Learn how to make the most delicious 20 Minute Vegan Alfredo that will blow away all your guests, shock them that it is dairy-free! Rich, creamy, decadent and just 7 ingredients and without any butter or oil!
20 MINUTE VEGAN ALFREDO
Sometimes the most amazing recipes happen as the result of impromptu recipes. This recipe is one of those times. I was planning on making my Best Vegan Garlic Alfredo for dinner one night, but realized I was too low on cashews (gasp!) and out of lemon juice. So, I decided to just throw together some ingredients and wing it with what I had and holy moly, this one turned out richer and sooo amazing. I double dare you to make this for somebody (don’t tell them it’s not full of butter or cream) and tell me they don’t love it. While I love my original (it’s the most popular recipe on the blog).
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN ALFREDO
First you need to gather the ingredients to make this vegan alfredo:
- raw cashew butter (I make my own here since store-bought tends to be roasted and with added oil, which will not work well)
- vegetable broth
- brown rice flour
- apple cider vinegar
- some dried Italian herbs
- garlic powder
- nutritional yeast
It’s quite different than my original, which uses a lot of cooked onions and garlic, this one does not. But this one with the rice flour makes it so creamy. My husband scarfed it down SO fast and said “this is the best you’ve ever made”. We both debated on me calling it “Restaurant Style Alfredo”. It is just that good.
You will start out by adding the cashew butter, brown rice flour, apple cider vinegar, Italian herbs, nutritional yeast, salt and just blend them up in your blender. I used my Vitamix.
Add them to a pan and it will be very thin (like water), as in the above picture, but after just a few minutes of cooking, it will turn out creamy and fabulous like this.
I’m not kidding that it comes together in 20 minutes. It took exactly 19 minutes to do the pasta from start to finish and only 12-15 minutes for the sauce.
This is also perfect for all of you that don’t have high powered blenders needed for raw cashews in so many sauces.
This alfredo sauce is so healthy, gluten-free and 100% oil-free. It is also just 8 ingredients (+salt).
OTHER VEGAN CREAMY SAUCES AND PASTA TO TRY
- Vegan White Wine Sauce
- Vegan Lemon Florentine Pasta
- Vegan Pimento Cream Sauce
- Vegan Lemon, Garlic & Thyme Sauce
If you make this recipe, be sure to leave feedback below and share your pic on Instagram or Facebook and tag me @thevegan8 #thevegan8!
20 Minute Vegan Alfredo
Ingredients
FOR THE PASTA
- 14 oz bag pasta of choice
- 1/2 tablespoon salt
ALFREDO SAUCE
- 2 cups (480g) low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1/4 cup (64g) RAW cashew butter with NO added oils or salt (I make my own here because it's practically impossible to find a raw oil-free cashew butter in stores.)
- 2 teaspoons (10g) apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons (16g) nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons (20g) brown rice flour
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- optional: any veggies you may want to add
NOTE
- If you would like to use raw cashews (instead of cashew butter) you will just use the same weight amount, which is about a scant 1/2 cup. If you don't have a high-powered blender, then you must soak them overnight in a bowl of water, drain and rinse. Otherwise, your result will be gritty and NOT creamy. A food processor usually works better with soaked cashews versus a blender that isn't very powerful.
UPDATE
- I no longer use nutritional yeast in this recipe since it causes gout in my husband and headaches in my daughter, so if you also need to avoid yeast, this recipe still is just as delicious. I highly recommend the low-sodium veggie broth by Trader Joe's, if possible. The flavor is phenomenal. Slightly increase the garlic powder and add a heaping half teaspoon of onion powder.
Instructions
- Follow each step closely to have this ready in 20 minutes. You will first need to start your pasta before the sauce. Add 12 cups of very hot water to a large pot and put the lid on (it will come to a boil faster). Turn to high heat and let it come to a boil. Mine took about 10 minutes before it was boiling (yours may be faster). Once it's boiling add the pasta and salt and quickly stir it around to loosen it up. The salt is important because it flavors the pasta. Cook for 9 minutes or until al dente. Yours will vary depending on the pasta used.
- While waiting on the water to boil, add all the "alfredo sauce" ingredients to a blender. Blend until very smooth. It will be very runny, don't worry as it will thicken up a lot when cooking.
- Check your water to see if boiling yet.
- Add the sauce to a large pan over high heat. Once it starts bubbling all over, immediately turn to medium-low heat and whisk continually while letting it cook 3-4 minutes until thickened. You want to continually whisk around the bottom and sides, so the flour doesn't clump. Don't walk away from it! You don't want to overcook because it will thicken up a lot as it cools. Add any veggies if you like. I sometimes add peas and carrots from the freezer and let them cook a minute in the sauce.
- Once the pasta is done, drain and rinse with water to stop the cooking. Brown rice pasta can stick really badly, so I rinse really well and serve immediately. If using regular gluten pasta, you don't need to rinse it. Add to a plate, then add the sauce and garnish with extra dried Italian herbs or red pepper flakes or anything else you like.
Hi Brandi, I just made this tonight and it was absolutely divine. We aren’t vegan so I threw some chicken in along with the peas and mushrooms –
the results were so creamy and cheesy. It blew us away! Thanks for sharing your recipes – you have a big new fan over here in Singapore! X
So awesome Sumi! That is wonderful. Thank you so much for the feedback!
I been doing some serious overeating tonight and I almost licked my plate. This was the best pasta dish I ever had!
The sauce was absolutly amazing!
I posted it – with a link to your blog telling people that it wasn’t my creation – and with a swedish translation om my blog. I hope it is ok 🙂
Brandi, I would love to make this for my large family but I am unclear as to how much this recipe makes. The only clue is where it says “Serves 1/4 cup sauce”. Does this recipe really only make 1/4 cup of sauce?
Hi there! So sorry for the confusion. I just fixed the recipe. It actually makes a lot more than that, about 2 cups of sauce and then of course the pasta added to that. I just meant that about 1/4 cup of sauce is usually enough per plate with the pasta but obviously add as much as you like 🙂 I have a family of 3 and we always have extra sauce, so it makes a good amount but if you have a really large family, I would probably double the recipe and make sure to use a really large sauce pan!
Thank-you for the quick reply, Brandi!! That clarification helps a lot. Now I can put this recipe on the menu😊
Amazing!!!!! I am what you call a medical vegan with no oil – Following The China Study.
Thank-you ! Thank-You!
My husband is not really a vegan nor is he a fan of many vegan dishes I….He loved this and even licked the plate!!! (So did I) This was soooo yummy and so easy.
Appreciate it!!
This is so wonderful to hear! I’m so happy you both loved it so much. Thank you for the awesome feedback!
This was so yum!
I realized halfway through making it that I had no rice flour (not sure how that happened) so I subbed corn flour and it was still fantastic.
I made my own cashew butter as per your instructions. I have heaps left over. How long will this last in the fridge? I’ll probably use it to make more of this Alfredo but it won’t be straight away as I have heaps of that leftover too 😉
I’m so very happy to hear you loved it Claire, thank you so much for the review!
I have made this many many times and it has been the go to alfredo sauce since we went vegan and quite frankly beats any non-vegan alfredo sauce I have ever had previously. This sauce is delicious over pasta, yes and over broccoli and with good bread dipped into it…..the list goes on. When I’m introducing whole grain plant based eating to someone new, this is one of the recipes I share immediately. I know their kids will love it and it will be a go to meal for them. I love that there are only 8 ingredients and that they are all ingredients almost everyone who is eating Whole-grain plant-based would already stock in their pantry. Thank you Brandi!!! This is the Bomb!!!
This is so wonderful to hear Rebecca! Mmmm, dipping bread in, yes! So good! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe to people in your life, I really appreciate it! Thank you for your kind words!
You are KILLIN’ IT with this dish. It was easy to make, and watching it thicken into a rich sauce was so cool. I subbed gluten free ap flour, and it was fine. I added diced veggies to it at the end and nearly ate leftover sauce out of the jar. This is saving me because I cannot have gluten or dairy. Can’t wait to try more of your recipes. Thank you!
I am so, so happy to hear how much you loved this Angie! Thank you so very much for taking the time to leave such a kind review!
We loved the 20 Minute Alfredo sauce. I am not a very good cook and can get things mixed up in a recipe and do it wrong!! This was sooooo easy and quick and tasted like a buttery, creamy sauce. My husband was impressed!! Thank you for all of your hard work.
Thank you so much Linda, I’m so happy to hear you all loved this!
This is delicious! My husband and I are beginning a mostly plant-based diet and trying different recipes. My husband said he wants to eat this once a week! It will definitely stay in the rotation.
So very awesome to hear that Renee, thank you so much for the wonderful review! Yay!
This is THE closest to the milk and butter based Alfredo that I’ve ever tasted. Everyone I’ve served this to gives rave reviews and doesn’t believe it’s vegan.
Thank you so much Estee for the wonderful review!
Brandi, I made this recipe last night. Alfredo Sauce is one of my husband’s favorite. This was super easy to make, and I could tell when I started heating up the sauce, that it was going to a good one, as it thickened.
Oh my gosh, it was so delicious!! My husband said of ALL the alfredo’s he’s tasted, your recipe was his absolute favorite!! He had 3 helpings. There were no leftovers and I doubled the recipe!!!
It takes a while to find vegan recipes that everyone will like, and not know it is vegan, but this was one of those recipes! Creamy, delicious and no one will ever know it is vegan!! Thank you for sharing it.
We will definitely be eating this one once a week!!
Oh, this makes me SO happy to hear Robyn! Thank you so much for the glowing review! Loved that he ate 3 servings, haha! So glad he loved it!
Made this tonight and tried making my own cashew butter but apparently my blender is terrible. So I took a risk and used the hazelnut butter i had on hand and mixed in some of the more buttery parts of my cashews. And i didn’t have rice flour so I used corn starch… And while I have no idea how it compares to the original… it was pretty darn amazing! Thanks for the recipe!!
Oh, wow, hazelnut butter?! I’m so glad it all worked out in the end, thank you so much Dani!
Hi Brandi! To make the cashew butter – I have a Ninja blender. Do I blend the cashews raw or do I soak them first? Thank you!
Hi Rachel! I hope it works in the Ninja! No, definitely don’t soak them 🙂 Just use as raw.
Oh. My. Goodness! So delicious! New to the plant-based lifestyle and I was really sad to be giving up cheese! I stumbled upon this recipe from a Facebook group and I had to try it! I used cashew butter with added oil since it was all I had and it turned out fabulously! Thank you so much! 🙂
So very happy you loved this Samantha, thank you for the review!
This sauce is the best thing ever. 🙂 Raw cashew butter is super expensive so I’ve been using regular for now but it’s soooooo good.
Awesome Hannah, thank you for the awesome review!
I tried this recipe amd my kids and I loved it! They even liked it better than store-bought alfredo!
So awesome to hear that Yadira!!
Holy Cow! This is delicious! I just made it for supper and am blown away. We have been plant-based for about three years now, but most recipes that are imitations don’t live up. This does! I usually don’t say we are having vegan alfredo or vegan mac n cheese. I usually just say it is a pasta, because I don’t want unrealistic expectations, but this I can definitely call alfredo. Didn’t have cashew butter and didn’t want the extra step of making it first, so I just used a heaping 1/2 cup of cashews and blended with the rest of the ingredients. Simple and turned out great. I added frozen broccoli chopped as that was the way I used to eat alfredo! Thanks again!
So awesome to hear that Andrea! Thank you so much for the amazing review, so happy to hear this was so enjoyed!
This was good even with a cashew butter that had sunflower oil and salt added. I don’t usually add extra salt to pasta while cooking or even in recipes, really. My family seems to enjoy it! Win =D
So glad you enjoyed it!
This is delish! Everyone in my family loves it, even my omni husband. We sprinkle it with red pepper flakes and parsley at the table. Also, I just pour the sauce into the freshly cooked and drained pot of noodles and stir till thick. Saves a pan. Thanks for this recipe!
Thank you so much Alisa, so happy to hear you all loved it! Yay!
Thanks for the recipes. I’m newly vegan so am thrilled to find so many delicious recipes. This turned out great. I didn’t have enough cashews so added walnuts. still tasted good.
So happy to hear you loved it!
WOW. I fed this to non-vegan friends and they could not believe that it didn’t have cream or dairy in it. By far the best alfredo sauce I’ve ever tasted!
Yay! So awesome to hear that Jen! What a glowing review, thank you! If you get a chance to leave a star rating right below the comment box, I would so appreciate it!
My daughter and have to avoid dairy and saturated fat, and we have really missed alfredo sauce. I have tried cauliflower alfredo sauce recipes, but I have been a little disappointed with them. I am so excited to try your recipe! I don’t have brown rice flour, but I do have brown rice, a Vitamix blender, and a Nutrimill (grain mill). Did you buy your brown rice flour or make your own? Would you suggest using the Vitamix or Nutrimill to grind the brown rice? Thanks!
Hi Hillary! You can just sub white flour if you like, that should work the same 🙂 I do buy my own brown rice flour though, Bob’s Red Mill brand. It is sold at many stores these days and is very inexpensive. I use it for all of my thickening in soups and also like to use it in baking. If you want to make your own, I guess the Vitamix would work fine, I’m not sure, I’ve never tried it!
So yummy and easy to make!
Yay! Thrilled to hear that!
Would using cashew butter that does have oil in it work ok? (Store bought cashew butter?) Thanks!
Hi Paige, cashews will oil tend to be roasted or have a really strong flavor. I don’t use oils so I can’t say exactly how it will affect the taste and texture of the alfredo, but you are of course can certainly try it.
Too many comments to read them all so maybe someone already noted, but you listed ACV twice so it’s just 8 I gradients WITH salt! Can’t wait to try this!
I found this recipe to be incredible! I did substitute garbanzo flour for the brown rice flour. Still turned out amazing!
Wonderful Ryan! I’m so thrilled to hear how much you enjoyed it!
This recipe is absolutely awesome! I found it in your newly released Vegan 8 cookbook. The first time I made it it was so yummy even though I did not put the veggies in it. Tonight I made it with veggies & we loved it as much as the first time, maybe even more! Thank you so much for all of your easy & delicious recipes.
So awesome to hear that Julie, thank you so much for making it and letting me know! If you get a chance to leave me an Amazon review about the book, it would really help me out so much, thank you for buying it!!
Hi Brandi, I am invited to a non-vegan’s family Christmas dinner and I want to take a side dish that will go with their traditional dinner but also let them see vegan food can be ‘normal’ and delicious! 🙂 I thought of making one of your Alfredo sauces with macaroni as a ‘Macaroni and White Cheese/Alfredo’. I wondered if you think this will work since I have to make it at home and then transport it and it will probably be at least 4 hours travel/visiting time before we eat so it will need to be reheated with the sauce and pasta mixed? (Or should I transport the pasta and sauce separately and reheat the sauce and combine right before serving?) If so, which of your Alfredo sauces do you think would work/taste best? Thanks so much for any advice you have! And Merry Christmas!
Hi Stacy, I’ve never tried this but I imagine it would work. I would not put together the dish until arriving though, as to avoid it getting too thick or a weird texture! I would choose the Best Vegan Garlic Alfredo Sauce since that one is not cooked over the stove first (the sauce part), it’s just blended up. I think that would work better because after you blend it up, it’s nice and creamy. You can then transport it and then combine with pasta and then bake. Or just add it to the pasta and heat over the stove. I think it would be yummy, that’s my guess anyways!
Thanks so much! (And sorry, for some reason this didn’t show when I checked last!)
I’ve made this recipe quite a bit for my family at home, and we all love it so I decided to make it as an easy lunch while on vacation with my side of the family. While everyone was figuring out their lunches and roaming around the kitchen, they all seemed intrigued at what I was cooking so I offered them some. They ALL loved it – kids included – and I can’t say I’m surprised! My brother who is a very good cook even asked for the recipe and said he wants to add it to their rotation of meals! Thanks for sharing your talent with us!
That’s so wonderful to hear Katie, thank you so much for sharing!
Your comment*
Hi Brandi, hoping you saw my question above? Thanks!
I just made this for lunch today (for the second time in a week), and it is my new favorite recipe. It’s SO easy and delicious! I made mine using a heaping 1/2 cup of cashews in the vitamix instead of the cashew butter (mostly because it’s easier to measure dry cashews than cashew butter, lol) and it has been so unbelievably creamy every time! Even my picky, nutritional yeast-hating husband loves it! As always, thank you for your wonderful recipes. 🙂
So so happy to hear that Jennifer! Thank you so much for making it and leaving feedback!
I made this tonight and it is definitely a keeper — adding it to my “favorites” very short list! I followed Jennifer’s suggestion, using a heaping half cup of cashews. I don’t have a Vitamix; I soaked the cashews in hot water while I was getting everything together, drained them, and processed them in my Cuisinart food processor along with a large clove of garlic. My husband just goes along with my cooking plant based at home; he rarely — and I mean RARELY — says something is good (he never complains, though!). I got a “good” from this plus he said he would eat it again. And I loved it. I’m taking this the next time I need to bring a dish to an omni’s get-together. Thank you for creating and sharing this recipe, Brandi!
This is one of the best creamy pasta’s on the net! I just finished making it. Only change was instead of garlic powder, I roasted for 4 garlic cloves, absolutely delicious. Serving it with a tray of roasted zucchini and brussel sprouts.
Yay!! Thank you so much Kirsten! Awesome review, I appreciate it!
Hi Brandi, I made the Alfredo Fettucini, oh so good, creamy and lucious. My husband loved it. So it was my time this month to bring something to the bible study, you guessed it. I brought the Fettucini Alfredo and a salad with bok choi. No one knew how the fettucini was made, but all except one lady wanted the recipe. Of course, i gave your site and recipe.. So the reluctent lady heard what was in the meal and jumped up and took the recipe as well. She was afraid that I put real cream into it. I have been vegan for 21 years and like to teach people my healthy life style. Thank you Brandi for this surprise. Kerstin Decker
So very happy to hear that Kerstin, thank you for the lovely review!!
I’m such a fan! You never disappoint!! My family LOVES this recipe! Have you tried freezing it? I would love to freeze it to take on vacation but I’m curious how it would turn out. Any thoughts?
Thank you so much Lisa, so happy to hear that!! Yes, you can freeze it. Just thaw it overnight in the fridge and reheat on low.
This was sooo good and it was super easy. I can’t believe how much flavor this has. Thank you so much!!!
Wonderful to hear Lee!!
Outstanding!!!! And the cashew butter recipe is a real find! So great to find oil free recipes like this!
Woohoo, thrilled to hear this Terry, thank you!!
Hi. Was interesting to read your comment about Nutritional Yeast and connection to Gout. I will have to Dr. Google it now. But if you have any scientific data on it then I would love to read it. Yes I have Gout in fingers:( Love Nut. Yeast though too. Will be hard to remove it from my diet and the recipes I use.
Maraika, gout is caused by high purine foods, which nutritional yeast is high in. When there is high purine foods consumed often, the body’s uric acid levels become high, causing gout. This of course only affects people that have gout, are prone to it or genetically. Simply put, my husband has severe reactions anytime he would eat something with nutritional yeast. Not everybody will have the sane reaction of course, but my husband does. We eliminate a lot of foods because he is extreme.
It looks delicious and from the comments it seems I’m going to love it. What could I substitute the cashew butter with? Regular butter? I’m not vegan just trying to eat healthier.
Hi Perla! I’m sorry but the cashew butter is crucial to the texture, flavor and everything for the sauce! Using regular butter would just make it like any other alfredo, which many of those are online. If you don’t have cashew butter, then I’ve listed that you can use raw, unsalted cashews instead, you will jut use the same weight amount 64 grams, which is a scant 1/2 cup. If you have a vitamix, you can just blend everything up until 100% smooth. If you don’t have one, you will need to soak the nuts in a bowl of warm water overnight, drain and rinse them and then proceed with the recipe. Then blend it all up in a food processor, which I find gets things smoother than a non-powerful blender. Hope that helps!
I made this tonight for family and this is hands down the best plant based alfredo that I have ever tried, and I have tried a lot over the years. I actually gave up on a good vegan alfredo years ago but I saw this one and decided to try it again. I will be making it in the future for sure.
That is so amazing to hear Alexandria, thank you so much for letting me know!
This is so flavorful and creamy! It’s definitely going in my meal rotation to make often! Thanks for the delicious recipes.
Thank you so much Deborah!!
This Alfredo sauce was awesome! My daughter was amazed at how good it turned out. I love making great food without animal products. I look forward to trying more recipes from your cookbook.
I’ve tried many vegan alfredo sauce that have either been inedible or just pretty good. This was one was outstanding! The texture is perfect and the flavor is phenomenal. Thanks for sharing such a great recipe! 🙂
So awesome to hear that, thank you Heather!