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Vodka Sauce Recipe

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Now you can make this popular creamy pink vodka sauce right at home! Incredibly easy lightened-up recipe with olive oil, tomatoes, half and half, and fresh basil. 

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Cooking dinner together with my hubs is one of my all-time favorite things. Sunday night is normally our go to night…and my hubby is the opposite of me.

He cooks on a whim. Throws things together as he owns it and it always turns out delicious.

This past weekend he made a classic Russian dish…borscht while I made homemade vodka sauce. It felt like a mini date in the comfort of our cozy kitchen.

Vodka Sauce Recipe - lightened up creamy pink vodka sauce recipe. So easy, so delicious! You'll never go back to jarred sauce ever again. | littlebroken.com @littlebroken

And since it is Valentine’s Day…I hope you guys are staying in and cooking together. Because of crowds, cold, and overpriced pre-fixed menus…I mean we can do better than that?! Right?

This homemade creamy pink vodka sauce is the perfect recipe for date night in! It’s really simple to make and I promise you’ll never go back to jarred sauce ever again.

It tastes like restaurant quality but without the heavy price tag. Pair it with hot buttery penne pasta and an Avocado Caesar Salad and you’ve got yourself effortless Valentine’s dinner.

Vodka Sauce Recipe - lightened up creamy pink vodka sauce recipe. So easy, so delicious! You'll never go back to jarred sauce ever again. | littlebroken.com @littlebroken

There’s so many different versions of vodka sauce recipes but the base is tomatoes, vodka, and heavy cream. Some include butter, parmesan cheese, and fresh herbs. If you’re concerned about the taste of vodka…don’t be!

You can’t taste the harshness of the vodka, it is simply here to enhance the flavors. It adds a touch of heat to help balance out the sweetness of the tomatoes and the cream.

Is it necessary??…well no….but then it wouldn’t be a vodka sauce.

Vodka Sauce Recipe - lightened up creamy pink vodka sauce recipe. So easy, so delicious! You'll never go back to jarred sauce ever again. | littlebroken.com @littlebroken

To make this recipe a little lighter, I used olive oil in place of butter, half and half in place of heavy cream, a fraction of the cheese, and also plenty of fresh basil.

Basil adds just the right amount of fresh flavor and half and half along with parmesan cheese all the creaminess.

This sauce is a combo of the sweet-spicy mixture and when you pair it with hot buttery penne pasta…it’s a match made in heaven! All you need is a simple salad, such as Tomato Mozzarella Salad and you’re set!

Vodka Sauce Recipe - lightened up creamy pink vodka sauce recipe. So easy, so delicious! You'll never go back to jarred sauce ever again. | littlebroken.com @littlebroken

Ways To Serve Vodka Sauce

One of my personal favorite ways to serve vodka sauce is simply swapping it in some of our favorite recipes where it calls for a pasta sauce. It’s a great way to add flavor without compromising the overall recipe.

But of course, you can always simply toss the vodka sauce with hot buttery noodles, pair it with a salad and call it a day. Here are some of our favorite salads to pair with pasta:

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Close up of vodka sauce recipe in saute pan.

Vodka Sauce Recipe

★★★★★ 4.8 from 56 reviews
  • Author: Katya
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 40 mins
  • Total Time: 55 mins
  • Yield: 8 1x
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Blend
  • Cuisine: Italian
Print Recipe

Description

Now you can make this popular creamy pink vodka sauce right at home! Incredibly easy lightened-up recipe with olive oil, tomatoes, half and half, and fresh basil. 

Ingredients

Scale
  • 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium sweet onion, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
  • 28 oz. can whole peeled tomatoes
  • 1/3 cup vodka
  • 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
  • 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1/4 cup fresh chopped basil
  • 1/2 – 3/4 cup half and half
  • 2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
  • 16 oz. penne pasta
  • Fresh black pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. In a large sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium heat; add onions and garlic and cook until soft, about 3-4 minutes. Add red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute.
  2. Stir in tomatoes and vodka and continue cooking the mixture for 5-7 minutes until slightly reduced, stirring occasionally.
  3. Then stir in the tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, salt, and black pepper to taste. Reduce heat to low and simmer partially covered for 20 minutes until reduced by half, stirring occasionally.
  4. In the meantime, cook pasta in salted water according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
  5. Transfer tomato mixture to a food processor or blender, add basil, and purée until smooth. Return sauce to the pan and stir in half and half. You want creamy and slightly sweet consistency. Start with 1/2 cup of half and half, taste, and add more if needed. Cook until warmed through, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in parmesan cheese and then the cooked pasta. Toss to combine.
  6. Serve immediately with additional sprinkle of cheese and basil, if desired.

Keywords: best vodka sauce recipe, vodka sauce pasta, vodka sauce ingredients, vodka sauce recipe

Comments

  1. Thomas says

    This is my go to favorite authentic Italian recipe , you provably hear it before on other recipes , but if I can make this anyone can make it .! Just a quick note , don’t leave anything out , that balsamic is the quint essential ingredient , not to mention the tomato paste and heavy cream . Don’t use any dry basil , trust me go buy the fresh leaf basil , this is a grand slam !
    As Guy Fieri would say “out of bounds “ , this would be the river directly into flavor town !

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  2. Rosie says

    This was so good! Thank you for posting. My husband said it was “restaurant quality” 😊 Perfect consistency.
    I used heavy cream and it worked out fine. Topped with shaved parmigianino reggiano and crusty bread on the side.
    Delicious!!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  3. Thomas says

    Good recipe! I don’t like to use canned ingredients so I use fresh tomatoes that have been blanched along with a pinch of oregano. If you’ve never blanched fresh tomatoes before try it out! I feel that the flavor is always improved when you use fresh items and you don’t ever need to wonder what preservatives were added.

    ★★★★

    Reply

    • RC says

      What kind of tomatoes do you use? I was going to try plum tomatoes, but wanted to see if there were others that would work. (My italian family used to can tomatoes every summer – they only used plum tomatoes)

      Reply

  5. TheKarmaWitch says

    First – never add garlic with onions. Sautee the onions for 3 minutes for this recipe, then add garlic for one minute or you will burn the garlic. Rookie mistake.
    Also – are you actually suggesting that someone transfer an entire pot of sauce into a blender just to incorporate a little basil? Just chop the basil small, or use an immersion blender instead of making an enormous mess inside your blender.

    ★★★★

    Reply

    • TheKarmaWitch says

      And for what it’s worth yes – I have made this recipe. I used less heavy cream rather than half and half, my changes above. I cannot get over either issue. SO many home “chefs” suggest you sautee onions and garlic together and it is universally known and a no-no. And come on. Cut the basil into a fine mince, there is no reason to involve your innocent blender. Yikes.

      ★★★★

      Reply

      • Nmattson says

        Without seeming mean, both your points about the blender and the onions and garlic are both objectively wrong in the context of this recipe. The blender is needed because it calls for WHOLE tomatoes, the blender is used to make a smooth sauce out of them and the onions not just for the basil.

        As for your statement about onions and garlic its wrong in almost all cases. Aromatics ( garlic, ginger, etc) are almost universally added FIRST and alone after oil is hot. You want them in a hot and low moisture environment to begin releasing their flavors via the high temperature. After about a minute you would add onions which will introduce water lowering the temperature to around 200° due to evaporative cooling. They will not burn in a wet environment and because this is a sauce recipe the dish becomes wet once you add the onions and subsequent ingredients. When added after the onions the garlic will never have a chance to get hot enough to begin desired chemical reactions that they are known for. Source: degree in food science.

        ★★★★

        Reply

  6. Tara says

    Just made this last night and it was delicious! Served it with linguine, roasted salmon and broccoli. I misread the amount of red pepper flakes and added 3/4 t instead of 1 t. When I asked my husband if we should make any adjustments to the recipe next time he said to reduce the pepper flakes. LOL! Totally my fault. So it will be absolutely perfect next time around.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  8. Taylor says

    About how many ounces of pasta would you use for the 1X sauce? Trying to figure out how much sauce to make if I purchase 2 lb of fresh pasta.

    Reply

  9. Brittany Yakobson says

    This was perfect! Delicious!
    How long would you say the sauce will keep in the fridge?
    Do you thing this would freeze well?
    Cheers!

    Reply

  10. Sharon says

    I absolutely love this recipe. I have made it multiple times for my family, birthday dinners, and brought to friends that had a new baby. It is the BEST vodka sauce I’ve ever tried! I always use Tito’s vodka. Thank you for sharing it.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  12. Lauren A. says

    I tried this and it rendered beautiful results. I would definitely recommend this recipe and will plan on making it again. Thank you!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • m b roche says

      I tried this recipe and found it to be a little bit bland. My cooking skills are not 5star by any stretch, but tonight’s meal got a 2 star from the family.

      Reply

  14. Jeremy says

    This dish was very flavorful and delicious.

    I’d make some minor changes.

    1) Add more garlic (cloves and garlic salt or powder)
    2) Add turkey/chicken meatballs
    3) Add shaved Parmesan

    ★★★★

    Reply

  15. Stacey Wilson says

    This is our go-to Vodka Sauce recipe! We opted for heavy cream in place of half n half as that’s all we had and it was nice and rich! I added some baked prosciutto-wrapped chicken strips to the top…sooo good! Thank you for a great recipe!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  16. Bhavesh says

    Thanks for sharing this post with all of us. I really like this vodka sauce recipe and i found this recipe really an amazing recipe. Even i have a special vodka sauce recipe as well.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  17. Chef: “ Old Spanky “ says

    I’ve made this quite a few times , this time I slightly changed a few things and gotta say it’s now the
    classic that we have been wanting all along .
    Changes : 1/2 shallot minced
    : Heavy cream ( a must )
    : 3 small ladle fulls of the paste “used water “ VIP !

    And lastly I grilled some Itilian hot sausage as an add on .Kaboom & good nite !

    Also get a loaf of “ ciabatta bread loaf “ litely butter & grill mark it ( for dipping )

    Shut the front & back door , this is out of abounds , case closed

    Reply

  18. Jillian O says

    This was the best and easiest vodka sauce I ever made! If I double the recipe should I change any measurements or will it still come out fine? Thank you so much for all of these delicious dinner ideas!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Katya says

      I can’t answer with certainty as I haven’t tried it and to be honest I don’t know much about canning. I’m assuming there’s a certain process you would have to follow or even add something additional to the sauce so it does not spoil? If you do try it, please let me know.

      Reply

      • Christina says

        I know this is late, but I regularly freeze it in freeze bags and save for later. Never too long but it also makes it easy to transfer and give to family and friends.

        Reply

          • TheKarmaWitch says

            The answer is, you cannot can anything with dairy in it. Freezing is a different story and it depends on the dairy. In this instance I would make the sauce without any dairy and freeze it, and add dairy after it is thawed and heated up.

  20. Deb Michalik says

    I made this recipe tonight and it was absolutely delicious. Love the use of half and half as opposed to heavy cream, which was a great change. The flavor was so amazing that even the kids loved it and wanted more. A big hit in our family but, unfortunately, there are no leftovers. Thank you!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  22. Christine Aprile says

    My husband and I love this recipe! It’s delicious, rich and creamy and one of our go to dinner choices when we feel decadent. I transfer the sauce to a deep bowl and use an immersion blender instead of a food processor and it works wonderfully. I’ve omitted the tomato paste or the basil, and use fresh tomatoes instead of canned, and it turns out perfectly despite the changes.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  28. julie russo says

    This is a HIT! Just a few personal tweeks…I use pureed tomtoes in a glass jar, mince the onion fine (only 1/2 onion) and skip the food processor step. Add the tom paste and cook for a minute after the pepper flakes. Make sure to cook out the vodka taste out. Family likes it without the balsamic so I leave it out…. but I like it with it! Lay the basil (rip into peices) in before adding the cream and cheese. Use some of the pasta water, 1/4 cup, to bring it all together at the end. I get a request for it once a week 🙂 thank you!

    Reply

  29. Tamara Epperson says

    This recipe was full of flavor and paired well with penne pasta and chicken. My family loved it and I will be definitely making it again!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  31. Lisa says

    I made this with home made gnocchi and omg… this is hands down the best vodka sauce I’ve ever had even at restaurants! So good and the basil is such a great compliment! A touch of parmesan on top is wonderful.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Katya says

      Now you’re making me hungry. Homemade gnocchi sounds absolutely amazing! Thank you for your feedback Lisa. Happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe.

      Reply

  32. Annie says

    This was my first time making vodka sauce and it was INCREDIBLE. I’m lactose intolerant so I subbed the half & half for nutpods dairy free creamer and you couldn’t tell a difference, and I was thrilled this recipe didn’t use butter. THANK YOU!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  33. Annie says

    This was my first time making vodka sauce and it was INCREDIBLE. I’m lactose intolerant so I subbed the half & half for nutpods dairy free creamer and you couldn’t tell a difference, and I was thrilled this recipe didn’t use butter. THANK YOU!

    Reply

  34. Marie says

    I loved this recipe! I’ve never made a sauce from scratch like this before, and it was so delicious. I want to make it every week!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  35. Cealy says

    This is the first pasta I’ve ever made. It was easy but SO delicious! I made it for my whole family and they all said it was the best pasta they’ve ever had! Thanks for the great recipe!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  36. Anna says

    First time making homemade pasta so we gave this sauce a shot to pair with some (attempted) fettuccini noodles. It totally exceeded our expectations!! Our pasta needs some work, but we would make this sauce again in a heartbeat! Thanks for a great recipe:)

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  37. M says

    First Vodka sauce I ever attempted and I never plan on trying a different one. It was so amazing and turned out so perfect it really made me seem like SUCH a good cook. Served it with spinach tortellini and it was *chefs kiss*. Thank you for this!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  38. Mimi Gersoff says

    This was a wonderful sauce!! So flavorful and easy to make with items we had on the shelf and in the refrigerator . sub in dried basil but it was still so delicious!!! I will keep this recipe forever it was that good!!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  41. Jenny says

    Would it be possible to make and then place in a crock pot to keep warm or will it separate? I’m looking to use this recipe for a pasta bar for a birthday party. Thank you!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Katya says

      I think it would depend on the temperature of the crockpot and for how long it would sit in the crockpot. I think it might work but honestly it’s so hard to say without trying it out first.

      Reply

      • Rob Passons says

        If you leave it in a crock pot it’ll reduce slowly and the sauce will eventually take on a dark dark red color. The flavor will turn very rich so it may not be what you’re looking for. I do this when I want to turn my marinara into pizza sauce.

        Reply

  42. Cathy says

    I didn’t think I could make something so delicious… thank God for google your site came up first and after making it I understand why! My family thanks you!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Sudy says

      Can this be made without the tomato paste. Or is there something I can sub for the tomato paste. I don’t have any on hand.

      Reply

      • Katya says

        Tomato paste enriches the flavor here and to be honest, I haven’t tried substituting it with anything else in this specific recipe. I know in some recipes tomato sauce and ketchup works in place of tomato paste. If you do try something else, let me know how it works out for you.

        Reply

  43. Ron says

    Looks simple and amazing. I can’t wait to give it a try. Do the nutritional facts include the sauce AND the pasta, or is that just for the sauce alone? I was not clear on that. Thank you.

    Reply

  44. Alicia J Krol says

    Really love this recipe! I’ve made is several times now – it’s actually super easy even for a weeknight and tastes pretty high end for not too much effort. Thanks!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  47. Mellisa says

    My favorite vodka sauce recipe! I’ve made it with meatballs, chicken cutlet, and using it to make my first vodka sauce lasagna tonight!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  49. Sarah says

    I really wanted to like this recipe, but I followed it to the tee and at the very end, the half and half did not mix into the red sauce well… the half n half was just purchased and good. I think it maybe have because of the method of mixing into hot pan? I’m not sure. Ugh frustrating.

    ★★

    Reply

    • Katya says

      Hi Sarah: I’m sorry the recipe didn’t work out for you. Did you use regular half and half or fat free? That could be the only thing I can think of that would cause the half and half to possibly curdle, if in fact, it did curdle.

      Reply

    • Susan says

      It needs to be “tempered”. I wondered about this while reading the directions. This is accomplished by adding just a little bit of the hot sauce to the cream in a separate bowl and stirring it well. Add a little more and repeat the stirring. This gradually heats the cream so that it doesn’t curdle on you.

      Reply

  50. Tanya says

    I made this sauce yesterday exactly as posted and it was completely amazing. My family loved it. Flavourful and creamy and delicious. Thank you for yet another amazing recipe!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  52. Carolyn Brook says

    This is by far the best vodka sauce I’ve ever eaten!! I did modify it slightly… I added in slightly more red pepper flakes and also cooked up two slices (diced) of pancetta which I added back in at the end once the sauce had been through the food processor. Can’t wait to make this again!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  53. Connie L. says

    Spot on! The only change I made was to use balsamic glaze in place of vinegar. Every one of your recipes I have made has made me look a great cook!! Your hard work is much appreciated!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

      • Tara says

        I made this tonight with the following changes: I used a large can of crushed tomatoes, doubled the red pepper flakes, and used close to 1 cup of half-and-half in place of the cream. By dicing the basil finely, I avoided having to use a blender. I used it over an Italian sausage stuffed ravioli and it was amazing.

        ★★★★★

        Reply

  55. Pat says

    Saturday night dinner is always hectic. After a trip to Costco, your sauce made the five cheese tortellini restaurant quality. Thanks for a great easy to. Prepare sauce.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  57. Gloria says

    I made this recipe and it was definitely a hit. As any sauce I like to add my basil at the cooking stages and let it simmer for a good hour and I used my hand held Braun to purée the tomatoes since I like it a bit chunky. Overall an awesome recipe sauce

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  58. Diane says

    Looks great! Making this with mushroom ravioli this evening. Love the lighter ingredients and the brighter flavors. The traditional version is always a little too rich for my preference. This is my first time visiting your site.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  59. dipa says

    Question for you Katya.. what else can we use instead of vodka.. I know its small amount we are using but just would like to know can we replace it with something else.. TIA

    Reply

    • Katya says

      You can completely leave it out. Vodka adds a touch of heat and a bit of a sharp bite that helps to balance out the sweetness of the tomatoes and the cream. Without the vodka…you’ll just have a creamy tomato sauce basically. Still delicious.

      Reply

  60. Callista Hoxie says

    Best vodka recipe I have ever made! Love that it tends more acidic than most vodka sauce recipes (hence the significantly oranger color than most others. Again and again I come back to this recipe. I use the sauce with gnochhi, homemade spinach ricotta ravioli, and in simple pasta meatball dishes paired with beer bread. I do sub in 3 onions, and 12 cloves of garlic, rather than stated but I like things on the overwhelmingly flavorful side.

    TLDR: Absolutely delicious

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  61. julia says

    hi there. can i use heavy cream instead of half and half? or do u suggest mixing heavy cream and milk to “make” half and half? can’t wait to try this, this is my favorite dish!!

    Reply

      • Katya says

        You can easily refrigerate the sauce for 4-5 days. I would be careful with freezing the sauce as the cream can separate when rewarmed. You can freeze the sauce without adding the cream. When reheating, simply add the cream to the sauce.

        Reply

  63. Peter Moskaluk says

    Perfect better than any vodka sauce that I’ve had at restaurants. Only improvement I would suggest is to include nutritional information. My wife and I loved it.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  65. Mary says

    Can you tell me what the balsamic vinegar does to it. Never put it in but I will if you cant taste the vinegar.

    I thought to put my tomatoes and puree in blender before and proceed with recipe. Will that work?

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Katya says

      It brings out the sweetness of the tomatoes and you really can’t taste it that much in the sauce. You want to puree the sauce not just the tomatoes in a blender. Hope that answers your question. Thanks!

      Reply

  66. Kawefweaf says

    This looked like a better recipe than most others I saw. thank you. Your star rating is not working on chrome. Literally cannot give it 5 stars

    ★★★★

    Reply

  69. Pam says

    Hi Katya,
    Great recipe! I made this for the first time tonight and my family loved it! It was very easy and not too creamy but had lots of flavor. I know we will be making this again sometime soon.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  70. Elaine says

    Hi Katya!

    I really like your Vodka Sauce Recipe!I was looking for a good recipe and all of them lacked something to be as good as yours. Thank you very much for sharing it!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  72. Tiff | TiffanyBee.com says

    This looks amazing! I totally agree, making dinner instead of going out for those pre-fixed menus in the cold is exponentially better. Although, I do love to dine out, but you know, my wallet doesn’t. Love vodka sauce. Thanks so much for sharing, your photos are gorgeous! I definitely will use your recipe as a base recipe for mine tomorrow.

    Reply

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