Vegan Chickpea Carbonara

This recipe is:

• 100% vegan
• dairy free
• egg free
• delicious & moreish
• creamy & 'eggy'
• inspired by the Italian original
• pasta-licious
• the perfect dinner to wow your friends & family
• as authentic as you can get (whilst making it vegan)

Who could say no to a delicious Vegan Carbonara Recipe? I know I certainly can't! Before going vegan I definitely had my fair share of Carbonara dishes - both the authentic Italian kind (which used to be my absolute favourite dish!) as well as the creamy mess that the British call a Carbonara 😉

After moving to the UK, I have to say I was fairly surprised how much cream Brits used in their Carbonara recipe - it's nothing like the Carbonara I grew up eating - my family was always huge on Italian foods! It took a while getting used to... although I'm not sure whether I ever got used to it.

Authentic Italian Carbonara is actually more eggy than it is creamy and that's exactly what I've tried to replicate with this Vegan Carbonara version.

Ingredients & Notes

Here's everything you'll need for this recipe:

• Spaghetti
• Chickpea flour (gram flour)
• Kala namak (black salt)
• Dairy free cream
• Black pepper
• Turmeric powder
• Water
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Chopped Parsley

For the smoky chickpeas:

• Canned chickpeas
• Sea salt
• Smoked paprika
• Liquid smoke
• Extra virgin olive oil

Instructions (Step-by-Step)

Making the Vegan Carbonara Sauce

To get the "egginess" just right in this recipe I've used chickpea flour and added so-called 'black salt' to it. This black salt is also called 'Kala Namak' and it's got a slightly sulphurous flavour to it, which makes it taste deliciously eggy.

To get the colour just right, I like to add a little bit of turmeric to the mix. It also adds a healthy twist to the recipe and in combination with black pepper, the turmeric is easier absorbed by the body. For the liquid of the sauce, I add vegan cream, this gives the sauce the perfect creaminess & thickness for the sauce. It also ensures that the sauce does not get too dry as soon as it hits the pan. In my opinion, it creates the perfect creamy but eggy balance that I'm looking for in a Carbonara Sauce. And I hope you'll enjoy this recipe just as much as I did!

How to Make Crunchy Chickpeas

A traditional carbonara would usually have cooked ham chunks. In order to make this dish a little more interesting—and add a salty smokiness to the recipe–I've added crunchy & smokey chickpeas. It's obviously not the same as ham/bacon, and it's not pretending to be, but it adds a lovely element to the dish and gives it a delicious crunch.

The smoky chickpeas are super easy to create in just a few steps:

1. Drain the chickpeas.
2. Add them to a bowl and add the seasoning: sea salt, smoked paprika, liquid smoke and olive oil. Toss to evenly coat.
3. Add the chickpeas to a lined baking tray and bake at 160ºC until crispy.
4. After 10 minutes use a wooden spoon to move and turn them around on the tray.

You can enjoy the chickpeas hot and cold. If you're a fan of savoury snacks (like me), they're also a delicious crunchy treat 😉 And if you love chickpeas, you'll surely also enjoy these tangy Buffalo Chickpeas!

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Also try this fun twist on carbonara - Gnocchi Carbonara! The recipe for the vegan sauce works wonderfully alongside the soft and fluffy texture of vegan gnocchi, making it a perfect midweek dinner.