Pumpkin Seed Alfredo Fusilli. Nut-free Vegan Alfredo Recipe. Easy cashew free alfredo sauce with pasta. Vegan Soy-free Nut-free Recipe. Pin this Recipe.
Creamy pastas make for a quick and filling weeknight meal. Fusilli is tossed in pumpkin seed alfredo and served with greens, nutritional yeast or vegan parmesan and a good dash of black pepper. Super easy and flavorful. Add veggies and greens of choice.
I have a nut-free alfredo on the blog using cauliflower which is amazing as well, easy and quite versatile. You can find the cauliflower alfredo here. If you do not like cauliflower, this is the recipe for you. Use this sauce to make other creamy sauces. Add additional garlic and olive oil for a garlic sauce, add some roasted chile or jalapeno for a chile garlic cream sauce.
More pasta from the blog
- Fettuccine with Tomato Cream Sauce and garlicky roasted Asparagus
- Pumpkin Sage Pasta with pumpkin cream sauce and crisp Sage
- Black pepper Mac and Cheese
- Chickpea Chorizo, Quinoa shells in tomato sauce.
- Spinach Penne in Chipotle Habanero cream sauce
Pumpkin Seed Alfredo Fusilli. Nut-free Vegan Alfredo Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 to 8 oz (6 oz) fusilli or fettucini.
Pumpkin seed Alfredo
- 1 tsp oil
- 1/2 cup (80 g) chopped onion or shallots
- 3 fat cloves of garlic
- 1/4 cup (16 g) raw pumpkin seeds
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) water divided
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) or more dried thyme
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) dried basil or oregano
- 3/4 tsp (0.75 tsp) or more salt
- 1.5 to 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) white vinegar
- 1 tbsp flour I use whole wheat. use rice flour to make gf
- a generous dash of black pepper
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup (244 ml) unsweetened non dairy milk
- 1 cup (30 g) baby spinach optional
- 1/2 cup (72.5 g) thawed peas optional
Garnish
- red pepper flakes
- black pepper
- vegan peptita parm
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to instructions and keep aside.
- Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook until translucent. 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add pumpkin seeds and 1/4 cup water an bring to a boil. about 4 minutes. Cook for 2 more minutes, then let it cool a bit..
- Meanwhile add all the ingredients from nutritional yeast through non dairy milk to the blender (nutritional yeast, herbs, salt, lemon, vinegar, flour, pepper, olive oil, non dairy milk). Add the onion pumpkin seed mixture to the blender. Blend until smooth.
- Return to the skillet over medium heat. Add another 1/4 cup water.(I use the water to rinse the blender and added it to the skillet). Bring to a boil. Stir frequently to avoid lumps. The mixture will thicken considerably. Cook for another minute, so the flour is cooked through. Total 3 to 4 minutes. Carefully taste and adjust the salt and tang. Add more herbs if you wish.
- Add the cooked pasta, spinach, peas and other veggies if using. Toss well. If the sauce is too thick, add a few tbsp of water or the pasta cooking water and mix in. Cover and switch off heat. Let the pasta sit for 2-3 minutes before serving.
- Garnish with pepper flakes and nutritional yeast or vegan parmesan of choice.
Notes
Nutrition
Rose Fox says
June 22, 2016 at 8:40 pmThis looks very tasty! But I don’t see pumpkin seeds on the ingredient list–am I missing something?
Richa says
June 22, 2016 at 9:29 pmits 1/4 cup. just updated
Mary Ellen @ VNutrition says
June 23, 2016 at 7:56 amI never thought to use pumpkin seeds for alfredo. I’ve used them for dips and they turn out tasty so I bet this is amazing as well! Another “cheesy” sauce to put on my to try list! Yum!
Izzy Bruning says
June 23, 2016 at 9:09 amWow this looks so good!
Izzy | https://plantbasedizzy.wordpress.com/
Megan says
June 23, 2016 at 10:06 amOMG YUM!!!!!! Can I come over for dinner? Your dishes are always amazing!
Mabi says
June 23, 2016 at 4:02 pmWill definitely try this! At which step do you add the flour?
Richa says
June 23, 2016 at 6:55 pmAt step 4. All the ingredients from nutritional yeast through non dairy milk get added together.
Eve-Marie says
June 23, 2016 at 5:55 pmAre these pumpkin seeds still in their husks (like straight from the pumpkin)? Thanks – this sounds great!
Eve-Marie says
June 26, 2016 at 4:53 pmI mean as opposed to pepitas?
Richa says
June 26, 2016 at 6:31 pmthese are pepitas, raw shelled pumpkin seeds.
Eve-Marie says
July 1, 2016 at 3:10 pmThank you!
Shellie says
June 24, 2016 at 4:39 pmI don’t see a mention of how much spinach and/or peas would go in the dish. I have the pasta cooking now, and everything else is prepped and ready to go. Help.
Richa says
June 24, 2016 at 4:58 pmAdd how much ever you like. Maybe a cup of spinach and a half cup thawed peas.
Shellie says
June 24, 2016 at 5:12 pmThanks. A huge handful of spinach it is. I know this is going to be great. 🙂
Shellie says
June 24, 2016 at 5:58 pmJust noticed that I start with 1 tspn. of oil, and at the bottom of the recipe you mention adding another 2 tspns. When and where do they go in?
Richa says
June 24, 2016 at 10:51 pmit gets added in the blender
Shellie says
June 24, 2016 at 7:15 pmThis recipe was probably one of the best we’ve had. So delicious. We’re both just standing around raving about it. Thanks so much for a keeper.
Richa says
June 24, 2016 at 10:51 pmso glad it turned out so well!
Abigail says
June 25, 2016 at 4:39 pmMaking this with my lovely significant one right now…. sauce is done, he’s making the parm… sauce is SO GOOD!! Thanks Richa, we love your beautiful recipes!
Richa says
June 25, 2016 at 8:21 pmYay!
Deb fiedler says
June 27, 2016 at 10:24 pmMust admit i was sceptical Richa but made this last night it was DELICIOUS and i have some left for tonight and im excited , thanks for a great recipie
Katie says
July 12, 2016 at 12:26 amI just can’t get enough of creamy pasta dishes right now, and I really appreciate that seeds are significantly less pricey than cashews etc. ????????
steveeb says
July 22, 2016 at 12:33 pmOMG- vegan for three years and this is the first time I’ve seen your blog! Looking for something different to fix tonight- I found IT! Thank you!!!
Richa says
July 22, 2016 at 3:20 pmThank you for finding me!
Tracey says
July 27, 2016 at 12:33 pmMade this tonight, it’s was so delicious! I’ve missed creamy pastas and this really hits the spot on creaminess especially with the nutritional yeast to add a cheesiness. Love it!
Mona says
August 4, 2016 at 4:56 amI was a cheese fanatic prior to becoming Vegan and have not found a sauce I have made and liked or even a store bought brand but I absolutely loved this recipe when I made it last night! This was surely a winner and will make it again real soon. I added peas and sauteed spinach and doubled the recipe. Looking forward to the leftovers tonight. The system wouldn’t allow me to give 5 stars but it is!
Richa says
August 4, 2016 at 11:35 amYay! so glad you love it!!
Laura says
October 13, 2016 at 7:06 pmFollowed the recipe exactly and it was delicious!!! This will definitely be added into the rotation…
Suzanne says
October 18, 2016 at 4:22 amI make this all the time now..LOVE LOVE LOVE this recipe. I add whatever vegetables I have on hand…favorite? Broccoli and peas.
Joeli says
November 20, 2016 at 3:39 pmCan I freeze this? I just made a big batch and it’s delicious 🙂 It makes me super happy since I’m allergic to nuts.
Richa says
November 20, 2016 at 9:53 pmi havent tried it. i am sure it will freeze just fine.
Juliette says
June 20, 2017 at 5:21 amI tried this recipe but with spaghetti rather than fusilli ! I am actually new at cooking but I did quite well. I am working for an event company in London where we list several food/cooking related event and it made me more aware about eating homecooked meals with healthy products. As a pasta lover I will certainly try other pasta recipes from this blog. Any recommendation ?
Richa says
April 18, 2018 at 6:56 pmhttps://www.veganricha.com/?s=pasta
Heather says
November 11, 2017 at 10:22 amFirst I have to say, I think this would turn out even more amazing if one follows the recipe exactly. Unfortunately, where I currently live it is impossible to find nooch. Also, I had no plant milk on hand and again, not something attainable here unless you make it yourself (store bought it is all watered down and full of additives). I simply subbed water for milk, and added basil because I am an addict. This turned out beautifully!!! Like a pesto alfredo. Best creamy pasta Ive made in years. Thank you sooooo much!!
Richa says
November 11, 2017 at 11:04 amYou can use a roux of flour and water to thicken the sauce instead of plain water. I am glad it turned out amazing!
Larissa says
April 30, 2018 at 3:28 pmMade this today! Delish!
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
My family loved it. A great recipe here.
My daughter has a nut allergy so the peppitas are a great substitute.
Can you reheat the sauce for the next day and eat it over the course of a few days?
I used Soy milk.
Sauce gets very thick very quickly.
I added more water . Next time I will use mushrooms
Richa says
April 30, 2018 at 4:24 pmAwesome! yes you can store it. Add some non dairy milk while reheating as the sauce will have thickened.
Susan says
May 6, 2018 at 8:32 pmI used almond milk and it was superb! Will def be adding mushrooms next time 🙂
Becky says
October 1, 2018 at 3:22 amThank you so much for this recipe. My 18 month old son and I are vegan, and he has FPIES with many allergies including some nuts and seeds, so meeting his nutritional requirements has been a big concern for me. Pumpkin seeds are so far safe, and I make this recipe regularly. We both love it, and he will eat the sauce by the spoonful. I blend in the spinach and peas because he will pick out the spinach if he sees it, and if he happens to swallow some peas whole his little body doesn’t digest them and it is wasted nutrition. I feel really good about feeding this to him. Do you have any other recipes you would recommend that have protein in them and don’t contain soy, peanuts, cashews, sunflower seeds, or sweet potato?
Richa says
October 1, 2018 at 10:28 amDoes he like indian food? how about lentil soups? you can blend in veggies and greens in the soup. Usually most dont have any soy, nuts and stuff.
Becky says
October 1, 2018 at 12:01 pmNothing too spicy. I have made a couple different creamed lentil soups, but they didn’t go over well with the rest of the family, and they were time consuming.
Nicole says
August 6, 2019 at 2:52 pmIn your notes for step 3 where u mentioned cashew nut, can I replace the pumpkin seeds with the cashews or do I add it?
Richa says
August 6, 2019 at 5:34 pmyou can replace the pumpkin seeds with cashews
Kris says
February 17, 2020 at 9:28 amThis is amazing! I have made it a whole bunch of times and it’s always a hit.
Question for you – do you think I could sub the nutritional yeast with miso or something else with umami? I was reading that it’s very similar in its chemical makeup to msg, so trying to deal with my addiction to the substance and find some good replacements.
Thanks so much, Kris
Richa says
February 17, 2020 at 11:15 amyes use miso. i often use miso for the cheesy umami flavor as well as nooch is a migraine triggerr for me. add a tsp and blend and taste sauce when simmering to add more.
Kris says
February 17, 2020 at 4:01 pmAmazing, thanks so much Richa!!
Peace says
June 14, 2020 at 1:03 amWow wow just wow ! I want to share my adjustments given I live in France and what I had on hand that worked beautifully, in case it helps someone. I used graine de courgette (zucchini seeds?). I used a hand immersion blender, some chunks were left which actually was a lovely subtle crunchy addition. I used 1 tsp garlic powder instead of raw garlic, and 1/2 tsp herbes de provence instead of thyme and basil. Incredible – next time will try soaked sunflower seeds, thanks so much for this recipe.
Vegan Richa Support says
June 15, 2020 at 2:17 pmthank [email protected]