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Best Vegan Carbonara (Under 30 Minutes)

Vegan carbonara is so easy to make, packed with protein and can be made in one pot too!
Course Dinner
Cuisine Italian
Diet Vegan
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 642kcal
Author Jess & Dan

Ingredients

  • 300 g spaghetti
  • 120 g Vegan Bacon – e.g. brands like This or Vivera
  • 300 g silken tofu
  • 1 cup oat milk – we use Oatly barista
  • 1 cup cashews – soaked for a few hours (or overnight) in boiling hot water and drained
  • ½ cup nutritional yeast
  • teaspoon kala namak optional
  • 4 cloves garlic - finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil – optional, or a few sprays of oil spray like Fry Light
  • 1 cup petit pois – or peas
  • Salt and pepper – to taste

Instructions

  • Cook the spaghetti according to packet instructions, drain and rinse with cold water (to prevent the spaghetti from sticking together), set aside.
    300 g spaghetti
  • Fry off the vegan bacon in a large sauté pan. You can optionally use a splash of olive oil or an oil spray to make sure they don’t stick, or dry fry. Set aside.
    120 g Vegan Bacon
  • Now, for the sauce. Blend the silken tofu, oat milk, cashews, kala namak and nutritional yeast in a blender. Set aside.
    300 g silken tofu, 1 cup oat milk, 1 cup cashews, ⅛ teaspoon kala namak, ½ cup nutritional yeast
  • In the same pan, fry the garlic in a splash of olive oil or oil spray.
    4 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • Pour the sauce in and stir until heated through, then turn down to simmer. This should take 2-3 minutes.
  • Add the petit pois and stir through the sauce. Heat for a few more minutes until hot, for around 2 minutes.
    1 cup petit pois
  • Add lots of salt and pepper (to your taste).
    Salt and pepper
  • Stir through the vegan bacon pieces. Pop in the cooked spaghetti and mix well. Use tongs for best results.
    120 g Vegan Bacon, 300 g spaghetti
  • Serve with extra nutritional yeast, vegan parmesan, and optionally, vegan garlic bread too.

Notes

  • If you don’t want to use fake bacon, you can make tofu lardons. Mix 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon liquid smoke, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce and 1 tablespoon maple syrup in a bowl. Add small chunks of firm tofu (400g) and then fry off in place of the fake bacon in step 2.
  • Kala Namak, AKA Himalayan black Salt, is optional but adds an eggy flavour that is traditional.
  • If you’d like the carbonara to be yellow like the traditional version add up to ½ a teaspoon of turmeric powder.
  • If you don’t have unsweetened oat milk, the next best option is soya or cashew. Other plant milks such as almond milk, is too flavourful.
  • You can make the sauce ahead of time. Just make up the sauce (not the spaghetti or the fake bacon) and put it in the fridge for up to 3 days, then heat through thoroughly. 
  • The sauce can also be frozen for up to 3 months. We don’t recommend freezing with the spaghetti.

Nutrition

Calories: 642kcal | Carbohydrates: 87g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Sodium: 357mg | Potassium: 755mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 401IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 152mg | Iron: 5mg