This easy penne alla vodka recipe has the most silky tomato cream sauce. It only takes about 20 minutes to make! Perfect for busy weeknights.
This blog post was originally published on August 17, 2018. I updated & republished it in May 2020 with an improved recipe and new photos.
I've always loved penne alla vodka. In fact, the first time I tried it, I couldn't believe it had vodka in it. It's a taste that's difficult to describe, but it's a classic for a reason. It's really, really good and so simple to make. This recipe only takes as long to cook as it does to boil the water for your pasta, and the sauce is restaurant quality!
I don't usually do too much of a preamble in my blog posts, but I do have one for this recipe. When I published it back in 2018, I was experimenting with different titles for blog posts, and I noticed a lot of other bloggers put "the best" in their titles. I was a bit hesitant since I figured it would open me up to criticism since it's really quite subjective, right? This recipe has been in the back of my mind since then. It was good, but was it really the best? In the two years since, I've done more experimenting, research, and tweaking, and I have come up with an update to this recipe that IMO does really make it the best. Or, as close to it as I can do. 😉
The key to making vodka sauce extra amazing? Using tomato paste. I've tried everything from fresh tomatoes to canned tomatoes (crushed tomatoes are used fairly often), but tomato paste (also known as tomato purée in some places) gives the best taste and consistency. It's a vibrant and concentrated tomato flavor. And the added bonus is that you don't need to spend ages cooking the sauce down. I've seen tomato paste used in various penne vodka recipes including one from my beloved Bon Appetit magazine, and I honestly wish I tried it sooner since it's a total game changer.
Key ingredients in penne alla vodka:
- Tomato paste
- Vodka
- Cream
- Onions
My mom always put basil in this dish, so I sometimes do as well. I also like to add a clove of garlic!
I've read that the origin of penne alla vodka isn't clear. Apparently, it was a popular dish in the early 80s in Italy, and then it became popular in America shortly thereafter. The dish's invention has been attributed to multiple people, including a chef who worked for a vodka company. Interesting.
How to make penne alla vodka
- Sauté your onion in butter and olive oil;
- Add in the garlic, followed by the vodka. Let it bubble for about 30 seconds or so, and then take the pan off the heat and stir in the tomato paste;
- Return the pan to the heat and stir in the cream. Let it warm through;
- Before serving, add some fresh basil (if you wish) and season with salt & pepper as needed.
(Full ingredients list and instructions are in the recipe card below)
You can't go wrong topping it with some freshly grated parmesan cheese (I love my Microplane grater for this purpose).
Recipe notes & tips:
- I don't recommend subbing the heavy cream out for something like milk or half-and-half. The sauce will not be the same, and the acidity from the tomatoes is likely to separate/curdle it.
- This recipe makes 4 reasonably-sized servings. With that said, I know many people eat more than the suggested 2 ounces of dry pasta per person (this is the standard recommended portion size). So, if you've got hungry bellies to feed and you're not serving this with anything else, you may want to double the recipe.
- As mentioned earlier in the blog post, I have experimented using fresh and canned tomatoes in penne vodka, but the best results (by far) are from tomato paste. With that said, if you're in a pinch, you can use either fresh or canned (I suggest crushed) tomatoes... you'll need to cook the sauce down for a bit longer, though.
- I love penne alla vodka as-is, but you can always add some cooked/rotisserie chicken to the sauce if you wish. I suggest adding it right near the end and letting it warm through.
- Try using a shallot in place of the onion if you have some on-hand.
- Want to make it spicy? Add in some crushed red pepper flakes.
What to serve with penne alla vodka:
I recommend a side salad and/or garlic bread.
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I hope you will love this easy penne vodka recipe!
Questions? Let me know in the comments below.
The Best Penne alla Vodka
Ingredients
- 8 ounces uncooked penne pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 small onion chopped finely
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/4 cup vodka
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 3/4 cup heavy/whipping cream
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Fresh basil, sliced thin optional, to taste
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese optional, to taste
Instructions
- Boil a generously salted pot of water for the penne and it cook al dente according to package directions.
- Meanwhile, add the oil and butter to a skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté onion for 5-7 minutes or until softened (ok if it lightly browns).
- Stir in the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.
- Add the vodka and let the sauce bubble for 30 seconds or so.
- Take the pan off the heat and stir in the tomato paste until you've got a smooth mixture.
- Return the pan to the heat, stir in the cream, and reduce heat to medium-low. Let the sauce warm through. I find this sauce thickens up almost instantly, but feel free to cook it a little longer to thicken it up even more.
- Season with salt & pepper as needed. Stir in the fresh basil if using. Toss with the drained pasta (if needed, thin the sauce out a bit with a splash of hot pasta water prior to draining it). Serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese if desired.
Notes
- I don't recommend subbing the heavy cream for something like milk or half-and-half because the sauce is likely to curdle/get grainy, and it won't be as thick or delicious.
- This makes 4 reasonably-sized portions (not huge ones, and I suggest serving this recipe with something like a salad since it's quite rich by itself). If you're feeding hungry people who will eat more than 2 oz pasta each and no side dishes, I recommend doubling the recipe.
- I used a 10.25" Le Creuset skillet to make this recipe (any skillet is fine).
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Abby Sparks says
Is there a specific vodka you recommend using or does it matter?
Natasha says
Hi Abby! I don't use any specific brand, but I wouldn't buy anything too cheap or too expensive haha.
Michelle B says
I have to admit I have made this many times before. However, this time I followed your instructions on just using tomato paste. What a difference! Love it!
Natasha says
I am so happy to hear that!! 🙂
Alice says
Can you freeze this sauce? I'd like to make a bulk of it.
Natasha says
Hi! Sauces with cream don't typically freeze super well. I haven't tried freezing this one. There's a chance that it'll separate when you warm it up. Maybe make a double batch, freeze it, then warm it over a low heat and see if you like the results, then you could make even more. If it does separate, you could try adding a splash more cream to hopefully revive the sauce.
Paulina says
Do you think this would still work with dairy free heavy whipping cream?
Natasha says
I can't say for sure since I've never tested it, but I don't see why not. Let me know how it goes, Paulina! 🙂
Christine says
This is my go to Vodka sauce recipe! I absolutely love it. I plan on making this for 5-6 people. Should I double all the ingredient amounts (vodka, tomato paste, etc)?
Thanks so much!
Natasha says
I'm so glad that you love it! 🙂 Yes, I would do exactly that.
Raven says
Simply delicious!
I am vegan so I subbed the butter for vegan butter and the heavy cream for coconut cream/full fat coconut milk and it was deliciously creamy and now a new regular in my dinner line up. Husband and 2 year old approved!
Thank you so so much for this recipe!
Natasha says
I'm so happy you were able to tweak it!! 🙂 You're welcome!
Tim S. says
This is a fantastic dish that is easy and will get you many compliments as the best people have ever had!!
Natasha says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Tim!!
Michelle says
Hey love . What type of vodka brand did you use?
Natasha says
Hi Michelle! Honestly, I can't remember. Whatever my husband picked up from the liquor store lol. I'd just use your fav (unflavored) variety. 🙂
Adele Bagarella says
Thanks Natasha for this amazing recipe! I’ve made it several times. I usually double it.
I’ve been asked to make a big batch to serve 10 hungry adult Italian men. I’m not sure if I need to change the proportions of ingredients at this level. Do you have any recommendations? Thank you! Adele
Natasha says
Hi Adele! I'm so glad you like the recipe! Oh wow... that is a lot of people to feed. My first thought is just straight tripling (or even do 4x) everything in the sauce and cooking it in a pot vs. a skillet. For the pasta, the recommended is 2 ounces (uncooked pasta)/person, but in reality, that isn't how much hungry men eat. I'd probably err on the side of 4 ounces/person, so that's like 40 ounces (2.5 pounds) of uncooked pasta. This is just guessing off the top of my head, though... I have never cooked for that many people at once, so I hope I am not wrong!
Adele says
I will try it out and let you know! Thanks!
Molly says
Truly sensational! It tastes like vodka pasta you would order at your favorite Italian place. It is so quick and easy. Thank you!!!
Natasha says
That's awesome!! I literally just finished filming a recipe video for it and couldn't help but eat some of it after we finished haha. Thanks for commenting! XO
Tim says
Absolutely fantastic! Fresh basil, recommended and red pepper flakes! I also added a tablespoon of bacon grease! Perfect!!!
Natasha says
So glad you liked it!! And the bacon grease idea is a good one!
Lili says
I would call this Restaurant Style Penne Vodka. It is just like the penne vodka at our favorite neighborhood Italian. Very easy to make and delicious. We felt it really needed red pepper flakes and a generous "pour" of freshly grated parmesan, mainly because heavy cream doesn't have lots of flavor. We will make it again, for sure. And we're going to try other Salt & Lavender recipes.
Natasha says
I'm so happy you enjoyed it!! Yup, I love to add plenty of parm to mine too. I'm a spice wuss, but I know my husband would prefer it with red pepper flakes haha. Do let me know if you make anything else! 🙂
Adele says
Yay! Delicious as I expected! Hubby has tough time with garlic and onions so the second time I made this I backed off to 1/8 onion and small garlic clove. It was excellent and he devoured it. Me too! Thank you for this recipe. I will be making this often. Fresh basil sends this dish over the top !
Natasha says
I'm so happy to hear that you both enjoyed it!! Thanks so much for commenting. XO
Lauren says
I’ve always been a fan of penne alla vodka and have tried to find a good at-home recipe for it, but have been unsuccessful. However, this is it! Delicious and restaurant-quality, so happy I came across this. It made it into my recipe box ☺️
Natasha says
Your comment makes me so happy! 🤗♥️
Mary says
So delicious! Added red pepper flakes while the garlic was cooking for a nice subtle heat
Natasha says
♥️♥️♥️
Rosie says
I love pasta dishes and this was one of the tastiest and easiest to make!!! Shall definitely make it again!
Love ALL of your recipes from over here in the UK! 🙌
Natasha says
I'm so happy you enjoyed it, Rosie!! Thanks for taking the time to comment! XO
Simona Shao says
Made this last night and again for lunch today because it was so delicious! Such an easy recipe with bold, delicious flavors. You can add a bit of chili pepper flake to tamper up the heat. Love it!
Natasha says
Your comment makes me so happy!! I'm really glad you like it so much. I've been wanting to make it again too haha. Soon!!
Danielle says
I have been looking for a Vodka sauce recipe to try & came across this one on Instagram. It was easy to make, and the directions were very clear/easy to follow! Not to mention, it was so delicious!! I took Natasha's tips and added some rotisserie chicken I had leftover & the fresh basil - so good! I highly recommend this recipe & can't wait to try more of hers!
Natasha says
I'm so happy that you enjoyed it!! Thanks for following along, Danielle!
Ms Christine Roche says
I came across this recipe on Instagram, whilst I was patiently waiting for a pan of Penne to cook through, I didn’t have any other idea for it , except to stir some Pesto through it and to serve as a side dish for the BBQ.
It was a timely find, I had all the ingredients to hand and within a few minutes had turned the Penne into something quite different and remarkable to what we had ever tasted. The use of Vodka together with tomato paste and other ingredients turns this into a very rich, flavour packed dish, perfect to eat on its own or alongside other foods too.
It is so simple, to make, the receipt etched on my mind, it will be a regular on my menu now,
Thanks for sharing this wonderful dish !
Natasha says
I'm so happy you liked it, Christine!! That was timely haha. Thanks for leaving me a comment! XO
Katie says
Great recipe - all around family pleaser and super easy to make. This one is going on my Pinterest board and my favorites list.
Natasha says
I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Katie!! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment. ♥️
Carol in Texas says
I am going to try this! Please add a "jump to the recipe" button to your pages. My reception is flaky, and scrolling down to it, I lose connection again and again. I really just want to see the ingredients and directions, not the step by step pictures. I do like your recipes! Carol in Texas
Brette says
This has always sounded good to me, but I wonder what the vodka actually contributes to this dish. Has anybody made it without vodka or substituted dry white wine? Vodka is not cheap.
Natasha says
I wish I could describe what it adds, but trust me when I say it really does add something that I haven’t been able to replicate with just wine. Try buying one of those mini bottles - I see them in every liquor store near the counter if you don’t want to commit to a larger bottle.
Brette says
Thanks for your reply and the suggestion. I did some research on my own and found a site where a chef had put the vodka question to a test. His conclusion was that on a molecular level, the vodka, which is flavor neutral on its own, acts as a flavor enhancer for the rest of the ingredients. One funny tale on how this dish came to be: A chef accidentally spilled some vodka in his tomato sauce and liked the results. That would lead anyone to wonder what a bottle of vodka was doing next to his sauce. Maybe he needed a little nip now and then.
Natasha says
Haha isn’t it fascinating?! I’m so curious for you to try it now. Let me know if you do! 🤗
Ashlyn @ F5 Method says
Natasha, you're really always killing the pasta game my goodness! Penne Alla Vodka is always a favorite and your version looks fantastic!
Natasha says
Thank you!!
Karly says
One of my all time favorites! Thanks for sharing!
Natasha says
Thanks, Karly!! 🙂
Karl says
Can you actually taste the vodka ?
Natasha says
It doesn’t taste like you’re tasting neat vodka, but it does add a lovely flavor. The strong taste cooks out.
Natasha's Sister says
Okay you know this was like my favourite dish when we were little. How have you not made this for me? Can you soon?
Natasha says
No.