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This Creamy Sweet Corn Pasta is the ultimate summer pasta! Hot al dente pasta tossed with a homemade cream sauce made with sweet summer corn, mild green chilies and a secret ingredient that makes the sauce rich and velvety without heavy cream or cream cheese. Perfect for weeknights and hosting guests!
Table of Contents
There’s nothing we love more than easy dinners that are bold in flavor, yet made with simple ingredients and this sweet corn pasta sauce is exactly that! It’s made with just 8 pantry staples, plus your favorite pasta. It’s also a great way to use up fresh or frozen corn and is the best way to celebrate the end of summer.
If you’re looking for more fresh corn recipes, make sure to check out these popular reader favorites: Avocado Corn Salad, Vegan Street Corn Dip, and Buffalo Vegan Corn on the Cob with Ranch Dressing!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Pasta: Both long spaghetti and short-cut pastas will work well in this summery pasta dish so feel free to use your favorite! If you are gluten-free, opt for your favorite gluten-free pasta.
- Oil: Sautéing your aromatics in a neutral cooking oil helps enhance the flavors and aromas in the dish and creates a greater depth of flavor. However, if you are oil-free, you can easily replace the oil with a splash of vegetable broth or water to help prevent sticking.
- Aromatics: A simple combination of onion, garlic, and salt and pepper create a flavorful foundation in the creamy corn sauce.
- Cashews: Instead of cream, the luscious sauce in this corn pasta is made rich and creamy with raw cashews. We haven’t tested a nut-free version of this pasta dish, but based on our experience recipe testing, raw sunflower seeds would likely be the best substitute. Sunflower seeds are a bit more nutty tasting compared to the mild, buttery flavor of cashews, but they are both commonly used in dairy-free cream sauces.
- Broth: We use our Homemade Vegetable Broth, but any homemade or store-bought broth of choice will work. If you are sensitive to sodium, opt for a low sodium broth and add additional salt to taste, if needed.
- Corn: For ease, we opted for frozen corn kernels, but if you happen to have ears of corn on hand, freshly cut corn kernels would work great as well. You can also use leftover Grilled Corn in the Husk if you have it!
- Green chilies: These mildly spiced chilies add the perfect kick of heat to the creamy sauce without overpowering the flavor.
- Dairy-free parmesan cheese: Any dairy-free parmesan cheese of choice. We highly recommend trying our 4-Ingredient Vegan Parmesan Cheese recipe if you haven’t already. Otherwise, a store-bought version from brands such as Follow Your Heart, Violife, or Go Veggie are popular choices. Or, as a last resort, nutritional yeast is a good substitute that will add a similar cheesy flavor.
Equipment Needed
How to Make Creamy Corn Pasta
- Soak your cashews. You can also soak your cashews in boiling water for 20 minutes or soak them overnight.
- Cook the pasta. In a large pot of salted water, cook the pasta according to package instructions, or until al dente. Before draining, reserve a 1/2 cup of pasta water and set aside.
- Sauté the corn and aromatics. As the pasta cooks, heat a separate large skillet over medium heat. Once warm, add the 2 tablespoons of oil and heat through. Add in the corn kernels and allow the corn to cook for 3-5 minutes. Add in the diced onion and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, until slightly softened and fragrant. Then, add in the thinly sliced garlic and canned green chilis and cook for another 5 minutes, seasoning with salt and black pepper as needed. Once finished, remove one cup of the mixture and set it aside.
- Make the creamy sauce. Into a high-speed blender, add the cashews, 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta cooking water, vegetable broth, lemon juice, and the corn and chili mixture from the skillet (keep aside the reserved cup for tossing with the pasta later!). Blend until smooth and creamy, seasoning with salt and black pepper to taste.
- Combine the pasta and creamy sauce. Transfer the cooked and drained pasta to the skillet and pour the cream sauce over top. Add the reserved cup of corn and chili mixture and dairy-free parmesan. Mix everything together until the pasta is well-coated and combined.
- Serve. Serve the creamy corn pasta while hot with fresh basil, additional dairy-free parmesan and a few cracks of fresh black pepper. Enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
This sweet and savory creamy pasta dish is the perfect main course for busy weeknights when you need something quick and hearty. It’s also easy to double or triple, making it great for serving guests! We love serving it on its own topped with a generous sprinkle of additional dairy-free parmesan, freshly sliced basil, and red pepper flakes for a kick of heat, if desired.
If you’re looking for a few simple side dishes and summer desserts to round out the meal, here are a few of our personal favorites:
Easy side dishes
Appetizers and Sides
Easy Vegan Garlic Bread (4-Ingredients)
Appetizers and Sides
Brussels Sprouts Caesar Salad
Appetizers and Sides
Watermelon Mojito Salad (5-Ingredients)
Appetizers and Sides
Simple Roasted Vegetables
summer desserts
Storage Instructions
This pasta is best enjoyed fresh while the sauce is extra rich and creamy, but leftover pasta will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Over time the pasta will absorb the cream sauce and become significantly thickened.
When reheating in the microwave or in a skillet on the stovetop, add a splash of unsweetened non-dairy milk or vegetable broth to help thin the buttery sauce out again and taste as fresh as possible.
More Summer Corn Recipes You May Enjoy:
Make sure you tag us on Instagram @sweetsimplevegan and @consciouschris and hashtag #sweetsimplevegan if you make this recipe. We love to see your photos!
PrintCreamy Sweet Corn Pasta (No Cream!) Recipe
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 servings
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This Creamy Sweet Corn Pasta is the ultimate summer pasta! Hot al dente pasta tossed with a homemade cream sauce made with sweet summer corn, mild green chilies and a secret ingredient that makes the sauce rich and velvety without heavy cream or cream cheese. Perfect for weeknights and hosting guests!
Ingredients
- 1 cup cashews, soaked
- 1 lb. (16 ounces) pasta of choice
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- Juice from ½ a large lemon
- 1/2 cup pasta water
- ½ cup vegetable broth
- 7 ounces canned green chilies
- 1/2 cup dairy-free parmesan cheese
- Fresh basil, for garnish
- Salt & pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Soak your cashews. You can also soak your cashews in boiling water for 20 minutes or soak them overnight.
- Cook the pasta. In a large pot of salted water, cook the pasta according to package instructions, or until al dente. Before draining, reserve a 1/2 cup of pasta water and set aside.
- Sauté the corn and aromatics. As the pasta cooks, heat a separate large skillet over medium heat. Once warm, add the 2 tablespoons of oil and heat through. Add in the corn kernels and allow the corn to cook, for 3-5 minutes. Add the diced onion and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, until it is slightly softened and fragrant. Then, add in the thinly sliced garlic and canned green chilis and cook for another 5 minutes, seasoning with salt and black pepper as needed. Once finished, remove 1 cup of the mixture and set it aside.
- Make the creamy sauce. Into a high-speed blender, add the cashews, 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta cooking water, vegetable broth, lemon juice, and the corn and chili mixture from the skillet (keep aside the reserved cup for tossing with the pasta later!). Blend until smooth and creamy, seasoning with salt and black pepper to taste.
- Combine the pasta and creamy sauce. Transfer the cooked and drained pasta to the skillet and pour the cream sauce over top. Add the reserved cup of corn and chili mixture and dairy-free parmesan. Mix everything together until the pasta is well-coated and combined.
- Serve. Serve the creamy corn pasta while hot with fresh basil, additional dairy-free parmesan and a few cracks of fresh black pepper. Enjoy!
Notes
- Storage: This pasta is best enjoyed fresh while the sauce is extra rich and creamy, but leftover pasta will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Over time the pasta will absorb the cream sauce and become significantly thickened.
- Reheating: Warm in the microwave or in a skillet on the stovetop, being sure to add a splash of unsweetened non-dairy milk or vegetable broth to help thin the buttery sauce out again and taste as fresh as possible.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stove Top
This is seriously yum, so creamy and sweet! My little girl loved this recipe (I swapped chilies with canned capsicum). Didn’t have vegan parm, but it worked just as well with vegan cheddar. This is going to be a regular weeknight meal for us, thank you so much 🙂
This was so so so good! I made half sauce recipe with 6 oz. of whole wheat shells. I cut the cashews to
1/4 cup and it was very creamy. Also, I saved more pasta water and added quite a bit more when I was warming it all up at the end. Delicious.
Thanks so much for sharing.
I’ve had my eye on this for some time now, so finally made it tonight! I boiled my cashews for 20 min, and I also used canned sweet corn (drained). I didn’t have any Parmesan on hand and opted to not use nutritional yeast. It came out sooo good! The sauce came out super creamy! Just have to blend, blend, blend! It’ll get there! I added in some red pepper flakes at the end and it was just delicious! My non-vegan husband enjoyed it too!!
This was delicious! It is only me, so I halved the recipe, also used niblets canned corn, drained, because I did not have frozen. Just ate the last of the dish today for lunch – it reheats in the oven great with the addition of a little water to keep from drying out. Will be making again (and again).
Easy to make and delicious!