Vegan Vodka Pasta Sauce

Name: Vegan Vodka Sauce
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 2 tbsp vegan butter (or vegan margarine or olive oil); 1-3 cloves garlic; 1 cup vodka; 3/4 cup not chick’n broth; 1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes; 1 cup coconut cream (or vegan creamer of choice); 1 dash salt and pepper to taste; 1 lb. pasta (Gluten-Free if needed) (cooked rinsed and drained); ¼ cup fresh basil chopped (or 1-2 tbsp vegan pesto)

by Monica on Feb 9, 2023 (updated Jun 3, 2024) 0 comments

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5 from 3 rating

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Impress your friends and family with this creamy vegan vodka pasta sauce! This pasta tastes amazing, but no one needs to know that it’s one of the easiest dinners that you can make! This simple red sauce is gluten-free, dairy-free, and nut-free too, so everyone can enjoy it!

Vegan vodka pasta in a white bowl with a slice of bread on the side and basil on top.

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Vegan vodka pasta is one of those meals that you can make on special occasions like Valentine’s Day or your partner’s birthday and wow them with your cooking skills! They don’t need to know that it only takes about 20 minutes to whip up.

❤️ Why make this recipe

Many years ago, I watched Rachel Ray make her “You won’t be single for long pasta sauce.” on a TV show. She joked that she knew many people who got a proposal soon after making this dish.

I had been dating my vegan boyfriend for almost 3 years at the time so I thought that I should make it vegan and give it a try! With just a few simple substitutes, the pasta came out great, my boyfriend was impressed, and we got engaged soon after and we’re still married 20 years later.

I’m not sure that it was this dish, but I don’t think it hurt.

🧾 Ingredients and substitutions

Vegan Pasta – You can use any type of pasta that you would like I like penne or rigatoni or bowtie pasta. See which brands of pasta are vegan. Use gluten-free pasta if desired.
Vegan Margarine – to give it a rich and creamy flavor and saute the garlic. I like to use my homemade vegan butter, but any will work. You can also use olive oil instead of butter.
Garlic – for flavor. You can also use a small diced onion.
Vodka – for flavor.
Broth – for extra liquid and flavor. I like to use a vegan chicken-style broth (like not chick’n broth), but any vegetable broth will work.
Crushed Tomatoes – using a can of crushed tomatoes works great and makes it easy. If you have fresh tomatoes, you can puree them in a food processor and use 3 1/2 cups instead of canned tomatoes.
Vegan Cream – You can use canned coconut milk, coconut cream, cashew cream, or my vegan coffee creamer to replace heavy cream in traditional vodka pasta recipes.
Salt and Pepper- for flavor. A dash of red pepper flakes also gives it a little spice.
Fresh Basil – or vegan pesto for a fresh flavor. This is optional but recommended.

🍶 What type of vodka should I use?

You can use any plain vodka that you have. If you buy it just for this recipe, cheap vodka is fine. Just be sure not to use the flavored vodkas in this recipe.

❓Is all vodka vegan?

All regular plain vodka and most other hard liquor like bourbon, whiskey, gin, and rum are vegan. There may be some brands of flavored vodkas that have dairy or honey.

There is one brand of vodka called Vermont White that is made from distilled milk sugar. It has a picture of a cow on it which should help you remember not to use that one.

🔪 Helpful tools

Frying Pan or Large Skillet – Be sure that it’s big enough to hold about 10 cups.

🥄 How to make vegan vodka pasta

Step 1 – Heat a large pot of salted water to cook the pasta.

Step 2 – Warm garlic in some vegan butter in a large skillet over low heat.

Step 3 – Add a cup of vodka and let it cook off the alcohol for about 3-4 minutes until the liquid has reduced to about half of what it was.

A can of crushed tomatoes being added to butter and garlic to make vegan vodka sauce. — Saute the garlic in vegan butter, add the vodka, then add the crushed tomatoes.

Vegan chicken broth being added to vodka sauce. — Saute the garlic in vegan butter, add the vodka, then add the crushed tomatoes.

Step 4 – Add a can of crushed tomatoes and 3/4 cup of vegan chicken-flavored broth and simmer over medium heat for about 10 -15 minutes while the pasta cooks.

Step 5 – Add the pasta to the hot water and cook for 1 minute less than the box recommends for al dente. Once your pasta has cooked, drain all of the liquid off of the pasta.

Step 6 – Add 1 cup of coconut cream (or your choice of vegan creamer) to your red sauce and give it a stir. (Only add the cream once the pasta has been cooked and drained).

Vegan cream being stirred into vodka sauce. — Stir in the cream.

Pasta added to vegan vodka cream sauce and simmering. — Stir in the cream.

Step 7 – Mix in the cooked and drained pasta.

Step 8 – Simmer the pasta in the vodka sauce for 3-5 more minutes allowing the pasta to absorb the flavor of the sauce.

Step 9 – Sprinkle with some freshly chopped basil leaves and serve hot with some crusty bread and vegan parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

👩🏻‍🍳 Pro Tips

This is a very saucy pasta and is great to serve with some crusty bread, vegan focaccia, or gluten-free breadsticks on the side to dip.
If you want to thicken up the sauce a little, you can add a tablespoon or two of tomato paste to the sauce and stir well.

A top view of a skillet of vegan vodka cream sauce with pasta.

🥛 Vegan Cream Options

Coconut Milk – A can of full-fat coconut milk or coconut cream.

Vegan Coffee Creamer – You can use store-bought creamer like silk or an equivalent brand, or you can use my vegan coffee creamer recipe.

Cream Sauce – You can easily make a vegan bechamel sauce with a roux and add it to the veggies to make a tomato cream sauce.

Thickened Plant Milk – Use 1 1/2 cups soy milk or oat milk with 2 teaspoons of cornstarch dissolved in it for a lower-fat method.

Cashew Cream Sauce – Soak 3/4 cup of cashews overnight or for an hour in hot water, then blend in a high-speed blender with 1/4 cup of filtered water until smooth and creamy to make a vegan heavy cream.

🥡 Storage and reheating

Refrigerate: Store any leftover dairy-free vodka sauce in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container.

Freeze: You can also freeze the vegan vodka pasta for up to 3 months in a well-sealed container.

Reheating: Reheat a serving of pasta in the microwave for about 3 minutes or add a few tablespoons of water and reheat it in a saucepan on the stovetop.