Coconut Milk Pasta Sauce

Name: Coconut Milk Pasta Sauce
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 4 servings Pasta; 1 Tbsp Olive oil; 1 Onion; 4 cloves Garlic (finely chopped); 1 cup Full-fat coconut cream (canned); 2 cup Sieved tomato puree aka Tomato sauce; 1 cup Chopped tomatoes; 2 tsp Basil; 2 tsp Oregano; ¼ cup Vegan Parmesan; Salt and Pepper to taste

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Coconut milk makes a simple tomato-based pasta sauce into something truly rich and delicious. You will not miss heavy cream after trying this easy coconut milk pasta sauce recipe. In 30 minutes, you’ll get to experience a whole new level of pasta goodness!

Tagliatelle is mixed in and covered with a creamy light red tomato-based sauce topped with fresh green herbs in a white frying pan. Dry tagliatelle pasta and a cheese grater with parmesan cheese is next to it.

You can never have enough vegan pasta recipes, am I right? You should definitely try our vegan pesto pasta, vegan cashew alfredo sauce, vegan mushroom pasta, or our harissa tahini pasta sauce.

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What to expect?
Ingredients
Instructions
Cooking tip
Variations
Ways to use it
Storing tips
FAQs
More vegan pasta recipes
Coconut Milk Pasta Sauce

What to expect?

I am pretty sure you are here since you are wondering whether you can make a creamy pasta sauce with coconut milk that is delicious. Or you cannot imagine how will a tomato coconut milk pasta sauce taste like? In short, yes, you can, and it will taste delicious.

For people following a dairy-free or plant-based diet, using full-fat canned coconut milk is the most popular substitute for heavy cream. It does have a slightly coconutty taste on its own for sure. And it is not the perfect alternative for heavy cream in many recipes. However, suppose you use just the right amount, the coconutty taste is very subtle, almost non-existent, like our vegetable korma, Thai green curry fried rice, or vegan tikka masala recipes.

So what can you expect when you taste this coconut milk pasta dish?

The sweet and creamy coconut cream perfectly balances the tanginess of the tomato sauce.
Finely chopped garlic and sautéed onion will add depth to the sauce.
The delicious aroma of fresh herbs such as basil and oregano makes the dish fragrant.
The subtle cheesy flavor of vegan Parmesan enhances the overall richness of the sauce.

Tagliatelle is mixed in and covered with a creamy light red tomato-based sauce in a white frying pan.

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Ingredients

We used our 15-minute vegan marinara sauce as the base for this coconut milk pasta sauce. Using only 8 ingredients, it is still one of the easiest pasta sauces you can make.

Canned coconut cream → Use a coconut milk product that has more than 20% fat content like this one. This recipe will not be the same if you use the light coconut milk you can drink.
Sieved tomato puree → You can probably find several types of tomato sauces in the stores. However, we recommend choosing sieved tomato product, which is thicker and unseasoned.
Chopped tomatoes → If ripe, sweet tomatoes are not available in the produce section, we use this canned version to make this recipe.
Onion
Garlic
Basil → fresh or dried
Oregano → fresh or dried
Vegan Parmesan cheese → We like using Violife’s product.
Pasta → We used egg-free tagliatelle.

🛒 You can find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Instructions

Preparing ingredients

Peel and chop onion and garlic cloves.
Wash and chop tomatoes.
Shake the canned coconut milk. If the cream part is solidified, blend it with an immersion blender to make it smooth.
Grate cheese.
Measure all other ingredients.
Cook pasta according to package instructions.

Making coconut milk pasta sauce

Preheat a large frying pan or cast-iron skillet over medium heat.
Add chopped onion and cook them for 3-4 minutes until golden yellow and opaque.
Add chopped garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Now, add chopped tomatoes, tomato sauce, dried basil, and dried oregano.

Chopped onion, garlic, tomatoes and tomato sauce with dried herbs in a white frying pan.

Stir well and bring it to a boil. Simmer the sauce for 3-4 minutes.

Chunky tomato sauce in a white frying pan

Add fluffy coconut cream and season it with salt and black pepper. Stir well and bring it back to a boil. Simmer for 3-4 minutes.

White sauce is in the middle of chunky red tomato sauce in a white frying pan.

Add the grated cheese on top. Stir well. No need to bring it back to a boil since the cheese will easily melt in the hot sauce.

Shredded cheese is added on top of a light red chunky tomato sauce in a white frying pan.

Finally, add the pre-cooked pasta. Stir well to coat the paste evenly with the sauce. Now, you are ready to serve this amazing coconut milk pasta.

Tagliatelle is added to a light red chunky tomato sauce in a white frying pan.

Cooking tip

If you are batch cooking, skip the last step. Storing the coconut milk pasta sauce and the cooked pasta for several days is best done separately. See more info in the “Storing tips” section.

Variations

Choose other pasta: Tagliatelle, pappardelle, fusilli, fettuccine, spaghetti… really whichever type you fancy or have at home. Coconut pasta sauce with rice noodles was also delicious. The sauce itself is gluten-free, so use gluten-free pasta, if you need to. From classic to protein-packed like this quinoa spaghetti, edamame spaghetti, or chia flour pasta.
Add vegetables: So many vegetables go great with this pasta sauce with coconut milk like mushrooms, red peppers, broccoli, asparagus, green peas, sweet corn, etc.
Substitute for vegan Parmesan cheese: You can use nutritional yeast if you are looking for a cheaper vegan alternative.
To make it more piquant, add a dash of red pepper flakes.

Tagliatelle is mixed in and covered with a creamy light red tomato-based sauce in a white frying pan. Dry tagliatelle pasta and a cheese grater with parmesan cheese is next to it.

Ways to use it

This coconut milk sauce is actually a creamier friend of our vegan marinara sauce. So, you can use this sauce in place of marinara in any of your favorite recipes. Here are some ideas:

Turn it into a delicious vegan spaghetti bolognese.
Serve sweet potato gnocchi with it.
Use it to make meatballs and spaghetti. Try our TVP meatballs, tofu meatballs, eggplant meatballs, mushroom meatballs, or chickpea meatballs.
Substitute classic Pomodoro sauce with this creamy tomato sauce in this vegan lentil lasagna.
Spread it on pizza instead of our no-cook pizza sauce.

Storing tips

In the fridge: We recommend storing this creamy vegan coconut milk pasta sauce separately from the cooked pasta. That way, it lasts for 4-5 days. If you mixed them at the last step, store them in an airtight container for up to 1-2 days. Even if the pasta is cooked, it will still absorb more sauce during storage and turn mushy and dry.

In the freezer: Same goes for freezing it. We recommend doing it separately since both pasta and this coconut milk sauce freeze great on their own.

Reheating: The sauce can be reheated in a small saucepan or in the microwave. As for frozen pasta, no need to thaw it. Boil water in a kettle and cover it with hot water in a pot.

FAQs

Can you use coconut milk instead of heavy cream in pasta?

Yes, you can make a delicious pasta sauce using coconut milk if you choose the right product. Use coconut cream instead, which has a fat content of around 20%, since heavy cream is more like 36% or more. They are similar in terms of richness and creaminess, but you can still expect a lighter sauce. Light coconut milk that comes in a cartoon (less than 5%) or in a can (around 15%), is nowhere near that. Hence, they are not good substitutes for making pasta sauce.