The Best Vodka Sauce Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What makes vodka sauce better? ›

In a vodka sauce, the vodka helps maintain a cohesive texture, allowing the creaminess to meld with the tomato base. And sure, you could use wine to the same effect, but in a sauce as rich as vodka sauce, it's better to use a small amount of alcohol that will impart as little of its own flavor as possible.

When you are making a vodka sauce for your pasta, break open a less expensive bottle of Smirnoff or Finladia grapefruit vodka. These more budget-friendly options will work just as well and no one will be able to tell the difference!

During the cooking process, the alcohol evaporates, leaving behind a hint of tanginess that enhances the brightness of the tomatoes and peppers. It's also balanced with pungent garlic and onion that's slowly simmered with Italian herbs until smooth.

Adding the vodka to the sauce when there are only a handful of minutes left of cooking time ensures the sauce is neither overly boozy nor absent of the flavor-enhancing effects of the vodka.

Normally it includes real cream for richness but I'm using reduced-fat milk. Great news though, it still retains the decadent flavor of a regular recipe but with a fraction of the fat and calories. In addition, I've placed it over fiber rich whole wheat penne instead of white pasta.

Some of the most popular types of vodka include potato vodka, wheat vodka, and grape vodka. Most American vodkas are consumed mixed with other drinks or in co*cktails. Some people also drink it neat or on the rocks. American vodka typically has an abv of around 40%.

Vodka sauce keeps well in the fridge for at least 4-5 days! Simply prepare the sauce fully, then rest on the counter long enough to cool all the way to room temperature. Transfer to an airtight container, store in the fridge, and use as you would any other jarred pasta sauce.

Based on some in-kitchen testing by J. Kenji López-Alt, the amount of vodka used is essential, and excessive amounts will overpower the sauce, adding bitterness, while just a splash may help deglaze your cookware but not unleash the aroma of the other ingredients fully.

I love adding some torn basil or thinly sliced chives to the sauce to change things up. Add heat by stirring some crushed red pepper flakes into the dish. Make a vodka free option! That's right this sauce can be made sans alcohol.

What is the best vodka for cooking? ›

The best vodka for cooking is the most neutral one you can find. This means that it doesn't change or ruin the flavors of the food. Here are some of the best vodkas for cooking: Tito's Handmade Vodka: Tito's Handmade Vodka is known for its smooth and clean taste.

Well, it's really the sauce that's laced with vodka. A creamy, silky tomato sauce. Penne is classic for Pasta alla Vodka because it really holds on to the sauce.

But vodka sauce can be much more than this, even with a few small tweaks. Drizzle it on homemade pizza or roasted eggplant, smear it on a plate with broccolini, slather it inside meatball sandwiches.

The sweetness of Skittles will mellow your cheap vodka's harshness. Try toffee vodka – combine vodka with toffee and let it sit for 24 hours for another sweet option. Infuse the vodka – there are many fruits, berry, and herb infusions you can add to your vodka. Choose your favorite to create a better tasting vodka!

Contrastingly, premium vodka will place an emphasis on taste and texture by utilising different ingredients, production methods and distillation processes. The taste will be more refined, often with a neutral base alongside subtle hints of herbal or earthy tones.

Fresh citrus juices, such as lemon, lime, and orange, are classic mixers that pair harmoniously with vodka. The zesty and tangy flavors of citrus juices complement the clean profile of vodka, resulting in refreshing and invigorating co*cktails.

So the idea is not to add a distinct vodka flavor — since vodka's taste is subtle to flavorless — but to elevate flavors of the other ingredients like the cream, garlic, basil, and tomatoes. Essentially, vodka is an aroma enhancer and sort of works like monosodium glutamate, a flavor compound tomatoes naturally carry.