Easy Vegan Cacio e Pepe

pasta on pasta on pasta is my love language. i could eat pasta every night for dinner for the rest of time and be perfectly content. Easy Vegan Cacio e Pepe is a total dream and made in no time. oh, it’s cashew free, which i think a lot of people will appreciate :).

the creamy sauce has a base of sunflower seeds and no shortage of flavor. with some delicious seasoning, fresh lemon juice, garlic and more, Easy Vegan Cacio e Pepe will be on repeat.

per usual, this pasta gem is rich and creamy without any dairy, but you already knew that.

it’s also gluten-free as long as you’re using a gluten-free pasta. honestly, you can use anything and it will taste good because the sauce is key.

i did use a brown rice based one, which is one of my favorites because it holds up so well and there’s not a strong taste to it at all.

oh, and there’s no added oil by the way! i thought about adding some extra virgin olive oil but opted not to because a lot of my other recipes have it.

i like to provide variety, ya know, switching things up in the kitchen is good. if you want to add some, by all means go for it.

fresh garlic, fresh lemon juice and nutritional yeast are all key! also, i know a lot of people add miso to their vegan versions, but i didn’t have any on hand.

instead, i added 1 tsp of liquid aminos, which is all you need! any more, and it may start to become a little overpowering.

now, the sunflower seeds are roasted but unsalted. they have to be soaked for a couple of hours. i boil water and then pour over the sunflower seeds in a bowl and let those soak for a while.

this part is very important because the texture will be very grainy if you don’t soak them. to be honest, the texture will still be a tiny bit grainy after you soak the sunflower seeds.

unlike cashews, they just don’t seem to blend one hundred percent into a super silky smooth texture, but nonetheless, the sauce is still amazing.

if you have had sunflower seeds, you know the taste. personally, i LOVE it but if you’re not a fan, maybe use cashews or a different option because the sunflower seed flavor will pull through.

it’s not overpowering in my opinion, thanks to the other flavors, which totally balance the dish.

are you going to make my Easy Vegan Cacio e Pepe?!

if you make one of my recipes, i would LOVE to see your creation! be sure to leave a review in the comments section, it is so appreciated and helps my small business. 

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