Silken Tofu Pasta Sauce

This quick and easy silken tofu pasta sauce is super creamy, rich-in-flavor and high-protein. It comes together within 20 minutes and makes for the perfect creamy pasta sauce to customize with more veggies. Naturally vegan and gluten-free.

I am so glad to be sharing this super simple silken tofu pasta sauce.

Because what's better than a smooth and luscious white sauce served over pasta? Our go-to are this cashew basic white sauce (that I make also for pizza and buddha bowls, etc) and this easy oat milk Alfredo sauce (our kids's favorite).

But this time, I was looking for something rich in plant-based protein and a little lower in calories compared to a cashew cream sauce, so I chose tofu instead. 

I have made pasta sauces before using firm tofu for the blog, such as this vegan cajun pasta dish or this tofu bolognese, but I used silken or soft tofu to change things up this time. It was even better than I imagined!

It is like making a vegan Alfredo sauce using healthy tofu!

The already creamy texture of the soft tofu makes it effortless to turn this sauce into a rich, velvety and light consistency. Plus, tofu is naturally mostly flavorless, meaning that you can adapt the sauce into endless flavor profiles.

And to be completely honest, I wasn't sure how the flavor would turn out in this case as I was worried about ending up with an overall bland sauce with a raw milky tofu flavor. BUT, I was shocked at how packed with flavor the sauce was, the spices and cooked onion-garlic give the sauce a remarkable flavor! You will just have to trust me and give it a try!

I love how easy and quick this recipe is, making it a great meal for busy weeknight dinners. And such a great way to sneak in extra protein (and healthy fats) into your kids's meal without them realizing it. 

Let me know if you gave it a try! ❤️

What's to love about this recipe

• Easy and quick
• Uses basic ingredients
• Ultra creamy consistency
• Versatile: you can add more veggies or protein
• Perfect creamy vegan pasta sauce to customize
• Kid-friendly
• High-protein 
• Made without cashews (nut-free)
• Naturally vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free

Ingredients you will need

(See below in the recipe card for the measurements)

• Silken tofu: I used the silken tofu from the brand Nasoya (kept in the fridge section), but any other brands of silken tofu will work well. For this recipe, you can also use the shelf-stable boxed soft tofu, although their packaging is usually a little smaller (12 oz instead of the 16 oz silken tofu that I used). 
• Onion: super important to add flavor to the sauce. I used a medium-large yellow onion. Sweet onion works too, but I would avoid a red onion as it would turn the sauce purple.
• Garlic: also an essential ingredient to flavor the white sauce. I used 4 cloves of garlic, but you could add even more. The garlic is cooked first, so there is no raw flavor in the sauce.
• Lemon juice: add as much as you want for a more or less zesty flavor. 
• Nutritional yeast: adds a mild cheesy taste and umami flavor, so try not to omit.
• Miso paste: omit if you don't have it, but it boosts the sauce with more umami saltiness that works so well here.
• Red pepper flakes: adjust the amount depending on your heat tolerance.
• Pasta: for serving. You will need about 12 ounces of pasta for this recipe.

How to make a creamy silken tofu pasta sauce

(See below in the recipe card for the full recipe)

Cook the pasta

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and then cook the pasta al dente or according to the packaging instructions. Keep about 1 cup of pasta water aside in case you need to thin out the sauce (which can depend on the brand of tofu you use).

Once done, drain and set aside.

Cook the vegetables

Warm up a large skillet with a little oil and then, add the onion. Cook for about 5-7 minutes and then, add the garlic. Cook for about 1-2 minutes stirring almost constantly and then remove from the heat.

Blend

To a blender, add the silken tofu, cooked onion + garlic mixture, miso paste, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, salt and red pepper flakes.

Blend on high until smooth. Take a break to scrape the bottom and sides of the blender. If you need to thin out the sauce, then add a splash of the pasta cooking water to the blender (or a splash of plant-based milk).

Combine and serve

Pour the blended creamy sauce back into the pan used to cook the onion. Warm up on medium heat stirring often (I like to use a spatula for that). 

Once bubbly and warm, add the cooked pasta and toss to combine. Taste and adjust salt, lemon and nutritional yeast to your preference.

Serve warm garnished with fresh parsley, more red pepper flakes and freshly ground black pepper.

Helpful tips

• Once blended, I found the sauce to be thin enough without any additions. But, depending on the brand of tofu you used and how it was drained, you might need to add more liquid to the blender. You can keep some pasta cooking water for this, or use oat milk, vegetable broth or simply water. 
• Do not overcook the sauce once you transfer it back into the pan as it can get too thick and change in texture. Add the pasta right away once the sauce is steamy hot, stir to combine and warm up, then serve right away.
• The pasta sauce thickens quickly while cooling down, even after only a few minutes. For this reason, it should be pretty thin when combining the pasta and sauce in the warm pan as it will likely get a little more thick when serving and enjoying.

Serving suggestions and variations

We enjoyed this meal as a super simple weeknight dinner garnished with fresh parsley, black pepper and extra lemon wedges on the side. We served it with fresh sourdough bread as well. Perfect comfort food meal!

This meal is already packed with protein, but it would definitely benefit from having some more veggies. You can cook the vegetables in the pan you used to cook the onion, just before pouring the sauce back into the pan. Or, simply steam or roast them apart to serve them on the side. Here are a few veggies that would pair well with the white pasta sauce:

• Broccoli
• Mushrooms
• Asparagus
• Green peas
• Cauliflower
• Red pepper
• Zucchini
• Spinach

More flavorful ingredients you can try adding include: 

• Sun-dried tomatoes
• Vegan bacon bits (for a carbonara-style pasta)
• Dried herbs, such as oregano, basil or Italian seasoning mix
• Vegan parmesan cheese
• White wine (add it to the pan once the onion-garlic is done cooking, and simmer until the moisture has mostly evaporated, then transfer to the blender).
• Dijon mustard (add it to the blender)
• Canned tomatoes (which would make for a pink sauce). Simply cook the tomatoes for a few minutes (7-10 min) with the onions and garlic and include them in the blender. Use a small can of 15 oz.
• Spices: you can add more spices to this sauce, such as onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder and paprika. 

Storage tips

This creamy tofu pasta sauce keeps very well and makes for a perfect meal prep recipe ahead of a busy week.

Transfer the sauce to an airtight container and keep it in the fridge for up to 4 days. The sauce will keep a little better apart from the pasta and will thicken as it cools down.

To reheat, use the stove or the microwave. You can add a splash of water or milk if the sauce is too thick.

I do not recommend freezing this recipe.

FAQs

What pasta should I use?

I prefer long pasta for this kind of creamy white sauce. I served it with linguini, but fettuccini, spaghetti, angel hair or bucatini would be great too. And if you prefer short pasta, then penne, macaroni, fusilli or ziti would be great with this sauce. For a boost of protein, you can also use lentil noodles or chickpea pasta.

Silken tofu vs soft tofu, what's the difference?

They are almost the same with only a slight difference in consistency. Silken tofu is made by coagulating soy milk (but no curdling and not pressed) and usually is kept in the fridge. Soft tofu is also made using soy milk, but is coagulated, curdled then pressed only slightly compared to firm tofu. It is mostly kept in a box in the pantry section. Soft tofu is a Chinese version of silken tofu and tends to be a little bit firmer, although for this recipe, you can use both interchangeably.

Can I use regular tofu (or firm tofu) instead of silken tofu?

I highly recommend using silken tofu for the best texture. That being said, firm tofu might give you a gritty texture and you would need to add extra liquid to the blender, but it would work as well.

Similar recipes to try

• Vegan bechamel
• Tofu bolognese
• Cauliflower Alfredo pasta sauce
• Creamy vegan spinach pasta
• Creamy lemon vegan pasta
• Creamy lemon tahini pasta sauce

I hope you like this silken tofu pasta sauce recipe as much as we do! If you try it, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let me know how it was. Your feedback is so helpful!

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