This vegan Alfredo sauce is the perfect comfort food! It’s so incredibly creamy and rich without being packed with butter and cream like traditional Alfredo sauce. And it’s super easy to make. 25 minutes is all you need!
Why This Recipe Works
I’ve made this sauce so many times and it’s always a winner! It’s sooo good! Vegan comfort food at its best. The vegan Alfredo sauce is incredibly velvety, luscious, and rich.
The secret ingredient to make this sauce is cauliflower. When cooked and blended, it makes the vegan Alfredo sauce so incredibly creamy. And it’s high in fiber and a great source of antioxidants. It’s such a healthy and genius base for creamy vegan sauces.
Besides, cashews also help to give this sauce a creamy texture and make it super rich without using any kind of butter or cream. You can enjoy a plate full of creamy pasta without feeling guilty or gross after eating! And like cauliflower, cashews are incredibly healthy. They’re packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
And there is another secret ingredient that brings a savory, cheesy goodness without a hint of dairy. Nutritional yeast! It has a delicious nutty and cheesy taste that is perfect for vegan cream sauces. Fresh lemon juice adds a zesty tang and perfectly balances out the flavors.
This recipe is a real game-changer and it’s the perfect proof that vegan alternatives can be just as indulgent and satisfying as their non-vegan counterparts.
I love to serve my vegan Alfredo sauce with fettuccine or spaghetti and sprinkle it with freshly chopped parsley. But it’s also amazing with tortellini or gnocchi.
The recipe is pretty versatile. If you want you could also add some veggies like spinach, peas, or mushrooms.
So grab your ingredients and give this recipe a try! I promise you, you will love it.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Cauliflower – I used fresh cauliflower.
- Cashews – you need raw cashews, not roasted or salted.
- Lemon Juice – fresh lemon juice. Balances out the flavors.
- Nutmeg – use a pinch of nutmeg for the perfect flavor.
- Apple Cider Vinegar – adds a zesty tang and like lemon juice it is used to balance out the rich flavor.
- Nutritional Yeast – adds a cheesy and nutty taste.
- Plant-Based Milk – it’s super important to use unsweetened almond or soy milk. Don’t use sweetened milk for this recipe even if it’s only lightly sweetened. You will taste it!
- Garlic – fresh garlic.
- Salt and Pepper
How To Make This Recipe
1. Step: Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package. Cut the cauliflower into florets. Place them in a sauce pan together with the cashews, the garlic, and the almond milk.
2. Step: Add the nutritional yeast. Stir everything with a wooden spoon until well combined.
3. Step: Cover with a lid and cook for 20 minutes. There won’t be much liquid left.
4. Step: Transfer everything into a high speed blender. Add the lemon juice, a pinch of nutmeg, the apple cider vinegar, and 1/2 cup more unsweetened almond or soy milk as well as salt and pepper.
5. Step: Process until smooth. This should take about 30 seconds.
6. Step: Cook the fettuccine according to the instructions on the package. Set aside.
7. Step: Pour the blended sauce into a pan and cook for a minute.
8. Step: Then add the cooked fettuccine and stir until well combined. Season with salt and pepper again if you want.
9. Step: Serve immediately and sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley. Enjoy!
Tips & Tricks
- It’s important to have a good high speed blender for this recipe. A conventional blender most likely can’t properly process the cashews and your sauce won’t be as creamy.
- If you want your Alfredo sauce to be really garlicky, add another clove of garlic. I used two cloves of garlic for this recipe.
- Make sure to use all of the ingredients for the sauce. I experimented a long time with this vegan Alfredo until I was 100 % satisfied.
- I’ve also got a vegan chicken Alfredo with broccoli on the blog. Feel free to combine both recipes if you want to add a bit more protein to your meal.
Possible Add-Ins
Jazz up your vegan Alfredo sauce with some fresh vegetables or other add-ins.
Here are my favorites:
- mushrooms
- peas
- green asparagus
- broccoli
- cubed smoked tofu or marinated tempeh
- sun-dried tomatoes
- caramelized onions
- baby spinach
Storing
Stored in an airtight container in the fridge, the Alfredo sauce will last up to 5 days.
Freezing
Freezing this sauce is no problem. I do this all the time. The blended cashews freeze pretty well. Just freeze it in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Run it trough the blender again if there are any lumps after defrosting.
No Blender?
Unfortunately you need a blender for most vegan Alfredo sauce recipes. Or at least some sort of food processor. Otherwise your sauce just won’t get creamy. And as we all know, Alfredo sauce has to be rich and creamy.
Nut-Free Version
If you’re suffering from a nut allergy, you can still enjoy dairy-free Alfredo sauce. It’s no problem to make this sauce without the cashews. It won’t be as rich and creamy as when you’re using cashews, but it will still be good. You’d also have to use less milk.
You could also add a bit of sunflower seed butter to make it richer. Or you could add a cup of white beans instead. Beans also work great as a base for creamy vegan sauces.
Related Recipes
I Love To Hear From You!
I hope you like this vegan Alfredo sauce recipe as much as we do around here.
If you give it a try, I’d love to know what you think about them. Just leave me a comment and a star rating below. Your comments really make my day!
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Sina
Vegan Alfredo Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 heaped cups cauliflower
- 1/2 cup cashews (unsalted and not roasted)
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 1/2 cups unsweetened soy or almond milk
- 1/2 cup unsweetened soy or almond milk (add after cooking)
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- salt
- pepper
- freshly chopped parsley
- cooked fettuccine
Instructions
- Cut the cauliflower into florets. Place them in a sauce pan together with the cashews, the garlic, and the almond milk. Add the nutritional yeast. Stir everything with a wooden spoon until well combined.
- Cover with a lid and cook for 20 minutes. There won’t be much liquid left. Transfer everything into a high speed blender. Add the lemon juice, a pinch of nutmeg, apple cider vinegar, and 1/2 cup more unsweetened almond or soy milk as well as salt and pepper.
- Process until smooth. This should take about 30-60 seconds.
- Cook the fettuccine according to the instructions on the package. Set aside.
- Pour the blended sauce into a pan and cook for a minute. Then add the cooked fettuccine and stir until well combined. Season with salt and pepper again if you want.
- Serve immediately and sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley. Enjoy!
Notes
- It’s important to have a good high speed blender for this recipe. A conventional blender most likely can’t properly process the cashews and your sauce won’t be as creamy.
- If you want your Alfredo sauce to be really garlicky, add another clove of garlic. I used two cloves of garlic for this recipe.
- Make sure to use all of the ingredients for the sauce. I experimented a long time with this vegan Alfredo until I was 100 % satisfied.
- I’ve also got a vegan chicken Alfredo with broccoli on the blog. Feel free to combine both recipes if you want to add a bit more protein to your meal.
Jessica
This is absolutely delicious and will I will be adding this to my rotation. I’ve been a vegan for 15 years and this cauliflower Alfredo sauces is one of the best pasta sauces I’ve come across. I found that I din’t need to add the additional half cup of almond milk at the end, I did a heaping half cup of cashews and it is velvety and delicious… 5 stars thank you!! I can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
Sydney
I never leave reviews on recipes, even ones I like because I’m lazy. However, this one needed a comment! After trying many vegan Alfredo versions and not loving them, I had almost given up. I’m so glad I tried this one though because it blew me away. This is hands down the best Alfredo sauce I have ever had and I will be making this recipe lots more times!
VS
This is the best vegan Alfredo sauce I’ve made!
I used frozen cauliflower rice since that’s what I had and it is absolutely delicious and creamy! It’s a keeper!!
Carol
Wanting to make this recipe; it sounds delicious. Dis I miss how much pasta to use in relation to the sauce? Are you cooking up 1/2 pound or 1 lb. of pasta???
Janine Barclay
Halfway through boiling the cauliflower and nuts there was A LOT of liquid. I wonder if I didn’t use enough cauliflower. It would be helpful to have weight instead of 2 cups. I added a bunch more cauliflower and increased the heat to reduce the liquid. In the end it was delicious just what I wanted but no way I needed to add that extra milk at the end it was thin enough. My instincts were right about the fix but i wonder why I had the problems I did when others did not. Your pictures were helpful I knew what to aim for.
Chelsea
My Fiance made this for us last night (Valentine’s Day treat!) and it was DELICIOUS. I usually do the cooking, but he said the recipe was easy to follow and he had it whipped up in no time! Thank you!
Leslie
My new favorite sauce to make! I love that it is truly plant based and does not require any oils or butter to make it creamy! It has a GREAT flavor and it’s definitely going to be a staple in our house. Thank you for sharing your delicious recipe! 💜