No cream? No matter! This creamy vodka sauce with Greek yogurt hits the spot with its rich and slightly tangy flavor and has a silky, thick texture that coats your favorite pasta beautifully. This easy sauce is made with Greek yogurt, a hearty splash of half-and-half, and just two tablespoons of butter for an intentionally lighter take on Italian-American comfort food.
Two things are true:
1 - Vodka sauce with Greek yogurt is not as good as the classic heavy cream kind. Let's just be real.
2 - But this creamy Greek yogurt vodka sauce is way, WAY more delicious than I thought it would be.
I had an uncharacteristically let's-see-what-happens attitude one day before dinner and decided to put my open container of Greek yogurt to use where it hadn't gone before: vodka sauce. I'm no stranger to lightened-up pasta swaps (my house recipe is alfredo sauce made with cottage cheese!) but messing with vodka sauce felt higher stakes.
I've shared more of a traditional penne alla vodka with sausage and a zipped up vodka sauce with Calabrian chilis, but replacing the heavy cream with Greek yogurt and a little half-and-half in this super creamy version adds such a nice complementary tang. It tastes deliciously intentional rather than a last minute whoops-forgot-to-get-heavy cream kind of thing.
We TOTALLY surprised ourselves by how much we loved it, and I made it several more times before sharing here to make sure it wasn't a fluke. It wasn't.
What Makes This Greek Yogurt Vodka Sauce Special?
- It's lighter, but not all the way - Using yogurt with a little bit of fat, half-and-half, and two tablespoons of strategically deployed butter toes the line of lightening things up without losing all the flavor.
- Great flavor - Wouldn't you know it but yogurt's tang really pairs nicely with tomato-y vodka sauce. I was skeptical it would turn out more than just okay, and I was wrong. The tang is present but not overwhelming...a good balance, but I wouldn't try to pull the wool over someone's eyes and pass it off as the classic kind as they'd know.
- Good texture - Tempering the yogurt with a little hot tomato sauce before stirring it into the full pot helps prevent curdling and texture weirdness, while an optional blending step provides restaurant-style sauce smoothness.
- No rationing - This recipe yields a generous amount of sauce to coat one pound of pasta. I am not, and never will be, a sauce-skimper.
Recipe Ingredients
- Crushed Tomatoes: Use your favorite brand - you don't need to go full DOP San Marzano or anything. Depending on sales, I typically buy Tuttorosso, San Merican, or Pastene.
- Tomato Paste: Cooking this for a few minutes with the onions before adding the crushed tomatoes and vodka allows the sugars to caramelize and results in a deeper flavor. Have extra? It's so easy to freeze tomato paste for later.
- Vodka: Use whatever kind you have available, nothing top-shelf needed.
- Butter: A modest two tablespoons. One is used to sauté the onion and garlic and the other melts into the sauce at the end for a touch of silky richness.
- Greek Yogurt: With such a big swap, I prefer using 2% Greek yogurt rather than fat-free to give this creamy vodka sauce a little oomph in the fat department. Of course, full-fat Greek yogurt (usually 5%, sometimes 10%) would be even more luxurious. Go with your preference. Just make sure it's plain, not vanilla. 🙂
- Half-and-Half: A blend of light cream and whole milk, half-and-half generally contains 10.5-18% fat. Thanks to the creamy yogurt we don't need much here, but one-third cup brings just enough body to elevate a vodka sauce made with Greek yogurt without going wild. Cream can be used if you'd rather.
- Crushed Red Pepper: Provides background flavor without bringing the heat. Though have a heavier hand to taste, or check out my spicy rigatoni vodka, which uses Calabrian chili peppers.
- Pecorino: Sharper, saltier, and tangier than Parmesan, Pecorino Romano is made with sheep's milk and brings a punch I just love on pretty much everything. That said, Parmesan can be substituted.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Step 1: Sauté the onion, then add the garlic and tomato paste. Cook the tomato paste for several minutes before seasoning with crushed red pepper and black pepper.
- Step 2: Deglaze the pan with crushed tomatoes, then stir in vodka. Simmer for 20-25 minutes while you boil water and cook pasta to al dente.
- Step 3: Gradually whisk some of the hot sauce into a separate bowl with the yogurt until smooth.
- Step 4: Stir the tempered yogurt mixture and half-and-half into the full pan of sauce.
- Step 5: Remove from the heat and stir in the Pecorino and remaining tablespoon of butter until melted. Stir in a little pasta water for a thinner consistency.
- Step 6: Optionally immersion blend if you'd like a smoother sauce, otherwise toss with al dente cooked pasta and serve.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Blending isn't 100% necessary - Crushed tomatoes and sautéed onion bring a rustic texture to this vodka sauce made without heavy cream. You totally don't need to blend it (I won't blame you for not wanting to clean the blender, immersion or otherwise), but doing so boosts the whole I-can't-believe-this-sauce-is-"better-for-you" vibe.
- Pecorino vs. Parmesan - While both hard Italian cheeses, they do have different flavors but often can be substituted in for one another if you're not sticking with an authentic rendition of a recipe. (I think it's safe to say we don't have that concern here with Greek yogurt vodka sauce). You'll find Pecorino in the specialty cheese case in the deli department, and can be more affordable if you buy it at someplace like Costco.
- Pasta shapes - The funky curved shapes you see in these photos are lumaconi, pasta shaped like snail shells that have serious pockets for holding sauce. More classic varieties are all good! Penne, rigatoni, ridged tubes of any kind. I wouldn't go with tiny shapes like pastina or thin noodles like spaghetti as they won't grab ahold of the sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions
I generally recommend against it as you run the risk of pressure building up inside the blender, which can cause the lid to blow off and hot splatters to fly everywhere. Check your particular blender manual to be sure, but there are best practices to follow if using it anyway: let the sauce cool a little bit, work in batches (do not fill the blender more than the halfway point), remove the middle cap from the lid (this prevents pressure from building) and place a clean dish towel over the open spot, and start blending on the lowest speed.
Not all the way, no. I find this resource really helpful when it comes to estimating how much alcohol may be left in a recipe so you can make an informed choice on when and to whom you serve this dish.
Did you enjoy this recipe? I’d love for you to leave a star rating and a comment review in the recipe card below!
Creamy Vodka Sauce with Greek Yogurt
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons salted butter divided (unsalted fine, too)
- ½ medium onion diced
- 6 cloves garlic minced or pressed
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper optional
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- ½ cup vodka
- ⅔ cup plain Greek yogurt (2% fine, 5%+ even better)
- ⅓ cup half-and-half
- ½ cup finely-shredded Pecorino Romano or Parmesan, more to serve
- Salt to taste
- Fresh basil for serving
- 1 pound pasta
Instructions
- Heat 1 Tablespoon of the butter in a sauté pan set over medium-low heat. Once melted and hot, add onion and cook 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook one minute more.
- Add the tomato paste to the pan and stir it into the onion and garlic. It'll be clumped (not smooth), but work it in as it cooks and caramelizes for 3 minutes. Season with the crushed red pepper and ground black pepper.
- Pour a portion of the crushed tomatoes into the pan to deglaze it by scraping up any browned, stuck-on bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden utensil. Stir in the rest of the crushed tomatoes and the vodka.
- Partially cover the pan to reduce splatter (leave a big crack so steam can escape and the sauce can reduce) and adjust the heat to bring it to a simmer. Simmer for 20-25 minutes, periodically stirring everything up so that the sauce along the bottom of the pan doesn't burn.
- While the sauce is simmering, set a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook pasta to al dente timing. Reserve a few ladles of pasta water if you'd like to thin the sauce later on.
- At the end of the sauce simmer time, add yogurt to a small, heat-safe bowl. Transfer two ladles of sauce over top of the yogurt and whisk smooth. Stir this tempered yogurt into the pan of sauce along with the half-and-half.
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the Pecorino and remaining 1 Tablespoon of butter. Stir until melted. Take a taste at this point and see if you'd like to add any salt. If you'd like a smoother consistency, immersion blend the sauce at this time. Stir in some or all of the reserved pasta water if you'd like a thinner consistency.
- Add cooked pasta to the pan of sauce and toss to combine. Serve with additional shredded Pecorino and torn fresh basil.
Notes
- Half-and-half: This is an equal mix of whole milk and light cream, and lands in the 10.5-18% fat content range.
- Deglazing: I like to do this with the crushed tomatoes, as deglazing with vodka on a gas stove can risk flare-ups.
- Simmer time: This is essential to mellow out of the vodka flavor, don't cut it short! On the flip, you can let the sauce simmer longer before adding the yogurt and half-and-half if you need.
- Pasta shapes: Good ones include penne, rigatoni, and other ridged tubes, as well as ones with deep pockets to hold onto sauce, like lumaconi.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for 4 days.
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Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as an estimate. As it can vary due to many factors (brands used, quantities, etc.), we cannot guarantee its accuracy.
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