Creamy mushroom pasta sauce GF-DF

Want a Creamy Pasta Sauce Without Dairy, Nuts, or Coconut? Here’s How

Melissa Norman

Mar 26, 2025

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I love Italian food—who doesn’t? The rich aromas of garlic and basil, the comforting twirl of pasta around a fork—it always feels like home. On weekdays, throwing together some gluten-free pasta with a tomato-based sauce or a homemade or pre-made pesto is my ultimate easy comfort food.

But since giving up dairy, I’ve found myself missing creamy pasta sauces.

Think of those sauces you might enjoy in a local Italian restaurant, often served with cloth napkins, an extensive wine list, and a side of delicious bread.

It’s tricky to find creamy sauces in restaurants that I can eat, so I decided to create my own to enjoy at home—one that is simple, easy, and, most importantly, tastes great.

This sauce achieves its smooth velvety texture without cashew nuts or coconut milk, making it perfect for those who can’t eat nuts or anyone who prefers an Italian flavour without a background note of coconut :-)

It’s a simple recipe using only a few ingredients, but it’s so tasty you won’t miss the cheese. My taste testers couldn’t believe how much flavour was packed into such a straightforward sauce.

It’s gluten-free (if served with gluten-free pasta), dairy-free, soya-free and egg-free too and it doesn’t contain any onion!

The recipe includes mushrooms, but if you can’t eat mushrooms, you can swap them for finely chopped leeks. I would caramelise them to make them taste amazing.

Quick and easy to make, it’s perfect for a weeknight dinner yet fancy enough to serve to guests. A few simple sides will elevate the meal, and no one will guess how easy it was to make.

Choosing the Right Plant-Based Cream

This recipe has been tested using plant-based cream. Choose wisely—you want one with a neutral flavour and no added sweetness, or you might accidentally turn dinner into dessert!

I can tolerate trace amounts of gluten, so I find oat-based creams work well. I use Oatly.

If you have a gluten allergy or coeliac disease or are cooking for someone who does, consider trying an unsweetened lentil-based cream or a soya cream if you like the flavour but check the ingredients to make sure it’s kind, safe, for yours or their stomachs too.

Each type of cream varies in thickness, so you may need to adjust the amount of cornflour. Most plant-based creams have water as the main ingredient, so if you're cooking this sauce plant-based, keep it covered for at least some of the time, to prevent it from evaporating entirely.

Key Ingredients & Tips

Fresh rosemary – This adds amazing flavour and is easily removed after cooking for a smooth sauce.
Garlic – As always, I use large cloves.
Mushrooms – No need to go fancy. Chestnut mushrooms (Cremini) work well, but if you have a mix of fresh mushrooms, you can use those too.

This recipe, as written, serves two but can be doubled. However, not all ingredients need to be doubled—check the notes for adjustments. :-)

If making a larger batch, I recommend cooking the mushrooms in the oven to make it easier. Spread them out on a large greaseproof-lined baking sheet, drizzle with oil, season, and roast at 200°C (180°C fan) for 10–15 minutes, depending on thickness. This helps them get a little crispy rather than steaming. Once they’ve reduced in size, you can add them to a large frying pan.

This sauce pairs beautifully with gluten-free, egg-free pasta or gnocchi. I love it with a good-quality gluten-free pasta or potato gnocchi that soaks up the sauce perfectly. And if you have leftovers, this tastes incredible on toasted bread too!

Creamy Mushroom Pasta

Gluten- dairy- egg- soya- onion- celery free

8 minutes prep
25 minutes cooking
For two portions (To make double, see notes)

Ingredients

485 g of chestnut mushrooms (Cremini) thinly sliced
3 to 4 large garlic whole but peeled
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary (medium)
1/8th tsp ground nutmeg
1 cartoon Oatly cream 250ml
60 ml of oat milk mixed with 2 teaspoon of cornflour
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In a medium hot large non-stick frying pan, cook the slices of mushrooms dry without oil. Spread them out.

Wait for the juice come out and then add 2 sprigs of rosemary and the garlic cloves whole.

Spread around the pan. If they are starting to stick then add a small splash of olive oil.

Move, the mushrooms once or twice. You want them slightly crispy or at least browned but not burnt. This will improve the texture.

Add the Oatly cream and a tiny pinch of nutmeg, less than 8th or a 10th of teaspoon. This way it just adds some warmth and depth as a background note, otherwise it can be overpowering.

Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. You may need more than you think.

Mix the oat milk with 2 tsp cornflour then add to the pan, mixing it in to thicken the plant based cream.

After 10 to 15 mins, taste to check you have the right balance of rosemary and nutmeg.

When you are stirring it make sure when you are moving the rosemary around the pan that you do it gently so it doesn’t loose too much of it’s sprigs because otherwise you need to pick them out afterwards. :-)

Also keep at a simmer and cover otherwise you can loose a lot of the ‘cream’ as it evaporates .

Taste it and make sure you have enough flavour, add more seasoning if you need it.

When the sauce has thickened a bit and the mushrooms are cooked through then remove the garlic cloves and serve with rice, pasta or gnocchi with the sprigs of rosemary on top.

I would have a salad as a side, which will balance the richness of the sauce.

And enjoy! If you do make this let me know how you get on.

For 4 portions I would add in total - 6 garlic cloves & 3 sprigs of rosemary (if they are supermarket packet sized i.e medium or 4 if small.)

What’s your ultimate creamy comfort dish—whether it’s dairy-free or not?