Are you ready for the creamiest vegan truffle pasta dish filled with buttery and crispy sautéed mushrooms, a creamy sauce garlic truffle sauce, and fresh thyme? If you said yes, then I can't wait for you to try this Vegan Truffle Mushroom Pasta!
*Recipe shared February 2018 and updated January 2022*
There is just something SOOO comforting about creamy vegan pasta dishes. I think it's largely due to the nostalgia around eating a really delicious bowl of mac and cheese.
This vegan mushroom pasta is more like a gourmet version of your favorite mac and cheese due to the earthy & musky flavor of truffles. Plus, we are using both truffle salt AND truffle oil to truly get a delicious truffle mac and cheese!
Ingredients:
Ingredient notes:
- Truffle Oil: This is the white truffle oil I used. If you can't find any, just substitute with olive oil. However, the dish will definitely have less truffle flavor when substituting.
- Truffle Salt: This is the black truffle salt I used and HIGHLY recommend. It can be a bit pricy, but you can use it in tons of recipes like my Truffle Fries!
- Pasta: I like using orchette because it holds the sauce really well, but any pasta shape will work.
How to make creamy vegan truffle pasta
Luckily, making this vegan truffle mushroom pasta is pretty easy and requires three main steps: cooking the pasta, making the sauce, & cooking the mushrooms.
Soak the cashews
The first step to making the sauce is to soak the cashews.
While you can soak the cashews for 6-8 hours in cold water, I prefer soaking them in boiling water for just 30 minutes. It has the same effect as soaking for a longer time and helps soften these cashews so they can be blended into the creamiest sauce.
Cook the pasta
While the cashews are soaking, cook the pasta according to the package instructions.
Though I made this recipe using orecchiette pasta you can literally use any pasta in this recipe. I especially like making it with my homemade vegan gnocchi!
Cook the mushrooms until crispy
This is the most time-consuming part of this recipe, but luckily it can be done at the same time the cashews are soaking & while the pasta is cooking.
First, thinly slice the mushrooms. You can use crimini mushrooms or a mix of crimini and shitake mushrooms for even more flavor. Then, melt vegan butter in a pan and add the mushrooms and lemon juice.
Stir the mushrooms and then cook them for 15-20 minutes until they have released their juices and are getting crispy and browned. The mushrooms will shrink quite a bit during this process.
You don't want to add any seasoning or salt until later or the mushrooms will never fully crispy up. However, once the mushrooms are crispy, season them with truffle salt and truffle oil and set them aside.
Make the vegan truffle cheese sauce
I've tried a ton of vegan cheese sauce recipes out there, but none were quite as decadent as what I was looking for to put in this creamy vegan truffle mac and cheese. So, true to form, I decided it was time to make my own creamy, mushroom-filled, vegan truffle cream sauce.
In order for this vegan truffle cream sauce to taste really extravagant, you are going to need some high-quality truffle oil and (ideally) some really awesome truffle salt.
Once you have those essentials, add the strained and soaked cashews to a blender with fresh water, truffle oil, truffle salt, nutritional yeast, and a garlic clove. Then, blend together until you have a smooth and creamy vegan truffle sauce!
Assemble the vegan mushroom pasta
The last step to this recipe? Just add everything to one pot, stir to combine, and top with fresh thyme for an extra boost of flavor.
Then, dig in and prepare to be amazed at just how delicious this vegan truffle pasta recipe is!
FAQ & Tips:
I haven't personally tried making this recipe without cashews and don't recommend it. The cashews really thicken this sauce and give it the creamy base that other ingredients cannot.
If you're looking for a creamy nut-free sauce you could try making my Cauliflower Pasta sauce and adding truffle salt & truffle oil to it for a similar flavor.
Leftover pasta can be stored in a closed container in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
With crispy mushrooms, a creamy truffle sauce, and plenty of flavor, this Creamy Vegan Truffle Mushroom Pasta is soon to be a favorite vegan weeknight dinner. Enjoy!
-TSG
More Vegan Dinner Ideas filled with mushrooms you will love:
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Creamy Vegan Truffle Mushroom Pasta
Ingredients
- 16 oz pasta
Truffle Sauce
- 1 cup cashews soaked in boiling hot water for 30 minutes-1 hour
- ¾ cup water
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 Tablespoon truffle oil
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 teaspoon truffle salt use more or less salt as preferred
Sauteed Mushrooms
- 1 Tablespoon vegan butter or sub for oil
- 16 ounces mushrooms button or a mix of button and shitake works best
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice about ½ lemon, juiced
- 1 teaspoon truffle oil
- truffle salt to taste
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme optional but adds a lot of flavor
Instructions
- First, add the cashews to a bowl with boiling hot water and soak for 30 minutes- 1 hour. You can also add the cashews to a bowl of cold water, cover, and soak in the fridge for 6-8 hours.
- While the cashews are soaking, cook the pasta according to instructions on the package. Once cooked, strain and set aside.
- While the pasta is cooking, add the vegan butter to a frying pan. Once the butter begins to sizzle, add the mushrooms and lemon juice to the pan. and cook until there is no liquid and mushrooms are beginning to brown.
- Cook the mushrooms for 20-30 minutes cook until there is no liquid and mushrooms are beginning to brown. Once the mushrooms are cooked, drizzle with 1 teaspoon truffle oil and sprinkle with truffle salt to your liking. Stir and cook an additional 1 minute, then set aside.
- Once the pasta and mushrooms are cooked, make the truffle cream sauce. First, strain the soaked cashews. Then, add the soaked cashews, water nutritional yeast, truffle oil, garlic, and truffle salt to a blender. Blend until a thick & smooth sauce forms.
- To finish, add the pasta, truffle sauce, and crispy mushrooms to a serving dish and mix to combine. You can also add the pan to the oven to bake for a few minutes if desired. Then, top with fresh thyme and enjoy!
Notes
- Leftovers can be stored in a closed container in the fridge for 3-5 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Erin says
I made this dish last night! So satisfying and delish with out the heaviness of real cheese and the tiredness of eating real cheese and pasta! I made it with shiitake mushrooms and regular salt and added fresh ground pepper on top. I also used pad thai noodles since thats all I had. You could dr this up with some fresh green onions too. Can't wait to make this again! thank you : )
Jeanette Svensk Li says
Hi! How much lactic acid powder did you add?
Ayumi says
Holy moooooly this is amazing! I never really knew what to do with nutritional yeast but now I do! This is a total winner <3
Megan Horowitch says
So so glad! I have a few other recipes with nutritional yeast on here too so definitely check those out next 🙂 Thanks for the review!
ShortGirlTallOrder says
So glad you liked it Hannah! Love the addition of lactic acid powder- I've never tried that and will have to look into it 🙂
Hannah says
Wow this recipe is a true gem. I made it with truffle olive oil and subbed the lemon for white wine. I also added some lactic acid powder to the sauce which helps to make it taste more like a traditional alfredo or cream sauce.
Erica says
This recipe was beyond amazing. Super simple and I cried it was so delicious. I used cremini mushrooms (my favourite) and used regular salt in place of truffle salt. I also used a mixture of gluten-free rice pasta and red lentil pasta.
ShortGirlTallOrder says
This feedback made my day I'm so glad you liked it! Lentil pasta sounds like the best healthy twist 🙂