Looking for a flavour packed, quick and easy weeknight meal? Try this cozy and delicious, creamy gochujang pasta. If you love pasta alla vodka, but want to try something different, you'll love this version. This incredibly creamy, spicy and fiery red gochujang sauce coats every inch of your pasta and it's made with no cream. Instead, you'll use a cashew cream to create a hearty, creamy consistency.

Two things I love are pasta and bold flavours. Which is why I love combining flavours like miso, gochujang and harissa along with other Thai and Vietnamese flavours into things like pasta. You can check out my miso carbonara, Harissa pasta with burrata, Vietnamese bolognese and Korean chicken burgers for more inspo. So it was about time to combine gochujang with pasta. And I'm so glad I did. I wanted to make it super easy, relying on mostly pantry and fridge ingredients so that you could have a flavourful and cozy pasta ready for a busy weeknight.

Ingredients

Here's everything you'll need to make this vegan gochujang pasta

• cashews (raw)
• dried pasta
• avocado oil
• shallot
• garlic
• gochujang
• rice vinegar
• mirin
• green onion
• parmigiano reggiano (optional) 
• sesame seeds (optional) 

A note on Gochujang

Gochujang is a Korean red chili paste made from fermented soybeans and chilies that is savoury, spicy and a little sweet. You can easily find this at well stocked grocery stores, Asian grocery stores, online or even make your own. There are tons of brands to try, I chose to show this one as it's most readily available.

How to Make This Creamy Gochujang Pasta

Making this creamy, dairy-free gochujang pasta is so easy and perfect for a quick weeknight dinner.

Place the cashews in a bowl and cover with just boiled water. Once the cashews have softened in the hot water, drain and add to a high powered blender (like a Vitamix) with the 3/4 cup water. Blend on high until smooth and creamy and set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta to al dente and drain and set aside. Reserve pasta water for later.

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat and add avocado oil. Once hot, add the shallot and garlic and cook until fragrant and the shallot is just starting to brown, stirring often, about two to three minutes. Lower the heat as needed to avoid the garlic burning.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the gochujang, rice vinegar and mirin and stir to combine. Cook until the colour changes to a deeper red, about two to three minutes. The mixture will be very sticky, that's ok!

Add the pasta tp the sauce and toss over low heat to coat the pasta. Pour in the reserved pasta water (starting with a few tablespoons at first) and keep tossing to combine. Pour in the cashew cream (you may not need all of it) and toss again until everything is coated.

Divide the pasta onto plates and top with cheese (if using), green onion and sesame seeds (if using). Enjoy!

Tips

• Cook the pasta al dente: I suggest cooking the pasta al dente as it will continue to cook as you toss it with the sauce over low heat.
• Want it spicier: if you really want it spicier, add extra gochujang to the sauce. Always taste and adjust to suit your needs and preferences.
• Keep extra pasta water: like any pasta that sits, it will soak up more of the sauce, so keep extra pasta water in a jar to add to the pasta if you'll have leftovers. When you reheat it, add a splash more water.
• More protein: I love topping this with a fried egg or a jammy medium boiled egg for extra protein. You could also serve this with shrimp, scallops or even ground chicken/turkey or beef. You'll need more sauce and that would be more like a bolognese though.
• More veggies: feel free to serve this alongside steamed broccoli, or add in a handful of spinach.

Substitutions

• Mirin: use a small amount of honey (about 1 tsp) or dissolve about 1/2 tsp of sugar in 1 tbsp of water. The mirin just helps to balance the heat from the gochujang.
• Nut-free: use an unsweetened dairy-free cream instead (soy or oat) would be great.
• Gluten-free: use your favourite gluten-free pasta. I'd recommend a pasta like rigatoni, bucatini or shells.

Ingredients & Products I Recommend:

I share these products to show you what I choose to use in my kitchen as staple ingredients I use daily (or weekly). So if you opened up my fridge (or pantry), here's what you'll find!

Kosher salt:

I exclusively use Diamond Crystal kosher salt for all of my recipes. I prefer the texture, taste and consistency of this brand and highly recommend it for everyday cooking.

Avocado Oil:

I prefer using avocado oil for high heat cooking. I love using Chosen Foods avocado oil and their avocado oil spray.

More Pasta Recipes to Try:

I really, really love noodles and pasta, so be sure to check out these other fun recipes!

• Ravioli with Creamy Spinach Pesto Sauce
• Vietnamese Bolognese (Bo Kho inspired)
• Creamy Dairy-Free & Vegan Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce
• Sungold & Saffron Tomato Pasta
• Air Fryer Gnocchi with Burst Tomato Sauce
• Harissa Pasta with Burrata
• Pan Fried Gnocchi with Sage & Brown Butter
• Easy Miso Carbonara
• Chili Crisp Noodles
• Pasta with Burrata and Sausage
• Soba Noodles with Peanut Sauce and Crunchy Celery
• Healthy Pad Thai
• Chicken Noodle Salad with Thai Bang-Bang Sauce

I hope you love this Korean pasta dish. It's similar to a vodka pasta sauce (which I also love), but with a bit more flavour and boldness, and obviously no vodka or tomato. Regardless, this creamy gochujang pasta is a surefire flavour explosion and perfect for a quick dinner when you don't know what to make.

This recipe was inspired by the incredible Dooby Dobap, be sure to check out her recipe here!

If you're looking for another delicious vodka sauce, be sure to check out my one pot vegan pasta alla vodka and my butter beans alla vodka recipe!

Are you ready to make this? Let's get to it!

As always, if you make this creamy gochujang pasta please share with me, by tagging me on Instagram or leave a comment and/or review below. I truly love seeing and hearing form you!

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