Vegan Buttered Noodles

Name: Vegan Buttered Noodles
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 14 - 16 ounces pasta of choice; 1 cup vegan butter (see note 2 for suggestions); 3 cloves garlic, grated or minced; Juice of 1 small lemon, about 2-3 tablespoons (see note 3); Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste; ¼ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped; Vegan parmesan cheese for serving (see note 4)

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Vegan Buttered Noodles are as easy as they sound, but this recipe takes them up a notch with a few simple ingredients. Whether you add a few extras or just keep it simple, this delicious comfort food dish is perfect as an entree or side.

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Why This Recipe Works
Ingredients and Substitutions
How to Make Vegan Buttered Noodles
Frequently Asked Questions
Expert Tips for Success
More Recipes Like This
Vegan Buttered Noodles

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Hey Internet, on the list of Doesn’t Need a Recipe, you might think vegan buttered noodles is at the top. This popular comfort food dish seems like it’s pretty obvious how to make it.

And it is, but I like to add a few extras to create a creamy and buttery, but flavorful sauce for the pasta that’s perfect, especially when garnished with fresh parsley and vegan parmesan cheese.

This is among my favorite 15-20 minute meals like my vegan garlic noodles, vegan veggie lo mein, vegan pepper steak, vegan creamy pasta, tahini pasta, vegan chicken teriyaki, and more that I probably can’t remember at the moment.

You can eat these vegan butter noodles on their own but they’re also great with a protein like panko tofu which can be done in the same amount of time while the pasta cooks!

Here I’ve served them with my easy vegan garlic bread because my hubby always goes crazy over it.

This is a comfort classic that’s perfect for dinner when you’re busy, sick, or you just don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. But with a flavor like these noodles, you don’t need a special reason to make them.

Why This Recipe Works

It’s difficult to screw up butter in pasta right? Well, I mean, you could.

You could add too much or too little butter (too little is easy to fix. Too much… not so easy.).

You could under season it even when there’s vegan butter in there.

Or you could be wondering, how the heck can I spice this up?

I’ve only added a few simple ingredients to the recipe to take it up a level from just plain old pasta with vegan butter.

The garlic, the lemon, the parsley, and the pepper (it’s gotta be fresh cracked from a pepper grinder!)… they add a LOT to this dish and I highly recommend not skimping on any of them.

You can of course go for other spices, other herbs, add a protein, some veg, whatever you like! An easy way to add a vegetable to this recipe is to throw in some baby spinach near the end.

Oh, and you can use any pasta you like here. You could even use this recipe with rice, but then it would be buttered rice. Which is still good.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Pasta: I used vegan egg noodles (I found them at Walmart, they’re called egg-free wide ribbons!), but any pasta will work with this recipe. Use gluten-free pasta if needed. Or choose legume based pastas for extra protein.
Vegan butter: So it’s no surprise you’ll need vegan butter to make vegan buttered noodles. There are tons of different vegan butters out there. I find that stick butter (brands such as Melt, Flora, Earth Balance, Miyoko’s) work best for this type of application. Vegan margarines that come in a tub will also work, but I liked the flavor of the vegan stick butter better in this recipe.
Garlic: A little bit of garlic adds a lot of flavor in this recipe! I highly recommend using fresh grated or minced garlic as opposed to jarred pre-minced garlic. The flavor difference is substantial.
Lemon juice: I know it sounds a little odd, but just a little fresh lemon juice will brighten the flavors in this dish. It doesn’t give the dish a strong lemon flavor at all. The acid of the lemon cuts through the fat from the vegan butter and balances the whole dish.
Salt and pepper: A little sea salt and some freshly cracked black pepper make a big flavor impact here. I’ll never go back to pre-ground black pepper. This makes me sound like a snob, but it really does taste better freshly cracked from a pepper grinder.
Fresh parsley: Another great flavor boost, and it looks a little more interesting than just plain old pasta with a little melted vegan butter.
Grated vegan parmesan cheese: A little vegan parmesan on top is the icing on the cake! We love Violife vegan parmesan block, which I grate with a microplane or zester to achieve finely grated vegan cheese that melts quickly into the sauce. You could also buy one of the shakers of vegan parmesan cheese that’s more of a “powdered” style. Or use nutritional yeast. My one minute vegan parmesan topping would also be delicious here!

How to Make Vegan Buttered Noodles

Cook your pasta according to package directions. Drain immediately after cooked and leave in the colander for a moment.
While the pasta cooks, you can prepare the garlic, lemon, parsley, and grate the vegan cheese.
In the pot you cooked the pasta in, melt the vegan butter over medium high heat.
Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
Add the cooked pasta and stir well. Add the lemon juice, parsley, sea salt, and fresh cracked black pepper. Stir well.
Serve your vegan butter noodles with a sprinkle of vegan parmesan cheese (either store bought or you can make my homemade vegan parmesan topping) and a little more black pepper or parsley if desired. Enjoy!
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days, but, like most pasta dishes, this recipe tastes best the first night in my opinion. Keep in mind that gluten-free pasta doesn’t always keep as well, so use your discretion.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to serve?

Serve this pasta immediately, with whatever you like! We love to pair this with vegan garlic bread. I often eat this with a side of some steamed broccoli and some crispy tofu. It would be great with any cooked or raw veggie on the side, and also a protein if you like.

How long does it keep?

This recipe keeps for about 3-4 days. The sauce may soak into the pasta so you may need to add a little extra vegan butter and a little extra lemon when you reheat. Gluten-free pasta sometimes don't last as long as wheat based pastas.

Why do I need a recipe for vegan buttered noodles? It’s literally just buttered noodles.

I knew I was going to get this question! As you can see from the recipe, this is a little more than just butter and noodles. The things I add in this recipe really help improve the overall flavor. If you don’t need a recipe then I don’t think you’d be here! Or maybe you’re curious. Either way, if you want to try it this way, it’s really good. If not, I have plenty of other recipes that are more complex.

Expert Tips for Success

You can salt your pasta water if you like, it adds extra flavor. Bring the water to a boil. Add a generous pinch of salt and bring the water to a boil again (the salt will cool it slightly). Stir a little to dissolve the salt. Once it’s boiling again, you can add the pasta.
Fresh cracked black pepper really does taste better than store-bought ground pepper. Try it!
This recipe also works for rice! Cook rice as you normally would and then proceed with the rest of the recipe. Buttered rice is an excellent side dish for many meals.
Try adding the cheese to the pot when you add the pasta back in. Add more cheese and let it melt while the sauce comes together. This is less “vegan butter noodles” and more vegan cheesy pasta. But it still sounds pretty delicious.

More Recipes Like This

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