This is the best Vegan Alfredo Sauce ever! Easy to make with just a handful of ingredients and ready in 15 minutes or less. No one will know it’s vegan!
Fettuccine Alfredo is one of the most comforting dishes I know. I LOVED it before going vegan, but it definitely didn’t love me back. I would eat it and then feel terrible, little did I know I was lactose intolerant! Not to mention it was so rich with cheese, cream and butter. It’s no wonder I felt bad.
This Vegan Alfredo Sauce reminds me so much of my favorite Italian meal from years ago. It’s garlicky, cheesy and creamy but won’t leave you weighed down and with a stomach ache for hours. If you’ve been with me for awhile, you probably remember that I already have a recipe for Instant Pot Vegan Alfredo on my blog. While that recipe is well-loved, this one doesn’t need an Instant Pot or call for cauliflower.
I hope you love it as much as I do! It seriously is ready in about 15 minutes (including cooking the pasta), plus it’s oil free if you want it to be. My kids love, love, love this dinner, so I make it often. Enjoy!
(SEE RECIPE CARD AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE FOR FULL AMOUNTS AND INSTRUCTIONS.)
How to make Vegan Alfredo Sauce:
- Make the pasta according to package instructions, drain and add back to the pot you cooked it in. We will add the sauce when it’s done.
- Soak the cashews for 5 minutes in hot water.
- Saute 1/2 an onion and 6 cloves of garlic in a small pan for 5 minutes.
- Add the drained cashews, onion/garlic, almond milk, nutritional yeast, lemon juice and salt to a blender and blend until creamy and smooth.
- Add sauce to pasta, mix and warm. Serve!
How to make vegan alfredo sauce without cashews:
If you can not have cashews, you can substitute raw slivered almonds or even sunflower seeds. While cashews give the sauce the best buttery and cheesy, creamy texture and taste, almonds or sunflower seeds do work.
What goes well with alfredo sauce?
Pasta, of course is my first choice. Baked potatoes are a wonderful choice as well, maybe with some steamed broccoli or kale. Most often I serve it as fettuccine alfredo with a side of instant pot kale, steamed/roasted broccoli, cauliflower or thawed frozen green peas. You could even throw some vegan “chicken” nuggets, sliced on top.
How long will this keep in the refrigerator?
The sauce will keep in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
Can you freeze vegan alfredo sauce?
Yes, the sauce freezes very well. I wouldn’t freeze it once mixed with the pasta though. To freeze, pour into freezer friendly containers, leaving a little room for expansion. When ready to use, thaw in the refrigerator overnight if possible. Re-warm in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Want more comforting vegan pasta recipes?
- Vegan Stuffed Jumbo Shells
- Spaghetti and Vegan Meatballs
- The Best Vegan Lasagna
- The Best Vegan Mac and Cheese
- Vegan Baked Ziti
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Vegan Alfredo Sauce
Ingredients
- 12 ounces fettuccine or pasta of choice, for serving
- 1 1/2 cups raw cashews
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil (or water for oil free)
- 1/2 medium sweet onion, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups unsweetened almond milk cashew/soy/coconut also fine
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then add the pasta and cook according to package instructions. Drain, then add it back to the pot and cover until the sauce is done.
- Boil 2 cups of water (I just heat up water in my tea kettle). Pour the water over the cashews and let soak for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat the olive oil (or water) in a small pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the chopped onion and garlic and saute for 5 minutes, until fragrant and the onion is translucent.
- Drain the cashews, and add to a high powered blender along with the onions/garlic, unsweetened almond milk, nutritional yeast, lemon juice and salt. Blend until very smooth.
- Pour the sauce over the pasta and stir. If the noodles are still hot, you may not need to cook it any more. If you want, heat the pasta with the alfredo sauce on low heat until warm. Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
- Gluten Free: Use gluten free pasta.
- Cashew Free: Use raw slivered almonds instead of cashews, or even sunflower seeds. Cashews give the sauce the best buttery and cheesy taste though.
- To Freeze: The sauce freezes well! Freeze in small glass or BPA free plastic containers. Leave an inch or so of room for expansion. Re-heat in the microwave or stove top and then mix with pasta.
- If you don't care for nutritional yeast, it is okay to omit it.
- This Vegan Alfredo Sauce is also wonderful drizzled on baked potatoes. I usually serve alfredo pasta with steamed kale, roasted or steamed broccoli and green peas (thawed from the freezer). I love mixing the veggies in with my pasta.
- Makes about 4 cups of sauce.
- Calories are for 1/6th of the sauce, and does not include pasta.
Christina
I’m looking to maybe sub out the cashews for cauliflower or maybe do half & half. What are your thoughts on that? I’ve made cauliflower bechemal from forks over knives cookbook & it’s so yummy & similar ingredients to this sauce.
Nora
I’m sure you could do that, it just won’t be quite as creamy and rich, but that’s okay. Hope you enjoy it!
Ruby
Hi,
Will salted roasted cashews work, or do they have to be raw? Thank you!
Nora
I haven’t used salted, roasted cashews, always raw, so I’m not sure. The sauce will taste different and probably a lot more like cashews than if you use raw. Raw is preferred!
Victoria
I made this recipe paired with mushroom walnut ravioli for Christmas dinner with my fiancé’s family. They are not vegan and they loved it! I made a great impression, thank you Nora!
I added 1.5 tbsp of flour and heated it on a pan to thicken the consistency, replaced the almond milk with “Not Milk” (which tastes exactly like cow milk but is 100% plant based) & added vegan blue cheese. It turned out amazing!
Colleen
I don’t have a sweet onion, just yellow.. should I omit or substitute.
Nora
Yellow will work fine.
Kansas
This has the potential to be really amazing! I agree that it’s a bit on the sweeter side. Next time I would soak the cashews longer (they didn’t blend well enough in my super high powered blender), and I would use 1.5 cups of milk, 1/3 cup lemon juice. It was still really good though, looking forward to making it again with these changes.
Jackie.
This is the best Alfredo sauce. Turned out perfect! I will definitely make it again!
Nora
Thanks Jackie! I’m so glad you enjoyed the alfredo sauce!
Ashlea
Worked great, added a pinch of nutmeg since other comments kept suggesting it. Paired with temph chicken and roasted broccoli, thanks for the recipe!
Nora
You’re welcome! I’m glad you liked it! 🙂
Mel
I can honestly say that everything I’ve made from your blog turned out great.Thank you!
Nora
That’s so great! Thanks for the comment.
Ashley
Of all the cashew-based alfredo sauces I’ve tried this called for the most cashews. Perhaps that is why to me it tasted too sweet (and I used unsweetened soy milk). I doctored it up with some more salt, additional garlic, and a pinch of nutmeg. I suppose I could have tried more lemon juice or vinegar but I didn’t want to thin it out any more. It was good, don’t get me wrong. I’ll keep this in the rotation but I’ll continue my quest for our go-to alfredo. Thanks Nora!
beverly armstrong
made this tonight and added some fresh asparagus to the noodle water for the last half of the cook. (lazy cook here) it makes a LOT of sauce, so plenty to freeze for another day. my non vegan husband was leary and sniffed it several times. insert eye roll here. before he tasted it, after he got a HEAPING pile on his plate, he had to do one more obvious sniff. “this smells funny” he said. oh em gee. i said “well maybe it’s the nutritional yeast you are smelling. it smells kinda cheesy” he scarfed the entire pile that he had on his plate and said several times, “this is so good, this is really good”. sigh. it was very very delicious. thank you for sharing your recipes. it’s nice to feel like i’m eating real food. we are both native texans and while the food is scrumptious, it isn’t the most healthy. i had a heart attack (i was shocked!!) in 2014 and was told if i didn’t become a vegan i would “drop dead in a month”. fine. i did it and i’m enjoying it for the most part. my husband’s triglycerides were low for the first time in 33 years. and he occasionally eats meat. soooo, proof positive that plant based is much healthier than the other diet we grew up with. again, thank you for your part in our healthier way of life.
Nora
I’m so happy to hear you and your husband are thriving! I’m also glad you enjoyed the alfredo sauce, and I hope you find many more recipes to help make your journey easier!
Cindy
Hi Beverly, had to laugh a little about your husband, mine husband is the same way. He looks at it smells it and he takes very little on his plate lol then the taste of eating it and the smile on his face says it all to me , he hates to try something new lol , thx very good sauce.
Karla Strauss
Made this tonight for dinner and it was awesome!! Added a pinch each of nutmeg and sweet paprika. Then added a small bag of frozen peas in t he boiling fettuccine the last few min. My husband who is an omnivore said, boy this is good, many times through his first and second helpings!!! Great recipe.
Nora
That sounds wonderful, thank you!
Shayna
I couldn’t believe how creamy and tasty this Alfredo sauce is. I have loved all the recipes of yours I’ve tried. I have a picky 16-month-old so getting him to like any food has been a challenge. But I love your recipes because they are packed with protein and veggies -the perfect combination!
Laura Oswald
The vitamix is perfect for this – great recipe!
LA
Nora
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it!
Ali
Just the best. Really. Can’t even tell it’s vegan
gritsintn
Nora, Nora, I made this for the first time last night. OMG. That is all, LOL! Really, though, I love that it uses so much garlic. And, truly, it’s hard to tell it’s even vegan. I also added a 1/4 tsp of ground nutmeg. Perfection. Thanks so much for your efforts! –gritsintn xoxo
Jenn
Will soaking the cashews longer make any difference in the creaminess of the sauce?
Nora
If you are using a regular blender (not a Vitamix or something similar) you may want to soak them longer. But with a high powered blender, it’s really not necessary. Thanks!