This easy vegan tahini pasta recipe features a creamy sauce that's full of flavour! You can have this delicious and easy weeknight meal ready in under 20 minutes.
Table of Contents
We just love this creamy tahini pasta! It only has a few simple ingredients and it's easy to customise with seasonal veggies.
The nuttiness of tahini combines with the tang of lemon and the fire of black pepper to make this pasta dish a treat for all the tastebuds!
Ingredient tips
Tahini: Brands of tahini can vary a lot in taste, so choose one that suits your tastebuds. Lighter coloured tahini is usually milder and has less of a bitter taste than darker looking tahinis. Oil separation is natural, so always stir through your tahini before using it.
Nutritional yeast: This adds a savoury/umami note.
Black pepper: You want to use coarsely ground pepper or hand crushed peppercorns. Use Tellicherry peppercorns for the richest flavour.
Olive oil: This is used to toast the black pepper. This extra step infuses the whole sauce with a peppery warmth and creates a dish reminiscent of the Italian classic Cacio e Pepe.
Fresh lemon juice: You’ll need about one lemon.
Broccoli: We use tenderstem broccoli, also known as broccolini, for its more delicate flavour and tender, crisp texture. You can use regular broccoli if you prefer, but you will need to cook it for longer.
This dish works well with all kinds of veg, so feel free to suit it to what’s in season or in your fridge!
Pasta: We really like linguine for this recipe. Other long varieties of pasta such as spaghetti or fettuccine are a good option too. To keep it vegan, make sure to choose an egg-free variety of pasta.
Step by step pictures
This visual guide will show you the process of making this creamy vegan tahini pasta. Find the full, adjustable & printable recipe at the end of the post.
Step 1 - Cook the pasta to a bit firmer than al dente and reserve the pasta cooking water.
Step 2 - Steam or boil the tenderstem broccoli for 3-4 minutes.
Step 3 - In the meantime, toast the crushed peppercorns in olive oil for 1 minute.
Step 4 - Add tahini, nutritional yeast, salt and 1 ¼ cups of the reserved pasta cooking water and whisk together.
Step 5 - Add the drained, almost-done pasta and stir vigorously over medium heat for about two minutes.
As the pasta is tossed and smashed around in the tahini sauce, excess water gets absorbed and the starches turn the liquid into a glossy, creamy sauce.
You'll know you're done when the sauce stops covering the bottom of the pan and nicely coats the al dente pasta. Check to make sure the pasta is done.
You can leave the sauce a bit on the runny side, as the pasta will still absorb a bit more moisture once off the heat.
If the tahini pasta sauce ever gets a bit dry (which can also happen when the pasta sits in it for a while before serving) you can easily redeem it by stirring in a bit more pasta cooking water to reconstitute the sauce.
Variations
Gluten free: Use your favourite brand of gluten-free pasta. Chickpea pasta or lentil pasta will also up the protein content of this dish.
For extra heat: Add some red pepper flakes or chilli flakes along with the black pepper for a more spicy tahini pasta.
Garnish: Some lemon zest, fresh basil or toasted seeds or pine nuts are a lovely addition.
Change up the veggies: Asparagus, roasted bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, mangetout and kale are all great options. Vegetables can be sauteed or steamed, or served raw if appropriate.
Storage
This tahini pasta is best served fresh.
If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
The sauce will thicken as it cools, so add some extra liquid and stir vigorously when reheating to return it to a more creamy texture.
FAQs
Tahini is a sesame paste made from roasted ground sesame seeds. It's perhaps most commonly known as an ingredient in hummus.
Texture-wise it is like runny peanut butter. In terms of taste, it has an earthy, nutty flavour and a hint of bitterness. Sesame butter is very versatile and can be used in both sweet and savoury dishes like you would use other nut butters.
You can buy tahini now in most big grocery stores in the condiments or oils section and in Middle Eastern or World food supermarkets.
More vegan pasta recipes
We hope you enjoy this creamy lemon tahini pasta! Come back soon and try these other yummy pasta recipes:
📖 Recipe
Tahini Pasta
Ingredients
- 10.5 oz (300 g) pasta linguine or spaghetti
- 7 oz (200 g) tenderstem broccoli broccolini
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil
- 2 tsp black peppercorns crushed or coarsely ground
- ¼ cup (60 g) tahini
- ¼ cup (15 g) nutritional yeast
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) lemon juice
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 ¼ - 1 ½ cups (300 - 360 ml) pasta cooking water reserved
Instructions
- In a large pan of salted water, cook the pasta 2 minutes under al dente according to the package instructions.10.5 oz (300 g) pasta
- Drain the pasta, reserving the pasta water in a jug.
- Steam or boil the tenderstem broccoli for 3-4 minutes until a deep fresh green and tender. Don't cook for too long or it can overcook and get soggy.7 oz (200 g) tenderstem broccoli
Sauce
- While the broccoli is cooking, prepare the sauce. In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil, then add the crushed peppercorns and toast for 1 minute.2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil, 2 tsp black peppercorns
- Add the tahini, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, salt and 1 ¼ cups pasta water and whisk until smooth and well combined.¼ cup (60 g) tahini, ¼ cup (15 g) nutritional yeast, 2 tbsp (30 ml) lemon juice, ¼ tsp salt, 1 ¼ - 1 ½ cups (300 - 360 ml) pasta cooking water
- Add the pasta to the sauce and simmer for 2 minutes whilst stirring vigourously. In the end, the pasta should be done and you should have a glossy sauce that coats the pasta. If necessary, add a splash more pasta water if it looks dry at any point.
- Serve the tahini pasta immediately with the steamed broccoli on the side and garnish with toasted sesame seeds if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
This information is calculated per serving and is an estimate only.
Suzy says
Definitely quick and easy to put together! The cracked pepper added a perfect little "bite" to the dish; it was perfect! I had some fresh pea pods from my CSA and added the shelled peas to the sauce a few minutes before adding the pasta. I served with steamed yellow cauliflower and carrots. Excellent! Thanks!
Deea says
Hello!
Something went wrong with my pasta sauce, I think added lemon juice from the beginning and that made it very foamy and cheesy looking. And the taste is kind of bitter and not very great.
I love your blog 🙂 maybe you have an idea what mistake I made
Sophie and Paul says
Hi Deea, Sorry to hear that! When you say that you added the lemon at the beginning and it was foamy, do you mean you added it to the pasta, or to the toasted oil? We'd recommend adding the sauce ingredients in the order that they are listed in the instructions. Some brands of tahini are much more bitter than others - choose a light coloured one made with hulled sesame seeds for a more mild flavour. It's also important to stir tahini before you use it, as the oil that sits on top can be quite strong too. Salt is an important element to balance bitterness, so if you didn't use salt in the pasta cooking water that could also have an effect. Hope these tips help and thank you for your lovely words about our blog - we really appreciate your feedback! Sophie
Deea says
Yes, I put the lemon immediatly after the tahini.
I'll try the order in the receipt and take care to have enough salt.
Thanks!
Annie says
This was really good. I had bought some mangetout at the farmers' market and had those instead of broccolini. I don't own any scales so the pasta was a bit of a guess - next time I'd add the water incrementally, because there was really too much - but not enough to spoil it! I added some chilli flakes because I love them. I was a bit dubious about the amount of cracked pepper (I made enough for two, although I'm on my own), but it was absolutely right. I put toasted sesame seeds over the top.
I would definitely make it again and love the extra richness of texture and taste from the tahini. I ate the lot.
PS I don't use social media so I can't post a photi.
Sophie and Paul says
So glad you loved it Annie! Feel free to add the water gradually as how much you need can depend on how much evaporates during the final cooking. Enjoy it again soon! 🙂