A silky, pepper-forward carbonara without dairy sounds like a stretch until you see how little the dish actually depends on cream or cheese. This version uses Ezra Cohen Montreal Natural Cashew Butter and starchy pasta water to recreate the lush texture carbonara is known for, without relying on eggs, milk, or cheese.

The result is rich but clean, creamy without being heavy, and ready in under 30 minutes. It behaves like carbonara should: glossy, cohesive, and clingy, with enough structure to coat the pasta rather than pool at the bottom of the bowl.

Why It Works

• Cashew butter emulsifies cleanly with starchy pasta water, creating a tight, glossy sauce.
• Finishing the sauce off heat prevents separation and keeps the texture smooth.
• Using minimal pasta water during boiling increases starch concentration, improving sauce cohesion.
• Strong black pepper anchors the dish in traditional carbonara flavor territory.

The Dairy-Free Carbonara Technique

Carbonara isn’t cooked the way most pasta sauces are. There’s no simmering, no reduction, no time spent over heat once the sauce components are introduced. The sauce forms when fat, starch, and residual heat meet at the right moment.

That’s still true here.

Cashew butter behaves similarly to egg yolk and cheese when handled gently. Overheat it, and the emulsion loosens. Keep the pan off the burner and let the pasta do the work, and the sauce will tighten naturally.

This is less about steps and more about when things happen.

Making it Kosher

Traditional Roman carbonara is built on a short list of ingredients: pasta, eggs, cured pork, hard cheese, and black pepper. This version removes the elements that make traditional carbonara non-kosher (pork and dairy), without abandoning the method that gives the dish its identity. Instead of egg yolks and cheese, cashew butter and starchy pasta water form the emulsion. Instead of guanciale, flavor comes from black pepper, garlic, and whatever kosher add-ins you choose to cook in the pan.

Because there’s no dairy and no meat, the dish is naturally pareve. That isn’t treated as a substitution or workaround here; it’s simply the result of applying the carbonara technique to ingredients that behave the same way in the pan.

Choosing Ingredients That Matter

Cashew Butter

A single-ingredient, unsweetened cashew butter is essential. Ezra Cohen Montreal Natural Cashew Butter has a smooth grind and neutral flavor, which allows the sauce to emulsify without introducing sweetness or grit.

Pasta

Long noodles like spaghetti or linguine work best. They make it easier to judge sauce consistency and help distribute the emulsion evenly.

Protein Add-Ins

Since there’s no pork fat, flavor comes from what you cook in the pan. Mushrooms provide depth, vegan bacon adds smoke, and tempeh brings chew. Whatever you choose, it needs to be fully cooked before the sauce goes in.

Creamy Dairy-Free Carbonara

Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients

• Kosher salt
• 12 ounces dried spaghetti or linguine
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 to 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 8 ounces mushrooms, vegan bacon, tempeh, or other kosher protein, sliced or diced
• ½ cup Ezra Cohen Montreal Natural Cashew Butter
• 1¼ cups unsweetened plant milk (almond or oat)
• ¼ to 1 cup reserved pasta-cooking water
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (optional)
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for serving
• ½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• Fresh parsley or chives, finely chopped (optional)

Directions

Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until just shy of al dente. Reserve at least 1 cup of pasta-cooking water, then drain pasta and set aside.

While the pasta cooks, whisk cashew butter with a small amount of warm plant milk until smooth and pourable. Set aside.

Heat olive oil in a wide skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add mushrooms or other protein and cook until browned and tender. Remove skillet from heat.

Add drained pasta to the skillet along with the cashew mixture, nutritional yeast (if using), salt, and black pepper. Toss to coat.

Add reserved pasta water a few tablespoons at a time, tossing continuously, until the sauce emulsifies and coats the pasta evenly. Serve immediately, topped with herbs and additional black pepper.

Notes

• Do not oversalt the pasta water; it will be added to the sauce.
• The sauce should look slightly looser in the pan than on the plate.
• This dish is best eaten immediately.
• Reheat gently with added liquid if needed.