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CREAMY BROCCOLI PASTA

Creamy Broccoli Pasta is a pantry friendly recipe featuring a non-dairy cream sauce tossed with pasta and tender broccoli for a quick and easy vegan main dish ready in 30 minutes!

top down view of creamy broccoli pasta with gold spoon.

I have something wonderful for you today – creamy broccoli pasta is an easy to make comfort food using simple ingredients that you probably have on hand right now. It’s dairy-free, low-fat and will be loved by all types of eaters!

This easy recipe features a roux made with oil and flour creating a wonderful creamy bechamel sauce that’s perfect tossed with pasta and steamed broccoli. This recipe is based on the cream sauce from my Easy Spicy Mac n Cheese and is easy, healthy and flavorful!

It’s a perfect bowl of deliciousness and I think you’ll enjoy it time and time again. This simple vegan pasta dish will be ready in under 30 minutes, making it ideal for when you’re craving something comforting and quick!

top down view of ingredients used to make vegan creamy broccoli pasta recipe.

Ingredients You’ll Need

In this recipe, a creamy roux is made with flour and oil, and simmered with non-dairy milk until creamy, then tossed with pasta and broccoli creating a delicious vegan pasta dish perfect for lunch, dinner or weekly meal prep.

Here is everything you need:

  • olive oil – use your favorite neutral flavored oil
  • flour – use all-purpose, light spelt or whole wheat
  • almond milk – use plain, unsweetened non-dairy milk
  • garlic + onion powder – use as much as you like
  • nutritional yeast – although optional, it’s super healthy and will add a savory ‘cheesy’ flavor to the overall recipe
  • pasta – use your favorite small pasta, regular or gluten free
  • broccoli – fresh is best, but frozen works too
  • salt + pepper – to taste, but if you find the flavor bland it most likely needs more salt
top down view showing the process of pouring creamy vegan sauce into pot of cooked pasta and broccoli.

How To Make Broccoli Pasta

  • Cook the pasta + broccoli. I like to cook my broccoli with the pasta. Just be sure you’ve added enough water to the pot if you do this. To do this I suggest adding the broccoli to the cooking pasta 3 minutes before pasta is done. Broccoli is at its best when it turns its brightest green. Set aside.
  • Make the creamy base. You’ll create your creamy sauce by making a roux with flour, oil and non-dairy milk. The roux takes about 8 – 10 minutes to cook so you can start this while the water for the pasta is coming to a boil. Once done, cover and set aside.
  • Assemble. Add your cream base to the pasta and broccoli, mix and serve. Season with salt + pepper.

And that’s it, the best creamy broccoli pasta made with minimal ingredients and ready in 30 minutes.

Simple, mindful and highly delicious eating!

Top Tips

  • Make it spicy. Add a little red pepper flakes for a bit of heat.
  • Season well with salt. It really brings out the flavor in the cream sauce!
  • Add veg broth for a flavor boost, using half and half vegetable broth and non-dairy milk.
  • Leftovers are amazing. This pantry pasta makes great leftovers and weekly meal prep idea!
top down view of freshly made pot of creamy broccoli pasta.

How To Store Leftovers

  • Refrigerator: Leftovers will keep for 4 – 5 days in the refrigerator, stored in a covered container.
  • Freezer: This broccoli pasta is freezer friendly and freezes well for up to 2 – 3 months. To freeze, let cool completely and store in freezer safe containers (affiliate link), leaving 1/2 inch head space for expansion. You can also freeze larger portions in large ziplock bags (remove as much air as possible before zip locking). Let thaw before reheating.
  • Reheat: Simply re-warm on the stovetop over low heat until warmed through, adding a splash or two of non-dairy milk to keep from drying out. Alternatively, reheat in the microwave using 30 – 60 second intervals, stirring after each, until warm.

Serving Suggestions

This savory pasta dish is filling enough on its own, but can be served with something on the side or added to your serving dish for extra heartiness. Here are a few of my favorite options:

side angle view of creamy broccoli pasta in a bowl.

More Creamy Vegan Pastas

There’s something wonderful about creamy pasta dishes, especially when they’re dairy-free and vegan. Take a look at these other creamy vegan pasta recipes, you may find a new favorite for the meal rotation!

top down view of creamy broccoli pasta with gold spoon.

If you try this broccoli pasta recipe or have a question, please let me know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I love to hear what you think, or any changes you make.

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CREAMY BROCCOLI PASTA

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

4.9 from 21 reviews

Simple, mindful and highly delicious eating, this creamy vegan broccoli pasta is a perfect comfort food!

  • Author: Julie | The Simple Veganista
  • Prep Time: 10 min
  • Cook Time: 20 min
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: Serves 4 – 6 1x
  • Category: Entree, Pasta
  • Method: boil, simmer
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Scale
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 6 tablespoons flour
  • 2 1/2 cups plain, unsweetened cashew milk (or your favorite plant milk)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
  • 24 tablespoons nutritional yeast, optional
  • 16 oz. pasta
  • 16 oz. broccoli florets (about 4 cups)
  • mineral salt & fresh cracked pepper, to taste

Instructions

Cook pasta & broccoli: Cook your pasta according to package and set aside. Steam broccoli using your preferred method. If you like you can cook your broccoli with the pasta. Just be sure you’ve added enough water to the pot. To do this I would suggest adding the broccoli to the cooking pasta 3 minutes before pasta is done. Broccoli is at it’s best when it turns its brightest green.

Cream sauce: In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat, add the flour and whisk until smooth. Continue to cook for another 1 1/2 minutes. Slowly add in the almond milk and continue to whisk until smooth. Add in garlic powder, onion powder and salt to taste. Turn heat to medium low and cook another 8 minutes until sauce thickens, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and add optional nutritional yeast. Stir until well incorporated and taste for flavor adding more salt or garlic/onion powder as needed.

Mix together: Using the pot you cooked the pasta in, toss together the pasta, broccoli and sauce. Serve with fresh cracked pepper. For a little heat, try adding a dash or two of red pepper flakes.

Serves 4 – 6

Store: Leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 4 – 5 days, in a covered container. To keep longer, store in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Reheat: Warm leftovers on the stove over low heat, adding a splash of milk for moisture. Alternatively, heat in the microwave.

Notes

The nutritional yeast is optional and will add a cheesy flavor if used. Plus, it has a good nutritional profile so adding it will benefit you. When using nutritional yeast in cooked meals, to maximize its nutritional benefits its best to add later on in the cooking process.

If sauce is too thick add a tad more milk. If sauce doesn’t thicken enough add a teaspoon or so of flour and continue to cook over medium low heat until thickened.

For a flavor boost, use half and half vegetable broth and non-dairy milk. May result in slightly darker cream sauce, but will still be delicious.

If reheating, simply add a tad more non-dairy milk and heat over low until warm and creamy again.

Updated: Creamy Broccoli Pasta was originally published in August 2015. It has been updated with new photos and helpful tips in March 2020.

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55 Comments

  1. Very plain, kind of like Mac and cheese but not cheesy enough, but also not different enough to be interesting. My sauce ended up too thick even though I cooked it for less time. Wouldn’t make again.






  2. Really good. My daughter is three she had two bowls.






    1. Julie | The Simple Veganista says:

      That is amazing! Kids can be so picky. Thanks for sharing, Neesee!

  3. This was incredible! I am doing lower fat so I used all oat milk and no olive oil. Amazing! I used 500 grams of pasta by the way.






  4. I tried this recipe today, made it with Oat milk. The sauce is very rich and it tastes great! I am going to portion it out and freeze it for easy meals






  5. Cooking this as I type!

    Can I use a tablespoon of corn starch instead of yeast to thicken the sauce?

    Can’t wait to try this!






    1. Julie | The Simple Veganista says:

      I don’t really recommend it with this recipe since using only cornstarch to thicken gravies and such requires a different technique. You can add a little to thicken at the end if needed, but if you’re trying to make this gluten or flour free, I would use another recipe specific for your needs. Hope that helps! :)

      1. Can I use almond flour instead of white flour?

        1. Julie | The Simple Veganista says:

          Yes! I’ve not tried it before, but I’ve comments from others using almond flour successfully. Enjoy!

  6. This sauce was excellent! I just can’t believe how smooth and creamy the texture is. I cut the recipe in half by using 1/2 pasta and about 2/3 sauce ingredients.






  7. Melissa Birmingham says:

    How much pasta should you cook?

    1. Julie | The Simple Veganista says:

      I think 12 oz would be perfect – 8 oz will give you a super saucy dish and 16 ounces will be coated nicely, but not overly saucy. Hope that helps!

  8. Mojoblogs says:

    A combination of two of my most favorite things — broccoli and pasta. This recipe looks really great. I can’t wait to try it. Thank you for sharing this.






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