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Creamy Red Pepper Alfredo Pasta

5 from 45 votes

This deliciously thick and creamy homemade red pepper alfredo pasta is surprisingly simple to make.

Creamy Red Pepper Alfredo Pasta

I make a variation of this creamy pasta dish at least once a month.

The sauce is a wonderful addition to everything – pasta, vegetables, garlic bread, or even served in a bowl as a rich and creamy soup.

It’s also great over spaghetti squash if you want to save calories – See: How To Cook Spaghetti Squash.

No oil

No dairy

Just 8 ingredients

Red Pepper Alfredo Pasta

This magically thick alfredo also has NO HEAVY CREAM.

Instead, the richness comes from heart-healthy cashews, one of my favorite versatile plant-based ingredients.

They can be used in both sweet and savory recipes to produce incredible creaminess even without any heavy cream or dairy.

*If you prefer a nut-free pasta recipe, be sure to check out my Creamy Spinach Tomato Pasta, or also this Cauliflower Mac And Cheese.

pasta ingredients
Vitamix Alfredo Sauce Recipe

This sauce comes together really easily.

Just throw the ingredients into a blender and process until smooth.

You can heat the sauce while making your pasta, so everything can be done and ready to eat at the same time.

Also Try These Buffalo Cauliflower Wings – 6 Ingredients

CREAMY RED PEPPER PASTA
Easy 6 Ingredient Red Pepper Pasta Sauce

Italian that I am, pasta is one of my favorite foods.

When I first became a vegan at the young age of 14, my Italian grandmother panicked and told me I was crazy.

Then she thought about it for a minute and asked…

“Can you still eat pasta?”

When I assured her that, yes, I could definitely still eat pasta as a vegan, she let out a giant sigh of relief and said, “Oh, in that case, no problem!”

Easy 6 Ingredient Creamy Red Pepper Alfredo Sauce Recipe
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Creamy Red Pepper Alfredo Pasta

A healthy and vegan creamy alfredo pasta recipe with no heavy cream or dairy.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Yield 5 servings
5 from 45 votes

Ingredients

  • 1 red bell pepper, raw or roasted
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup raw cashews or macadamias
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast or Parmesan cheese, such as vegan parma
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp onion powder
  • 1/4 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg, optional
  • 10 oz pasta or spaghetti squash or vegetables
  • optional grilled or roasted veggies, beans, etc.

Instructions

  • Place the nuts in a cereal bowl, cover with water, and let sit 6-8 hours. Drain fully, and pat dry. Blend all ingredients (including 1/2 cup water) except pasta and optional veggies in a food processor or high-powered blender until completely smooth. Heat sauce in a pot until desired temperature is reached while cooking pasta in salted water according to package directions in a separate pot. Drain pasta fully, but do not rinse. Pour the sauce over the pasta, season with salt and pepper as desired, and stir in cooked vegetables, beans, or other add-ins if desired.
    *If you increase the water to 1 cup, the sauce also makes a really nice and creamy soup.
    View Nutrition Facts

Notes

Also be sure to try this Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce.
 

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Published on January 2, 2020

Meet Katie

Chocolate Covered Katie is one of the top 25 food websites in America, and Katie has been 
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ABC's 5 O’Clock News. Her favorite food is chocolate, and she believes in eating dessert every single day.

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93 Comments

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  1. Danielle says

    I know this is off-topic but I’m not sure the best way to reach you. My mom is making me the Pink Princess Cake from your cookbook for my birthday party this weekend 🙂 but we want to make mini cupcakes instead. Or possibly regular cupcakes. Have you ever made cupcakes with this recipe? Do you have any tips on cooking time for either mini or regular cupcakes? Thank you so much!

    • Julie Dove says

      You will have to experiment, but thekitchn says Most cupcake recipes take around 20 minutes to bake. Not sure about mini cupcakes, but they would take an even shorter time, so keep an eye on them! And be sure to report back if you experiment 🙂

    • Donna says

      I just made those last week as mini cupcakes!!! I think I cooked for 10 or 13 minutes. I would do 10, then check with a toothpick, if it comes out clean, they are done. PS they are soooo yummy and moist!

  2. Stephanie says

    Oh my gosh, I can’t wait to try this. My daughter is allergic to tomatoes, but loves pasta. So I am always looking for things she can have other than pesto 🙂

    • Judy says

      I have found that adding riced or blended beets will give pasta dishes that red color we’re used to with tomato sauces. With spices, you can’t tell the difference.

    • Julie Dove says

      You could probably just leave them out for a basic alfredo sauce. Or maybe try tomatoes or even steamed carrots? If you experiment, be sure to report back!

  3. Gustavo Woltmann says

    Hmm, look so delicious, aside from that this recipe looks so perfect for my family I know they will like it too. I will add some experimental healthy ingredients in this recipe. Thank’s for sharing this. 🙂

  4. Jenni says

    I just made this recipe for dinner and ate way too much because it was so delicious! So easy to make and really incredible flavor…loved it! I added some mushrooms, garlic salt and pepper. Thanks so much for the great recipe, it will be one of my favorite go tos for the future! ?

  5. kaci cheeseman says

    This may seem silly, but is the 1/2 cup cashews 4 oz/112g or 2oz/56g? Packaging lists 1/4 cup as one ounce, but I wasn’t sure if you meant 1/2 cup by volume or weight. Thank you!

  6. Katie says

    Cashews are soaking right now. Can’t wait to try this!
    My 1.5 year old is the pickiest of all picky eaters, so your recipes have been a God sent, because I get to sneak all kinds of good stuff into him.

    Greetings from Germany 🙂

    • Katie says

      I wanted to report back on the outcome. It was absolutely delicious and will surely become one of my go-to recipes. Instead of regular red peppers, I roasted mine (400F for 40min, flip half way through). So creamy, and oh so good!

  7. Sara says

    Is there a faster way for the cashews! Wanted to make this tonight but didn’t read through the entire recipe early enough!

  8. Donna Remmington says

    Tried this recipe tonight but used cream cheeses instead of cashew nuts. I am not a vegetarian but follow your blog as a coeliac with a sweet tooth! Had it with thick rice noodles plus a few large prawns. Lovely??

    • Kelly says

      How much cream cheese did you use, Donna? That sounds really good too. I have some spaghetti squash to use up and was looking for a good sauce recipe.

  9. Dorothy says

    Hi Katie,
    These treats look so tantilizing, especially the Red Pepper Alfredo dish and the Cocoanut Chocolate Brownies.
    I will definitely enjoy and share with family & friends.
    Thank you!!

  10. Jennifer says

    I loved this sauce too when I made it for the first time. I used roasted red peppers from my pantry because I didn’t have fresh. It was great!!!
    I didn’t notice if anyone has tried making a bigger batch and freezing it.

    • Candice says

      I’ve been wondering the same re freezing. I did reach out to Katie on Twitter and received no response. I’m going to make a batch tomorrow to test it out. I’ll be sure to come back and let you know how it went.

  11. Erin says

    This turned out so well, Katie! I threw in a couple of cups of chopped kale with the pasta for the last few minutes of cooking time. It was delicious and easy. Thanks for the recipe!

    • Jason Sanford says

      You do, and it’s great that way. However, some readers say they have also roasted it first and it’s really great like that too!

  12. Deborah says

    This is very similar to a recipe I used to make a cream to pour over leaves of kale and then put it in the dehydrator for kale chips. It’s delicious.

  13. Heather says

    This sounds amazing. I’m going to try subbing sunflower seeds in place of the nuts, due to severe allergies. I’m also wondering if white beans would do the trick.

  14. Patti says

    This was delish!! Next time will make it with spaghetti squash because I ended up eating way too much pasta! Made it in my vitamix and it came out perfectly.

  15. MELISSA says

    I bought everything to make these but I couldn’t find raw cashews so I bought roasted. I’ve never cooked with cashews before.. would I still soak them.. will it even taste right to use them?

    Thanks so much! Hoping to make this tomorrow.

  16. Matilda says

    Katie, This creamy red pepper Alfredo is outstanding. And it is pretty as a picture. Just a little bit of Heaven here on earth. Thank You for the recipe. Matilda

  17. Laura D says

    Just finished eating this red pepper cashew alfredo for dinner and this is the best non-traditional sauce I have ever eaten, hands down! I doubled the recipe and added garlic. I used 1 raw red pepper and 1 roasted from a jar because I didn’t want to make a trip to the store and didn’t have enough of either to use solely. I think it was a good choice but I would suggest cutting back on the salt if you do use peppers from the jar. I added shredded chicken to the dish and I have to say that I regret it because the sauce is such a star on its own. Next time I won’t make that mistake. My husband, who was entirely skeptical while I was prepping, said he would like for this dish to be added to our list of staple meals! Can’t wait to share with some family members who are lactose intolerant. Thanks so much. I haven’t been this excited about a recipe in quite awhile!

    • Jason Sanford says

      We haven’t tried so can’t vouch for the taste, but be sure to report back if you try! It sounds like it might be really good!

      Jason

  18. Erin says

    Made this tonight and the flavor is sooo good but mine turned out grainy and not that creamy. What did I do wrong?! I’ll definifely make again but hoping I can get a creamier sauce. Any suggestions?

      • Erin says

        I used a Kitchenaid food processor. I soaked the nuts for about 10 hours, but maybe I should try a blender instead of a food processor? Or maybe I need to keep it in the processor longer?!

        • Jason Sanford says

          Hmmm I’ve used a food processor before and it’s always worked. A Vitamix would be the best for smoothness of course, but I don’t have one and haven’t had an issue with my food processor not making it smooth. Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful!

  19. Mame says

    Katie,

    I made this tonight and my husband’s comment was that it was OUTSTANDING! That’s a real rave from him! I loved it and recommend it to all vegans, too! Thanks for such a great recipe.

  20. Carrie says

    Amazing recipe! I just made this using the roasted red bell pepper option and added just a couple dashes of garlic powder, and it’s phenomenal. Thank you so much for making this recipe!

  21. Stacy says

    Just made this, super quick and easy but a little blah. I added red pepper flakes and that helped. It’s a great base sauce and we can all add our own personal favorites! Next time I’m going to roast the red pepper instead of raw, add garlic and maybe mushrooms. Thank you for sharing!

  22. Stacey says

    Thanks for the lovely recipe. I’ve just made the sauce and it tastes wonderful. Could you suggest some vegetables that would work well with the sauce. Thanks

  23. Shawn says

    Hi! Is there a nut alternative. I would love to try this but I’m allergic to nuts. Is there a way to make the sauce with out the cashews but still be dairy free ?

  24. Selene Strong says

    Wow, great post! Vegan pasta is an amazing, healthy recipe. This sounds delicious, definitely a great post workout meal. Thanks for posting!

  25. Juliana says

    Yum! I know I can always count on your blog for great vegan sauces. This stuff is addictive and goes great with roasted broccoli. Thanks Katie!

  26. Stephanie says

    Thank you for this! I have one child who is vegetarian, one who is allergic to tomatoes, and one who can’t tolerate gluten or dairy. So I served this over gluten free pasta and everyone could eat it! It was really good. Putting this in a regular rotation.

  27. Rachel says

    This was so yummy. I used spiralized zucchini instead of the pasta and wow!!! Thank you for another delicious recipe!

  28. Monica says

    5 stars
    This is one of my all time favorite recipes of yours! I made it during our family’s Christmas celebrations and everyone LOVED IT. I’m the only dairy free person in the family but everyone couldn’t get enough of it and it was the first of the leftovers to get eaten.

    It’s so easy and quick and the flavor is amazing! My mom is allergic to garlic, so I omitted the garlic this time and it still had an amazing flavor.

    This one will surprise nonvegan friends and fam for sure! Heading to the grocery store to buy red peppers now to make it tomorrow 🙂

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