Vegan Jalapeño Popper Pasta

This Vegan Jalapeño Popper Pasta is so creamy, decadent, and delicious! You can make the whole thing in the Instant Pot or on the stovetop. This dish is the perfect party meal, done in 30 minutes!

I've always been a fan of creamy, luscious pasta dishes. And this one is extra fun because it is a fusion two fun foods – jalapeño poppers and pasta! This dish is creamy, vegan, and has a little bit of a kick from the jalapeño. Feel free to make this in the Instant Pot or stovetop.

Jalapeño Poppers are a popular American party or appetizer food. You'll typically see them as a hollowed out half of a jalapeño filled with a mixture of cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and bacon. They're normally topped with breadcrumbs and then baked or fried until crispy. This recipe uses vegan alternatives for cheeses, and omits the bacon. However, you can feel free to add vegan bacon bits (or real, up to you!) or use real cheese – the choice is yours!!

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Easy to Customize - Want more spice? Add more jalapeño! You can also add bacon (vegan or real), use regular cheese, and you can use any noodle shape you like!
• Fun Party Food - Jalapeño Poppers are already such a fun party food. Add pasta and its to die for!
• Done in 30 minutes or less! This recipe is just so quick, you won't believe it!

What you need for this recipe

Ingredients and Substitutions:

• Jalapeños - De-seeded and stem removed. I used one jalapeño and that gave a great flavor with very little spice. Use more if you want more spice!
• Vegan Cream Cheese - Violife, Tofutti, Trader Joe's, or Kite Hill all have great options.
• Vegan Cheddar Shreds - I prefer Violife for shreds, but use whatever you can find!
• Panko Bread Crumbs - If you're wanting to keep this recipe free from egg and dairy, use unseasoned breadcrumbs and check the label. Surprisingly, many of the unseasoned ones were still containing these ingredients.
• Pasta - I like to use a short, twisty pasta in this recipe. Gemelli or cavatappi are great!
• Non-Dairy Milk - Unsweetened, unflavored non-dairy milk of any kind.
• Garnishes - Chives, salt, garlic powder, etc.

Equipment:

• Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker or Stove Pot
• Knife
• Cutting Board
• Wooden Spoon or Spatula

How to make this in the Instant Pot

Step 1: Sauté

Remove the stem and seeds from 1-2 jalapeños and finely dice the outer parts.

Turn the Instant Pot on to the 'sauté' function.

Spray the bottom lightly with cooking oil.

Add ½ cup unseasoned panko breadcrumbs and stir them continuously until toasted and lightly brown. Remove from pot.

Add a bit more oil to the pot and then sauté the diced jalapeños until they're soft, about 2-3 minutes.

Remove all or most of the jalapeños from the instant pot (leaving some in is fine).

Step 2: Cook Pasta

Add 16 ounces of pasta to the Instant Pot along with 4 cups of water or broth. Pat the noodles down to be an even layer, but do not stir the noodles.

Close the Instant Pot lid and set the valve to sealing.

Pressure cook on HIGH for 4 minutes.

When the 4 minutes are up, press 'cancel' and then perform a natural release (meaning don't do anything to the steam valve) for 5 minutes. After the 5 minutes, manually release the remaining steam until the floating pin drops.

(If starch or food starts to spray out of the valve, release the steam in 3 second bursts until it is all released and the floating pin drops).

Step 3: Combine Ingredients

Stir the cooked pasta.

Add back in the cooked jalapeños and the vegan cream cheese. Stir to combine.

Once combined, stir in vegan cheddar shreds and non-dairy milk and stir to combine until melted.

Season with garlic powder and salt.

Serve warm on a plate and garnish with chives, toasted breadcrumbs, and more jalapeño.

How to make this on the stovetop

Step 1: Sauté

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

In a non-stick pan, add a small amount of cooking oil. Add ½ cup unseasoned panko breadcrumbs and stir them continuously until toasted and lightly brown. Remove from pan.

Add a bit more oil to the pan and then sauté the diced jalapeños until they're soft, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from pan.

Once the water is boiling, add salt and cook pasta according to box instructions.

Step 2: Combine Ingredients

Add the drained pasta back to the large pot, turning the temperature to low-medium heat.

Add the cooked jalapeños and the vegan cream cheese and stir until well combined.

Once combined, stir in vegan cheddar shreds and non-dairy milk and stir to combine until melted.

Season with garlic powder and salt.

Serve warm on a plate and garnish with chives, toasted breadcrumbs, and more jalapeño.

Expert Tips:

• If you love spicy food, use more jalapeños and cook them less when sautéing them. You can even include a few seeds if you like. If you hate spicy food, one jalapeño without seeds and cooked should impart almost zero spice, but still have flavor.
• Instead of vegan cream cheese, you can always use unsweetened coconut cream (not cream of coconut) in an equal amount!
• Any pasta shape with work here, but I think a short and twisty pasta is the best. Feel free to use long pasta, elbow noodles, or whatever you have on hand!

Recipe FAQs

If you enjoyed this recipe, you may also like:

Creamy Miso Ramen Noodles

Dairy-Free Mushroom Stroganoff (Instant Pot)

Creamy Vegan Tuscan Pasta (Instant Pot)

📖 Recipe