Vegan ravioli! Yes, it’s a thing, and we promise you won’t miss the cheese in this creamy sweet potato filling. Served with golden brown sautéed mushrooms, fresh watercress, thyme and toasty hazelnuts, this vegan ravioli dinner is packed with flavors and textures!
Table of Contents
This vegan sweet potato ravioli recipe features an olive-oil based mushroom sauce. It’s not overly “saucey” but it is incredibly flavorful!
Mushrooms and shallots are sautéed in a healthy glug of olive oil until they’re deeply brown and flavorful. Off heat, fresh watercress, thyme and lemon are added to round out the flavors. And finally, toasty crunchy hazelnuts finish off the dish.
Ingredient Notes
All-Purpose Flour
The pasta dough is simple—flour, salt, water and olive oil. We find all-purpose works well for this simple dough.
Sweet Potato Purée
This sweet potato ravioli filling is a great way to use leftover sweet potatoes. Add homemade sweet potato purée to soups, baked goods, smoothies or use it as a side dish for roasted chicken and pork tenderloin.
Cashew Cream
Cashew cream is a dairy-free alternative to cream or sour cream in savory recipes. This thick and creamy base is used for a multitude of purposes: pastas, fillings, soups, salad dressings and ganache for desserts.
Nutritional Yeast
Nutritional yeast has a cheesy, savory flavor and is often added to vegan dishes to give them a jolt of umami. Once opened, store nutritional yeast in the refrigerator.
Cremini Mushrooms
The cremini mushroom is the same variety as the white button mushroom and the portobello mushroom. Cremini are older in age than white button mushrooms and younger than portobello mushrooms. The next best cremini mushroom substitute? We like white button mushrooms or shiitake for this dish, but explore all the different varieties of mushrooms and choose for yourself!
Spices
This vegan ravioli dish features a few staple spice ingredients. Fresh thyme is used in both the filling and the “sauce.” Fresh garlic and red pepper flakes add some punchy flavor while grated fresh nutmeg simply enhances the creaminess of the filling.
Shallot
We believe shallots are one of those ingredients that sets restaurant meals apart from home-cooked meals. We’re big believers in putting them to work in the kitchen, so get yourself a medium shallot for this recipe. If you can’t find shallots, you can use a white onion instead.
Greens
We prefer to use watercress in this recipe because it’s super tender and soft. If you can’t find it, you can use baby spinach instead.
Hazelnuts
Finish the dish off with toasted hazelnuts for some added crunch and toasty, nutty flavor.
Lemon Juice
A squeeze of lemon juice right before serving adds a night acidity that balances out the rich, savory filling.
How to Make Vegan Ravioli
- Make the pasta dough then set it aside and work on the filling.
- Make the filling by combining sweet potato puree, cashew cream, nutritional yeast, thyme, garlic, pepper flakes and nutmeg.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Roll the pasta dough out into long sheets.
- Dollop filling in 1-inch increments down sheet of pasta. Lay a second sheet of pasta over top, using your fingers to press dough down between dollops of filling.
- Cut into individual ravioli and crimp edges.
- Cook a few ravioli at a time in the salted boiling water until they float to the top, about 4 minutes.
- Add the cooked ravioli to the sauce, gently toss to coat and serve.
Vegan Pasta Dough
Now, I will be the first to say that this dough does not, and will not, replace regular pasta dough that uses egg. BUT, it’s a wonderful option for people who follow a vegan diet. Even better, it uses heart-healthy fruity olive oil for the added fat.
The recipe for this egg-less pasta dough is as simple as can be, calling for just flour, salt, water and olive oil.
Creamy Vegan Filling
Most ravioli recipes feature a cheese- or cream-based filling. This dairy-free filling is dreamy as can be, made of sweet potato purée, cashew cream and a dash of nutritional yeast for that cheesy umami flavor.
The no-cook filling is rounded out with garlic, thyme, a pinch of nutmeg and some red pepper flakes.
But if you want to add cheese, I give options for that too. 🙂 After all, cooking is an endeavor all about personal preference! Check out the recipe notes for details on using dairy products.
What to Serve with Vegan Ravioli
- Pair these Easy Roasted Green Beans for a hearty vegan dinner.
- Looking for something light? Crisp Celery Salad is a refreshing way to get more veggies in.
- Easily make this Winter Green Salad with Oranges & Candied Pistachios vegan by removing the honey.
- Simple Fennel Salad perfectly balances out the filling ravioli. Plus, you only need 3 ingredients!
- This Savory Citrus Salad is an absolute delight and would be a perfect pairing for the ravioli.
Variations
- Store bought vegan cheese or vegan ricotta is an excellent filling for easy vegan ravioli.
- Vegan Miso Pesto would make a fabulous filling for ravioli.
- Spinach is always a favorite ingredient for ravioli filling! Add some chopped wilted spinach to the sweet potato filling for a little greenery.
FAQs
You can make the filling up to 3 days ahead of time. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge.The vegan pasta dough can be made up to 1 day ahead of time. Cover it with a damp paper towel followed by a piece of plastic wrap to keep it from drying out in the refrigerator.
Ravioli are square-shaped with a flat underside and rounded top while tortellini are navel-shaped.
Ricotta, meat and vegetables are typically used to fill ravioli.
You can use crème fraîche or sour cream in place of the cashew cream and grated Parmesan in place of the nutritional yeast.
Vegan Sweet Potato Ravioli with Sautéed Mushrooms
Description
Ingredients
Vegan Pasta Dough
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- ⅔ cup water
- 6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Vegan Ravioli Filling
- 1 cup sweet potato purée
- ½ cup cashew cream
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme, divided
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon grated fresh nutmeg
Mushroom Sauce
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 1 shallot, thinly sliced
- 2 cups watercress or spinach
- ¼ cup hazelnuts or pepitas
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
Vegan Pasta Dough
- Whisk together flour and ¾ teaspoon salt. Add water and 3 tablespoons oil and mix until a dough comes together. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times until smooth and cohesive.
- Divide dough into two equal halves; set aside.
Vegan Ravioli Filling
- Combine sweet potato purée, cashew cream, nutritional yeast, 2 teaspoons thyme, garlic, red pepper flakes, nutmeg, and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt; set aside.
Assembly
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and coat a sheet pan with nonstick spray.
- Roll each piece of dough into a long rectangle, about ⅛-inch thick. Trim dough rectangles to loosely match in size. On one dough rectangle, using a tablespoon measure, spoon sweet potato filling 1-inch apart down rectangle in two rows.
- Brush dough, around the filling, with water then place remaining dough sheet over top of filing-lined dough. Gently press dough down around filling to form individual pockets of filling.
- Cut dough creases to form ravioli squares.
- Using the tines of a fork, press edges of ravioli squares together to seal.
- Season boiling water with salt, then add 4–5 ravioli to boiling water and cook until ravioli float to top, 3–4 minutes. Using a spider or slotted spoon, transfer ravioli to prepared sheet pan.
Mushroom Sauce
- Heat remaining 3 tablespoons oil over medium high heat in a sauté pan until shimmering. Add mushrooms and shallots and cook until mushrooms are golden brown, about 10 minutes. Increase heat to high and cook until deep golden brown, 1–2 minutes.
- Off heat, stir in watercress, hazelnuts, lemon juice and remaining 1 tablespoon thyme. Add ravioli, drizzle with additional olive oil and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
I actually had sweet potatoes when I came across this recipe! They were amazing. My husband asked when we’re having it again.
Surprised this is vegan, was so good!
Yay! The best kind of surprise!
What a stunning presentation! I’ve always wanted to make homemade ravioli, pinning for later!!
This recipe is right up my alley! I love ravioli and especially love mushrooms. Thank you for sharing, can’t wait to make it!
Can you freeze the uncooked raviolis? Thanks!
Hi Ruby!
I haven’t tried this before, but I think freezing would work well! I would freeze them on a wax paper or parchment paper-lined baking sheet until solid and then transfer them to a resealable bag and store in the freezer until needed. To cook, drop the frozen ravioli right into boiling water, don’t thaw them prior to cooking! Let me know how it goes. 🙂
I’m allergic to nuts, but will definitely try with Full Fat coconut cream!
We loved this recipe! My husband called it ‘gourmet’! We’ll definitely be making it again soon!
Love that your husband called it gourmet! And so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂