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
Ingredients
- onion
- garlic
- zucchini
- nutritional yeast
- reserved pasta water
- plant milk
- cashew butter
- basil
Instructions
Cook your veggies in a pan.
Blend together sauce.
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
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!
PrintCreamy Vegan Zucchini Pasta with Lemon and Basil
This Creamy Vegan Zucchini Pasta with Lemon and Basil will be your new favorite pasta recipe
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: dinner
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: italian american
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
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
- 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.
- Add zucchini, garlic and onion to a blender along with the rest of the sauce ingredients. Blend until smooth.
- 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
Maral G
Loved this recipe! It was so easy to make and tasted so delicious! Will be making again ?
Marlana Quaill
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 🙂
★★★★★
Max
This was so yum and so easy! This is definitely gonna be my new go to pasta recipe
★★★★★
Signe Lansø
This was so good! I used tahini and added some kale, that I had to use up. Easy, quick and delicious!
★★★★★
Chris
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!
Kristi
I'm so glad you and your son liked it Chris!
Kathleen
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! ?
★★★★★
Jessica
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!!!
★★★★★
Mouna beb
this recipe is booooomb !!! Just tried it and it’s so creamy and delicious ! 10/10
★★★★★
Zoe Kennedy
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!!
★★★★★
nicole
Substituted quite a few of the ingredients but nonetheless I enjoyed the recipe!! Loved it
Juliana
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!
★★★★★
Marine Le Roux
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
★★★★★
Anna
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 🙂
★★★★★
Liesbet
Super delicious & easy recipe! Love it
★★★★★
Lex Cloran
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.
★★★★★
Kristi
Thanks Lex!