Italian Walnut Sauce Pasta

This delicious creamy walnut pasta sauce recipe is stupidly easy to rustle up and provides you with loads of heart-healthy fats while also supporting weight loss (if that’s your thing!). Ideal for a quick weeknight dinner, but just as suitable for a dinner party, it’ll become a crowd-pleasing favorite!

Vegan Walnut Sauce Pasta is one of my favorite plant-based sauces for pasta dishes. It’s ultra-smooth and creamy, is lower in calories than other nut-based sauces such as cashews, and can be made with just a few simple ingredients in no time at all!

Add this vegan walnut cream sauce to whole wheat pasta for an incredibly easy yet delicious meal or incorporate it into other recipes such as vegan lasagna.

This article may contain affiliate links. See our full disclosure here.

---

What You’ll Need

This creamy walnut sauce for pasta recipe only requires a handful of ingredients and a blender to whip up. I love my Vitamix 2500 which is perfect for these kinds of recipes. But any good blender will do the trick! I even used to make it in my food processor (as you’ll see in the below pics).

• Whole Wheat Pasta
• Walnuts
• Soy Milk (or your favorite plant-based milk)
• Salt & Pepper
• Nutmeg

How to Make Walnut Spaghetti Sauce

In a large pot, heat your water and add a couple tsp of salt. Once boiling, add your pasta and cook as per the package directions.

While the pasta is cooking, place your walnuts in a blender (a food processor will work too) and process until they’re small pieces.

Add the soy milk, salt & pepper, and nutmeg to the blender. Process until the sauce is thick and smooth.

Pour the sauce into a medium-sized pan and heat it on a medium-low setting.

Once your pasta is cooked, strain it, and combine it with the warmed sauce, tossing it to make sure the pasta is evenly coated.

Serve immediately!

Is This Pasta and Walnut Sauce Healthy?

Most definitely! Vegan walnut cream sauce is much lower in saturated fat than cashew pasta sauce and is loaded with omega fats, vitamins, and minerals. It’s a great addition to your diet that’ll promote brain and heart health due to its nutritional health properties. 

Adding this healthy vegan walnut cream sauce to whole wheat pasta also provides a healthy and satisfying meal. While any pasta should be eaten in moderation, if you want to stick to an improved diet then whole wheat pasta is certainly the wise option – it’s full of good fiber, minerals, and vitamins and helps you feel fuller for longer. 

How Long Will This Pasta Sauce with Walnuts Last?

Pasta sauce with walnuts will last for up to 4 days when stored in an airtight container or glass jar in the refrigerator. 

You also have the option of freezing this walnut cream sauce for pasta for up to 2 months – either in an airtight container or a Ziploc bag. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then reheat on medium-low heat before combining with a fresh batch of whole wheat pasta. 

Variations for This Vegan Walnut Cream Sauce Pasta

• For a less creamy walnut sauce, ditch the soy milk and rather use pasta cooking water instead. The pasta cooking water will help to thicken the sauce but won’t add creaminess like plant milk will. 
• You could make a creamy rose sauce with this vegan walnut cream sauce as a base just by adding in some tomato sauce when blending the ingredients.
• Add some spinach to the blender with the other ingredients for a creamy walnut spinach sauce. 
• In addition to some chopped walnuts as garnish, consider sprinkling some chopped parsley over the walnut sauce pasta for some added color as well as chopped grape tomatoes for a touch of sweetness to the dish. Alternatively, you could try some vegan bacon bits for a carbonara twist!
• For a kick of heat to this Italian walnut sauce for pasta, add in some cayenne pepper when blending the walnut sauce. 

Tips for Making Walnut Cream Sauce for Pasta

• If you’re watching your carbs, consider serving this vegan walnut cream sauce over spiralized zucchini or other varieties of veggie noodles.
• Fun fact: Walnuts sometimes naturally take on a purple-ish color when blended. If you want to ensure that your walnut sauce turns out looking something very similar to a traditional alfredo sauce, simply soak the walnuts in water overnight to remove some of that color. Personally, I haven’t found this to be an issue without soaking the walnuts.
• To get a super silky smooth consistency and texture, use a high-speed blender like a Vitamix. Whatever you choose should have sufficient power to eradicate any remaining chunks. A food processor will also work. 

Other Amazing Vegan Pasta Dishes to Try:

• Creamy Red Pepper Pasta
• Creamy Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff
• Vegan Minestrone Soup
• Vegan Pumpkin Mac n Cheese

Sharing is caring!