Dairy free and gluten free, this creamy cajun chicken pasta is a lightened up version of a comfort food classic! A cozy recipe made with cashew cream instead of dairy that’s perfect for any night of the week that’s wholesome, and full of big, crave-able Cajun flavor!
The best dairy free cajun chicken pasta
We love pasta night at our house!
Especially when it’s a flavor packed recipe like this wholesome cajun chicken pasta.
🌿 Just like our recipes for Cashew Cream Cajun Shrimp Pasta and Creamy Tomato Sausage Pasta, & Quick Pasta with Romesco Sauce, it is so comforting, cozy, and delicious – the perfect thing for a cozy dinner in!
Most cajun chicken pasta recipes are made using dairy, but this recipe is made without cream, cream cheese, or cheese. Instead, we’re swapping out the dairy for cashew cream!
If you’ve never tried it and you’re dairy free, you’re in for SUCH a treat!
The texture is incredible, and it’s mild flavor makes it infinitely adaptable to all kinds of recipes and flavors.
It brings a richness to the sauce so good that even those who aren’t dairy free wouldn’t know.
The tender pieces of chicken are cooked first with half of the spice blend and then set to the side while you cook the veggies and bring the sauce together so that they don’t get dry and over-cooked. Nobody wants that!
And while the ingredient list may appear long, most items are the dried spices you’ll use to make the spice blend. The pasta really does come together quite quickly, with TONS of yummy flavor, for the perfect weeknight meal.
A couple of quick notes on the ingredients
Raw cashew really are best choice when making cashew cream. After a quick soak in just-boiled water they blend seamlessly into the broth in a high-speed blender.
If all you have is roasted cashews, they can be used in a pinch, but you’ll want to soak them for about twice the amount of time. Or maybe even simmer them in water on the stove top, to ensure that they blend well with the liquid.
My all time favorite gluten free pasta is made by Jovial.
Their brown rice penne pasta is what I use in this recipe.
The texture is SPOT ON every time and you’d never know it’s gluten free if you tasted it blindly!
Is this pasta spicy?
Only if you use cayenne pepper in your spice blend, or if your Cajun seasoning has a kick of heat to it.
To make it extra spicy just add a bit more cayenne to the spice blend. You can add as much or as little as you like!
Customizing the recipe by adding additional veggies
You can easily add more vegetables to this pasta dish!
These would all be great options:
- Spinach – Stir into the hot pasta just a few minutes before it’s done so that it can wilt but doesn’t overcook.
- Broccoli – Broccoli florets can be added to the pasta during the last minute or two of cooking, and then added to the skillet with the pasta during step 8.
- Extra bell peppers – Feel free to use a whole red pepper and a whole orange pepper, or even some green peppers if that’s what you like!
- Asparagus – Asparagus cooks pretty fast, so I would suggest adding it raw with the pasta, chicken, and sauce, during step 8.
- Zucchini – Depending on the size of the pieces, zucchini will likely need to cook about the same amount of time as the bell peppers. Add it to the skillet with the onions, peppers, and garlic during step cups 5.
What does cashew cream taste like?
Cashew cream has a very neutral, even flavor.
This makes it an excellent substitute for dairy in savory and sweet recipes.
I prefer it over coconut milk to make creamy soups, sauces, and pasta recipes because it has great texture and can be seasoned however you like.
Some of my favorite cashew cream recipes here on NK:
- Dairy Free French Onion Dip
- Creamy Vegan Vodka Pasta Sauce
- Vegan Sour Cream
- Chicken Pot Pie Soup
- Creamy Dairy Free Chicken and Cauliflower Rice Soup
- Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo
- Make Ahead Whole30 Gravy
How to make this creamy cajun chicken pasta
If you enjoyed this dairy free pasta we’d love it if you would take a moment to rate and review it below! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 It’s also a great place to get your questions answered, and helpful for other readers if you share any modifications you made to the recipe.
Thank you for sharing your kitchen with NK. We’re so grateful you’re here!
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Cashew Cream Cajun Chicken Pasta – Dairy Free!
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Diet: Dairy-Free, Gluten Free
Description
Dairy free and gluten free, this creamy cajun chicken pasta is a lightened up version of a comfort food classic! A cozy recipe made with cashew cream instead of dairy that’s perfect for any night of the week that’s wholesome, and full of big, crave-able Cajun flavor!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup raw cashews
- 12 ounces gluten free pasta
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
- 1/2 small yellow onion, finely diced
- 1/2 a large red pepper, thinly sliced
- 1/2 a large yellow or orange pepper, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- Pinch or two of cayenne (optional)
- OR
- 2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning instead of onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, paprika, and thyme
- 1 1/2 cups broth, chicken or vegetable broth both work well
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
- Parsley, to garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Before you start cooking – in a heat proof bowl, cover raw cashews with just boiled water for at least 30 minutes, or up to an hour. If you’re in a hurry you can simmer the cashews on the stove top for about 10 minutes until they are pale and plump.
- Start a large pot of lightly salted water to boil for the pasta and cook according to package instructions. Reserve about 3/4 cup cooking water. Drain and set aside.
- In a small bowl mix together all the dried spices – onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, paprika, thyme, and cayenne (if using) until well combined.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium high heat in a large skillet. When the oil is hot, add the chicken breast pieces and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the Cajun seasoning mix. Cook, turning each piece of chicken so it cooks on both sides, until cooked through. Remove to a plate and set aside.
- Add the additional tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet with the diced onion, bell peppers, and chopped garlic. Sauté veggies for 3-4 minutes – until tender. If the bottom of the skillet gets too dark, add a tablespoon or two of water to release the brown bits and reduce the heat slightly.
- Add the tomato paste and remaining Cajun seasoning. Cook for another minute, stirring frequently, until spices are aromatic and tomato paste has darkened slightly. Remove from the heat while you make the pasta sauce.
- Drain soaked cashews and add to the blender with broth, nutritional yeast, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Blend on high for at least a minute – until super smooth and creamy.
- Return skillet to the stove top over medium low heat. Add cooked pasta, cooked chicken, and the cashew cream sauce. Stir to combine and scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a simmer. Allow to simmer for a minute or two, until sauce coats the pasta and chicken. As it simmers, add the reserved pasta water a bit at a time to thin the sauce until desired consistency is reached. If you need more liquid or if you didn’t reserve any pasta water you can also use broth or water. The more liquid you add, the softer and creamier the sauce will be.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper. Top with fresh parsley if desired and serve!
Notes
Storage: This dairy free pasta with chicken will keep in the refrigerator for 4-5 days in a sealed container.
Freezing: I would not recommend freezing this pasta. I haven’t tried it but I think that the texture of the pasta and sauce would not hold up well when re-heated.
To re-heat: The cashew cream sauce will thicken as it sits in the refrigerator. To re-heat, warm the pasta on low in a skillet or in the microwave, and add water, unsweetened nut milk, or broth to the sauce a little bit at a time, stirring in between, until desired consistency is reached.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stove top
- Cuisine: American
Treasa says
I recently became allergic to milk products and my boyfriend has a yeast allergy. Is there a way to make this without the yeast?
Nyssa Tanner says
Absolutely! Just skip adding it. The pasta will still be delicious without 🙂 Hope you enjoy! – Nyssa
Tara says
Hello! I was wondering if there was an alternative to the cashew cream for making this. I am allergic to nuts and I’m recently dairy free for breastfeeding purposes but would absolutely love to try this! I thank you in advance for your time
Nyssa Tanner says
Hi Tara! I haven’t tested this option myself, but you could try using a full fat oat milk or another non dairy creamer that works for your allergy requirements to make the sauce creamy. Oatly’s full fat oat milk is quite creamy and would likely be a good choice. I would suggest using 1 1/2 cups of dairy free milk or creamer, reducing the broth to 1 cup, and making a sauce as written in the recipe with those ingredients + the nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper. I hope that’s helpful, & I’d love to hear how it turns out if you give it a try! Happy cooking 🙂 – Nyssa