Vegan Carbonara sauce recipe made with cashews, spices, vegan sietan bacon and black salt or Kala Namak that isn’t even black in color actually, go figure..but it gives the ultimate Carbonara flavor. Toss with spaghetti or your favorite pasta noodles like fettuccine or bucatini. Easy, creamy, dairy free and insanely delicious!
Is Carbonara Red or White ?
Carbonara is a white Italian pasta sauce from Rome traditionally made with cholesterol loaded raw eggs, cheese, guanciale or pancetta and freshly cracked black pepper. Scary stuff but not anymore you guys, because:
I made us the ultimate vegan Carbonara pasta! It’s:
- Super creamy
- Luscious
- Cruelty free
- No cholesterol
- Meatless
- Fast & easy
- Incredibly tasty.
The Bacon / Guanciale / Pancetta
I’ve experimented with a few vegan options here, from mushrooms to coconut bacon to smoky tempeh to finally the sietan bacon. They are all delicious but the sietan hits every single checkmark you guys: chewy, smoky and salty, absolute perfection.
I used the store bought Benevolent Bacon from Sweet Earth but of course you can make your own smoky sietan from scratch if you prefer.
The Carbonara Sauce
- It has to be rich and silky and creamy with just a little bit of eggy flavor.
- Enter black salt Kala Namak known for its magical property to make dishes taste eggy. I don’t know exactly how but it really works, especially when combined with a little dijon mustard and creamy cashews. Alchemy at its finest and not one drop of oil is required.
- This sauce is totally oil free and raw, you don’t even need to heat it up in a skillet. It’s made in the blender and tossed with your hot pasta of choice and sprinkled with the sietan bacon.
- Turmeric for color is optional. I only used 1/8 of a teaspoon anyways, that’s the tiniest pinch ever and you need to keep it that way or leave it out altogether. Trust me, you don’t want your Carbonara to taste anything like turmeric but you want to take advantage of its natural color to give your sauce a little golden boost.
The Pasta
There’s always whole grain spaghetti in my pantry so I’ll usually reach for a box of those but any long noodles work great here. Egg free fettuccine and bucatini are some of my favorites but i can see this sauce work with smaller shapes like orecchiette or penne if that’s what you have in the kitchen.
How to Make Vegan Carbonara
Vegan Pasta Carbonara
Vegan Carbonara sauce recipe made with cashews, spices, vegan sietan bacon and black salt or Kala Namak for the ultimate Carbonara flavor.
Servings 2 people
Calories 915kcal
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup raw cashews
- 1 cup hot water
- 4 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/8 tsp turmeric (optional, for color)
- 1/4 tsp Kala Namak black salt (or to taste)
- 1/3 cup fresh Italian parsley chopped
- 5.5 oz vegan sietan bacon (I used the Benevolent bacon from Sweet Earth)
- 1/2 lb spaghetti (whole grain)
- freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Rinse the cashews and add them to a powerful blender together with the hot water, nutritional yeast, mustard, garlic, turmeric, onion powder and black salt. Allow to soak for 20 minutes then process until completely smooth. Set your sauce aside until needed!
- Cook the vegan bacon according to the package instructions. I like to cook mine in the toaster oven so no extra oil is needed. You can pan sear it then cut it into small pieces.
- Meanwhile boil the spaghetti until al dente. Drain and add to a large mixing bowl together with the Carbonara sauce, half of the cooked vegan bacon and half of the parsley. Give everything a good toss to coat and adjust seasonings.
- If you prefer your Carbonara with a little tang this is the time to hit it with a squeeze of lemon. I prefer it without but you are the boss of your kitchen.
- Divide between bowls and serve sprinkled with the reserved sietan bacon, parsley and freshly cracked black pepper.
Notes
Don't worry if you do not have black salt (Kala Namak) make the recipe anyways using regular sea salt, it will still taste amazing.
Nutrition
Calories: 915kcal | Carbohydrates: 116g | Protein: 47g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Sodium: 410mg | Potassium: 1272mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 842IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 151mg | Iron: 9mg
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I can’t wait to try this, but I guess i need to find the salt first. Its the sulfur content in the salt which would give the “eggy” taste. I’ve never heard of this salt before, but I’m going to get some now…:) Learn something new every day! Cheers!
Yes the black salt gives it that “eggy” taste and smell but I’m happy to report I’ve made it without it as well and we loved it just as much. Don’t let the black salt hold you back from making this, it really is super tasty without it too. ~ Florentina
I’m one of those people who had to make it to believe it. I don’t know how but those flavors together work and this tastes just like a real carbonara. You’ve got a new fan, can’t wait to try the rest of your fabulous recipes.
I made this the other night with mushrooms cooked in smoked paprika instead of seitan & it was lovely. How do you reheat it though? When it cooled it seemed to loose its sauciness & when I bunged it in the microwave it separated into little globules.
I’ll be honest with you that I have not had that happen to me before. I reheat the leftovers in the microwave if already tossed with pasta, otherwise just on the stove top maybe loosen up with some water or veggie stock and whisk well.