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Vegan Alfredo Sauce

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! Makes about 4 cups of sauce.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian-inspired
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 247kcal
Author: Nora Taylor

Ingredients

  • 12 ounces fettuccine pasta, optional
  • 1 1/2 cups raw cashews
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 medium sweet onion, chopped
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 cups unsweetened almond milk*
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Cook the pasta, if using

  • 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.

Make the sauce

  • Bring 4 cups of water to a boil (I use my tea kettle). Pour the hot water over the cashews and let soak for 5 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a small pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the chopped onion and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes until fragrant and the onion is translucent. Remove from heat.
  • Drain the cashews and discard the soaking water. Add them to a high powered blender along with onions/garlic, unsweetened almond milk, nutritional yeast, lemon juice and salt. Blend until very smooth.

Serve

  • 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. If it becomes too thick, add a bit of water to thin out the sauce. Serve immediately.

Video

Notes

  1. Gluten Free: Use gluten free pasta.
  2. Cashew Free: Use raw slivered almonds instead of cashews, or even sunflower seeds. Cashews give the sauce the best buttery and cheesy taste though.
  3. May use water instead of almond milk. Other plant milks work as well - soy, cashew or coconut. Just make sure the milk you use is both unsweetened and unflavored.
  4. "Chicken" Alfredo: Cook up some vegan chicken nuggets (my favorite is Gardein brand), slice and serve on top of the pasta!
  5. To Freeze: The sauce freezes well! Freeze in small freezer-friendly containers. Leave an inch or so of room for expansion. Re-heat in the microwave or stove top until warm.
  6. If you don't care for nutritional yeast, it is okay to omit it.
  7. Alfredo sauce is also wonderful drizzled on baked potatoes, on pizza, spaghetti squash, cooked vegetables and more.
  8. Calories are for 1/6th of the sauce, and does not include pasta.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 247kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Sodium: 501mg | Potassium: 278mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 120mg | Iron: 2mg