This easy vegan pumpkin pasta sauce is super rich and creamy, made with just a few simple ingredients, and whips up in just 10 minutes! Made with a can of pumpkin puree, a can of coconut milk, and seasoned with sage, it’s the perfect simple pasta dish for fall.
This pumpkin alfredo sauce is a variation of my popular vegan alfredo sauce with the addition of pumpkin and sage. You can make it with any dairy-free milk that you wish, but coconut milk makes this dish extremely rich and creamy without refined oil.
You’ll love this pasta sauce because its…
- quick and easy – it only takes about 10 minutes to make.
- packed with healthy vitamin A – 165% RDA per serving!
- the perfect pasta sauce for a fall dinner party or Thanksgiving!
- naturally gluten-free, soy-free, dairy-free, and tree-nut free.
Ingredients and substitutions for pumpkin pasta sauce:
- Pumpkin Puree – you can use a can of pumpkin puree or make your own from a whole pumpkin. Make sure to use pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.
- Coconut Milk – I like to use a can of full-fat coconut milk for the creamiest sauce. You can use low fat or 1 1/2 cups of any plain plant-based milk that you wish.
- Water – to thin out the sauce a little.
- Tapioca Starch – to thicken the sauce and give it a little bit of stretchiness. You can also use corn starch, potato starch, or arrowroot. I find that tapioca starch has the best texture and doesn’t get gloppy when it cools as corn starch does.
- Sage – you can use fresh or dry ground sage. If you don’t have sage, poultry seasoning will also work.
- Garlic Powder – or a clove of fresh minced garlic for flavor.
- Salt and Pepper– for flavor.
How to make vegan pumpkin pasta:
- Boil pasta according to package directions. (This will vary depending on the type of pasta that you use.)
- Pour a can of pumpkin puree, a can of coconut milk, 1/2 cup of water, 1 tbsp of starch, sage, salt, and pepper into a saucepan and stir well.
- Turn on the heat to medium and cook the sauce, stirring frequently, until it begins to boil.
- Turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for 5 minutes stirring frequently.
- Pour the sauce over your choice of pasta and serve warm. (Serve with vegan Italian sausage for a complete meal.)
Pro Tips:
- You must stir the starch into the ingredients while they are still cold. Don’t add the starch to hot liquid or it will immediately start to cook and get clumpy.
- Make sure to stir the sauce frequently. You don’t want the starch to settle to the bottom and get clumpy.
- Be sure to turn down the heat and allow the sauce to boil slowly for about 5 minutes to blend the flavors without burning the sauce.
Variations of pumpkin pasta:
- Cheesy Vegan Mac and Cheese Sauce – add 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast to the sauce along with the rest of the ingredients.
- Pumpkin Stuffed Shells – follow my recipe for vegan stuffed shells and top with the pumpkin pasta sauce instead of red sauce.
- Vegan Pumpkin Lasagna – follow the recipe for my vegan lasagna and swap out the red sauce for pumpkin sauce and top the lasagna with vegan bechamel sauce.
- Pumpkin Pasta with Vegan Sausage – Serve the pumpkin pasta with vegan Italian style sausage or make my vegan sausage crumbles and sprinkle them on top of the pasta! (This is my favorite way to eat this sauce! The flavors go incredibly well together!)
Storing, freezing, and reheating the pumpkin pasta sauce:
The sauce will keep well in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for 3 months in an air-tight sealed container. To reheat it, let it thaw overnight in the fridge then reheat in a saucepan adding a tablespoon or two of water to the sauce if needed to thin it out.
How to make gluten-free pumpkin pasta…
Since the pumpkin sauce is already gluten-free, all you have to do is serve it over your favorite gluten-free pasta, and you have gluten-free pumpkin pasta! I like to cook my gluten-free pasta al dente and rinse it well to wash off any starch before mixing with the pasta sauce.
More vegan recipes using pumpkin:
- The Best Vegan Pumpkin Pie
- Vegan Pumpkin Muffins
- Vegan Pumpkin Bread
- Red Lentil Soup with Pumpkin and Kale
- Creamy Pumpkin Bean Soup
Subscribe to my email list to get my free eBook “The Beginner’s Guide to Homemade Vegan Staples” or if you are ready to fully dive into making your own vegan cheese, butter, yogurt, and more check out my cookbook, “The Ultimate Guide to Homemade Vegan Staples!”
A quick and easy vegan pumpkin pasta sauce made rich and creamy with coconut milk and flavored to perfection.
- 16 oz pasta (1 box of any pasta that you wish)
- 1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree
- 1 1 (13.5 oz) can coconut milk
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tablespoon tapioca starch (or corn starch, potato starch, and arrowroot)
- 2 teaspoons ground dry sage or 2 tablespoons fresh sage
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder or 1-2 cloves of garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper or to taste
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Boil pasta according to package directions. (This will vary depending on the type of pasta that you use.)
-
Pour a can of pumpkin puree, a can of coconut milk, 1/2 cup of water, 1 tbsp of starch, 2 tsp sage, 1 1/2 tsp salt, and pepper into a saucepan and stir well.
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Turn on the heat to medium and cook the sauce, stirring frequently, until it begins to boil.
-
Turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for 5 minutes stirring frequently.
-
Pour the sauce over your choice of pasta and serve warm. (Serve with vegan Italian sausage for a complete meal.)
- You must stir the starch into the ingredients while they are still cold. Don't add the starch to hot liquid or it will immediately start to cook and get clumpy.
- Make sure to stir the sauce frequently. You don't want the starch to settle to the bottom and get clumpy.
- Be sure to turn down the heat and allow the sauce to boil slowly for about 5 minutes to blend the flavors without burning the sauce.
