You are going to LOVE this one! This sauce comes together in 20 minutes with just a few everyday ingredients. Vegan + gluten-free + easy! Perfect for Thanksgiving or any fall dinner or lunch! Pin or print this one because this recipe for perfect dairy-free pumpkin pasta is a keeper!
Tara’s Tips for Perfect Dairy-Free Creamy Pumpkin Pasta
Coconut Milk
- I choose to use the light version. You can easily find a can of this in any grocery store. If you choose to or if it the only one you can find, you can use the full fat version. It will yield a thicker + richer sauce.
Pumpkin
- Canned pumpkin works just fine. Don’t complicate things if you don’t need to. If you have homemade pumpkin puree handy, you can use 3 cups of it in place of 1 can. Just be sure you use pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling.
Pasta
- I found this awesome pumpkin shaped pasta at Whole Foods. There is also a variation of pumpkin shaped pasta at Trader Joe’s. You could easily use any of your favorite shape of pasta or spaghetti.
Leftovers?
- If you are making this sauce for Thanksgiving, this is a perfect sauce to make ahead of time + pour over fresh-cooked pasta when you are ready to eat. You could store your make-ahead sauce in a jar in the refrigerator for up to 7 days + heat in a skillet when ready to eat!
Need More Meatless Thanksgiving Recipe Ideas?
Start here: What To Eat On Thanksgiving If You Don’t Eat Turkey
Or try one of these:
Vegetarian Seitan Turkey Cutlets
Instant Pot Chickpea Seitan Nuggets
Quick and Easy Vegetarian Mushroom Gravy
Easy Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
Vegan Thanksgiving Salad With Pumpkin Vinaigrette
Perfect Dairy-Free Creamy Pumpkin Pasta
The most perfect dairy-free pumpkin pasta for Thanksgiving or any fall meal! Serve with your favorite pasta! Vegan, gluten-free, and oh so yummy!
Ingredients
- 16 ounces of your favorite pasta
- 14 ounce can of light coconut milk
- 15 ounce can pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp dried sage
- 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp cornstarch plus 3 tbsp water
- red pepper flakes to taste
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas) for topping
Directions
- Step 1 In a deep skillet, whisk together coconut milk and pumpkin puree. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly until fully incorporated. Next, stir in the sage, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a simmer, keep the heat low, cover and cook for 5 minutes stirring intermittently.
- Step 2 While the sauce simmers, cook pasta according to package directions.
- Step 3 In a separate bowl, make your cornstarch slurry by mixing together the cornstarch and water until smooth. Slowly pour the cornstarch slurry into the sauce. Continue to simmer for 10 more minutes covered, stirring intermittently.
- Step 4 Drain water from cooked pasta, add the pasta to the pumpkin sauce, give everything a good stir to coat all of the pasta, taste and adjust salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat, divide into bowls, top with red pepper flakes to taste, sprinkle pumpkin seeds on top.
- Step 5 Store leftovers in an airtight glass container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Enjoy!
*recipe originally published November 2022, updated September 2023*
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