Vegan Alfredo Sauce
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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 of. 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 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 it
- 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!
Cashew Alternative
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 the 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 it?
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
This post contains affiliate links. Read my full disclosure here.
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.
- Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Pour the hot 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 discard the soaking water. Add them to a blender along with 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.
Video
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.
Nutrition
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160 Comments on “Vegan Alfredo Sauce”
Yum yum!! I made this as written with a couple of additions. Freshly ground black pepper, maybe just under a tsp of thyme, about a tsp more lemon juice (bottled), and I used a shallot instead of onion. Melted about 2-2.5 Tbls vegan butter in a saucepan, added the sauce to it to heat up. Served with chickpea meatless balls and topped with vegan parmesan. Oh man, this turned out so good!
It sounds delicious, Lauren! Thank you for share your wonderful review and comments!
Does it have to be fresh lemon for the juice? Or can it be the one in the container?
I always use fresh but you could probably use the container version here.
Wonderful recipe! I’m a baby vegan so I’m just starting to learn how to made delicious plant based food. Thank you for this recipe. It tastes great. It also a good base to build on a bit with other flavours. I added a little thyme and pepper. I don’t have a high speed blender so it didn’t come out extremely smooth however I like the texture because I think it would be a good sandwich spread with veggies as well!
Hi Nora!
This is one of my favorites but I just had a friend reach out to me about a good Alfredo sauce, however her son is allergic to lemon. Do you know of a substitute for the lemon juice in this recipe?
Thanks so much
Thanks for sharing your wonderful review, Niki! The lemon juice can be left out, if needed. The sauce will still be good, lemon juice just helps bring out the flavors a bit. Happy cooking!
Pleasantly surprised. Great texture and taste.
Thank you for sharing your review!
This was sooo good!! I used 1 cup of cashews and 1 1/4 of almond milk and it turned put really creamy and delicious!!
Thanks for sharing your commments, Linette! I’m glad you loved the Alfredo sauce!
It was perfect as is. My husband loved it! Although, next time I’ll cook the whole 16 ounces of fettuccine as there was plenty enough sauce for that. Thanks for another lovely recipe Nora!
You are welcome, Luanne! Thank you for using my recipes and for sharing your review! I’m glad you guys loved the Alfredo sauce!
Thank you for the excellent recipe! I added ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg, at least another 1/8-¼ teaspoon salt, approximately the same amount of pepper, and another dash of nutritional yeast to bump up the flavor. I also boiled ½ bag of frozen peas and sautéed ¼ bag of frozen mushrooms in the olive oil used for the onions and garlic and stirred those in as a final step – I recommend both!
Your additions sound delicious! Thank you for sharing your review and comments! I’m glad you l love the sauce!
The only reason why I am giving this recipe four stars is I had to season it a little to taste. I added a little bit of Mccay’s Chicken seasoning and Agave nectar. I also added oat flour to thicken the sauce up a little. Indo plan to use this recipe again.
Do you have to use a high-powered blender? Thanks! Excited to try
To get a truly creamy and smooth sauce, a high powered blender works best. If you are using a regular blender I would soak the cashews overnight or at least for several hours first. Thanks!