5 Recipes for 5-Ingredient Vegan Pasta Sauce

Here are 5 simple vegan and gluten-free pasta sauce recipes with just 5 basic ingredients each. They focus on common household ingredients a vegan might have:

Creamy Tomato Basil sauce over spaghetti. Image generated by Firefly Adobe.

1. Creamy Tomato Basil Sauce

1 can (14 oz) crushed tomatoes

1 cup unsweetened almond milk (or other plant-based milk)

2 tbsp olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp dried basil (or 2 tbsp fresh, chopped)

Instructions:

Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant.

Stir in crushed tomatoes and basil. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Add almond milk, mix, and heat for another 5 minutes. Serve over pasta.

Garlicky-Lemon Butter Sauce. Image generated by Firefly-Adobe.

2. Garlicky Lemon Butter Sauce

1/4 cup vegan butter (or olive oil)

3 garlic cloves, minced

Juice of 1 lemon

1/4 cup vegetable broth (or water)

1/4 tsp salt

Instructions:

Melt vegan butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes.

Stir in lemon juice, vegetable broth, and salt. Simmer for 3-4 minutes.

Toss with gluten-free pasta. You can also use over tofu.

Spicy Peanut Sauce over Vegan Pho Noodles. Image generated by Firefly-Adobe.

3. Spicy Peanut Sauce

1/4 cup peanut butter (smooth or chunky)

2 tbsp soy sauce (or tamari for gluten-free)

1 tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp sriracha (adjust to taste)

1/4 cup water

Instructions:

In a bowl, whisk together peanut butter, soy sauce, maple syrup, sriracha, and water until smooth.

Heat gently in a saucepan, stirring constantly, for 2-3 minutes.

Serve warm over pasta or noodles. Cooled, it also makes a yummy dip for raw veggies or rice chips.

Fresh Creamy Avocado Herb Sauce over warm pasta. Image generated by Firefly-Adobe.

4. Creamy Avocado Herb Sauce

1 ripe avocado

1/4 cup unsweetened plant-based milk (almond, oat, or soy)

Juice of 1 lime or lemon

1 garlic clove

1/2 tsp dried dill  (optional: fresh herbs such as cilantro)

Instructions:

Blend all ingredients in a blender or food processor until creamy.

Adjust consistency with more plant-based milk if needed.

Toss immediately with warm pasta.

Roasted Red Pepper Sauce over pasta. Image generated by Firefly-Adobe.

5. Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

1 jar (12 oz) roasted red bell peppers, drained (or roast your own peppers in advance)

1/4 cup cashews (soaked for 10 minutes in hot water)

1 garlic clove

1 tbsp olive oil

1/4 tsp smoked paprika

Roast additional red bell peppers to use in the delicious
Red Pepper & Tomato Soup Recipe HERE 

Instructions:

Blend roasted red peppers, soaked cashews, garlic, olive oil, and smoked paprika until smooth.

Heat in a saucepan for 3-4 minutes.

Toss with pasta and serve warm.

All these sauces can be customized with additional spices or herbs, but they are tasty and satisfying with just the five listed ingredients.

They should provide one hearty or two normal adult servings. Multiply the ingredient amounts for additional servings. 

Store leftover sauce in the fridge in a glass jar with a lid for a couple of days. 

 Let me know which one you try! 😊

Want to match up your sauces with some quick and delightful 5-ingredient vegan meatball recipes? 

                                   5 Vegan Meatball Recipes 

                                     with only 5 Ingredients