Vegan Udon Carbonara
Udon Carbonara – vegan and still super creamy?! Yes, you read that right. This dish is a little fusion wonder: Udon Carbonara combines the creaminess of a classic Italian carbonara with the savory umami power of Japanese cuisine. No wonder the original recipe from Tokyo has caused quite a stir on social media in recent years.
But what exactly makes this "slightly different carbonara" special? The original comes with bacon, lots of egg yolks, parmesan, and pecorino – basically everything you love. We're giving it a vegan twist: Our creaminess comes from homemade cashew parmesan, and to replace the bacon, we're using Schinkel Würfel from Billie Green. They're wheat-based, come without additives, have a high protein content, and taste surprisingly authentic – exactly the savory note that makes our carbonara so special.
The cherry on top? Miso paste. It provides that really beautiful umami kick that makes the dish so well-rounded. Together with the thick, soft udon noodles, everything comes together into a sauce you'd want to eat with a spoon.
So in our recipe, you get exactly the combination you'd want from a modern, vegan udon carbonara: creamy, savory, umami, and with the perfect dose of comfort factor.
I don't have udon noodles at home – what should I do? Simple: Other noodles work too! Whether penne, spaghetti, or soba noodles – this dish works great with them as well. The only important thing is that the noodles absorb the creamy sauce well.
Vegan Udon Carbonara
Ingredients
For the pasta:
- 250 g (8.75 oz) udon noodles
- 150 g (5.25 oz) cashew butter
- 1 tbsp (0.5 oz) light miso paste
- 2 tbsp (0.5 oz) nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 100 ml (0.5 cup) water
- 60 g (2 oz) vegan bacon (e.g., from Billie Green)
- salt
- pepper
- vegetable oil for frying
- vegan parmesan for serving
For the vegan egg yolk:
- 75 g (2.66 oz) butternut squash (or carrots)
- 0.25 onion
- 1 tsp nutritional yeast
- 0.5 tsp white miso paste
- 0.25 tsp kala namak
- a pinch of turmeric
- 1 tbsp (0.5 oz) extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Cover the butternut squash with water in a medium-sized pot and cook for 5–10 minutes until soft. In the meantime, sauté the diced onion in a pan over medium heat until translucent and lightly golden.
- Add the cooked squash and sautéed onion to a blender along with nutritional yeast, white miso paste, kala namak, turmeric, and olive oil, or blend with an immersion blender until smooth and silky.
- For the sauce, add cashew butter, light miso paste, nutritional yeast, and soy sauce to a blender. Gradually add water until you get a creamy consistency, then season with salt and pepper.
- Fry the vegan ham cubes in a pan with some oil until crispy.
- Cook the udon noodles according to the package instructions. Drain, saving some of the cooking water. Mix the noodles with the cashew sauce, adding cooking water until the sauce reaches a creamy texture. Finally, stir in the vegan ham cubes.
- Top the udon carbonara with vegan parmesan and a spoonful of the “egg yolk.”
