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Maybe this shows off what a dirtbag New Yorker I am, but in my eyes, this vegan carbonara is basically the pasta version of a bacon egg and cheese sandwich. It really is shockingly creamy, smoky and rich for something that contains no egg yolk, ixnay on the animal itsbay, and nary a drop of dairy in sight.
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Because let's be honest, most vegan carbonara recipes come through bumping some hokey store-bought bacon that looks like a fried Band-aid, or they drown you in cashews like you're prepping for squirrel winter. Not this one, my silky pony. This sauce is smooth AF thanks to blended beans, then we spike it with smokey roasted eggplant playing the vegan bacon part.
It comes together in about 30-ish minutes with 1 pan and 1 pot (just for boiling pasta), which feels too little for a comfort food this legit. Drag a hunk of vegan garlic bread through that pasta sauce, add a couple vegan meatballs if you want to add some more protein, and you're basically seated near the Trevi Fountain, acting like this pasta has always been part of your daily routine, without even having to try your best not to get pickpocketed.
Jump to:
🥰 Why you'll adore this plant-based Carbonara recipe
🔥 Smoky Lil' Heartbreaker: No veggie bacon. No tofu. Eggplant roasts into a caramelized, umami-loaded masterpiece that makes bacon feel like old news. Respectfully. F*ck bacon...
⏱️ 30-Minute Glow-Up: Done in about 30-ish minutes, which means by the time delivery would've texted "on the way," you're already twirling pasta noodles.
✊ Vegan AF: Like all my vegan Italian recipes, this creamy pasta contains no dairy. Like who gave you permission to have this creamy texture without cheese??
🛒 No Weird Treasure Hunt Ingredients: You're not Googling "wtf is that" in the grocery aisle. Just regular human ingredients you can grab while mildly dissociating in aisle 4.
✅ Tested Worldwide: This didn't just survive a solitary lonely test run in my kitchen. Like all my vegan recipes, it went through the global group chat of hundreds of home cooks before it ever met you.
🤫 Learn the secrets for perfect vegan Italian meals
This guide to my most popular plant-based Italian recipes is 100% FREE, & you'll love the actual heck out of it 🥰
🍝 Vegan Carbonara Pasta Ingredients
For the Bacon
We're using smoky roasted eggplant here because when you slice it thin and roast it hot, it gets all chewy and savory and lowkey bacon-coded.
If you've got my seitan bacon, tofu bacon, or tempeh bacon hanging out in the fridge, toss that in instead. Just don't use rice paper bacon and carrot bacon because they cannot emotionally handle being tossed in creamy sauce. They wilt. They surrender to spaghetti oblivion.
Liquid Smoke
Liquid smoke is made by encapsulating natural hickory smoke in water and then reducing it down to a concentrate. It's not something artificial to freak out about.
You will 100% need a bottle on hand all the time, because it makes vegan Italian sausage, vegan pepperoni, and vegan brisket the iconic divas that they are. If you just cant find any, bump up the smoked paprika and add a little more tamari to make the eggplant still taste salty and smoky.
The Pasta
The traditional version of carbonara calls for spaghetti because those long strands hold onto the rich sauce really nicely. Linguine or fettuccine, can totally be used. We are not canceling dinner over noodle shapes.
Need it gluten-free? Tinkyada brown rice pasta is the obvious choice and it's actually legit amazing, and I've served it to tons of folks who didn't even realize their pasta dish was GF.
The Beans
These beans are the reason this sauce feels substantially creamy without any dairy. You can use just about any canned white bean in this recipe.
Butter beans which I keep on hand to use in pesto pasta and for smooth white bean puree that I plate my cauliflower steaks with are my personal first choice. Cannellini, great northern beans, or navy beans are all cool. I use any one of those to rock out other vegan pasta recipes like vegan Alfredo sauce, pasta fagioli, and escarole and bean soup.
Nutritional Yeast
Nutritional yeast is your cheesy cheat code. Flaky or powdered, does not matter here.
This is the same magic dust that makes insanely good vegan nacho cheese and brings vegan ham flavor to life.
Vegan Parmesan Cheese
I've got a vegan parmesan recipe that I think has the best texture, but if you're not a DIY typa goose, Violife makes a solid one that does the trick.
*See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact quantities, nutritional info, and detailed cooking directions.
📖 How to make Carbonara Pasta Vegan
Alright listen up, carbonara has a reputation and we're keeping it intact. I mean you could just scroll straight to the recipe card and freestyle it. But if you want to pull this classic dish off flawlessly on your first shot, here's the step-by-step guide.
Step One
Don't Call Me Late For Mandolinner:
Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C) and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a mandoline if you have one, slice the peeled eggplant into ½ cm thin strips, then chop those strips into small pieces.
Step Two
Ralph Marinader:
Whisk together the tamari, balsamic vinegar, tomato paste, smoked paprika, liquid smoke, and olive oil until smooth. Pour it over the chopped eggplant and toss thoroughly so every piece is fully coated.
Step Three
Roast Malone:
Spread the eggplant in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Roast on the center rack for 20 minutes, flipping the pieces at the 10-minute mark to ensure even browning. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Step Four
Boil George:
While the eggplant roasts, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat. Add the measured salt, then the spaghetti, and cook al dente according to package instructions, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Reserve ½ cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the cooked pasta.
Step Five
Blend It Like Beckham
While the pasta cooks, combine the white beans, vegetable stock, black pepper, nutritional yeast, and lemon juice in a blender. Blend until completely smooth.
Step Six
Garls Barkley:
Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat and add the extra-virgin olive oil. Once hot, add the diced shallots and cook for 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Mince the garlic, add it to the pan, and cook for 60 seconds, stirring constantly to prevent browning.
Step Seven
I've Bean Around the World, and I I I:
Pour the blended bean mixture into the large pan and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently, until thickened.
Step Eight
Spaghettabout It:
Add the drained cooked spaghetti to the pan and toss continuously so the silky sauce coats the pasta evenly. Add the reserved pasta water a few tablespoons at a time as needed to loosen the sauce so it clings to the noodles without pooling. Season with salt to taste.
Step Nine
Aubergine Simmons:
Fold in the roasted eggplant and toss again until evenly distributed and heated through, about 2 minutes over medium-low heat.
Step Ten
Barb(onara) Streisand:
Transfer to serving bowls and finish with additional extra-virgin olive oil, toasted breadcrumbs, vegan parmesan, cracked black pepper, and chopped parsley.
This might just be the perfect pasta upon which to serve up tofu meatballs, chickpea meatballs, or baked lentil meatballs!
50+ of my own family's fave recipes. Carefully concocted to win over even your most anti-vegan friends.
👉Top tips
- Roast the Eggplant without Letting it Get Hella Dark: There's a sweet spot where the eggplant shrinks, bronzes, and gets chewy. That's the zone. If it turns black and brittle, you've gone too far.
- Control Your Heat: Once the bean sauce hits the pan, keep it at medium-low and stir consistently. Too high and the sauce dries out fast or turns pasty.
- Use Pasta Water Strategically, Not Emotionally: Add it just a few tablespoons at a time while tossing vigorously so the starch helps emulsify the sauce.
🤷♀️ FAQs
It usually just needs more pasta water added gradually while tossing over low heat. The starch in that water loosens the sauce and brings back that silky, coat-the-noodles finish.
Absolutely, just use a gluten-free spaghetti and confirm your tamari is gluten-free. The bean-based sauce itself is naturally gluten-free.
🥶 Refrigeration:
Allow the pasta to cool completely, then transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Store toppings like breadcrumbs separately so they stay crisp.
🔥 Stovetop Reheating:
Transfer the pasta to a large saucepan over low heat with a splash of water or vegetable stock. Stir gently and heat until warmed through, adding small amounts of liquid as needed to restore creaminess.
⚡️ Microwave Reheating:
Place a portion in a microwave-safe dish with a spoonful of water or stock and cover loosely. Heat in short intervals, stirring between each round, until evenly warmed and smooth.
✌️You'll love these vegan pasta recipes too
Learn to make plant-based red sauce masterpieces in a super-fun recorded cooking class with Chef Adam Sobel!
Vegan Carbonara Recipe
Equipment
- Mandoline (optional)
- Large sauté pan
Ingredients
Smoky Eggplant:
- 1 lb. eggplant peeled
- 4 teaspoons tamari
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoons liquid smoke
- 4 teaspoons olive oil
For the Carbonara:
- 2 teaspoons salt for the pasta water
- ½ lb. spaghetti regular or gluten-free
- 1 cup canned white beans drained and rinsed
- 1 ½ cups unsalted vegetable stock or water
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 4 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup shallots diced
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 1 ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
Optional Garnishes:
- Additional extra-virgin olive oil
- Coarsely cracked black pepper
- Lightly toasted breadcrumbs
- Vegan parmesan cheese
- Chopped parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Using a mandoline if you have one, slice the peeled eggplant into ½ cm. thin strips, then roughly chop the strips into bite-size pieces.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the tamari, balsamic vinegar, tomato paste, smoked paprika, liquid smoke, and olive oil until smooth. Add the eggplant pieces and toss thoroughly so all surfaces are coated.
- Spread the eggplant in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Roast on the center rack for 20 minutes, flipping the pieces over at 10 minutes so the pieces brown evenly. Set aside.
- While the eggplant roasts, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat. Add the measured salt, then add the spaghetti and cook according to the package timing, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Reserve ½ cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta.
- While the pasta cooks, combine the white beans, vegetable stock, black pepper, nutritional yeast and lemon juice in a blender. Blend until completely smooth.
- Place a large sauté pan over medium heat and add the extra-virgin olive oil. After 90 seconds when the oil is hot, add the diced shallots and cook, stirring frequently, for 4 minutes. Mince the garlic and add it into the pan and cook for 60 seconds, stirring constantly so it does not darken.
- Pour the blended bean mixture into the pan and reduce to medium-low heat. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3-4 minutes until thickened.
- Add the drained spaghetti to the pan and toss continuously so the sauce coats the pasta. Add reserved pasta water a few tablespoons at a time as needed to loosen the sauce so it clings to the noodles without pooling. Add salt to taste.
- Fold in the roasted eggplant and toss again until evenly distributed and heated through, 2 minutes over medium-low heat.
- Transfer to serving bowls and finish with additional extra-virgin olive oil, toasted breadcrumbs, vegan parmesan, cracked pepper, and chopped parsley.
Notes
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Kathy says
This dish was easy to prepare and very flavorful! It definitely makes the rotation.
Dosa Princess says
I tested this recipe for Adam, the whole dish came out really good. I like that there are no complicated ingredients and it came together really quickly. The eggplant marinade was great and gave great flavor to the eggplant. I am trying to think of other dishes where I can use the eggplant. It is already a favorite in our house and I will certainly be making it again. Thank you Adam great dish.