Last Updated on November 8, 2021

[柚子胡椒パスタ（ヴィーガン）]

One of my favorite vegan pasta recipes, Yuzu Kosho Pasta, is a quick, easy, and super flavorful dish featuring spicy & aromatic yuzu kosho. It’s made with less than 10 ingredients and ready to eat within 30 minutes!

What’s Yuzu Kosho?

To learn more about yuzu kosho, check out my vegan Japanese pantry guide, Yuzu Kosho.

Yuzu kosho is one of the authentic Japanese condiments. It’s spicy & aromatic yuzu pepper paste which is made of 3 ingredients:

• Green hot chili peppers
• Green yuzu peel
• Salt

Despite of the simplicity of the ingredients, the flavor of yuzu kosho is very intense & complex. Also, the aroma of green hot chili peppers & yuzu peel is very powerful and distinctive. However, it’s not overly spicy where it burns your whole mouth and the saltiness is pretty dominant. So, it’s a perfect condiment to dress-up mild flavored ingredients.

Yuzu kosho typically comes in a teeny-tiny jar but a little bit goes a long way when using in recipes.

In Japan, yuzu kosho is typically served as a condiment for tofu or other proteins, veggies, and hot pot or deep-fried food. However, it’s also delicious to eat on top of rice and to dress Japanese noodles such as udon, somen, soba and pasta!

That’s how we enjoy the flavor of yuzu kosho in this vegan Japanese pasta recipe here!

Flavor of Yuzu Kosho Pasta

If the Italians sees this creation, they may yell at me saying I’m disrespecting their pasta culture. LOL. Well, maybe they just need to eat my pasta then I’m sure they’ll approve of my Japanese-fusion vegan pasta dishes.

Yuzu Kosho Pasta really is so simple where I’m kind of hesitant to call this a recipe but I know if you aren’t familiar with the “real” Japanese food culture, you probably never knew this existed!

Although, you may find some at restaurants, this dish is the more popular pasta dish to make at home. What’s also good is that you can make this with only one gadget, a pot.

You won’t believe how flavorful this vegan Japanese pasta is! The combination of vegan butter, yuzu kosho, and soy sauce is pretty much all you need to flavor the pasta but the result is out of this world! Vegan butter in general adds a richness to a simple dish but when it’s combined with soy sauce, it works like magic! In Japan, this is a very popular flavor combo called “butter shoyu” which literally means butter + soy sauce. I make multiple “butter shoyu” dishes like this vegan Butter Shoyu Shirataki Noodles which has a similar flavor profile.

What makes it even better is the addition of kizaminori which is shrreded nori seaweed!

Kizaminori (shredded nori seaweed) is one of the common toppings for many Japanese pasta dishes. I use one for my vegan Kimchi Cream Pasta and Avocado Lemon Shio Koji Pasta, too! It’s an important component for those pasta dishes because the nori adds the ocean-y flavor to the pasta dish. Especially for vegan pasta, it’s a must-have layer of flavor that you won’t get from anything else!

How to Serve

You want to serve yuzu kosho pasta right away for the best aroma and the texture. Don’t forget to top it with kizaminori (shredded nori seaweed!)

Ingredients

• Dried spaghetti or linguine: I recommend these two types of pasta. I don’t recommend thick or short pasta.
• Salt: Generous amount to flavor the pasta water. Important!
• Unsalted vegan butter: I recommend using unsalted vegan butter to control the saltiness. I use Miyoko’s Organic Unsalted Butter.
• Soy sauce: I use Organic Soy Sauce from Gold Mine Natural Foods. Tamari is another option.
• Yuzu kosho paste: Japanese spicy yuzu condiment. I use Yuzu Kosho from Umami Insider.
• Pasta cooking water: Make sure to reserve some before draining. It’s for keeping the pasta moist and to make the sauce.
• Kizaminori: Japanese shredded nori seaweed. I shred regular sushi nori seaweed to make my kizaminori. You can buy the one that’s already shredded, too.
• Baby arugula or radish sprouts: It’s optional but adds a fresh green color and the taste. I would recommend daikon radish sprouts if you can find any. I use arugula that I had on hand.

Tips

• Choice of pasta
  • My go-to pasta for this dish is always either spaghetti or linguine which works the best for this recipe. Short pasta won’t be good at all.
• Yuzu Kosho
  • Every jar of yuzu kosho tastes slightly different. Find your favorite one and adjust the amount to your taste.
  • Remember, a little bit goes a long way. If you aren’t sure, try adding little by little.
  • Too much yuzu kosho can make the dish a bit bitter (from the yuzu) and/or too salty.
• Saltiness
  • If you want to adjust the saltiness, use more/less soy sauce to your preference.
• Pasta cooking water
  • It’s important to reserve the pasta cooking water which binds all the seasonings together. Without one, the yuzu kosho pasta will be too dry.
• Kizaminori (shredded nori seaweed)
  • A generous pinch of kizaminori per serving will be a perfect amount.
  • If you don’t have kizaminori, use a regular sushi nori seaweed and thinly shred with scissors (which is what I do) or tear into small pieces.

Similar Recipes

• Another popular Japanese fusion pasta: Angel Hair Pasta with Lemon Shio Koji Dressing, Avocado and Tomato
• One of my favorites: Spaghetti With Kimchi Cream Sauce (thin sauce)
• Thicker sauce version of the above: Spaghetti with Kimchi Cream Sauce (thick sauce)
• Japanese fusion vegan hummus: Hummus With Natto & Spicy Yuzu Sauce

Print Recipe

5 from 57 votes

Yuzu Kosho Pasta (Vegan)

One of my favorite vegan pasta recipes, Yuzu Kosho Pasta, is a quick, easy, and super flavorful dish featuring spicy & aromatic yuzu kosho.

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time25 minutes mins

Course: Main

Cuisine: Italian Inspired, Japanese Fusion

Servings: 2

Author: Plant-Based Matters

Ingredients

• 8 oz dried spaghetti or linguine
• Salt for cooking pasta
• 1 1/2 tbsp unsalted vegan butter
• 2 1/2 - 3 tsp soy sauce adjust to taste
• 3 tsp yuzu kosho paste adjust to taste
• 1/4 - 1/3 cup pasta cooking water
• Kizaminori shredded nori seaweed
• Baby arugula or radish sprouts optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Start boiling water for cooking pasta. Once the pasta water is boiling, salt the water and start cooking pasta of your choice (spaghetti or linguine) according to the instructions on the package. Reserve 1/4-1/3 cup/60-80 ml pasta cooking water.
• Once the pasta is cooked, use a colander to drain then transfer the pasta back to the same pot.
• While the pasta is still hot (off the stove), add vegan butter, soy sauce, yuzu kosho, and 1/4 cup/60 ml (or more as needed) pasta cooking water. Toss all together until pasta is well coated with the seasonings. Adjust the amount of each ingredient as necessary.
• To serve, top it with kizaminori and arugula or radish sprouts (optional.) If the pasta comes out a bit dry, drizzle some extra virgin olive oil or extra vegan butter.

Notes

• I recommend using either spaghetti or linguine for this recipe.
• Use unsalted vegan butter to control the saltiness
• Every jar of yuzu kosho tastes slightly different. Find your favorite one and adjust the amount to your taste. A little bit goes a long way.
• If you want to adjust the saltiness, use more/less soy sauce to your preference.
• It's important to reserve the pasta cooking water which binds all the seasonings together. Without one, the yuzu kosho pasta will be too dry.
• A generous pinch of kizaminori per serving will be a perfect amount. If you don’t have kizaminori (shredded nori seaweed), use a regular sushi nori seaweed and thinly shred with scissors (which is what I do) or tear into small pieces.

Did you make this recipe?Mention @plantbased_matters or tag #plantbased_matters!