This vegan sweet potato pasta sauce is a great way to get the creaminess of a classic alfredo sauce but in a lighter and vegan cheese sauce! The recipe is easy to make, dairy-free, gluten-free, and so healthy!
Healthy Vegan Cheese Pasta Sauce
This easy and creamy pasta sauce tastes absolutely delicious! I have already shared this recipe years ago. But because I love it so much, I have now updated the old post with new photos and a recipe video. The creamy pasta sauce is only made with sweet potatoes, cashews (coconut cream will do too), and some spices. That’s it! Actually, it’s the result of combining my favorite 3 vegan cheese sauce recipes – Vegan Mac and Cheese, Pumpkin Mac and Cheese and my Vegan Alfredo Pasta sauce.
Also, I opted to use sweet potatoes instead of using regular potatoes. Not only because I still had some left over from the Sweet Potato Gnocchi I made a while ago, but also because they have such a soft texture and such a delicious flavor with a delightful sweetness. And the best is, they’ll make your pasta sauce super creamy and yummy!
Creamy vegan sweet potato pasta sauce
If you’ve never tried to make a creamy sauce from sweet potatoes, it’s definitely time to give it a try. I‘m pretty sure you’ll love it! Not only the taste and creaminess are amazing but you’ll also love the simplicity. You only need 3 simple basic ingredients (sweet potatoes, cashews and veggie broth) and the rest is up to you! Feel free to add any add-ins and seasonings you like. I also like to add other veggies, such as pumpkin or squash, cauliflower, regular potatoes, carrots, etc. So just get creative and use whatever you have on hand.
How to make this quick and easy Pasta Sauce
As always, I recommend checking out this step-by-step instruction and the recipe video first. Then you’ll find the full recipe with exact measurements in the recipe card below!
To make this vegan sweet potato pasta sauce, start with cooking the cashews and sweet potato until soft. You can also microwave your potato. Simply pierce the potato several times with a fork, then put it in the microwave and heat for about 7-10 minutes until fork-tender. However, if you’re not short on time, I recommend baking your sweet potato because it gets more flavorful when it’s oven roasted.
To save time I usually roast it ahead, for example in the morning or the day before, so it’s ready to use when I want to make the sauce. After baking the sweet potato you can start making the sauce immediately. Peel the sweet potato, add to a blender along with the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth and creamy. If you don’t have a blender, you can also use a simple immersion blender. But please take note that the stronger your blender is, the creamier the sauce gets. Anyway, I always use a high-speed blender, and I assure you that it makes the best and creamiest sauces, soups, smoothies, ice cream, etc. ever!
Can I make vegan cheese sauce without Cashews?
Yes! The classic vegan Alfredo sauce and vegan Mac and cheese sauce are usually made with cashews, however, here are no cashews required. I personally like the sauce best when it’s made with cashews. However, you can also substitute with coconut cream which makes the sauce creamy and delicious as well.
Actually, coconut cream is the solid part of coconut milk that you get after chilling a can of coconut milk untouched for at least 24 hours. However, if you don’t like the coconut flavor, you can just replace some of the vegetable broth with dairy-free cooking cream like oat or soy cuisine.
This creamy vegan sweet potato pasta sauce is:
- Vegan
- Plant-based
- Healthy
- Creamy
- Cheesy
- Flavorful
- Easy and quick to make
- So Delicious!
- Perfect for any dishes!
The perfect Vegan Cheese sauce for any meals
You can serve this sweet potato sauce with any hearty meals you like. It not only tastes delicious with pasta but also with veggies, potatoes, rice or other grains. It also makes a great vegan cheese sauce for snacks, such as Pizza, Burger, Burrito Samosas, Quesadillas, French Fries, Empanadas and much more! To me, the taste and color remind of vegan nacho cheese sauce. It’s so GOOD!
More easy Vegan Pasta Recipes to try
- Vegan Broccoli Mac and Cheese
- Cauliflower Alfredo Pasta
- Spinach and Mushroom Pasta
- Creamy Pumpkin Alfredo Pasta
- Spaghetti Carbonara
- Lentil Zucchini Lasagna
- Vegan Lentil Bolognese
- Creamy Vegan Lemon Pasta
- Roasted Red Pepper Pasta Sauce
- Lentil Mushroom Ragu
- Creamed Spinach Pasta
- Creamy Tomato Pasta
If you try this easy vegan sweet potato pasta sauce recipe, feel free to leave me a comment and a star rating! And if you share a photo of your delicious pasta dish on Instagram, please tag me @biancazapatka and use the hashtag #biancazapatka because I love seeing your creations! Happy cooking! 🙂
Creamy Vegan Pasta Cheese Sauce
Author:Ingredients
- 1 (350 g) sweet potato approx. 12 oz
- ½ tbsp olive, canola or coconut oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 2-3 garlic cloves chopped
- ½ cup (75 g) cashews or cashew butter or sub coconut cream or dairy-free cooking cream, if nut-free*
- 1 cup (240 ml) vegetable broth or water to desired consistency
- 2-3 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes optional
- 1 tsp paprika powder optional
- ¼ tsp turmeric optional
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp lemon juice optional
To serve (optional)
- 12 oz (350 g) pasta gluten-free, if desired
- vegan parmesan
- chili flakes
- fresh herbs
Instructions
*Note: Feel free to check out the recipe video + step-by-step pictures above!
- Peel and dice the sweet potato and place in a pot with the cashews and vegetable broth (or water). Cover with water and cook, covered, for about 10 minutes, or until soft.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions in a pot of salted water.
- While the pasta is boiling, heat the oil in a pan. Add the onion, stir and cook until translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Then add garlic and cook for one minute longer.
- Add the onions and garlic to a blender along with the soft sweet potato, cashews + cooking water, nutritional yeast, paprika powder, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth and creamy. Add more water and seasonings as needed.
- Once the pasta is 'al dente', drain, and combine with the sauce. Garnish with fresh chopped herbs, chili flakes and vegan parmesan cheese if you like.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- You can fill the sauce into a sealed jar and store it in the fridge if you want to serve it later. It will last for up to 5 days in the fridge, or you can freeze it for even longer.
- Please make sure to store leftover sauce apart from the pasta. Otherwise it gets sticky. It’s always best served with new cooked vegan pasta.
- For nut-free version, please read the text above!
- The nutritional information is calculated for 1 serving pasta sauce of 4.
- This recipe was firstly published at 12/03/2018.
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I have made five cheese sauces, this being one of the best and even nicer for helping use sweet potatoes.
Glad you love it! Thanks a lot 😊
This is such a delicious sauce. So simple yet so tasty!
I’m so glad you liked it 🙂 Thank you so much for the great feedback! ♡