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Learn how to make a creamy, restaurant-worthy vegan penne alla vodka in your home kitchen! It’s made with simple ingredients and just 30 minutes. Serve as an easy weeknight meal or date-night main course!
Table of Contents
Penne alla Vodka History
The exact origins of penne alla vodka are unclear, and will vary depending on who you ask. Two places that claim its origin are Italy and New York. But, regardless of its source, the traditional dish has roots in Italian cuisine and has become one of the most popular pasta dishes in the United States.
As you may know, traditional penne alla vodka is typically made creamy with heavy cream and dairy parmesan cheese. We’ve put our vegan spin on the traditional version and we’re stoked to share the recipe with you. It’s a dead ringer for the classic and is a vegan pasta recipe you won’t want to miss out on!
And if you’re craving Italian, make sure to check out our popular classics. From Vegan Lasagna, Vegan Baked Ziti, Vegan Bolognese, Spaghetti Carbonara, Pesto Pasta, Ravioli, Pasta Primavera, Fettuccine Alfredo, Vegan Cacio e Pepe, and more. We have it all!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Raw cashews: Instead of using dairy-ladened heavy cream, we opted for an easy vegan swap – cashew cream! We will teach you how to make your own cashew cream from scratch using raw cashews.
- Vegetable broth: We like to use our Homemade Vegetable Broth, but any store-bought version works well. You can also use a vegan chicken broth if you have it.
- Crushed tomatoes: We prefer to use San Marzano tomatoes as they are sweeter, less acidic, and more flavorful than Roma tomatoes, but use what you have access to.
- Oil: Used to sauté the aromatics and infuse additional flavor into the vodka sauce. We recommend olive oil or vegan butter.
- Aromatics: A simple yet essential aromatic blend of flavors to start this dish off right.
- Red pepper flakes: Add a minimal yet balanced amount of heat. Feel free to add additional pepper flakes as desired. If you love spicy tomato pasta sauces, make sure to try our Penne all’Arrabbiata!
- Vodka: We recommend a smooth, neutral, middle-of-the-road vodka. Save your more expensive vodkas for cocktails.
- Tomato Paste: Add rich, concentrated tomato flavor to the vodka sauce.
- Basil: Used in the sauce and also for garnish for a pop of color and freshness.
- Dried Oregano: If you want to use fresh, opt for 3x the amount, or to taste.
- Vegan Parmesan Cheese: Feel free to use our homemade Vegan Parmesan Cheese recipe or your favorite store-bought brand. We like Violife and Follow Your Heart.
- Pasta: For a traditional-inspired vegan vodka pasta, opt for penne pasta. Rigatoni also works well, or swap in any pasta you have on hand. Gluten-free pasta works well here, if desired.
Optional Add-ins
This vegan penne alla vodka is the perfect base for your favorite vegan protein. You can also add in your favorite sautéed veggies. Here are a few of our favorite additions:
Protein Ideas
- Vegan Italian sausage
- Vegan shrimp
- Vegan bacon
- Vegan chicken
- Crispy tofu
- Italian-seasoned tempeh
Veggies
- Mushrooms
- Zucchini
- Bell peppers
- Spinach or kale
- Cherry tomatoes
- Asparagus
- Broccoli
Equipment Needed
How to Make Vegan Penne alla Vodka
- Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water before draining.
- Make the creamy sauce base. Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, remove the pot from the heat and add the cashews. Soak for 20 minutes, or until softened, then drain and transfer to a high-speed blender along with 1/2 cup water or broth and half of the 28-ounce can of tomatoes. Blend on high until smooth. Set aside.
- Sauté the aromatics. In a separate large pan over medium heat, add the olive oil. Once warm, add the shallot and sauté, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and continue to cook until the shallots are translucent and the garlic is fragrant, another 2 minutes.
- Simmer the vegan vodka sauce. Next, add the vodka, remaining crushed tomatoes, blended cashew mixture, tomato paste, basil and oregano. Bring the mixture to a low boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until the vodka sauce has thickened and the alcohol has cooked off. Stir often to prevent burning.
- Add vegan parmesan cheese. Once the sauce has thickened to your liking, mix in the vegan parmesan cheese and season with salt and black pepper to taste. Stir in the pasta water, as needed, to make the sauce smooth and silky.
- Serve. Serve the sauce over your favorite penne and top with fresh parsley, fresh basil, and/or extra vegan parmesan cheese, as desired. Enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
We love enjoying this vegan penne alla vodka as a main course on a busy weeknight, but it’s also elevated enough to serve for a special occasion. Pair it with your favorite crusty bread, like Vegan Garlic Bread or Vegan Focaccia and a light side salad, like this Brussels Sprouts Caesar Salad.
Recipe FAQs
Don’t worry; the alcohol cooks off, and you won’t be getting drunk from eating this pasta sauce. Vodka adds to the recipe’s aroma and acts as an emulsifier for the sauce, allowing the cream to meld with the tomato base.
All of the ingredients in the vegan vodka sauce are naturally vegan without substitutions. If you’d like to make the pasta dish as a whole gluten-free, just swap in your favorite gluten-free pasta and serve with gluten-free friendly side dishes.
Cashews are a key ingredient for making this tomato sauce rich and creamy. You may be able to swap the raw cashews for raw sunflower seeds for a similar flavor, though we haven’t tested it. If you’d like to give it a try, we’d recommend soaking the sunflower seeds for 20 minutes, just as you would cashews.
Storage Instructions
Leftover creamy vegan penne alla vodka will keep for up to 4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. When possible, we recommend storing the pasta sauce and pasta in separate containers. This will keep the pasta from absorbing the sauce and will keep your leftovers as rich and creamy as possible.
Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until just warmed through.
More Vegan Pasta 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!
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Vegan Penne alla Vodka Recipe
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 small servings
Description
Learn how to make a creamy, restaurant-worthy vegan penne alla vodka in your home kitchen! It’s made with simple ingredients and just 30 minutes. Serve as an easy weeknight meal or date-night main course!
Ingredients
Sauce
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth
- 1 28-ounce can of crushed San Marzano tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons oil or vegan butter
- 1 shallot, finely minced (or 1/3 cup diced onions)
- 10 cloves garlic, finely minced
- Pinch red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup vodka
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/2 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
- 1½ teaspoons dried oregano
- 1/2 cup vegan Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- Black pepper, as desired
Additional Ingredients
- 1 pound penne pasta (or any pasta of your choice)
- Finely chopped parsley or basil, for garnish
- Vegan parmesan cheese, to top
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Once it is boiling, remove the pot from heat and add the cashews. Soak for 20 minutes or until softened and drain.
- Transfer the cashews to a high-speed blender along with 1/2 cup water or vegetable broth and half of the 28-ounce can of tomatoes* (see notes). Blend on high until smooth and set aside.
- In a separate large pan over medium heat, add the olive oil. Once warmed, add the shallot and sauté for 2 minutes. Add in the garlic and red pepper flakes, and continue to cook until the shallots are translucent and the garlic is fragrant, about 2 more minutes.
- Next, add the vodka, the remaining crushed tomatoes, the blended cashew mixture, tomato paste, basil, and oregano. Bring the mixture to a low boil and lower it to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes, or until the sauce thickens and the alcohol cooks off, stirring often.
- When the pot of water is boiling, cook the penne pasta until al dente, according to the package instructions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water. Drain and set aside.
- Once the sauce has cooked down, mix in the vegan parmesan cheese—season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in pasta water as needed to make the sauce smooth and silky.
- Serve the sauce over your favorite penne and top with additional herbs and vegan parmesan cheese.
Notes
- We only added 1/2 of the can of tomatoes to the blender as we wanted the sauce to have small chunks still. If you want the sauce to be completely smooth, blend all the tomatoes.
- We prefer to use San Marzano tomatoes as they are sweeter, less acidic, and more flavorful than Roma tomatoes.
- Choose a neutral, smooth, and middle-of-the-road vodka.
- If you want to use fresh oregano, opt for 3x the amount, or to taste.
- For Vegan Parmesan Cheese, brands we like are Violife and Follow Your Heart.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Entree, Pasta
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Vegan, Italian
Nutrition facts label provided by Nutri Fox.
Disclaimer: The nutritional information shown is an estimate provided by an online calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional’s advice. This page may contain affiliate links, which means that we earn a commission if you purchase through those links, but your price remains the same. Thank you for supporting Sweet Simple Vegan!
Just made this for dinner. My husband has yet to delve into the goodness, but when he does, I’m sure he’ll be mad that I introduce heavy cream into our diet again…hehe. Not realizing the magic of cashews. He won’t believe its vegan…or that it has actual VODKA in it. Delicious. Recipe is better than most restaurant quality dishes. I bet dollars to donuts I’ll be asked to make this again, and again, and again. Yumminess!
Omg this was so good!! I made this for dinner tonight and packing some for my lunches this week. It has so much flavor packed in it!
I’ve been making this recipe every week ever since this was posted – perfect, easy dinner! 🙂
That makes us so happy to hear, thanks for sharing! 🙂