Learn how to make the most delicious 20 Minute Easy Vegan Dairy-free Alfredo that will blow away all your guests, shock them that it is dairy-free and healthy! Rich, creamy, decadent and just 7 ingredients and without any butter or oil!
EASY DAIRY-FREE ALFREDO
Sometimes the most amazing vegan 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 just as rich and so 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 DAIRY-FREE 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 this dairy-free alfredo sauce 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. You won’t find a more easy vegan alfredo!
This is also perfect for all of you that don’t have high powered blenders needed for raw cashews in so many sauces.
This healthy dairy-free alfredo sauce is so healthy, gluten-free and 100% oil-free. It is also just 8 ingredients (+salt).
MORE VEGAN CREAMY SAUCES
- 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!
Easy Dairy-free Alfredo
Ingredients
FOR THE PASTA
- 14 oz bag pasta of choice
- 1/2 tablespoon salt
ALFREDO SAUCE
- 2 cups (480g) well-flavored low-sodium vegetable broth (SEE NOTE)
- 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.)
- 1-2 teaspoons (5-10g) apple cider vinegar (I find this can really vary depending on brand of broth used, start with none or 1 teaspoon at first.)
- 2 tablespoons (16g) nutritional yeast (Highly recommend the unfortified Sari brand-no weird vitamin taste)
- 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 highly recommend the low-sodium veggie broth by Trader Joe's, if possible or the Pacific brand. Both are so flavorful. If not using nutritional yeast, slightly increase the garlic powder and add a 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, starting with just 1 teaspoon of the vinegar. Broth brands greatly vary in flavor and I find depending on the brand used, I may need NO vinegar or only 1 teaspoon. Blend, then taste and decide. 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.
We adopted a plant based diet a year ago. I made this last week, adding peas, carrots and mushrooms and used brown rice instead of pasta. I moaned when I took my first bite!! I haven’t eaten anything this creamy in a year and it was delightful. I really liked the rice, hubby said he would prefer pasta but this is easy enough to accommodate both! Thanks so much.
Haha, awesome Tracy! Moaning is a good sign! 🙂 I’m so happy to hear this was such a hit, thank you so much for leaving feedback, it made me smile!
Brandi! This was awesome! And seriously JUST what we needed for lunch today! Quick, easy, satisfying, and delicious. I’ve made something similar but not exactly your combo and it was delicious. I’m not a huge nutritional yeast fan, but it worked really well in this recipe. We served it over pasta with some roasted broccoli. So good! And of course I made two batches of the recipe, like I always seem to do when I try your recipes out since I know they’ll be delicious =) Thanks for the great recipe! It’ll definitely be in our rotations. I posted on IG!
Thank you so much Anjali for your amazing feedback, it made me smile! I loved your pic on Instagram too, so glad it was such a hit, thank you very much for making it and sharing it!
WOW. I am newly vegan, and when I first made the switch I tried quite a few “cheese” and “cream” sauces. I didn’t like any of them. Since I’ve tried a few of your other recipes and loved them, I thought I’d give this a shot. I was skeptical, and waited until I’d made all my other meals for the week before trying this one. It. Is. SO. GOOD. It tastes like the real deal, and I just don’t know how you did it. I don’t even like nutritional yeast, but everything in this recipe is spot on. Thank you so much for your hard work developing these tasty recipes. You make my life just a little bit easier.
Wow, thank you so much for such awesome feedback Crystal! I’m so happy to read it! So thrilled to hear it’s such a hit and that it makes things much easier for you 🙂
Wow, this was great! I call this ‘blender spout lickin good’. I’ve made a few cashew based white vegan sauces in the past so wasn’t expecting anything spectacular, you know, but this was by far the best. The flavor balance is just perfect. Most are the basic – onion, garlic, cashews, lemon flavor. But this was really a level above the others. Made it exactly as stated, except had regular sodium broth so cut back on the added salt a bit.
Added a whole 12 oz bag of frozen peas and carrots which felt like the perfect amount.
Bf kept saying “this is really good”, “that was really good”, over and over. 🙂
And so easy! Often these sauces have sauteeing prior to blending so it was nice to just throw everything in and throw it on the stove. I wasn’t in a huge time crunch, so just followed what I figured was the basic pattern of blender -> stovetop -> heat it up til thick (did about med-med high), throw in veggies, let warm up again. Got the noodles started after the sauce, and it all worked out fine. This one is really pretty foolproof. Even with my roundabout methods, was still quick and easy compared to most recipes.
You really have a gift! I always look forward to your recipes (this just took #1 place, before that had been the chili cheese fries).
🙂
Such a sweet, sweet comment Kate! Thank you so much for your kind words! I’m so happy to hear you loved this so much, thank you kindly for letting me know!
ok..here’s the requested feedback. Let me preface it by saying we are not young people here…72 and 68….without vegan experience but needing to make changes for health issues. Husband a NYC meat and potatoes doctor. Me…Italian artist/organic farmer. I had to make the change to vegan about a month ago and don’t mind because I’ve always been pretty veggie friendly however, it has presented challenges for me in the area of no dairy no eggs etc. I really had to hit the ground running in learning to eat vegan. I’m pretty ok except we can’t just keep eating salads and raw veggies and hummus! I have to learn how to cook as well so have been leaning heavily on sites like yours to help me. I made the vegan alfredo with no difficulty and made my own cashew butter. I dished it and and told my husband he didn’t have to eat it if he didn’t like it….that I would give it to the chickens. First few bites all I heard was “uummmmmmm! This is delicious!!!” He went on to ask how it was possible to make something this good and have it be vegan 🙂 I too very much enjoyed this dish. It was also my first time trying something other than the “normal” pasta and it was great! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe and I’ll keep trying more!
Thank you so very much Linda for such amazing feedback! Wow, it made me smile! Thank you so much for sharing!!
So easy and yummy!
Thank you so much Julie, so glad you enjoyed it!
This was soooo good! My whole family gobbled it up – and that’s saying a lot with an 8 and 4 year old! Thank you for a dinner everyone enjoys! This will go into regular rotation. (I’m also thinking this sauce would be a nice dip/topping for broccoli.) YUM.
That is so awesome to hear Kristie! Thank you so much for the amazing feedback!!! And yes, so yummy I think on so many veggies 🙂
I made this yesterday for our dinner and boy am I glad I did! It is the best and easiest alfredo sauce I have ever had. And DH agreed! He requested it again for tonight’s dinner. I’ve tried other alfredo sauce made with cauliflower and tofu and disliked them all. This one is just perfect….the flavor, consistency. And best of all, no heavy cream or butter in it. We had this with peas, roasted oil-free broccoli and steamed Lacinato kale on the side. It was truly delicious. Thank you Brandi for creating delicious, cruelty-free, healthy and simple recipes. You’re the best!
Oh wow Fung, I’m so sorry I missed this comment! Thank you so, so very much for the amazing feedback! I’m so happy you I loved it so much. It is the best alfredo I’ve truly ever had too and the fact it’s healthy, makes it all the better! Thank you!
Could I just use extra cashews instead of the cashew butter?
Yes, I would suggest using 1/2-3/4 cup cashews instead.
Brandi, thank you for this recipe. Someone posted the link on Facebook and after looking at the ingredient list I thought I’d give it a try. After reading the comments, I decided to serve it to guests without a test run (which I never do). I’m SO glad I did. It was a huge hit with the vegans and non-vegans alike. My husband doesn’t like dairy Alfredo but he really liked this. My Whole Foods was out of raw cashew butter so I did just use 1/2 cup of raw cashews and that worked great. I processed them in my high speed blender but I usually just run them through the spice grinder to get a fine powder. The sauce was very smooth. Awesome recipe.
So so happy to hear that Jaci!! Thanks so much for the wonderful feedback! Yes, even my non-vegan family members say this is “awesome” and “the best alfredo” so people just don’t care if it’s dairy-free or not, it just tastes good, haha!
Oh my word Brandi, why didn’t I listen sooner and buy the Sari nutritional yeast you recommended?!? My life will officially never be the same. I have been vegan 2.5 years, and I have never gotten used to the nutritional yeast flavor. I’ve made this recipe multiple times just hoping I would be able to get used to it since it’s so easy and others (including my omni friends and family) just love it. Well, I finally ordered the non-fortified version, and skeptically made the Alfredo. Just smelling the flakes I knew it was different, but when I had my first bite of the sauce, it was like the heavens opened wide. It was magical. I am officially joining the 20-minute Vegan Alfredo cult following!
Haha, yay! So so happy you’ve joined the cult too Vanessa, haha! Thank you so much for such amazing feedback, it really made my day!! That nutritional yeast is so much better, isn’t it?!
So much better is an understatement. It doesn’t even taste like the same food. I fell asleep last night without packing up the rest of the sauce, and now I’m thinking about making it when I get home from work again (at 12:30). I need to branch out though, because I feel like a whole new world of recipes is reopened to me.
I tried a slight variation on this that was basically the same thing, but with tahini and a little olive oil (only about a table spoon, to help coax the flavors out of the garlic and spices a bit first), and found that tahini, while it changes the flavor a bit, still makes for a delicious sauce! 🙂
Great recipe!
Wonderful Joe, I’m so happy to hear you loved it! I also have a tahini version that is pretty different than this one but still really incredible, creamy and lesser fat! https://thevegan8.com/2016/02/26/nut-free-vegan-garlic-alfredo-sauce/
This sauce is BOSS!!! I made it last night to have with some soba noodles, broccoli and peas, and it was amazing. I just switched from being lacto ovo veg to vegan a few months ago and recipes like this make me feel like I’m not missing out on ANYTHING. Will definitely make it again. Thank you for the great recipe! (:
So I just made this tonight; it was my first foray into a vegan based sauce and my first time making cashew butter. All I can say is YUM! I’m pretty damn impressed right now. This sauce is crazy-thick, creamy and so tasty too! The cashew butter turned out great, which is good because I have another recipe that I wanted to make this week that uses it. My husband and I both thought the sauce turned out really delicious.
The only thing I wish I had done different is made it initially without adding peas. Only because it made the sauce taste with ever so slightly pea-flavored (even without a pea in the bite). I think it had more to do with the amount of peas and the fact that the whisk I think squashed a few of them. I just wish I had thought to keep some of it separate so I could taste it exactly as the recipe intended. And I only say that because peas are my husbands thing more than mine. 🙂
Also, I’ve made cauliflower alfredo and I have to say this really tops that one. I could never get the cauliflower blended well enough so it always seems a little grainy and it has quite a bit of cheese that somehow lost all flavor in the end product. The fact that this doesn’t even have cheese and still stands alone as a damn tasty alfredo is a mighty-fine testament to your recipe creating skills!
Yay! So so happy you loved it so much Brittany! Thank you so much for your kind words! Oh yes, just cook the peas separately if you like if you aren’t a huge fan of them 🙂
Wow! I made this on the spur of the moment today and it is so yummy!
So happy to hear that Judy, thank you so much for the feedback!
Awesome! I love this recipe even more than your original. It seems lighter but still very filling. I love how quick it is to make and the simple ingredients. Thanks for all your wonderful recipes, I make many of them often.
Yay, so happy to hear that Carri, thank you so much for the feedback!!
I just made this for dinner and it was divine! Thank you so much for sharing 🙂
I’m so happy to hear that, thank you so much Elise for the feedback!
Oh…my…Gawd.
I have made this twice now, once for a dinner party and once for the two of us, and oh…my…Gawd. So, so good.
Followed your instructions to the letter–even made my own cashew butter (wow). Delish on both occasions.
Tips for others:
1. Cashew butter was made in a food processor–I think that’s the right equipment for making this. Also, I added a little bit of water to smooth it out on the second go round, a good addition.. A tiny bit of salt, and a teensy drop of maple syrup made for a really tasty butter. SERIOUSLY cheaper than the store-bought version.
2. The second time around I read the ingredients wrong and added 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar (instead of two teaspoons). But, as we were having it over zucchini noodles, the additional ACV kind of made up for the blandness of the zucchini. It might be too much over something with a strong taste, but over a lighter tasting noodle it was fine. The addition of peas and carrots was terrif.
3. Also on the second go, I sautéed a package of mushrooms, and the sauce was excellent over the mushrooms (which were over the zucchini noodles). I can totally see a toasted English muffin with the mushrooms and the sauce as a tasty, tasty snack.
Thank you SO much for this recipe! A lot of people are looking a vegan differently because of the food I make for them, especially this Alfredo recipe.
Thank you so much Carolyn for the amazing feedback and notes on your cooking! I’m so happy to hear this was such a hit for you, thank you for taking the time to leave a comment!
My husband and I as we are eating more plant based foods now – this looks great. However we cannot have yeast. What can I substitute for the nutritional yeast?
Best,
Laura
Hi Laura! The nutritional yeast is what helps to add depth of flavor, but if you can’t have it then, I would just add 1 tsp onion powder and a small pinch of mustard powder and maybe slightly increase the garlic powder. That will help to give it a bit more flavor.
5 stars! Brandi, that was amazing! Stellar recipe. Even my kids raved about it.
I just adopted an oil free vegan lifestyle diet five weeks ago, because it was time for me to get healthy and fit. For the past 5 weeks, I have eaten nothing but potatoes, kale and spinach. I just bought a new VitaMix and wanted to make something special to celebrate losing 45 lbs. and having all my blood work come back better than when I was in my 20s. This recipe definitely was exactly what I hoped it was. The texture and taste were so perfect, and was so good with just some asparagus and peas added. I could eat this 3 times a week. Looking forward to trying out more of your recipes.
Thanks,
John
Wow, congrats John on such a wonderful accomplishment on losing the weight! I’m honored you chose my recipe to celebrate with, and even more excited you all loved it so much! Thank you for the wonderful feedback! SO happy it was a hit!