Silky Vegan Pasta with Crackly Mushrooms

This creamy vegan pasta with crispy mushrooms can be made in under 30 minutes! With a dairy-free creamy sauce and crispy mushrooms, it's a tasty weeknight dinner.

Each time We see a recipe for mushroom pasta We think "Oh the God, We need to make that! But dairy-free!" The most recent recipe that had me salivating was in a Bon Appetit issue about a year ago. We knew We had to try to make a dairy-free version of it. It looked so rich and creamy. And those crispy mushrooms looked so flavorful.

Turns out, this dairy-free version is absolutely simply as DELICIOUS. Sometimes, with certain dishes, it's the heavy cream and loads of cheese that makes the dish — and those can be challenging to make dairy-free.

But honestly, you won't miss the cream and real cheese in this dish. Thank goodness we live in a world with so many different dairy-free and vegan substitutes that also taste great!

Creamy Mushroom Pasta (dairy-free, vegan)

This creamy mushroom pasta is now one of the favorite weeknight meals. It's SO simple and fast to make.

The rich, velvety dairy-free sauce sticks beautifully to the starchy pasta. And the crispy mushrooms add a nice depth of flavor to this dish.

What do We need to make this pasta recipe?

One of the greatest things about this pasta recipe is that it simply requires a pot to boil the pasta, and a skillet.

For the past year, We've used this 13″ Daterra Cucina Professional Fry Pan for almost all of the everyday cooking. It's a non-stick ceramic skillet that is simple to clean and cooks food evenly and beautifully.

Ingredients for creamy mushroom pasta

Another thing We love about this recipe is how few ingredients are needed. And, these are ingredients you likely already have on hand!

Pasta – most pasta shapes will work with this recipe. The preference is for a thick long noodle, like the buccatini We used in these photos. We've also made this with fettuccine and linguine.

Mushrooms – cremini mushrooms add a lovely depth of flavor and richness to this pasta dish. But you could also use shiitake mushrooms or white button mushrooms.

Onions and Garlic – the two staples to most tasty dinners! We use finely diced yellow onion, but you could also use white onions or shallots.

Coconut Milk – this is what gives this dish that yummy dairy-free creaminess. We always keep extra cans of coconut milk in the pantry. It's a great staple to have that adds rich, creamy textures to so many vegan dishes!

Lemon Zest and Juice – for this recipe, you'll want both lemon zest and juice to add a bright citrus zing to the dish at the end.

Parmesan cheese alternative – We always use Follow Your Heart parmesan vegan grate. You can usually find the plastic clear containers with green lids in the refrigerated vegan section of the produce aisles. At the local store, it's almost always on the top shelf with other vegan cheeses, above items like Tofu and wonton wrappers.

How to make this simple pasta recipe

First, boil water and cook the pasta according to package directions. Be sure to save some of the starchy pasta water after the pasta has cooked.

Next, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet. Add the mushrooms and cook in an even layer for 3 minutes, without stirring them. Let them crisp up. Then after 3 minutes, begin stirring them so that all sides begin to crisp up nicely. NOTE: depending on the pan you use and how many mushrooms you use, you may need to do this in two batches.

Reduce heat to medium-low, add all of the mushrooms to the pan, along with the onions and garlic. Sauté for 1-2 minutes, simply until the garlic and onions soften and become slightly translucent.

Using tongs, transfer pasta to the pan with mushrooms. Add the coconut milk and 1 cup of the reserved starchy pasta water from the pasta pot to the pan with mushrooms. That reserve pasta water will help the sauce thicken up. Increase heat to medium, bring to a simmer, and cook, tossing constantly, until pasta is al dente and liquid is slightly thickened. This takes about 3 minutes.

Remove the pan from heat. Add lemon zest and juice, parsley, butter, ½ oz. Parmesan alternative, and toss together. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Which wine pairs well with creamy mushroom pasta?

We truly love a good Oregon Pinot Noir with almost any mushroom pasta dish. The earthiness and secondary mushroom flavors from this style of Pinot Noir simply enhances the flavors of the dish.

For a weeknight meal, We'd open up a bottle of the 2023 Et Fille Willamette Valley Pinor Noir ($34). The husband and We love this approachable wine, and we've been members of the Et Fille wine club for years. They offer several excellent wines often priced more affordably than comparable ones from the area.

More simple pasta recipes

Dairy-free? Here are more resources and recipes for you

Creamy Vegan Pasta with Crispy Mushrooms

By Marlynn Schotland Prep Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 30 mins Total Time: 40 mins Servings: 4 people This creamy mushroom pasta is made with crispy mushrooms and a creamy parmesan garlic sauce. Perfect for simple weeknight dinners!

Ingredients

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound cremini mushrooms, roughly chopped into bite-size pieces
Kosher salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 pound spaghetti or bucatini
½ cup coconut milk
⅓ cup finely chopped parsley
Zest and juice of ½ lemon
2 tablespoons unsalted vegan butter, cut into pieces
½ cup dairy-free grated parmesan alternative, finely grated, plus more for serving
Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until quite al dente, about 2 minutes less than package directions.
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.
Add the sliced mushrooms in a single layer, and cook without stirring until edges are brown and starting to crisp. This takes about 3 minutes. Then stir the mushrooms and continue to cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 more minutes. When done, the edges will be brown and crispy, but be careful not to let them get too burnt. Note: you may need to do two batches of mushrooms in order to cook them in a single layer. Simply repeat this step with 2 more tablespoons of oil and remaining mushrooms if you need to do so.
Reduce heat to medium-low and, if you cooked mushrooms in two batches, return all of the mushrooms to the pot. Add garlic and onions and cook, stirring often, until garlic and onions are translucent and softened. This will take about 2 minutes.
Using tongs, transfer cooked pasta to the pan with mushrooms. Add coconut milk plus 1/2 cup of the hot starchy reserve pasta cooking liquid. Increase heat to medium, bring to a simmer, and cook until pasta is cooked through and liquid is slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Be sure to toss the pasta regularly during this time.
Remove from heat. Add lemon zest and juice, parsley, butter, Parmesan alternative, pepper, and toss to combine. Taste and season with more salt if needed. Serve immediately and garnish with more parsley and Parmesan alternative, if desired.

Notes

Be sure to save some of the hot starchy pasta water to help create this dairy-free creamy sauce.

Nutrition

Calories: 736 kcal, Carbohydrates: 93 g, Protein: 23 g, Fat: 31 g, Saturated Fat: 11 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 14 g, Trans Fat: 1 g, Cholesterol: 9 mg, Sodium: 267 mg, Potassium: 899 mg, Fiber: 5 g, Sugar: 6 g, Vitamin A: 519 IU, Vitamin C: 9 mg, Calcium: 212 mg, Iron: 3 mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit