Learn how to make vegan tortellini with homemade, eggless pasta dough and a non-dairy filling. Tortellini is the ultimate Italian comfort food.

Vegan Tortellini Recipe: How to Make Vegan Cheese Tortellini

Vegan tortellini is a stuffed pasta dish featuring eggless pasta and vegan fillings, such as vegetables or meat substitutes. Tortellini are traditionally stuffed with meat and served in broth (Italian brodo), while slightly larger tortelloni are typically filled with cheese and served in a butter sauce. You can make tortellini with a vegan ricotta cheese filling for a vegan take on the classic Italian dish. You can purchase fresh or frozen vegan tortellini or ravioli for a fast, easy dinner rather than making it from scratch.
Traditionally, you make pasta dough using [different flours](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/a-culinary-guide-to-flour-types-difference-between-unbleached-and-bleached-flour-and-how-to-use-wheat-oat-bran-pastry-and-all-purpose-flour), water, olive oil, and an egg; a vegan pasta dough recipe is a twist on the Italian classic that skips the egg. Most dry boxed pastas found in grocery stores do not contain animal byproducts, meaning they are vegan, but making fresh eggless pasta dough at home is a simple process. Both homemade and store-bought versions use semolina flour, which is the coarse, milled flour of durum wheat, which helps create elasticity in the pasta due to its rich gluten content. As a result, eggless pasta isn’t gluten-free or an option for those with certain allergies. You can, however, substitute gluten-free flours such as whole wheat in your homemade pasta. Simply add two tablespoons of xanthan gum to add the elasticity that semolina flour provides.
When making vegan tortellini, consider the following pasta filling options for the best vegan tortellini:

1. __Spinach__: Chopped blanched or frozen spinach blended with garlic makes a delicious, meat-free filling. You can add grated zucchini for more flavor and textural variety.
2. __Vegan cheese__: Use a combination of blended nuts, tofu, lemon juice, garlic, and nutritional yeast or vegan Parmesan to mimic the flavor and texture of ricotta cheese, sans dairy.
3. __Vegan meat__: Use your favorite brand of vegan ground meat substitute to most closely mimic the texture of meat tortellini. Add the spices in hot Italian sausages, such as fennel and red pepper flakes, to match the flavor profile.
Consider serving vegan tortellini in the following [pasta sauces](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/pasta-sauce-recipes): 

1. __Vegan alfredo__: Traditional alfredo recipes typically include butter, Parmesan cheese, and heavy cream. [Vegan alfredo sauce](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/vegan-alfredo-sauce-recipe) recipes recreate the texture and flavors of alfredo cheese sauce without using animal-based ingredients, including dairy. Instead, plant-based cooks rely on ingredients like nutritional yeast, cashews, and miso paste with a splash of non-dairy milk, such as unflavored almond milk, to make a creamy vegan sauce. Sauté some veggies, like peppers or spinach, to stir into the sauce for added nutritional value and flavor.
2. __Vegetable broth__: In Italy, one of the most popular ways to serve filled pasta is “in brodo” (“in broth”). Serve the stuffed pasta in a rich homemade vegetable broth for a simple, delicious tortellini soup. Garnish with a sprinkling of vegan Parmesan cheese.
3. __Vegan pesto__: Serve vegan tortellini with [vegan pesto](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/vegan-pesto-recipe). Substituting nutritional yeast for the Parmesan cheese in traditional Italian [basil pesto](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-basil-pesto-easy-recipe-and-tips-for-making-perfect-pesto) yields a creamy, savory sauce you’ll want to spread on everything, including vegan tortellini. 
Learn how to make vegan tortellini with homemade, eggless pasta dough and a non-dairy filling. Tortellini is the ultimate Italian comfort food.

Vegan tortellini is a stuffed pasta dish featuring eggless pasta and vegan fillings, such as vegetables or meat substitutes. Tortellini are traditionally stuffed with meat and served in broth (Italian brodo), while slightly larger tortelloni are typically filled with cheese and served in a butter sauce. You can make tortellini with a vegan ricotta cheese filling for a vegan take on the classic Italian dish. You can purchase fresh or frozen vegan tortellini or ravioli for a fast, easy dinner rather than making it from scratch.

What Is Vegan Tortellini?

Traditionally, you make pasta dough using <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/a-culinary-guide-to-flour-types-difference-between-unbleached-and-bleached-flour-and-how-to-use-wheat-oat-bran-pastry-and-all-purpose-flour' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/a-culinary-guide-to-flour-types-difference-between-unbleached-and-bleached-flour-and-how-to-use-wheat-oat-bran-pastry-and-all-purpose-flour","linkCopy":"different flours","category":null}'>different flours</a>, water, olive oil, and an egg; a vegan pasta dough recipe is a twist on the Italian classic that skips the egg. Most dry boxed pastas found in grocery stores do not contain animal byproducts, meaning they are vegan, but making fresh eggless pasta dough at home is a simple process. Both homemade and store-bought versions use semolina flour, which is the coarse, milled flour of durum wheat, which helps create elasticity in the pasta due to its rich gluten content. As a result, eggless pasta isn’t gluten-free or an option for those with certain allergies. You can, however, substitute gluten-free flours such as whole wheat in your homemade pasta. Simply add two tablespoons of xanthan gum to add the elasticity that semolina flour provides.

How to Make Vegan Pasta Dough

When making vegan tortellini, consider the following pasta filling options for the best vegan tortellini:<ol class="mc-m-4"><li class="mc-my-4"> 1. Spinach: Chopped blanched or frozen spinach blended with garlic makes a delicious, meat-free filling. You can add grated zucchini for more flavor and textural variety. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 2. Vegan cheese: Use a combination of blended nuts, tofu, lemon juice, garlic, and nutritional yeast or vegan Parmesan to mimic the flavor and texture of ricotta cheese, sans dairy. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 3. Vegan meat: Use your favorite brand of vegan ground meat substitute to most closely mimic the texture of meat tortellini. Add the spices in hot Italian sausages, such as fennel and red pepper flakes, to match the flavor profile. </li></ol>

3 Vegan Tortellini Fillings

Consider serving vegan tortellini in the following <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/pasta-sauce-recipes' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/pasta-sauce-recipes","linkCopy":"pasta sauces","category":null}'>pasta sauces</a>: <ol class="mc-m-4"><li class="mc-my-4"> 1. Vegan alfredo: Traditional alfredo recipes typically include butter, Parmesan cheese, and heavy cream. <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/vegan-alfredo-sauce-recipe' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/vegan-alfredo-sauce-recipe","linkCopy":"Vegan alfredo sauce","category":null}'>Vegan alfredo sauce</a> recipes recreate the texture and flavors of alfredo cheese sauce without using animal-based ingredients, including dairy. Instead, plant-based cooks rely on ingredients like nutritional yeast, cashews, and miso paste with a splash of non-dairy milk, such as unflavored almond milk, to make a creamy vegan sauce. Sauté some veggies, like peppers or spinach, to stir into the sauce for added nutritional value and flavor. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 2. Vegetable broth: In Italy, one of the most popular ways to serve filled pasta is “in brodo” (“in broth”). Serve the stuffed pasta in a rich homemade vegetable broth for a simple, delicious tortellini soup. Garnish with a sprinkling of vegan Parmesan cheese. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 3. Vegan pesto: Serve vegan tortellini with <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/vegan-pesto-recipe' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/vegan-pesto-recipe","linkCopy":"vegan pesto","category":null}'>vegan pesto</a>. Substituting nutritional yeast for the Parmesan cheese in traditional Italian <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-basil-pesto-easy-recipe-and-tips-for-making-perfect-pesto' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-basil-pesto-easy-recipe-and-tips-for-making-perfect-pesto","linkCopy":"basil pesto","category":null}'>basil pesto</a> yields a creamy, savory sauce you’ll want to spread on everything, including vegan tortellini. </li></ol>

What to Serve With Vegan Tortellini

Simple Vegan Cheese Tortellini Recipe

Learn how to make vegan tortellini with homemade, eggless pasta dough and a non-dairy filling. Tortellini is the ultimate Italian comfort food.

Learn how to make vegan tortellini with homemade, eggless pasta dough and a non-dairy filling. Tortellini is the ultimate Italian comfort food.
