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!
I’ve made this sauce so many times and it’s always a winner! It’s soooo good! Vegan comfort food at its best so to say!
What You Need For This Vegan Alfredo Sauce:
You don’t need a lot of ingredients or exotic spices for this creamy vegan cauliflower Alfredo sauce.
Except for the nutritional yeast you should be able to find everything in any regular grocery store. And many grocery stores also have nutritional yeast these days. Just check the health food section. If you can’t find it, check out your local health food market or order it online.
You’ll need:
- cauliflower
- cashews
- lemon juice
- a pinch of nutmeg
- apple cider vinegar
- nutritional yeast
- unsweetened soy or almond milk
- garlic
- salt and pepper
As always, you can find the full ingredient list and detailed recipe instructions in a separate recipe box at the end of this post.
Why cauliflower?
Cauliflower is super versatile and it makes this dairy-free Alfredo sauce so incredibly creamy. And it’s high in fiber and a great source of antioxidants. It’s such a healthy base for creamy vegan sauces!
Why cashews?
The cashews give this sauce a creamy texture and make it super rich without using any kind of butter or cream. You can enjoy this vegan Alfredo without feeling guilty or gross after eating! And like cauliflower, cashews are incredibly healthy. They’re packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Why nutritional yeast?
Nutritional yeast is not only packed with vitamins, it also has a delicious nutty and cheesy taste that is perfect for vegan cream sauces.
How to Make Vegan Alfredo Sauce:
STEP 1: Cut the cauliflower into florets. Place them in a sauce pan together with the cashews, the garlic, and the almond milk.
STEP 2: Add the nutritional yeast. Stir everything with a wooden spoon until well combined.
STEP 3: 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, the apple cider vinegar, and 1/2 cup more unsweetened almond or soy milk as well as salt and pepper.
STEP 4: Process until smooth. This should take about 30 seconds.
STEP 5: Cook the fettuccine according to the instructions on the package. Set aside.
STEP 6: Pour the blended sauce into a pan and cook for a minute.
STEP 7: Then add the cooked fettuccine and stir until well combined. Season with salt and pepper again if you want.
STEP 8: Serve immediately and sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley. Enjoy!
Recipe 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.
- 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!
- If you want you could also add some veggies like spinach, peas, or mushrooms to your vegan Alfredo sauce.
- 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.
Vegan Alfredo Sauce – 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
Vegan Alfredo Sauce – FAQs:
Can you freeze vegan Alfredo sauce?
Yes, freezing this vegan Alfredo 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.
Can you make vegan Alfredo sauce without a blender?
No, 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.
Is it possible to make a vegan Alfredo sauce without nuts?
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 try a white bean Alfredo instead. Beans also work great as a base for creamy vegan sauces.
More Creamy Vegan Sauces You Might Like:
- Spinach Artichoke Pasta
- Lemon Asparagus Pasta
- Garlic Mushroom One Pot Pasta
- Vegan Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
- Creamy Vegan One Pot Pasta
- Vegan Gnocchi with Spinach and Tomatoes (you could also make this with pasta)
I LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU GUYS!
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!
You like my recipes and want to see more? Then follow me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Sina – xx
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.
- 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!
- If you want you could also add some veggies like spinach, peas, or mushrooms to your vegan Alfredo sauce.
- 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.
I do NOT have a high speed expensive vitamix blender and I made this recipe and it was velvet! So good! The trick is to get a $20 or $30 immersion blender, I have the cuisinart smart stik. I put what I want to blend in a large pickle jar, and use the immersion blender. Works great every time!
This recipe was fabulous, we used it for butternut squash stuffed pasta shells. 10/10 will make again.
Thanks so much for this recipe, @_veganheaven_ !! I’ve rarely enjoyed Alfredo sauces, especially prior to the past four years of veganism—My momma and I recently discussed that we’ve always found Alfredo too rich for a typical serving of pasta.
This is delightfully ‘creamy’ without being heavy. It’s what I’ve wanted an Alfredo to be; due to significant (adult-onset allergies), I have various and varying dietary restrictions.
I appreciate that I was also able to try this entirely allergen-free: seeds, oat milk + vegan butter.
Deliciously Easy!!
✨Ashley—My immersion blender also worked, right in the saucepan (cooled); it was ready to heat w/rotini, sautéed spinach+portobellos.
The rest went in a jar😉
This is delicious! I love that no vegan butter substitute is used. I prefer it without the extra 1/2 cup of milk after cooking. ( I’ve tried it both ways). We usually add broccoli to it. Thank you for sharing!
SUPER easy and quick to make! I have really been missing alfredo sauce since going vegan but this hit the spot! My non-vegan grandma (who’s favorite dish is any kind of pasta with alfredo sauce) also loved it and couldn’t taste a difference. Thank you so much for this!
Hi. I don’t have a comment so much as a question. Has anyone ever made this and canned it for later use? I would like to make this and can some in pint jars for use later in the year.
Let me just say that I am very sensitive to a lot of foods so I tried this recipe a few nights ago. AHHMAZING. My entire family loved it, I am so excited about this recipe haha if you are wondering if you should give this a try you will not be disappointed!!!!!
Would you have any suggestions for garlic substitutes? I am allergic and struggle to find an alternative.
I just made your Vegan Alfredo sauce and it very good. Only thing I changed was I used Silk Almond/ Cashew milk a d it worked great. Also adding peas to individual serving. Have one question can I freeze the sauce
Thank for great sauce.
Definitely 5 stars!!! So easy and creamy! Even my kids loved it! My youngest has a gluten sensitivity, so I served it with brown rice spaghetti instead. So yummy!
Wow! I was a bit skeptical if a cauliflower sauce could taste like Alfredo sauce, but it was AMAZING!! Thanks so much, Sina!
This was soooo good. I used some vegan Parmesan cheese along w the nutritional yeast and a bit more to sprinkle On top! Amazing recipe. Thank you
Hi Sina,
Thank you so much for sharing this great Vegan Alfredo recipe. It is SOOO good!
When I added 1.5 cups of almond mile to cook the cauliflower for 20 minutes, there was plenty of liquid left so I didn’t need the additional half cup of almond milk. Am I doing something wrong?
Also I added more Nutritional Yeast because I guess depending on the brand, need to add more too get the cheesy taste.
Thank you very much for the recipe!
Oh my goodness. Pasta Alfredo was my favorite dish when I was eating dairy. I’ve made many different kinds of sauces trying to recreate a creamy pasta somewhat like what I used to have. This is by far the best recipe I have tried. Bar none. You have a gift. Thank you for sharing it! 10 stars.
I can’t believe this didn’t blow up w/ comments, you are DA BOMB! This is recipe is a keeper and will replace all other vegan Alfredo recipes I have collected. Made as written = perfection! Thanks Sina!
It tried it, followed the recipe to a T and wow! The result was a creamy, onctuous deliciousness.
I added some sauteed onioin, spinach and mushroom, and that was one of the most comforting dish of pasta I have had in a while. Just as a note, it makes for a ot of sauce (but I wouldn’t complain much), and next time I might add a little more nutritional yeast to enhance that cheesy/nutty flavour.
Thanks for the recipe :)
Oh yum. I love that you used cauliflower in this! Will try it, for sure. Any suggestions for a substitution for the nuts?