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This Vegan Alfredo Sauce tastes like the real thing, without using cheese or heavy cream. You can whip up this luscious, creamy pasta sauce in just minutes!
Traditional Alfredo sauce is made with heavy cream and plenty of Parmesan cheese, but instead of asking you to shop for vegan Parmesan cheese (which doesn’t taste the same), this recipe uses simple pantry ingredients to develop a similar flavor.
Even if you’re not vegan, this creamy white sauce is the perfect dairy-free and gluten-free topping for any pasta lovers in your life. It creates the most decadent vegan fettuccine Alfredo!
Ingredients You’ll Need
This dairy-free Alfredo sauce gets its creamy texture from cashews. Be sure to use raw cashews, or cashews that have not been roasted or salted, for the most neutral flavor.
While nutritional yeast is common in cheesy vegan recipes, like my famous vegan macaroni and cheese, it’s not necessary here. Fresh lemon juice and apple cider vinegar add a tangy flavor, and when you season it with plenty of salt and pepper, the flavor will pop.
If you’d like to add a more authentic Parmesan flavor, try adding a small amount of white miso to the mix. It tastes like concentrated Parmesan cheese on its own! (Don’t use other varieties of miso, though.) Try the sauce in my Vegan Lasagna if you don’t believe me.
How to Make Vegan Alfredo Sauce
If you plan on serving this sauce with pasta, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Use gluten-free pasta, if you need to. By the time the noodles are done cooking, your vegan cashew alfredo sauce will be ready to use.
Add olive oil or vegan butter to a large skillet over medium heat and saute the onions until they start to soften and look translucent, about 8 minutes. Add in the minced garlic and stir for 1 more minute.
Transfer the cooked veggies to a high-speed blender, then add in the cashews, water, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, and black pepper.
Blend until the sauce reaches your desired consistency. Keep in mind that it will thicken when you toss it with pasta in a hot pan.
When the pasta is done cooking, drain the noodles, then return them to the large pot. Pour the creamy Alfredo sauce over the top, and toss well. (This can also be served over zucchini noodles, for a veggie-packed option.)
Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking. I usually add more salt and black pepper, to make the flavor pop!
If it doesn’t taste like Alfredo yet, you probably haven’t used enough salt. (Parmesan cheese is very salty, so we’re trying to mimic that here.)
Serve warm with any add-ins you love, like roasted broccoli, peas, crispy mushroom bacon, or any vegetables you love.
Storage Tip: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Or you can freeze it for up to 3 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Almonds won’t blend quite as smoothly as cashews, but if you want to give that a try, use blanched almonds (with no skins) for a similar effect.
As long as you have a high-speed blender, it’s not necessary to soak the cashews first. If you have a standard blender, soaking the cashews may help them soften up, or you can blend the dry cashews first before adding in the other sauce ingredients for easier blending.
Using water gives you full control of the final flavor, but you can use vegetable broth or non-dairy milk, like soy milk or almond milk, if you prefer.
Looking for more vegan pasta recipes? Try Southwest Sweet Potato Mac and Cheese, Hummus Pasta, or Creamy Cajun Pasta for more ideas.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion , chopped (about 1 cup)
- 4 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 cup whole cashews (not roasted or salted)
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt (I use Real Salt brand)
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and saute the onion until it's soft and translucent. This should take 5 to 8 minutes. Add in the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1 more minute. Remove from the heat.
- In a high-speed blender, combine the cashews, water, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Add the sauteed onions and garlic, then blend until very smooth. The sauce should look creamy, without any visible chunks of cashews.
- Serve this alfredo sauce over your favorite cooked pasta, then adjust any seasoning to taste. The noodles will dilute the flavor of the sauce, so you may need to add more salt and pepper, as needed. (This recipe makes enough to coat one pound of pasta.) Leftover sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
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If you try this Vegan Alfredo Sauce recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how you like it.
I haven’t tried this recipe yet but it sounds delicious. Can you tell me why I can no longer dave recipes to your site. there is no save button anymore.
Hi Elizabeth! The website is actually getting a makeover tomorrow (April 29th) and then the save button will be back!
I am in love with this recipe!
I make a double batch…it’s makes a full meal for 2 people with at least more meals with the left over sauce. I have celiacs disease, this recipe also leaves my tummy happy with no gas or digestion issues. Trader Joe’s now has gluten free fettuccine noodles. It’s a perfect pair! The sauce literally tastes better and better with each meal.