This creamy chickpea pasta sauce makes for the perfect weeknight dinner! It is quick + easy, healthy, nourishing and so full of flavors. You can make it in under 30 minutes and feel free to add your favorite vegetables. 100% vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free.
Preparing this creamy chickpea pasta sauce recipe is very similar to making a pasta dish with hummus, but using canned chickpeas and fresh seasonings instead of store-bought hummus.
It is unbelievably easy and quick to whip up this meal together, making it a perfect speedy weeknight dinner for your family. Plus, it is filling, packed with fiber and plant-protein and lusciously creamy.
Just like in this green pea pasta sauce or this hidden vegetable pasta sauce, all you have to do is cook some vegetables, then blend them before tossing with cooked noodles. So versatile, simple and forgiving!
Let me know if you give it a try! ❤️
🌱 Looking for more easy vegan lunch ideas with chickpeas? Check out this smashed chickpea avocado sandwich and this chickpea quinoa bowl!
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❤️ Why you will love this recipe
- Easy, fast and simple recipe (and made with only a few pantry-friendly ingredients!)
- Flavorful sauce that's ultra creamy (without any added cream or butter!)
- Highly customizable: use the sauce as a base and add more veggies + plant-based protein!
- Great for meal-prep and family-friendly
- Naturally vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free
🗒 Ingredient notes (+ substitutions)
- Chickpeas: using canned chickpeas makes this meal so quick and convenient, although you could use freshly cooked chickpeas (make sure they are cooked through and not gritty). I haven't tried swapping for other beans, but you could probably use cannellini beans instead of chickpeas.
- Onion and garlic: they add a huge amount of flavor to the chickpea sauce, so do not skip using them.
- Nutritional yeast: not essential, although it adds a subtle cheesy taste and extra umami aroma that deepens the overall flavor of the sauce.
- Dried herbs: you can use your favorite, such as oregano, thyme, basil or parsley.
- Lemon: a squeeze of fresh lemon juice brightens up the flavor and makes the hearty sauce feel fresh. If you don't have any, then add a small splash of apple cider vinegar.
⭐️ Full list of ingredients down below in the recipe card!
📝 Variations
- Tomato chickpea sauce: you can combine the blended pasta sauce with jarred marinara sauce. This can be an easy way to provide more nutrition to growing kids by sneaking some beans in their favorite sauce.
- No blender: If you were looking for a creamy pasta sauce with whole chickpeas, then I would instead make this oat milk Alfredo pasta sauce and add a can of drained chickpeas once the sauce is finished.
- Veggie-packed: once the sauce is done, add some cooked spinach, roasted mushrooms, steamed broccoli or chopped sun-dried tomatoes.
- Seasonings: play around with the seasoning and add some Dijon mustard, a dash or two of hot sauce, a light stream of balsamic vinegar or some fresh herbs, such as basil or parsley.
🍽 How to make vegan chickpea pasta sauce
Step 1: Warm up a medium pan with a little olive oil, then cook the onion with salt for about 5 minutes while stirring often. Add the garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Step 2: Transfer the cooked onion to a blender and add the chickpeas, nutritional yeast, dried herbs, red pepper flakes, lemon juice and salt. Then, pour some vegetable broth (start with about ½ cup).
Step 3: Blend on high until smooth and creamy. Add more broth until it reaches the desired consistency and taste to adjust the seasoning to your preference.
Step 4: Pour the sauce over cooked pasta and stir to combine. I like to do that right into the pot used to cook the noodles. Add more salt and lemon juice if needed, then serve garnished with more red pepper flakes and fresh herbs.
⭐️ Detailed recipe down below in the recipe card!
Helpful tips
- Keep the pasta al dente! The noodles will keep cooking once combined with the warm sauce.
- Adjust the consistency of the pasta sauce right in the blender by adding more veggie broth until it reaches the desired texture.
- Add some pasta cooking water to the pot when combining the sauce with the noodles. The starches for cooking the pasta help create a luscious and rich texture.
- Make sure to cook the onion until lightly browned and almost caramelized, which adds lots of amazing flavor to the sauce.
❗️Storage tips
Keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The sauce tends to thicken as it cools down and keep in mind that the pasta might keep absorbing some extra moisture from the sauce while resting, making the noodles softer.
To reheat, add a splash of water or unflavored plant-based milk and stir to recreate the creamy texture.
❓ FAQs
I used regular white pasta for this recipe, but for an even higher amount of fiber in your meal, then use whole wheat pasta (and choose gluten-free noodles if needed). I like serving this sauce with short noodles like penne or fusilli, although long noodles are fine too.
No, you can blend the sauce using a regular blender since the ingredients are soft and easy to blend. If you want to avoid any pieces of chickpeas in the sauce, then blend for longer and take breaks to scrape the sides and bottom of the blender. You can also use a food processor!
🌱 More chickpea recipes you might like
I hope you like this creamy chickpea 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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📖 Recipe
Creamy Chickpea Pasta Sauce
Equipment
- Medium pan
- Blender
- Medium pot to cook the pasta
Ingredients
- 15 oz canned chickpeas - rinsed and drained
- 1 yellow onion - diced
- 2 clove of garlic - crushed
- ¼-½ red pepper flakes
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning - or dried oregano or dried basil
- ½-1 cup vegetable broth
- salt - to taste
- 8-10 ounces pasta - for serving
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in boiling water according to the packaging (keep them al dente). Reserve some pasta cooking water in case you need some later when combining the sauce and pasta, then drain and set the noodles aside.
- Meanwhile, warm up a medium pan with a little oil and add the onion and a pinch of salt. Cook for 5-7 minutes while stirring often, then add the garlic and cook for another minute.
- Remove the onion-garlic mix from the heat and transfer to a blender. Add the chickpeas, dried herbs, nutritional yeast, red pepper flakes, lemon juice, salt and vegetable broth (start with about ½ cup). Blend on high until smooth and creamy. Add more broth and blend again until desired consistency.
- Pour the sauce over the cooked pasta (use the same pot you used to cook the noodles) and stir to combine. You can add some pasta cooking water to help create a luscious sauce and taste to adjust the seasonings to your preference. Serve warm with a sprinkle of fresh herbs and some more red pepper flakes.
Video
Notes
- Keep the pasta al dente! The noodles will keep cooking once combined with the warm sauce.
- Adjust the consistency of the pasta sauce right in the blender by adding more veggie broth until it reaches the desired texture.
- Add some pasta cooking water to the pot when combining the sauce with the noodles. The starches for cooking the pasta help create a luscious and rich texture.
- Make sure to cook the onion until lightly browned and almost caramelized, which adds lots of amazing flavor to the sauce.
- Nutrition: please note that the nutritional information is an estimate per serving provided for informational purposes only (calculated by software) and accuracy is not guaranteed. Consult with your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if you need precise nutrition calculations for health reasons.
Great recipe, so delicious
😊
I was looking for a different type of sauce for my pasta and had a jar of opened chickpeas in the fridge! TBH I just looked at the ingredients and added fresh parsley, and a handful of spinach from my garden, so ended up with a green sauce 😂 but was delicious anyway! So thank you so much for a very different type of sauce for my pasta! I will hold back on the spinach next time though 😂
Great, glad it worked out! Thanks for your comment! 😊
This was very easy and delicious! We added cooked pepper and mushrooms.
Great! Glad you like it! 😊