Everyone should know how to make this 15-minute classic Italian pasta carbonara. It’s ridiculously easy and delicious. With a few simple tips you can make it just as well as any fancy restaurant – with just 5 main ingredients! It’s a super creamy pasta perfect for a quick weeknight meal, but guess what? NO CREAM!

Why you’ll love it

I love the idea of a lush creamy pasta, but I don’t like my pasta to be drenched in cream. The perfect compromise? An authentic no-cream pasta carbonara!

I’ve eaten some really terrible, too-rich versions, and I’ve eaten some fantastic ones. Each to their own, but this is why I think this is the best easy carbonara pasta recipe:

• There’s NO CREAM. Not a single drop. Eggs alone are enough to make a delicious creamy (and healthy) carbonara sauce for your pasta… if you follow my simple tips!

• It’s super simple, made with just a few basic ingredients. Get bacon, eggs and cheese, and you probably already have everything else you need in your pantry.

• It’s on the table in about 15 minutes. Once you’ve got the hang of it, it’s just as quick and easy to make as a sandwich!

• It’s honestly restaurant quality. Thanks to a few simple tips, this is one of those ‘miracle meals’ that takes mere minutes but tastes like it took you hours.

• This is a perfect midweek meal, but just as good for easy entertaining!

Ingredients

One of the best things about this recipe is that you probably already have most of the ingredients in your kitchen. Typically all I have to buy is the bacon and perhaps some pecorino or parmesan.

Just try to use quality ingredients since there are only a few!

Here’s a photo of the ingredients you’ll need for the creamy ‘no cream’ carbonara (minus the pasta!):

What pasta to use: I like to use linguine which is just slightly thicker and flatter than spaghetti. But carbonara made in this classic ‘just eggs’ way is both light enough and rich enough to make with a variety of pasta types.

For the most traditional carbonara, use long pasta such as spaghetti, linguine or fettuccine, but really there are no rules set in stone. Short pasta such as penne or rigatoni (tube pasta!) work, too.

Here’s a guide to which pasta shapes to use when if you’re interested in reading more about it!

Butter: Butter (for cooking) adds great flavour, but feel free to use olive oil instead. If your meat is quite fatty, you don’t have to add any extra fat at all.

Eggs: Perhaps surprisingly, only 2 large eggs, lightly whisked. Basically, you only need 1 egg per person you’re serving. Since the eggs are the star of the show in the sauce, I usually try to use fresh free range or organic eggs.

Fun fact: Some traditional carbonara recipes use just egg yolks for a richer sauce! You can add an extra yolk if you like, but I prefer to use the whole egg for a lighter but still very creamy (with no cream!) sauce.

Meat: Traditionally, carbonara is made with ‘guanciale’ or ‘pancetta’, both types of fairly fatty Italian cured pork. Outside of Italy, however, it’s more common to use ‘lardons’ (bacon cubes) or bacon, which is what I usually use. Smoked, streaky bacon works well for a great flavor.

As long as it’s salty and crisp any kind of good quality thick cut bacon will taste great.

You can even make a delicious carbonara with good quality smoked ham. Just remember to only cook it lightly for a minute or two, as it’s already cooked.

Garlic: This isn’t essential for an original carbonara recipe. I like to add a couple of whole cloves however, just to flavor the sauce as it cooks. Sometimes I squish them around a bit before removing to extract as much flavor as I can.

Cheese: Again, for a more authentic carbonara use parmigiano-reggiano or pecorino-romano. Alternatively, just use parmesan. Make sure it’s finely grated so that it melts easily into the sauce.

Parsley: For sprinkling over at the end. This is not essential to a traditional pasta carbonara, but I think it makes all the difference.

Salt and pepper: Season generously with salt and black pepper. Again, makes all the difference!

How to make carbonara without cream

It’s as simple as these 6 easy steps:

Step 1: Boil the pasta. Check the cooking instructions and cook until ‘al dente’ or just cooked. Don’t drain the water after cooking! (see tips below)

Step 2: While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a large frying pan. If you’re using pancetta or particularly fatty bacon you can skip this step as the bacon will cook in its own fat.

Step 3: Cook bacon for 5-10 minutes with whole garlic cloves until cooked and lightly crisp.

Step 4: Take half of bacon out of pan. Transfer pasta straight from the cooking water to the pan with tongs.

Step 5: Take off heat (very important!). Add whisked eggs mixed with half the cheese and some salt and pepper. Then toss quickly and confidently until all the pasta is coated in the velvety sauce.

You should have just enough time to make the egg sauce while the pasta is cooking. How convenient is that?!

Step 5: Layer pasta, bacon, cheese, and salt and pepper in bowls. Top with parsley.

Eat immediately. Savour every delicious mouthful!

Helen’s tips

I have 7 essential tips for success to take your quick and easy creamless carbonara from good to exceptional!

Top tip: Read through the recipe once or twice and have all the ingredients ready before you start. You need to be able to work fast and confidently for the best results!

• Consider cooking your bacon in butter. I hardly ever use butter for cooking, but I love the extra flavor it adds to this recipe.

• Add two cloves of garlic to the pan while cooking the bacon – for another extra burst of flavor!

• Add the pasta to the bacon pan straight from the cooking water. This way you don’t lose any of the delicious flavor from the bacon cooking juices. You also automatically transfer some of the pasta cooking water which helps make a beautiful creamy, glossy sauce.

• Take the pan off the heat before you add the eggs. Quickly toss the sauce through until the pasta is evenly coated (I use tongs). You don’t want to end up with scrambled eggs!

• Layer up the different components on each person’s plate! So… start with pasta, sprinkle over bacon, parmesan, and salt & pepper. Repeat. Bacon and cheese in every bite. Yum.

• Serve immediately to prevent the sauce from drying up before serving. This is definitely a dish that’s at its best when eaten straight away. Enjoy!

Variations

Like many classic recipes, this no cream carbonara recipe is pretty perfect as it is! However, if you’d like to change things up a little, here’s what you can try:

• Try chicken or smoked salmon instead of bacon. The smoked salmon won’t need cooking so simply mix it into the egg and cheese mixture before tossing it through the pasta.

• Replace the optional parsley garnish with fresh chives or basil if you like.

• For a vegetarian carbonara without cream, replace the bacon with mushrooms, caramelized onions, asparagus, zucchini, spinach, cubed eggplant or a mixture of these. Just cook these in the same way as the bacon before tossing through the pasta and egg sauce.

Carbonara also makes a perfect lazy weekend meal! If you want more ideas, check out this list of 100 easy Sunday dinner ideas!

Recipe FAQ

More easy pasta recipes

• Ever tried pasta alla norma? It’s another easy authentic Italian recipe you’ll love! Another perfect quick vegetarian option is this 12-minute cherry tomato casarecce pasta.

• This creamy pesto chicken with mushrooms and parmesan is another 15-minute pasta recipe you’ll love (there’s a secret ‘no cream’ ingredient, and I usually serve it with tagliatelle!)

• Creamy chicken and mushroom pappardelle (another creamy pasta without much cream)

• Easy creamy chorizo pasta! (AKA pink sauce pasta!)

• If you’re loving the Mediterranean vibe of this recipe, try this 20-minute lemony Mediterranean tuna pasta too.

• Pasta with Italian marinara sauce is the perfect last-minute pantry dinner!

Or take a look at all my pasta recipes.

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