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This is an entirely vegan spaghetti carbonara recipe that is ridiculously cheesy and lusciously creamy without any real cheese (nor vegan cheese!). We’re using the simplest ingredients and just 20 minutes to make a comforting, easy spaghetti carbonara recipe that’s plant-based down to the vegan guanciale. You’re going to love every bite!!

plate of vegan carbonara pasta

Why you’ll LOVE this vegan carbonara recipe:

Okay, so I LOVEEE my vegan pasta recipes because they’re all inspired by my great grandpa’s cooking. He was from Sicily, and just the best cook!!! The pasta con broccoli is always a favorite, as is my gnocchi alla Sorrentina and my lentil bolognese.

But I’m actually quite shocked by how well this vegan carbonara recipe turned out because I really, really had to go off on my own journey here to replicate anything close to what Andrea would make. And it’s not often that I’m shocked by my own vegan creations because I truly do believe that anything is possible to be made vegan.

plate of vegan carbonara

But this one really had me like, WOW, no truly, everything and anything is possible. This vegan carbonara recipe is really it.

It’s a ridiculously creamy and silky cheesy sauce coating perfectly cooked al dente pasta with bits of (plant-based) homemade guanciale throughout. It truly deserves a spot in your dinner rotation because it’s all ready in 20 minutes.

Oh, and you don’t even need vegan cheese NOR cashews NOR tofu to create it. I’m serious.

It’s honestly giving my vegan lasagna a run for its money as to who will be the leader of Sunday night dinners. You’re going to LOVE it!

close up of vegan carbonara

Key simple ingredients:

  • Pasta: Traditionally, authentic carbonara is made with spaghetti, so that’s what I’m using here. However, you’re more than welcome to use your favorite shape and make it gluten-free as needed!
  • Dairy-free milk: In lieu of vegan cheese, which can be frustrating to find a good one, I decided we’re just using vegan dairy-free milk. The hardcore Italians may come for me with this one, as traditional carbonara uses NO cream/milk whatsoever. We can doctor it up to resemble what melted cheese would do in traditional pasta, and it’s just easier! Use whichever dairy-free milk is your favorite here.
  • All-purpose flour: I’m a BIG fan of using flour or cornstarch to thicken a creamy sauce that you want to feel and taste cheesy. If you’re gluten-free, feel free to use cornstarch or arrowroot starch.
  • Nutritional yeast: This is how we’re going to make the cheesy flavor.
  • Miso paste: I use chickpea miso because I prefer the flavor to soy-based miso, but feel free to use either! This will also help to lock in the cheesy flavor in both the sauce and deepen the flavor within the vegan guanciale.
  • Tempeh: The base of our vegan guanciale! Tempeh is thick and usually made from fermented soy beans. However, I found that using chickpea tempeh has a much more preferable taste.
  • Smoked paprika: This is how we’re making the smoky flavor in our vegan guanciale! Many vegan carbonara recipes call for liquid smoke. However, I just can’t justify buying a specialty ingredient unless I’m going to be using it a LOT through either just making one recipe or it’s good for many recipes. So I went with smoked paprika, which I use quite a lot in cooking.
  • Coconut aminos: This helps to deepen the rich flavor in our vegan tempeh bacon bits as well!
close up of carbonara pasta in a sauce pan

Overview: how to make vegan spaghetti carbonara without vegan cheese:

For the full written instructions and ingredient measurements, see the bottom of this post in the recipe card. You can also hit the “jump to recipe” button at the top of this post! Here, we’ll go over a brief overview of the steps, along with providing visuals for a better understanding of the recipe.

cooking the tempeh guanciale
We’ll start by getting the pasta cooking in our boiling water, then moving on to searing the tempeh guanciale. This is really simple- because we’re using chickpea tempeh, there’s no need to pre-boil the tempeh to remove the bitter flavor!
blending the sauce
Next up is the sauce- I literally just blend the dairy-free milk with all ingredients so that there are no flour clumps, and cook!
cooking the sauce
Once the sauce begins to thicken, we’ll stir in our cooked spaghetti with the pasta water.
adding in the spaghetti
You can turn off the heat here and just toss the pasta to coat it evenly in the sauce.
finishing the vegan carbonara
Top with our vegan guanciale bits, and serve!
plated vegan carbonara
I like to finish with some fresh black pepper and chopped parsley- it’s delicious!

Pro tip: Don’t skip the pasta water!

It’s not listed as an ingredient because it’s a resulting ingredient from cooking the pasta, but I talk about it in the instructions, and it really ties the sauce all together. It takes our carbonara sauce from creamy to superrrr silky all in one pour.

vegan carbonara pasta being eaten

If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below. This helps others to find the recipes! As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there as well!

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plate of vegan carbonara pasta

20 Minute CREAMY Vegan Carbonara – No Nuts, Vegan Cheese, No Tofu!

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  • Author: Britt Berlin
  • Prep Time: 7
  • Cook Time: 15
  • Total Time: 22 minutes
  • Yield: 6 1x
  • Category: Main meal, Pasta
  • Method: Stove top
  • Cuisine: Italian
  • Diet: Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Vegan
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Description

This is an entirely vegan spaghetti carbonara recipe that is ridiculously cheesy and lusciously creamy without any real cheese (nor vegan cheese!). We’re using the simplest ingredients and just 20 minutes to make a comforting, easy spaghetti carbonara recipe that’s plant-based down to the vegan guanciale. You’re going to love every bite!!

Ingredients

Scale

Vegan Guanciale:

  • 1 7-ounce package chickpea tempeh*
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp coconut aminos
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp miso paste

Carbonara Sauce:

  • 14 ounces (375 g) dried spaghetti or your favorite pasta, gluten-free as needed
  • 2 cups dairy-free milk*
  • 1 tbsp miso paste*
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tbsp all-purpose flour*
  • 1 tsp vinegar
  • 1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped 

Instructions

  1. Prep: Read through all instructions before beginning. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
  2. Cook the pasta: Add the pasta into the boiling water pot to cook while you make the guanciale and the carbonara sauce. The pasta should cook for about 12-15 minutes to be al dente.
  3. Make the guanciale: Chop the tempeh into roughly 1 centimeter sized rectangles to resemble the shape of authentic guanciale. Then heat the saucepan with the olive oil on medium heat, and add in the tempeh bits. Sear the tempeh bits evenly on both sides until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side. Then add in the coconut aminos, smoked paprika, cumin, garlic powder, and miso paste. Continue to sauté the tempeh bits into the coconut aminos and spices until completely absorbed, about 3-4 minutes. Then remove from heat and place the vegan guanciale in a separate bowl. Return the pan to the stovetop, with the heat OFF.
  4. To make the sauce: Place all sauce ingredients (dairy-free milk, miso paste, nutritional yeast, sea salt, flour, and vinegar) into a blender, and blend until smooth and creamy. Then pour back into the pan that you used to cook the vegan guanciale, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to simmer, and stir. Then cover and turn off the heat until the spaghetti has finished cooking.
  5. Stir in the pasta: Once the spaghetti is cooked to al dente, drain the pasta water, saving about 1/2 cup of pasta water. Then pour the spaghetti and remaining pasta water into the saucepan, and stir to evenly coat the spaghetti. 
  6. Stir in the guanciale: Add in about 2/3 of the vegan guanciale, and toss to evenly distribute throughout the carbonara.
  7. Plate and enjoy: Plate the carbonara and finish with the remaining guanciale and chopped parsley. Serve and enjoy! Store any leftovers in an airtight container and in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Notes

Tempeh: I use chickpea tempeh for the flavor, but it’s also a great a soy-free option for those who need it.

Dairy-free milk: You can use any of your favorites here: soy milk, almond milk, oat milk, or cashew milk work great here.

Flour: For gluten-free, use cornstarch or arrowroot starch instead of flour.