Is spaghetti carbonara one of your favorite dishes? In this recipe I'll show you how to make this savory classic vegan, with smoked tofu and homemade vegan parmesan. The parmesan is ready in just 5 minutes and uses only four ingredients. Enjoy!

Ingredients

  • Prep: 15 min
  • Cook: 30 min
  • Total: 45 min

For the carbonara

1
onion(s)
2
garlic cloves
½
oz
parsley
7
oz
spaghetti
6¼
oz
smoked tofu
6¾
fl oz
soy cream
2
tbsp
soy sauce
1
tsp
mustard
(hot)
¼
tsp
pepper
pinch
nutmeg

Vegan parmesan

3½
oz
cashews
2
tbsp
nutritional yeast
½
tsp
garlic powder
¼
tsp
salt
Vegan spaghetti carbonara, top view
Step 1
6¼
oz
smoked tofu
1
onion(s)
2
garlic cloves

Preparation

  • Dice the smoked tofu, onions and garlic.

  • Finely chop the parsley (set a little aside as a topping).

Vegan spaghetti carbonara, step 1
Step 2
3½
oz
cashews
2
tbsp
nutritional yeast
2
tbsp
garlic powder
¼
tsp
salt

Vegan parmesan

  • Toast the cashews in a dry pan (without oil).

  • As soon as the nuts start to brown, add the nutritional yeast and toast it along with them.

  • Let cool slightly and grind all the ingredients for this step in a mortar or blender.

  • Important: don't blend for too long, or you'll end up with nut butter.

Set aside 1 tsp per person as a topping.

Vegan spaghetti carbonara, step 2: toasting the cashews
Step 3
7
oz
spaghetti

Cooking the spaghetti

  • Cook the spaghetti about 2 min less than stated on the package, as they finish cooking in the sauce.

  • Set aside ½ ladle of pasta water per person.

Vegan spaghetti carbonara, step 3: cooking the pasta
Step 4
6¼
oz
smoked tofu
1
onion(s)
2
garlic cloves
6¾
fl oz
soy cream
2
tbsp
soy sauce
1
tsp
mustard
pinch
nutmeg
¼
tsp
pepper
vegan parmesan (from step 2)

  • Fry the tofu until browned.

  • Add the onions. As soon as they're translucent, fry the garlic for half a minute.

  • Add the remaining ingredients for this step.

  • You can use all of the parmesan from step 2 (except the 1 tsp per person for the topping). But if you don't like it quite so strong, keep some parmesan aside.

Vegan spaghetti carbonara, step 4: deglazing with cream
Step 5
7
oz
spaghetti
1
ladle
pasta water per person
½
oz
parsley
  • Add the spaghetti to the pan together with the pasta water and let everything sit briefly.
  • Keep adding water until you like the consistency.
  • Only fold in the parsley just before serving.
Vegan spaghetti carbonara, step 5
Vegan spaghetti carbonara, outro

Tips

About the ingredients:

  • The vegan parmesan keeps in the fridge for several weeks. So feel free to make a bit more - then you'll have a great topping ready for your next dish.
  • Instead of regular spaghetti, go for whole wheat spaghetti - it's much more nutritious.

#plasticfree:

  • Some brands now sell pasta in plastic-free cardboard packaging, Barilla for example. Or buy it at a zero-waste shop.

Nutrition

estimated per serving

  • 995kcal
  • 39.4 gProtein
  • 94.1 gCarbs
  • 49 gFat

Calculated from all ingredients, including the sides. Values vary depending on the product, the size of the vegetables and how you prepare them.

Cost Test phase

estimated per serving

about €2.60

This section is still in a test phase: a rough estimate based on conventional German discount-supermarket prices (as of September 2026). Only the amounts used are counted, excluding salt, pepper and spices.

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