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.
So addictive! I’ve had this every day for lunch for the past two weeks. Hands down creamiest alfredo sauce ever. I’ve been soaking 3/4 cup cashew pieces overnight. I add the soaked cashews to my Ninja blender along with everything else, then I pour the thin liquid into a glass mason jar. I heat an individual serving of the sauce in the bottom of a ceramic bowl in the microwave, the flour does it’s magic in the microwave and the liquid thickens up beautifully. I toss it with my cooked pasta. I double the nutritional yeast because I love it really cheesy. Today I cooked my serving of pasta in my mini rice cooker. When it was done I added the sauce then cooked it all together in the mini rice cooker for a couple of minutes. It came out really thick and a bit of it slightly stuck to the bottom of the rice cooker pan and when I stirred it up I got this amazing crusty texture mixed with the creaminess. It blows me away how creamy and cheesy this tastes, and I’ve made vegan mac and cheese, or vegan alfredo more times than I can list. This recipe is “the one”, and so easy. Thank you for sharing your recipes.
That is so awesome to hear Nancy! Yay! So very glad you are loving this recipe so much, thank you for the wonderful feedback!
I cannot eat nutritional yeast. Can I sub with something like miso or just leave it out?
Rosanne, I’m so sorry I missed this comment before! You can leave it out, just know you will need more spices for flavor. I would increase the salt a bit to taste and add some extra garlic powder and some onion powder and maybe a pinch of ground mustard seed which will help to replace the yeast. OR, you could add a teaspoon or so of miso, to taste.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! I have been searching for a Whole Foods, Plant Based Alfredo recipe, and this was AMAZING!!! I put it over gnocchi and broccoli, and I couldn’t stop eating it. My husband absolutely loved it too. I’m so excited to have this recipe! I see a lot of batches of this sauce being made in my future…
Hi Brandi, I cooked double portions of this for dinner tonight, thinking I’ll save some for me for lunch tomorrow but it’s all gone in just over half hour been served. My non-vegan hubby who thinks that a meal without meat is not a meal, and 2 kids, 12 and 13, all loved it. We are all in awe this vegan alfredo can taste this rich and creamy without cream or cheese. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. It’s brilliant and oh..sooo delicious!!!
I made this sauce last night, and my non-vegan family was jealous that I had this over pasta and veggies while they had their meat-based meal! I might end up with some converts with all of your great recipes! I love that the recipes are sure to be on the easy side since there are only 8 ingredients; you’re becoming my trusted go-to vegan recipe source! This was creamy and delicious; I added some chipotle powder for extra heat and flavor. Today’s lunch was a simple bowl of steamed veggies topped with this — and again, my omnivorous homeschooled daughter was jealous! Thank you!!!
Oh wow, now THIS is a testimony that really made me smile from ear to ear! Thank you so much for taking the time to write a review! I loved reading it and am so glad it was such a hit! Have them try it, every non-vegan I serve this to or has made it LOVES it. My best friend is not vegan and she told me it was the best alfredo she’s ever had!
Oh my goodness!! I just got done eating an oversized bowl of this amazing vegan Alfredo with chickpea pasta and broccoli….I’m not ashamed to say I ate till it hurt! I’m currently fantasizing about some Olive Garden breadsticks with this Alfredo sauce. I can’t thank you enough for creating and sharing this recipe….this is by far the best vegan version of Alfredo I have ever tried/made/had. You rock!
Yay Pamela! So glad to hear that, thank you so much!
Hi Brandi, I LOVE this recipe. It’s my most cooked recipe and my “go to” for any guests, particularly fussy ones. I haven’t met a person who doesn’t adore it. One thing that could make it even better for me, is to know how (and if it would work) to convert it to a recipe for an Instant Pot. Do you have one? If you do and work out a way, please do let me know and feel free to add it into your recipe as an option as there’s a huge community out there loving instant pot recipes and this would be incredible that way. For me it’s mostly just about less dishes and doing it all in the one pot! Thank you for your amazing creations. Your website has so many incredible recipes and is such a good resource. 🙂
Does this freeze well? It’s just me, so it will make too much sauce. I’d love to freeze to have it on hand!
Hi Lauren, I’m not sure, I have never tried freezing this. It’s always gone in 2 days, haha! Whatever we don’t finish, we just eat on throughout the next few days from the fridge. You could try freezing it and just reheat it over a really low temp in the stove, not the microwave. Since it’s made with cashews, it doesn’t tend to reheat really well in the microwave.
This dish is wonderful!!! Your recipes are amazing and so is your photography. Thank you so much for sharing your passions.
You are so sweet, thank you so much! So glad you loved this!
My daughter gave me the link to your 20 minute Alfredo recipe. I have tried many vegan Alfredo recipes, and this recipe is AMAZING! I made it for dinner tonight, so I easy. As I was eating, I couldn’t stop saying how good it was! Thank you SO much! I am always looking for gluten free vegan recipes and had never come across your website. I am so happy my daughter found you. God Bless you, Brandi!
Yay! So happy to hear that Debbie! Thank your daughter for me, too!
I ADORE this. How would you adapt it to make a “yellow” macaroni and cheese sauce?
Hi Anna, sorry for the delay! I have a mac and cheese recipe already on the blog and you can add some cashews too if you like to make it a bit richer. Here is the link: https://thevegan8.com/2015/04/08/fat-free-vegan-cheese-sauce/
Oh thank you! It’s not listed on the pasta part of your recipe index, so I missed it. 🙂
Blarg, yes it is, I just plain missed it. 🙂
I wanted to let you know I’ve made this several times and it is literally perfection every time. I plan to make the sauce again tonight and use it on a spinach and mushroom pizza. YUM! Thank you for creating such a simple and delicious recipe. 🙂
So very happy to hear that Shelby! I loved reading your feedback, thank you so much for letting me know!
Really delicious! I had to buy several ingredients to make it exactly as written and it was so worth it! I made raw cashew butter in the food processor since my nearby store only had roasted. I had the sauce over cooked summer squash spiral noodles with roasted bell pepper on a bed of fresh spinach and it was absolutely delicious. I think adding mushrooms (maybe roasted) would be incredible. Thank you Brandi for the outstanding recipe and thanks to the commenters whose enthusiastic reviews made me choose this recipe.
Hi Brandi – tried your recipe tonight & was somewhat disappointed – didn’t care for the strong yeast taste & the color was yellowish. However after reading the comments I think I need to try a different yeast (sari). Also what brand of broth did you use? The color was really yellowish, not at all the creamy white in the picture. Since we adore Alfredo sauce I really want to find a non dairy vegan version. Thank you!
Sunnie
Hi Sunnie! Oh yes, different yeasts definitely can taste much different. I’ve only received amazing feedback on this recipe so far, so if yours taste off, then it is definitely the yeast or broth you used. I have tried some broths before that were very dark and left an awful taste. Don’t use broths with a strong carrot or tomato base. I just use a very light veggie broth from HEB. I’ve tried Trader Joes before and it was awful and turned my alfredo orange, not good. Also, the Sari yeast I use is non-fortified, therefore it doesn’t have that awful strong vitamin taste, so definitely try that if you can, because a lot on the market are loaded with synthetic vitamins and therefore, taste really nasty. Hope that helps!
Hi Sunnie! Oh yes, different yeasts definitely can taste much different. I’ve only received amazing feedback on this recipe so far, so if yours taste off, then it is definitely the yeast or broth you used. I have tried some broths before that were very dark and left an awful taste. Don’t use broths with a strong carrot or tomato base. I just use a very light veggie broth from HEB. I’ve tried Trader Joes before and it was awful and turned my alfredo orange, not good. Also, the Sari yeast I use is non-fortified, therefore it doesn’t have that awful strong vitamin taste, so definitely try that if you can, because a lot on the market are loaded with synthetic vitamins and therefore, taste really nasty. Hope that helps!
Hello from Puerto Rico, and Are you kidding me??? This sauce was amazing. My wife said it tasted like gravy. First time making it and we used for a pizza. Put the sauce in a whole grain pizza crust, added some green and red peppers, some mushrooms and spinach, and OMG, best pizza ever. I can imagine using it for lots of things. Thank you!
Hi Neil! So happy to hear how much you loved it, thank you so much for the wonderful feedback!!
This is just amazing
Your site all your hard work it s just perfect
Very helpful and i cant wait to share it with my friends and family ! So grateful i found this website and i will definitely try all the receipes❤️Thanks for doing what you do! Vegan for almost 2 years 😘😘
Aww thank you so much Ana, you are so sweet! So glad you found me! Let me know if you need any help on anything!
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!
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.
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!
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!
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!!
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!
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 🙂
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! (: