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    Home » Lunch and Dinner

    Creamy Vegan Zucchini Pasta with Lemon and Basil

    Published: Aug 5, 2021 · Modified: May 5, 2023 by Kristi · This post may contain affiliate links · 17 Comments

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe
    creamy vegan zucchini pasta

    Personally, I love vegetables and have never had a problem eating them. However, the way vegetables are prepared can drastically change the way they taste. A great way to sneak in veggies to a veggie hater is to make a pasta sauce out of them. This Creamy Vegan Zucchini Pasta with Lemon and Basil is a delicious way to sneak in veggies.

    All you need for this recipe is a few ingredients you have on hand. The zucchini, onions and garlic are cooked up in a pan and then thrown into a blender with the rest of the ingredients. That makes this a 15 minute meal, perfect for those hectic weeknights. For some extra protein I added white beans, but feel free to sub out whatever protein you choose!

    This creamy zucchini pasta is

    • vegan, vegetarian, plant based and gluten free
    • packed with veggies
    • easy to make
    • delicious and flavorful
    • healthy
    creamy vegan zucchini basil pasta

    Ingredients

    • onion
    • garlic
    • zucchini
    • nutritional yeast
    • reserved pasta water
    • plant milk
    • cashew butter
    • basil

    Instructions

    vegetables in pan

    Cook your veggies in a pan.

    zucchini sauce in blender

    Blend together sauce.

    creamy vegan zucchini pasta with basil and lemon

    Serve and enjoy!

    Storage instructions

    Store the leftover pasta in a sealed container in your fridge for up to 3 days.

    FAQ

    What does zucchini pasta sauce taste like?

    This pasta sauce has the best flavor. Its cheesy and flavorful with a bright veggie flavor. Seriously, the best!

    Substitutions

    • Basil - can be subbed with parsley
    • Cashew butter - can be subbed with raw cashews or tahini

    Other vegan pasta recipes to try

    • sundried tomato pasta
    • roasted garlic tahini pasta
    • creamy silken tofu tomato pasta sauce

    If you make this Creamy Vegan Zucchini Pasta with Lemon and Basil, let me know what you think in the comments!

    Tag me on Instagram so I can repost you!

    Print

    Creamy Vegan Zucchini Pasta with Lemon and Basil

    creamy basil zucchini pasta with lemon
    Print Recipe

    ★★★★★

    5 from 12 reviews

    This Creamy Vegan Zucchini Pasta with Lemon and Basil will be your new favorite pasta recipe

    • Author: kristi roeder
    • Prep Time: 5
    • Cook Time: 15
    • Total Time: 20 minutes
    • Yield: 4 1x
    • Category: dinner
    • Method: stovetop
    • Cuisine: italian american
    • Diet: Vegan

    Ingredients

    Scale

    This makes enough sauce for up to 4 servings

    Sauce

    • ½ onion - finely diced
    • 4 cloves garlic - minced
    • 2 medium or 4 small zucchinis - roughly chopped
    • 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
    • ¼ cup reserved pasta water (make sure it is heavily salted)
    • ¾ cup plant milk
    • ¼ cup cashew butter (can sub tahini if allergic)
    • 1 cup basil
    • juice from ½ lemon
    • salt/pepper to taste

    +Pasta of Choice and optional 2 cups white beans (from 1 can beans) for protein

    Instructions

    1. Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Add onions and cook for 5 minutes. Add garlic and zucchini. Cook until tender, about 10 more minutes.
    2. Add zucchini, garlic and onion to a blender along with the rest of the sauce ingredients. Blend until smooth.
    3. Mix sauce with pasta and white beans if using.

    Notes

    This makes enough sauce for about 4 servings of pasta

    Keywords: creamy vegan pasta, Creamy Vegan Zucchini Pasta with Lemon and Basil

    Did you make this recipe?

    Share a photo and tag us — we can't wait to see what you've made!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Maral G

      August 10, 2021 at 4:47 pm

      Loved this recipe! It was so easy to make and tasted so delicious! Will be making again ?

      Reply
    2. Marlana Quaill

      August 16, 2021 at 3:05 pm

      This was delicious!! I subbed tahini, shallots, and a little bit of pesto in replace of fresh basil! Was so tasty - nutritional yeast and lemon brought all these flavors together. Yum 🙂

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    3. Max

      August 17, 2021 at 11:29 am

      This was so yum and so easy! This is definitely gonna be my new go to pasta recipe

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    4. Signe Lansø

      August 20, 2021 at 7:07 pm

      This was so good! I used tahini and added some kale, that I had to use up. Easy, quick and delicious!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Chris

        December 03, 2022 at 4:46 am

        Thank you for this recipe. My son hates tomato sauce and I've been looking for a good alternative that is healthy. He hates zucchini and he still loved this over his spaghetti! 🏆 winner!

        Reply
        • Kristi

          December 03, 2022 at 2:28 pm

          I'm so glad you and your son liked it Chris!

          Reply
    5. Kathleen

      May 28, 2022 at 3:16 pm

      I didn’t have every ingredient so I did some substitutions (kale for the spinach, no nutritional yeast, no basil) but it was delish! I am so excited to repeat this recipe fully! ?

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    6. Jessica

      May 28, 2022 at 11:40 pm

      WOW! I loved making this dish. I’ve recently been on a “no meat” journey as I like to call it, and have been struggling to find vegetarian dishes I truly enjoy packed with nutrients and flavor.

      This dish was very simple to make, and tasted amazing. I added in some sun dried tomatoes and shrimp for extra flavor and protein and it hit the spot!! I even made extra sauce and added it to other dishes I made for the next few days.

      Definitely a must try!!!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    7. Mouna beb

      May 30, 2022 at 6:51 pm

      this recipe is booooomb !!! Just tried it and it’s so creamy and delicious ! 10/10

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    8. Zoe Kennedy

      May 31, 2022 at 11:32 pm

      I loved this recipe, super flavorful and made me feel healthy while still eating pasta ? I used tahini and spinach because I didn't have basil and it was still amazing. I can't wait to try this again. Super quick and easy meal!!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    9. nicole

      June 02, 2022 at 10:39 pm

      Substituted quite a few of the ingredients but nonetheless I enjoyed the recipe!! Loved it

      Reply
    10. Juliana

      June 06, 2022 at 11:27 pm

      Absolutely love this recipe! Super quick and easy to make, and so creamy despite not having any dairy. I added some sautéed zucchini zoodles because I’m trying to cut my carb intake and used spinach spaghetti and it was amazing!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    11. Marine Le Roux

      June 12, 2022 at 3:16 pm

      Loved it! First the color is so unique and so nice that I enjoyed eating my pastas! Then I love the fact that this version is healthy and vegan! With zucchini it’s a guilt free pleasure ? I recommend! And also.. so easy to make! You definitely can impress your guest with this recipe! Xx

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Anna

        June 28, 2022 at 3:25 am

        this was delicious seriously, i will probably have this recipe on regular rotation because it’s not too hard & the flavor ticks all the boxes for me 🙂

        ★★★★★

        Reply
    12. Liesbet

      August 16, 2022 at 8:53 pm

      Super delicious & easy recipe! Love it

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    13. Lex Cloran

      May 22, 2023 at 12:21 pm

      This pasta was absolutely delicious! Very creamy, flavorful and simple! The only changes I made were to sautee the veggies with some seasonings for more flavor, and crushed red pepper flakes for heat. I also doubles the amount of lemon juice, but I LOVE lemon personally. It makes the flavor pop so much! Will definitely make this one again, and can see it being a quick easy weeknight meal.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Kristi

        May 22, 2023 at 1:41 pm

        Thanks Lex!

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Kristi! Welcome to Avocado Skillet! My goal is to help everyone eat more plant based meals, whether that's one meal a day, a week or a month. I want to show you that eating plant based can be delicious, fun and uncomplicated.

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