bucatini are some of my favorites but i can see this sauce work with smaller shapes like orecchiette or penne if that’s what you have in the kitchen.

how to make it:

Vegan Pasta Carbonara Recipe (7)

5 from 2 votes

Vegan Pasta Carbonara

Vegan Carbonara sauce recipe made with cashews, spices, vegan sietan bacon and black salt or Kala Namak for the ultimate Carbonara flavor.

Print Recipe

Prep Time:5 minutes mins

Soaking Cashews:20 minutes mins

Total Time:25 minutes mins

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Rinse the cashews and add them to a powerful blender together with the hot water, nutritional yeast, mustard, garlic, turmeric, onion powder and black salt. Allow to soak for 20 minutes then process until completely smooth. Set your sauce aside until needed!

  • Cook the vegan bacon according to the package instructions. I like to cook mine in the toaster oven so no extra oil is needed. You can pan sear it then cut it into small pieces.

  • Meanwhile boil the spaghetti until al dente. Drain and add to a large mixing bowl together with the Carbonara sauce, half of the cooked vegan bacon and half of the parsley. Give everything a good toss to coat and adjust seasonings.

  • If you prefer your Carbonara with a little tang this is the time to hit it with a squeeze of lemon. I prefer it without but you are the boss of your kitchen.

  • Divide between bowls and serve sprinkled with the reserved sietan bacon, parsley and freshly cracked black pepper.

Notes

Don't worry if you do not have black salt (Kala Namak) make the recipe anyways using regular sea salt, it will still taste amazing.

Nutrition

Calories: 915kcal | Carbohydrates: 116g | Protein: 47g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Sodium: 410mg | Potassium: 1272mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 842IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 151mg | Iron: 9mg

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: plant based, vegan carbonara, vegan,

Servings: 2 people

Calories: 915kcal

Author: Florentina

Pasta Recipes:

Vegan Pasta Carbonara Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is a good substitute for meat in carbonara? ›

Carbonara is traditionally made with guanciale, or cured pork jowl, though pancetta is often substituted, and both are fatty, salty and deeply savoury.

What is a vegan substitute for guanciale? ›

To make it, let's start with the recipe for tempeh bacon, which is going to be our replacement for the “guanciale”, the cheek of the pig, used in carbonara. You can also use tofu or seitan for this recipe, but in my opinion, tempeh is the best choice.

What is the golden rule of cooking a carbonara? ›

Whisk Like You Mean It

You're using more egg yolks than whites here, which is what makes carbonara so rich and luxurious. But there's still two eggs-worth of whites in there. Whisking your eggs so that the whites are completely incorporated into the yolks will give your sauce a more uniform texture.

Which ingredient should never be used in traditional carbonara? ›

What not to put in Spaghetti Carbonara? Don't put garlic, cream, milk or butter. It is not needed. It is fine if you want to make a dish with those ingredients, but if you want to learn how to make this dish correctly, use only pecorino, eggs/egg yolks, black pepper, guanciale, and pasta water.

What is a vegan alternative to pancetta? ›

Make the vegan pancetta

You can skip pressing by using the super firm tofu that is vacuum packed. Cut the tofu into small cubes. In a large bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, tomato paste, olive oil, garlic powder and liquid smoke. Add the tofu pieces and stir well to coat in the sauce.

Why no garlic in carbonara? ›

Because in the traditional recipe there is no garlic, if you add it you will lower quality of a very good food. Why is there no garlic in carbonara? Because it's an Italian dish, not an Italian-American dish, and Italian cooking does not use garlic as heavily as Italian-American cuisine.

Why don t Italians use cream in carbonara? ›

In general, in Italy we have a bad opinion of cream. We prefer to use other ingredients, we consider the cream a "corrector" of culinary errors. If a restaurant puts cream in risotto or pasta, we Italians think it's a bad restaurant. However, there are dishes that contain cream and people who use it more than others.

How does Gordon Ramsay make carbonara sauce? ›

How to make Gordon Ramsay's 10-minute Carbonara
  1. 125g of spaghetti (4.41 ounces)
  2. 80g of streaky bacon or pancetta (2.82 ounces)
  3. 30g of frozen peas (1.06 ounces)
  4. Two eggs.
  5. Two mushrooms.
  6. One chili.
  7. Two garlic gloves.
  8. One and a half tablespoons of creme fraiche.
Nov 7, 2023

Is there a vegan version of prosciutto? ›

What Is Vegan Prosciutto? Vegan prosciutto replicates the gossamer cured ham with a subtly seasoned brine, leaning on Sugimoto shiitake powder for an unmistakable umami flavor. Purely savory and rich, there's no overt mushroom character to detract from the experience.

What is the American equivalent of guanciale? ›

A good substitute for guanciale in a carbonara sauce is pancetta. Pancetta is an Italian cured pork belly that has a similar flavor and texture to guanciale. If you can't find pancetta, you can also use bacon as an alternative, although it has a slightly different smoky flavor.

What is a vegan substitute for pork flavor? ›

Mushrooms. Many supermarkets offer close to a dozen varieties of mushrooms each with their own unique characteristics. Whether shiitakes, Portobellos, or creminis, mushrooms come loaded with umami and have a chewy, satisfying texture, making them perfect replacements for meat, especially pork.

Do Italians put cream in pasta carbonara? ›

Should carbonara have cream? Typically carbonara sauce is only made of eggs, bacon, parmesan, olive oil, seasoning, and sometimes, vegetables. As for cream, Italians will tell you that is a big no no.

Should carbonara have cream in it? ›

And indeed, there's plenty of recipes that cheat by adding in cream. But today, we're making spaghetti carbonara properly, the authentic, traditional way. No cream. Just egg, cheese and a splash of starchy pasta cooking water.

Do you put raw egg in carbonara? ›

What distinguishes carbonara from other pasta dishes is its technique of combining eggs, hard cheese, cured pork, and black pepper into a rich, silky sauce. This recipe calls for raw eggs that are gently cooked by the hot sauce. If you prefer, you can use pasteurized eggs instead.

What is carbonara made of? ›

Carbonara (Italian: [karboˈnaːra]) is a pasta dish made with eggs, hard cheese, fatty cured pork, and black pepper. The dish took its modern form and name in the middle of the 20th century. The cheese is usually pecorino romano. Some variations use Parmesan, Grana Padano, or a combination of cheeses.

What does vegan pasta have in it? ›

Gluten-free and vegan varieties tend to replace durum wheat with a different kind of flour that doesn't contain gluten, such as rice or corn flour, and like other dried varieties they don't use eggs so are also gluten-free. Check out Dove Farms pasta, who tick both boxes.

What is traditional carbonara made of? ›

Carbonara is made with guanciale (cured pork), eggs, Pecorino Romano cheese, spaghetti pasta, and lots of black pepper. Italians don't add extra ingredients like cream, milk, garlic, or onions.

What makes vegan pasta vegan? ›

Most pasta is made from wheat flour and water, both of which are vegan. However, some pasta may contain eggs or milk, so it's important to check the label before you buy it. You can also find vegan pasta made with alternative flours, such as chickpea flour or lentil flour.

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