Creamy Lemon Garlic Pasta with asparagus and peas comes together in just 30 minutes. This kid-friendly spring pasta is dairy-free, yet incredibly creamy and satisfying. 
This recipe post is sponsored by Silk and Sprouts Farmers Market. I was compensated for my time, however all opinions are my own.
Dairy-Free Creamy Lemon Garlic Pasta:
We're currently at the height of asparagus season, and I'm adding these crunchy spears to everything. Pasta, tarts, quiches, and refreshing spring salads to name a few. I especially love the snappy texture asparagus adds to creamy pasta dishes like this. Not to mention the nutritional perks, like potassium, folate, and fiber.
Both kids and adults will love this light, yet hearty spring pasta. The combination of garlic and lemon make it incredibly aromatic, bright, and flavorful. And even though I just waxed poetic about asparagus, you can really add vegetable you like. For example, zucchini or summer squash, mushrooms, spinach, broccoli, or roasted tomatoes.
How to Make Lemon Garlic Sauce for Pasta:
This simple pasta calls for just 10 ingredients and comes together in 30 minutes. It's also super versatile, so you can hopefully use what you have on hand.
Here's what you need:
- Pasta: Use any shape or kind you like! For a protein boost, go for Banza chickpea pasta or a lentil pasta.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic is a must to build the aromatic foundation of the sauce. The recipe calls for 6 whole gloves, though feel free to use or less depending on your love for garlic.
- Veggies: I use a mix of fresh asparagus and frozen green peas, however you can use any combination you like. Mushrooms, zucchini, tomatoes, spinach, and broccoli are all great options.
- Silk® Unsweetened Cashewmilk: Ultra creamy, yet completely dairy-free, Silk Cashewmilk is the perfect accompaniment to cream sauces. It's fortified to be an excellent source of calcium and vitamin D, and only contains 25 calories per serving. In addition, it’s free of gluten, soy, lactose, MSG, and any artificial colors or flavors, plus verified by the Non-GMO Project’s product verification program.
- Nutritional yeast: All the “cheesy”, savory flavor without the dairy, nutritional yeast is a major flavor agent here. If you don’t have any on hand (or don’t need to make the recipe dairy-free), you can use grated Parmesan instead.
- Four: This helps thicken the cream sauce, however you can use cornstarch or arrowroot to make it gluten free.
- Lemon! Lots of lemon zest and juice are employed to cut through the creamy richness of the sauce. Plus, lemon is such a lovely complement to asparagus and peas.
Vegan Creamy Pasta Sauce 101:
It's totally possible to achieve the most decadently delicious cream sauce using plant-based ingredients. Just follow these simple steps and you'll impress even the pickiest palates.
Step 1: Sauté the Garlic:
In a skillet over medium-low heat, add 3 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil. Once warm, add your thinly sliced garlic and chili flakes. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until gold and fragrant. Cooking the garlic over lower heat for a longer period of time ensures the oil is sufficiently infused with garlicky goodness, too.
Step 2: Whisk in the Flour:
Sprinkle in the flour and stir with a whisk until combined. Let the flour mixture cook for about 2 minutes, which helps eliminate the raw flour taste and makes for a smoother sauce.
Step 3: Stream in the Cashewmilk:
Next, gradually whisk in the cashewmilk a little at time to avoid any clumps forming. Increase the heat and bring the mixture to a simmer, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until it starts to thicken.
Step 4: Add Lemon and Seasonings:
Lastly, stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper. At this point, I like to remove the pan from the heat and season to taste. You may want to add more salt and/or pepper, or extra lemon for more zing.
Step 5: Add Sauce to Pasta and Vegetables:
Pour the cream sauce into the pot of drained pasta, and mix to combine. If the sauce seems too thick, add ½ cup of reserved pasta water to thin it out. Finally, plate the pasta and add garnishes of choice!
What to Serve with Creamy Lemon Garlic Pasta:
- Top with grilled chicken, shrimp, or edamame for a protein boost.
- Serve alongside a fresh green salad and garlic bread.
- Add roasted tomatoes and/or mushrooms for a kick of umami.
- Enjoy with steamed broccoli on the side.
How to Reheat Creamy Vegan Pasta:
If you give this recipe a try, be sure to snap a pic and tag #dishingouthealth on Instagram so I can see your creations. Also, follow along on Facebook and Pinterest for the latest recipe updates!More Vegan Pasta Sauce Recipes:
Creamy Lemon Garlic Pasta (Vegan)
Equipment
- Large skillet
- Soup pot or Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 8 to 10 oz. chickpea pasta (such as Banza) or lentil pasta (sub traditional semolina flour pasta)
- 10 oz. fresh asparagus, sliced at a diagonal into 2-inch pieces
- ⅔ cup frozen peas
- 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 6 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
- ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
- 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ cups Silk Plain Unsweetened Cashewmilk
- 1 ¼ tsp. kosher salt
- ¾ tsp. black pepper
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 3 Tbsp. nutritional yeast (sub finely grated Parmesan cheese if not making plant-based)
- 3 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil, plus more for garnish
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package instructions in a pot of salted water. During final four minutes, add asparagus and peas. Reserve ½ cup pasta water before draining.
- While pasta cooks, heat oil in large skillet over medium-low heat. Once warm, add garlic and chili flakes. Cook 4 to 5 minutes, until garlic is golden and aromatic. Sprinkle in flour; stir with a whisk until smooth. Cook 2 full minutes, stirring often, to eliminate raw flour taste.
- Gradually stream in cashewmilk, whisking constantly, until mixture is smooth. Increase heat and bring mixture to a simmer; cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until sauce starts to thicken. Remove from heat and stir in salt, pepper, lemon zest and juice, and nutritional yeast.
- Pour sauce into pot with drained pasta and veggies and stir to combine. If sauce is too thick, stir in some of the reserved pasta water in ½ cup increments until desired consistency is achieved. Stir in fresh basil and serve immediately with garnishes of choice.
Elise
Delicious! Made it gluten free using a gf flour mix and it was great! I will use less red pepper next time as it was a bit too spicey for my kids- my husband and I liked the little kick of spice though!
If you are like me and making this on a whim I used all dried spices, lemon juice from the green bottle, and almond milk. It worked!
Jamie Vespa
Hi Elise! I'm so glad you enjoyed this one. Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and leave a review!
Asha
can you use regular lowfat milk instead? I'm not vegan and milk subs are rare in my region
Jamie Vespa
Hi Asha-- yes, any milk should work fine! Enjoy!
Gabrielle
This is very tasty. My son and I do not like peas so we used broccoli. This was my first homemade vegan meal that I prepared and we will have it again. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Jamie Vespa
Hi Gabrielle--I'm so glad you enjoyed this one! And great call on using the broccoli 🙂 Thank you for taking the time to leave a review!
Amber Bee
Wow! Just made this as part of my meal plan/meal prep and it is FANTASTIC! THANK YOU!
Jamie Vespa
I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Amber!! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review!
Kamielle
Delicious!! Simple enough to make any night of the week, and so flavourful. I have made it twice this month already!
Stephanie Moon
Do you think almond milk could be used instead of cashew milk?
Jamie Vespa
Yes, as long as it's plain/unsweetened.
Nikki L.
Does the vanilla come off strong in the sauce from the cashew milk?
Jamie Vespa
Hi Nikki—I wouldn’t use vanilla, if possible. Best to use plain/unflavored nut milk.
Chris Day
What an excellent dish! I used gnocchi instead of pasta and it was so yummy. I think I’ll omit the red pepper flakes next time but otherwise I wouldn’t change a thing! Thank you!
Jamie Vespa
Oh I'm so glad it was a hit! Love that you used gnocchi.
Marit Dijkstra
This had been on my list for quite a while and I finally got my hands on cashew milk - so it was definitely on the list and I have not been disappointed! I adjusted the recipe a bit based on what I had (fennel and leek instead of aspargus, and white wine since my lemon had gone bad) and it turned out great! My boyfriend, not the biggest fan of vegan food, was really into it as well!
Jamie Vespa
Yay! I'm so glad the recipe was a hit, Marit! Thank you for taking time to leave a review!
mary beth
This was super fantastic, thank you for the recipe!!!
Kerry
Could I use almond flour? I don't have any AP flour and trying to avoid grocery stores with COVID and all.
Jamie Vespa
Hi Kerry, do you have corn starch on hand? That would work better than almond flour.
Kayla
Just finished leftovers on this meal. It was so good. A little bit spicier today but I actually really liked the extra zip! Reheated in oven at 300* for about 25 minutes.
dishingouthealth
Yay! So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Kayla! Thanks for taking time to leave a review.
Kayla
This was an excellent meal! My hubby loved it and he’s usually like “Vegan 😝😝😝😝”. He said it was a “top meal”. Another great recipe, Jamie!!!! This will definitely be a go-to meal when I’m craving pasta. Love the spice level too!