Creamy White Bean Pasta

by Monica on June 14, 2025 0 comments

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This easy, creamy, white bean pasta sauce is vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, and soy-free, yet it’s packed with plant-based protein and fiber! This simple white bean sauce will satisfy the pickiest of eaters, yet is whipped up in minutes with a few basic ingredients.

Creamy white bean pasta sauce mixed with spiral pasta with parsley and red pepper flakes on top and a fork on the side.

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Why make this recipe

This creamy pasta sauce made with white beans is great when you want a quick and easy vegan alfredo-style sauce that has a neutral taste. This kid-friendly sauce is a great way to add plant-based protein to a simple pasta dish.

If you want a soy-free alternative to my very popular silken tofu pasta recipe, this creamy white bean pasta sauce is it!

Ingredients and substitutions

Onion – for flavor. You can use 1 teaspoon of onion powder instead, but I highly recommend that you use fresh onion.
Garlic – for flavor. You can use 1 teaspoon garlic powder instead.
Olive Oil – to fry the onion and garlic. You can use any other oil that you want to use like canola oil, avocado oil, or coconut oil. You can use 1/4 cup of vegetable broth instead to make it oil-free.
Lemon Juice – for a balance of flavors. You can omit it if you choose.
Salt – for flavor
Black and Red Pepper – for flavor. I like a lot of fresh ground black pepper and some red pepper flakes to give it a little spice. Adjust the amount to your preferred spice level.
White Beans – you can use any white bean that you wish like cannellini beans, navy beans, or great northern beans.
Pasta Water – use some of the starchy pasta water to thin out the sauce. (You could also use veggie broth if you choose.)
Pasta – You can pour this white bean pasta sauce over any type of pasta that you like, however, I find that spiral-shaped pasta holds the most sauce. See my guide to vegan pasta brands. Use gluten-free pasta to make the dish gluten-free.)
Parsley – Garnish your pasta with fresh chopped parsley or other fresh herbs of your choice.

Helpful tools

Blender – you will need a blender, immersion blender, or food processor to blend up the white beans, onions, and spices.

How to make white bean pasta

A full printable version of this recipe with ingredient measurements is available at the bottom of this post.

Step 1 – Cook your pasta of choice according to the package directions. (Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water.)

Step 2 – While your pasta is cooking, peel and dice an onion and mince 3 cloves of garlic. Then sauté them over low heat in 3 tablespoons of olive oil with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes until the onions are translucent.

Sauteed onions and garlic with red pepper flakes in a white skillet. — Sauté the onions and garlic in olive oil with a sprinkle of salt and pepper.

Sauteed onions and garlic added to a blender. — Sauté the onions and garlic in olive oil with a sprinkle of salt and pepper.

Step 3 – Add the sauteed onion and garlic with a teaspoon of lemon juice to the blender. Then add a can of drained white beans to the blender along with 1/2 cup of the reserved starchy pasta water.

Step 4 – Blend the mixture until very smooth. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water and blend again until the mixture is very smooth.

White beans and pasta water added to a blender with sauteed onions and garlic. — Add the white beans and starchy pasta water. and blend

Blended white bean pasta sauce in a blender. — Add the white beans and starchy pasta water. and blend

Step 5 – Pour the white bean cream sauce back into the frying pan used to saute the onions and warm it over low heat. Add salt and pepper to taste if needed.

Step 6 – Toss in the cooked drained pasta and stir to coat the pasta in the sauce. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve hot.

White bean pasta sauce added back into the skillet after blending. — Add the blended white bean sauce back into the skillet and heat until warm.

Pasta tossed with white bean pasta sauce with parsley sprinkled on top. — Add the blended white bean sauce back into the skillet and heat until warm.

Feel free to toss in sauteed veggies, pesto, or vegan sausage to jazz it up. This creamy pasta sauce makes a great base that is great both plain and with add-ins.

Pro Tips

Add a tablespoon of nutritional yeast, or a teaspoon of soy sauce (or Tamari) for extra umami flavor.
For added veggies, saute a cup of diced zucchini along with the onions and garlic. This is similar to how I make my zucchini pasta sauce.
Sauté the onion and garlic over low heat to bring out the sweetness of the onion and to ensure you don’t burn them.
The sauce will thicken slightly as it cools, so you want it to be fairly thin when it’s hot.