Creamy Vegan Cacio e Pepe Recipe

Step 1

To flash soak cashews for the cream sauce, in a medium bowl, add cashews and cover with boiling water. Soak for 1 hour. Alternatively, soak the cashews in cold or lukewarm water overnight. Drain cashews before using in cream sauce.

Step 2

While cashews soak, make the vegan Parmesan. In a blender, blitz together the raw cashews, nutritional yeast, garlic powder and salt until all ingredients are blended into a fine, powdery texture. Taste and season with more salt if necessary. Set aside.

Step 3

To make the cream sauce, combine the drained, soaked cashews, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic cloves, pepper and salt in a blender. Add a bit of warm water to help the sauce thin slightly while blending. Continue to blend until smooth and season with more salt or pepper, if desired.

Step 4

Boil water for pasta and cook as directed to al dente.

Step 5

When the pasta is cooked, reserve one cup of pasta water, then drain pasta.

Step 6

Add the cream sauce to the hot pasta. Add reserved pasta water, about 1 tablespoon at a time, into the mixture to help bind the sauce to the pasta. Mix until fully incorporated.

Step 7

Before serving, spoon about 5 tablespoons of the vegan Parmesan onto the pasta and mix thoroughly to combine.

Step 8

Garnish pasta with more freshly cracked black pepper, flaky sea salt and more vegan Parm. Just like the traditional dish, this creamy vegan pasta is best enjoyed right away!