This vegan carbonara with smoked tofu and a creamy sauce made from cashews, nutritional yeast, and a touch of miso paste is my vegan twist on a classic that’s about to become your new obsession. The recipe is super delicious, easy to make, healthy, and it’s the perfect comfort food!
Why This Recipe Works
I’ve been making this vegan carbonara for almost a decade and it’s still one of my favorite recipes. It’s the perfect example that vegan versions of classic recipes can be just as delicious as their non-vegan counterparts! It’s just as creamy, savory, and comforting as the original.
Smoked tofu is the star in this recipe. It provides this pasta dish with a hearty and smoky flavor that usually comes from bacon or pancetta. I’m a big fan of smoked tofu! I like to pan-fry it until super crispy and browned, then I add a finely chopped onion, a splash of soy sauce, and a pinch of paprika and cook it for a few more minutes.
And of course, we need a creamy and rich sauce to go with the crispy smoked tofu cubes. Cashews really do the trick. They provide the sauce with the perfect creaminess while nutritional yeast gives it that cheesy kick, and miso paste contributes the umami goodness.
Just add all ingredient for the sauce in a high speed blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Don’t worry that it’s rather thin. It will thicken up considerably once being heated. Add it to the pan with the smoked tofu and onion and heat it for a minute or two.
The cashew sauce is incredibly rich and creamy and people won’t believe it’s completely dairy-free! It’s every bit as satisfying as the traditional version.
And the recipe is a breeze to make! From start to finish, you need about 20 minutes, so it is the perfect weeknight meal after a busy day. And it’s also a huge hit with kids. Plus, the recipe is pretty flexible. For example, you could add broccoli or peas for even more nutrients.
So get your ingredients ready and give this vegan carbonara a try. I’m sure you will love it just as much as we do!
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Smoked Tofu – firm tofu that has been baked, seasoned, and smoked.
- Cashews – raw cashews. Not salted or roasted.
- Plant-Based Milk – make sure to use unsweetened almond, oat, or soy milk.
- Nutritional Yeast – it gives the sauce a nutty and cheesy flavor.
- Miso Paste – use yellow or white miso paste. It adds a deep cheesy and nutty flavor to the sauce. You can usually find it in the Asian cuisine aisle where the soy sauce and rice vinegar is.
- Onion & Garlic – both fresh.
- Spaghetti – or fettuccine.
- Parsley – fresh parsley.
- Paprika – one pinch of sweet paprika powder.
- Soy Sauce – or tamari.
- Salt & Pepper
How To Make This Recipe
1. Step: Cook the spaghetti according to the instructions on the package.
2. Step: Finely chop the onion. Cut the smoked tofu into small cubes.
3. Step: Heat some olive oil in a large pan and pan-fry the tofu cubes until crispy and browned on high heat for about 5 minutes. Add the diced onion and cook for another 3 minutes. Then add a splash of soy sauce and a pinch of paprika and stir well. Cook for another minute.
4. Step: Finely chop the parsley.
5. Step: Place all ingredients for the sauce into a high-speed blender.
6. Step: Blend until smooth. Don’t worry, it’s normal that the sauce is rather thin. It will thicken up considerably when being heated.
7. Step: Add the cashew sauce to the pan-fried tofu and heat it on medium heat for 1-2 minutes until it has thickened considerably.
8. Step: Then add the chopped parsley and stir well.
9. Step: Add the cooked spaghetti and stir well.
10. Step: Serve immediately and sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley.
Tips & Tricks
- Make sure to pan-fry the tofu cubes until crispy and browned. I like to cut it into very small cubes.
- If you like, you could also use tempeh instead of smoked tofu.
- Or you could use regular, firm tofu and add two teaspoons of soy sauce and 1/2 teaspoon of liquid smoke.
Storing
Stored in an airtight container, this dish will last up to 3 days in the fridge. However, the sauce won’t be as creamy anymore as the pasta will soak up a lot of the liquid. It’s best served fresh.
Freezing
I wouldn’t recommend freezing this recipe as the texture will change.
Variations
This recipe is super flexible. It’s also great with:
- peas
- broccoli
- baby spinach
- tempeh instead of smoked tofu
For a gluten-free version, use brown rice spaghetti instead of regular spaghetti and tamari instead of soy sauce.
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I Love To Hear From You!
I hope you like this vegan carbonara as much as we do around here.
If you give it a try, I’d love to know what you think about it. Just leave me a comment and a star rating below. Your comments really make my day!
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Sina
Vegan Carbonara
Equipment
- 1 chopping board
- 1 knife
- 1 large pan
Ingredients
For the Pasta:
- 9 oz spaghetti
- 7 oz smoked tofu, cut into small cubes
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 pinch paprika
For the Sauce:
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 1 cup unsweetened soy, oat, or almond milk
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon miso paste
- 1 clove of garlic
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook the spaghetti according to the instructions on the package.
- Finely chop the onion. Cut the smoked tofu into small cubes.
- Heat some olive oil in a large pan and pan-fry the tofu cubes until crispy and browned on high heat for about 5 minutes. Add the diced onion and cook for another 3 minutes. Then add the soy sauce and a pinch of paprika and stir well. Cook for another minute.
- Finely chop the parsley.
- Place all ingredients for the sauce into a high speed blender.
- Blend until smooth. Don't worry, it's normal that the sauce is rather thin. It will thicken up considerably when being heated.
- Add the cashew sauce to the pan-fried tofu and heat it on medium heat for 1-2 minutes until it has thickened considerably.
- Then add the chopped parsley and stir well.
- Add the cooked spaghetti and stir well.
- Serve immediately and sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley.
Notes
- Make sure to pan-fry the tofu cubes until crispy and browned. I like to cut it into very small cubes.
- If you like, you could also use tempeh instead of smoked tofu.
- Or you could use regular, firm tofu and add two teaspoons of soy sauce and 1/2 teaspoon of liquid smoke.
Shannon
This is delicious! What a great way to eat pasta and tofu. Can’t say enough good things about it. Super easy too.