Publised on 20/04/2026. Last Updated on 20/04/2026 by Richard
This easy Vegan Cacio E Pepe is the most delicious creamy plant-based pasta, ready in 20 minutes with no tofu, no cashews and no store-bought vegan cream.
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Why You’ll Love This Vegan Cacio E Pepe
Vegan Cacio E Pepe is my absolute favourite sort of creamy vegan pasta: ridiculously silky, properly peppery and made with simple pantry ingredients in about 20 minutes - that's less time than it takes me to decide what to watch on telly. It's also obviously a dairy-free cacio e pepe and yet it has all the rich and cheesy vibes of the classic Italian pasta dish.
I had a look around and most other recipe use soaked cashews or store-bought vegan cream, but not this one. There’s no tofu and no nuts either! Instead, this creamy sauce is made with soy milk (so without dairy), nutritional yeast, white miso paste and loads of freshly cracked black pepper. The result is a silky pasta sauce that clings to every strand of spaghetti like it’s terrified of being left behind.
What is Cacio E Pepe?
The first time I ever had cacio e pepe was at Padella in Borough Market, before I went vegan. I remember sitting there with a bowl of their black pepper pasta in front of me thinking, “Hang on a minute, this is just cheese and pepper pasta… but somehow it’s also magic?”.
Cacio e pepe is a classic Roman pasta dish traditionally made with pecorino Romano, black pepper and starchy pasta water to create a glossy, peppery sauce. This vegan version keeps all that rich, cheesy flavour but swaps the pecorino for nutritional yeast, white miso paste and soy milk, creating a creamy sauce without dairy, tofu or shop-bought vegan cream.
Difficulty Level: 🥑
This Vegan Cacio E Pepe gets a solid one avocado from me because it’s honestly one of the easiest pasta recipes I’ve ever made. If you can boil pasta, blend a few ingredients and wave a frying pan about like you’re auditioning for Saturday Kitchen, you’re gonna be absolutely fine.
The only thing to keep an eye on is the sauce. You want that silky, glossy, emulsified pasta sauce texture, so make sure you save some starchy pasta water before draining the pasta. Other than that, this easy vegan dinner practically cooks itself.
Ingredients You’ll Need
I tested this vegan pasta recipe more times than I’d care to admit. through trial and error, I realised the best Vegan Cacio E Pepe came from keeping things simple. As usual, the full recipe is listed at the bottom of the page in the recipe card, so scroll down if you’re in a hurry!
- Spaghetti or spaghettoni – I love using long noodles here because this is the ultimate long noodle pasta recipe. Use spaghetti cacio e pepe if you want something classic or spaghettoni cacio e pepe if you fancy a slightly chunkier noodle.
- Unsweetened soy milk – This is what makes the creamy spaghetti recipe luscious without needing cream.
- Vegan butter – Adds richness and helps create that restaurant-style vegan pasta finish.
- Nutritional yeast – My favourite shortcut to a cheesy vegan sauce. It gives loads of savoury flavour and works brilliantly as a vegan pecorino alternative.
- White Miso Paste – This sneaky ingredient adds the authentic cacio e pepe flavour and helps mimic a vegan parmesan cheese vibe.
- White wine vinegar – Just a little splash sharpens everything up and stops the sauce tasting too heavy.
- Freshly cracked black pepper – The star of the show! I like to use coarsely ground pepper because it gives the finished black pepper pasta loads of texture and bite.
How to Make This Recipe
This Vegan Cacio E Pepe comes together super quickly, so I recommend having everything measured and ready before you start. The main thing to remember is to reserve plenty of pasta water. That reserved pasta water is the secret to turning the sauce into a glossy, silky masterpiece.
- Cook the pasta. Bring a big pan of well-salted water to the boil and cook your spaghetti or spaghettoni until al dente. Before draining, scoop out plenty of reserved pasta water. This starchy pasta water is absolutely essential for making the sauce cling to the pasta.
- Toast the pepper. Melt the vegan butter in a frying pan, then add most of the freshly cracked black pepper. Let it sizzle for about 30 seconds until fragrant. Toasted black pepper makes all the difference here and gives this dairy-free cacio e pepe its proper peppery punch.
- Blend the sauce. Pop the soy milk, nutritional yeast, white miso paste, white wine vinegar and salt into a blender and whizz until smooth. This is where the creamy sauce without dairy starts to happen.
- Bring it all together. Pour the blended sauce into the pan and stir until slightly thickened. Add the cooked pasta and some of the reserved pasta water, then toss until every strand is coated in the silky pasta sauce. Finish with the remaining coarsely ground pepper and dive in immediately.
How to Customise Vegan Cacio E Pepe
One of the things I love most about this plant-based cacio e pepe is how easy it is to tweak. The basic recipe is delicious as it is, but if you fancy mixing things up a bit, here are a few ideas.
- Add lemon zest. A little finely grated lemon zest stirred through at the end makes the whole thing taste fresher and brighter.
- Make it extra peppery. If you’re obsessed with black pepper pasta like I am, add even more freshly cracked black pepper on top before serving.
- Stir through greens. A handful of spinach or peas works brilliantly if you want to sneak some veg into your easy vegan dinner.
- Add vegan bacon. Crispy vegan bacon takes this from classic cheese and pepper pasta into slightly chaotic but extremely delicious carbonara territory.
More Vegan Pasta Recipes
If you love this Vegan Cacio E Pepe, you’ll probably also be into these other pasta recipes from School Night Vegan:
- Easy Creamy Vegan Pasta
- Creamy Gochujang Pasta
- Vegan Carbonara (No Cashews!)
- Easy Vegan Alfredo Sauce Recipe with No Cashews
Vegan Cacio E Pepe FAQs
Usually, yes! Most dried spaghetti and spaghettoni are made from just wheat and water, which means they’re perfect for Vegan Cacio E Pepe. Fresh pasta is more likely to contain egg, so always check the label.
Absolutely. Just use your favourite gluten free spaghetti and make sure your white miso paste is gluten free too.
You can, but I think soy milk works best because it makes the sauce creamier and richer. Soy contains natural emulsifiers that help to keep the sauce glossy and smooth. Oat milk can sometimes also make the sauce a little sweeter.
Easy fix! Just add a splash more reserved pasta water and toss everything together again. That’ll loosen the sauce and bring back that glossy restaurant-style pasta texture.
I genuinely think this Vegan Cacio E Pepe might be my favourite quick pasta recipe I’ve ever made. It’s creamy, peppery, comforting and somehow manages to taste wildly fancy despite being made from ingredients you probably already have in the cupboard. I hope you love it as much as I do.
If you make it, I’d absolutely love to see your version. Take a photo of your Vegan Cacio E Pepe and tag me on Instagram at @schoolnightvegan. And if you fancy more vegan recipes come and follow me on Substack.
Vegan Cacio E Pepe
Equipment
- large saucepan
- colander
- Blender
- Large Frying Pan
Ingredients
- 400 g spaghetti or spaghettoni
- 200 ml unsweetened soy milk or any unsweetened plant milk
- 60 g vegan butter
- 6 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoon white miso paste
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar or any white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper divided
Instructions
- Bring a large pan of well-salted water to the boil. Add the spaghetti or spaghettoni and cook until al dente. Reserve at least 300ml (1¼ cups) of the pasta cooking water before draining.400 g spaghetti
- While the pasta cooks, place the soy milk, nutritional yeast, white miso paste, white wine vinegar and salt in a blender. Blend until completely smooth.200 ml unsweetened soy milk, 6 tablespoon nutritional yeast, 2 tablespoon white miso paste, 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- Place a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the vegan butter and allow it to melt. Add all but a pinch of the coarsely ground black pepper and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.60 g vegan butter, 1½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- Pour the blended sauce into the pan and cook, stirring constantly, for 2-3 minutes until slightly thickened.
- Add the drained pasta and around 100ml (⅓ cup plus 1 tbsp) of the reserved pasta water. Toss well until every strand is coated. Cook for 1-2 minutes more, adding a splash more pasta water if needed, until glossy and silky.
- Divide between bowls and finish with the remaining coarsely ground black pepper before serving.
Nutrition
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