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.
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!
I’ve been overweight most of my adult life and my husband is a diabetic (uncontrolled) and has a past history of a heart issue. In June he had a spell with his heart prompting him to finally see his doctor which he had avoided for over a year. We discovered his A1C was almost 12 and his total cholesterol was 540. Needless to say I started looking for a fast way to improve our health. We began eating a plant based diet with no meat or dairy and little oil. I have had a difficult time coming up with meal ideas that are quick and easy and don’t require a ton of ingredients I may only use one time. I stumbled across this 20 Min Alfredo and it sounded so simple I had to try it. So glad I did. We both loved it and it was simple and quick. Had leftovers for lunch today and it was just as good reheated. Making the Sun Dried Tomato Pasta tonight. I ordered your cookbook today and can’t wait to try more recipes. Even my daughter who is not a fan of vegetables and is definitely a major meat eater loved this recipe.
This is so wonderful to hear, thank you so much for sharing Nessa! Bless you both on your journey! Thank you for ordering my book!
After reading most of the comments, I had to laugh at the number of husbands that you are making happy with your recipes!!!!!!
Lol, yes, I’m so glad the hubbies approve too!
What can be substituted for brown rice flour?
Regular flour is fine!
This one is a keeper! Thanks, Brandi! To continue on the happy husband theme, I made this for my husband’s birthday dinner. He loved it! 🙂 I sautéed onion, garlic, zucchini, and mushrooms in a large pan before adding the sauce. Delicious!
That is amazing Renee, happy birthday to your husband!!
Not many recipes make it beyond Pinterest in my house, and if they get made they don’t always get made again. This one is a firm favourite and has even made it into the highest of honours in this house, my printed out recipes folder! I was following the original recipe but with cashew nut butter since before this updated recipe and now I feel like a trend setter! 😀
I always use mixed frozen veggies but curious as to what else works well in this sauce?
Aww I’m so flattered Kathryn! I always use either peas, carrots or roasted broccoli. Sometimes I add roasted, spiced chickpeas!