I absolutely loved my Mom’s Pasta Salad when I was a vegetarian, but when I became a vegan, I thought I’d try my hand at making a vegan version. It came out delicious!

I made my own vegan sour cream, and this is the reason it has to sit. I blended raw cashews, apple cider vinegar, and lemon juice and at first it’s runny and pretty tangy. After you let it sit for about four hours, the sauce thickens and the tang goes away. I used store bought mayo (Follow Your Heart), but I am sure homemade vegan mayo would work too!

An important tip is to allow the pasta to cool down while the cashews are soaking so it doesn’t melt the mayonnaise and keeps a creamy texture.

NOTE: You can also make the sour cream the night before! 🙂

I am so excited to share this recipe and can’t wait for you to try it!

VEGAN PASTA SALAD

Cook Time: 1 hour
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Resting Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 5 hours + 15 minutes
Serving Size: 1 cup
Total Servings: 5

INGREDIENTS

For the sour cream:

1 cup raw cashews
1 cup water
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp lemon juice

For the rest of the recipe:

3/4 cup vegan mayonnaise
16 oz rotini pasta
1 and half cup peppers (green and red recommended, you can mix in another color too)
1 cucumber
6 green onions
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Soak raw cashes in hot water for an hour. I do this to ensure they are creamy.
2. In the meantime, cook the pasta. Allow to cool to room temperature.
3. Cut the bell peppers in strips.
4. Peel and seed the cucumbers. I cut the them in half moons.
5. Chop the green onions.
6. When the cashews are finished soaking, add the apple cider vinegar and lemon juice with the cup of water and blend for 2-3 minutes to ensure the sauce is very creamy. You might need to add an extra 3-4 minutes if you don’t have a high speed blender.
7. In a large mixing bowl, add the pasta, vegetables, vegan sour cream, mayonnaise, salt, and pepper.
8. Cover and sit in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight, if you’re not making the sour cream beforehand. If so, you can serve immediately.