This creamy vegan pumpkin pasta sauce is quick, savory, and full of cozy fall flavors. Made with yellow onions, spinach, and infused with dried sage, marjoram, and garlic, it’s a simple stovetop recipe that feels both comforting and special.
Ready in just 20 minutes, it’s perfect for a hearty weeknight dinner or a luxurious Thanksgiving pasta dish that will impress friends and family.
Yes, it’s pumpkin season! While you can enjoy this squash year-round, it always feels extra special in the fall.
This vegan pumpkin pasta sauce recipe uses canned pumpkin puree, a typical fall pantry staple in my house.
The sauce is rich and creamy, with tender, sweet yellow onions, quickly wilted spinach, like my Pasta With Peas, and perfectly balanced flavors from dried sage and marjoram.
I recommend cooking the noodles separately for that perfect al dente bite. The contrast with the silky, creamy sauce is worth it.
Enjoy as-is or with a large side salad like this Apple-Kale Salad!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Healthy & Nutritious: Packed with spinach, onions, canned pumpkin, and gluten-free pasta, it’s a wholesome, satisfying dish.
- Vegan & Dairy-free Alternative: Uses full-fat coconut milk and olive oil instead of dairy.
- Fast & Easy: Ready in 20 minutes, making it perfect for meal prep or busy weeknights.
Ingredients & Notes
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
You only need a few basic ingredients to make this creamy pumpkin pasta recipe. Here's what should be on your grocery list:
- Favorite Pasta: We use gluten-free pasta from Jovial. Go for any pasta shape you love and cook it according to the package instructions, although I prefer penne here.
- Pumpkin Purée: You'll need two (15-ounce) cans. Do not use pumpkin pie filling!
- Olive Oil: You need a tad to sauté the onions in.
- Garlic and Yellow Onion: They create a flavorful base for this creamy pumpkin sauce.
- Spinach Leaves: They're quickly wilted and pair well with the rest of the ingredients.
- Seasoning: Sea salt, black pepper, garlic powder, dried sage, and marjoram. Combine them all and create a depth of flavor.
- Coconut Cream: Use full-fat coconut milk. It creates the perfect creamy dairy-free sauce, pairing exceptionally well with the more meaty and earthy squash. Don't worry, you won't notice a coconut flavor in this recipe. Any leftovers can be used to make Chia Seed Pudding or Nice Cream Recipes.
- Plant-Based Milk: A small amount of plant milk helps loosen the base of the sauce and makes it silky. Almond milk or coconut milk works best here.
How To Make It
See the full recipe with measurements in the recipe card.
Prep: First, boil a large pot of salted water to cook pasta according to package directions. While the pasta cooks, you can make this creamy vegan pumpkin pasta sauce.
Step One (Picture 1 above) - Add the garlic and onion. Cook and stir in a large saucepan over medium heat in olive oil until the onion is translucent, not browned.
Step Two (Picture 2 above) - Add the spinach. Cook until wilted. Season with salt.
Step Three (Picture 3 above) - Change the heat to medium-low. Then stir in the pumpkin puree and season with sage, marjoram, and garlic powder.
Step Four (Picture 4 above) - Add the coconut cream and milk.
Step Five (Picture 5 above) - Stir until well blended. Taste test and adjust seasoning to taste.
Step Six (Picture 6 above) - Stir drained al dente pasta into the creamy vegan pumpkin pasta sauce. Season royally with black pepper and serve hot.
Top Tips
- Pasta Selection: Any pasta shape will work, but don't overcook the noodles. You want an 'al dente' texture, meaning chewy but still firm.
- Make it Gluten-Free: Go for gluten-free pasta. I love the organic brown rice noodles from Jovial because their texture holds well during cooking. Keep in mind that gluten-free varieties tend to cook faster, so adjust your cooking time accordingly if you choose regular pasta.
- The Herbs: Dried sage and marjoram's assertive flavors will bring out the pumpkin's softer nature and reveal a more meaty and earthy squash that works so well in the rest of the sauce ingredients. Don't skip it.
- Coconut Cream/milk: The recipe calls for both. If the sauce needs more liquid to smooth out the flavors, you can use some vegetable broth or pasta water. But it's usually not necessary. I highly recommend adding the suggested amount of coconut milk for a more luxurious pumpkin pasta sauce.
- Extra Seasoning: Stir in some onion powder to the finished dish, or try some nutritional yeast if you have any leftovers from making my Vegan Vegetable Stew.
Variations & Substitutions
- Vegetable Swap: Swap spinach for Swiss chard or kale.
- Add-Ins: Add fresh roasted pumpkin before serving
- Add Extra Protein: Add chickpeas for extra protein.
- Other Plant-based Milk: Experiment with soy milk as a lighter dairy-free alternative.
Storage
This pasta is best served immediately when hot, but if you have any leftovers, store everything in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days.
Then, briefly reheat over the stove. Loosen it up with a tad of coconut milk or coconut cream (optional).
Recipe FAQs
This dish is suitable for a larger family or group of people. But just in case you want to make dinner for two for a date night or just yourself (with some leftovers), then all you need to do is make a few adjustments.
Cook one 12-ounce pack of gluten-free penne pasta instead of two, and use only 3 quarts of water for boiling.
Use only one 16-ounce package of pumpkin puree—unless you like the extra sauce.
Decide for yourself how much spinach you want in this dish. I would lower it to 2 or 3 cups packed.
Taste test when adding the dried herbs. Start with 1 ½ teaspoons of dried sage and a teaspoon of dried marjoram.
Keep the rest of the ingredients the same. The coconut milk is optional. But just adding a few tablespoons makes the sauce super silky and creates a delicious flavor.
More Pasta Or Squash Dishes You Might Like
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Here you have it, a super easy and creamy vegan pumpkin pasta sauce all wrapped up in cooked al dente pasta and delicious for any occasion.
📖 Recipe
Creamy Vegan Pumpkin Pasta
Mariska RamondinoEquipment
- 1 large deep skillet or saucepan to make the pasta pumpkin sauce
- 1 Wooden Spoon for stirring
- 1 large pot for cooking the pasta
- 1 pasta scoop strainer for transferring the cooked pasta to the sauce
- 1 knife and cutting board to chop the onion and garlic
Ingredients
- 2 boxes brown rice pasta (12 ounces/340 grams each)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt or more to taste (plus extra to salt the water of the pasta)
- 3 garlic cloves chopped
- 1 large yellow onion chopped (305 grams)
- 4 - 5 cups packed chopped spinach 80 grams
- 2 cans organic pumpkin puree (I use canned) (15 ounces/425 grams each)
- 2 ½ teaspoons dried sage or more to taste
- 2 teaspoons dried marjoram
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 tablespoons coconut cream solid part
- ½ cup coconut milk, based on preference or liquid of coconut cream
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with 5 to 6 quarts of water and bring to a rolling boil (to cook the pasta al dente and according to package instructions). Add salt to pasta water (about 1 tablespoon or more to taste). When the water is boiling, add the pasta noodles and cook until al dente.2 boxes brown rice pasta, 1 teaspoon salt
- Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion. Cook and stir for 5 minutes and until the onion is translucent, not browned.2 tablespoons olive oil, 3 garlic cloves, 1 large yellow onion
- Add the spinach. Cook and stir for one minute or until wilted. Season with one teaspoon salt.4 - 5 cups packed chopped spinach
- Change the heat to medium-low. Then stir in the pumpkin puree—season with sage, marjoram, and garlic powder.2 cans organic pumpkin puree (I use canned), 2 ½ teaspoons dried sage, 2 teaspoons dried marjoram, 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Stir in the coconut cream and coconut milk.3 tablespoons coconut cream, ½ cup coconut milk, based on preference
- Cook and stir for a few minutes until the sauce is sufficiently warm.
- At this point, the pasta should be boiling in the water and almost ready (cooked al dente). Drain the pasta when ready and transfer to a large serving bowl.
- Pour the pumpkin puree pasta sauce over the hot pasta noodles and stir to combine.
- Season to taste with more salt, if preferred, and royally with black pepper.Freshly ground black pepper
- Stir until everything is well combined. Serve immediately while still hot!
Notes
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Nutrition (% Daily value)
Disclaimer: This nutritional data is calculated using third party tools and is only intended as a reference.
Kait | Slumber & Scones says
I've never been a fan of pumpkin as a sweet food, but I love other squashes, so I bet I would enjoy this pasta! The color is gorgeous, and it looks absolutely delicious.
Taylor says
This sounds delicious! We haven't every tried a pasta dish like this before, but now I'm curious about what we'd think. I think I'd really enjoy this one!