A Vegan Cream Cheese Alfredo that is tangy, creamy, dairy-free, oil-free and incredibly delicious! Just 8 ingredients and ready in 20 minutes!
Oh yes, I did. Classic Alfredo just got a delicious twist. 4. This is number 4 alfredo for my blog. Why? Well, because I’d say that I love eating alfredo as much as I love creating them. This one is different than my other 2 popular ones. Best Vegan Garlic Alfredo and 20 Minute Vegan Alfredo.
How?
Well, this one does not have ANY nutritional yeast. All 3 of my alfredos have it and pretty much any recipe online has it. But, since so many detest it and I personally don’t use it anymore and often get asked how to sub it, I switched gears for this alfredo and created Vegan Cream Cheese Alfredo. OMG. That’s what I kept saying over and over after I tasted it. Since yogurt worked so well in this Strawberry Cream Cheese, I wanted to use it again. Cream cheese alfredo had to happen.
OMG. It’s divine y’all. Divine.
All you need to make this is 8 easy ingredients (+salt & water):
- 1/2 cup raw cashews or white beans if you don’t mind bean-based sauces
- 1/2 cup plain unsweeted coconut yogurt (I use the So Delicious brand)
- 1/2 cup yukon gold potato
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar…the white vinegar is infinitely better than apple for the cream cheese flavor
- 1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs
- pasta of choice
Once again, yukon gold potato shows up in a sauce. I know you aren’t surprised by that considering I’ve done it in my Vegan Mac ‘N’ Cheese and my third alfredo, the Nut-Free Vegan Alfredo!
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN CREAM CHEESE ALFREDO
First, if you don’t have a high-powered blender then soak your cashews overnight in water.
Cook your potato. I just wrap a potato (with skin on) in plastic wrap and microwave until soft and then peel the skin and measure out 1/2 cup mashed (120g). The plastic wrap does not touch the actual part being used. Let cool a bit while you add the ingredients to a blender.
Add the cashews, water, yogurt, potato, garlic powder, onion powder, vinegar, Italian herbs, salt/pepper and blend until smooth.
Add to cooked pasta and you are ready to eat! No oil, no butter and yet, so creamy and divine.
If you are feeling it then add some dried or fresh Italian herbs and red pepper flakes!
Vegan Cream Cheese Alfredo
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (75g) raw cashews or white beans if you don't mind bean-based sauces-See Note
- 3/4 to 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup (120g) "plain" soy or coconut yogurt (I use the SoDelicious coconut from Sprouts or Silk Soy from Krogers)
- 1/2 cup (120g) cooked/mashed yukon gold potato
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar (white vinegar is infinitely better than apple for the cream cheese flavor)
- 2-3 teaspoons dried Italian herbs 3 will yield a darker colored sauce
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- optional: 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- pasta of choice
- Note: If you are allergic to cashews and are a fan of white bean sauces then you can sub with them at your own risk. I am personally NOT a fan of white bean sauces. They are a weird mouth feel and not nearly as creamy, but that is personal. If you do the beans, the sauce will not be as thick, so you may need to heat it up for a few minutes over the stove to thicken it some before adding to the pasta.
Instructions
- If you do not have a high-powered blender then you will need to soak your cashews in a bowl of water overnight, drain and rinse and proceed with the recipe. Otherwise, your sauce will be gritty. I never soak mine because I have a Vitamix.
- Begin boiling a large pot of water for your pasta and cook according to the box directions for whatever pasta you use. Make sure to salt your water well so your pasta is not bland.
- Cook your potato your preferred method. I just wrap a potato (with skin on) in plastic wrap and microwave until soft and then peel the skin and measure out 1/2 cup mashed (120g). The plastic does not touch the actual part of the potato being used. Let cool a minute while you add the ingredients to a blender.
- Add the cashews, water (starting with 3/4 cup), yogurt, potato, garlic powder, onion powder, vinegar, Italian herbs, salt/pepper and optional nutmeg and blend until completely smooth. If you want it thinner, add a little bit more water. Taste and if a tangier taste is desired, add more yogurt or vinegar. I found it to be perfect. Add more salt if desired. Serve over cooked pasta and enjoy! Feel free to add any veggies you want but classic alfredo is served plain and it's actually my favorite way to eat it. Just a bit of herbs or red pepper flakes I like to add sometimes.
Is there a substitute for the yogurt? I live in Jamaica and we only have dairy yogurt. I have just started going vegan and came across your site. I love it, the ingredients are simple and the list is short. Excellent!!!. I just don’t have access to some of them. Keep up the good work
Thank you Paula! Do you have vegan sour cream, I think that should work as a substitute.
OMG!!! This was delicious! I’ve been looking at recipes and none seemed to be what I looking for. This was it and was a hit. It was so easy to make. The only problem is it tastes to good. I was full and couldn’t stop eating.
Brandi…. we need to talk…
This sauce is….. amazing! I am also sensitive to nutritional yeast (I have a bad reaction to it as it gives me headaches) also I never thought it had a good smell or a cheesy flavor. This recipe is a game changer!!! Your recipes are on a roll with me… keep this up and I will have no problem maintaining my whole food plant based diet (I’m on my 3rd weeks so far and was vegetarian prior)! One thing I am wondering is how long can this sauce be stored in the fridge and does it reheat well?
Thank you!!!
haha, thank you so much Emma, you are too sweet! So honored to hear my recipes are making your transition such a success, that warms my heart! This sauce is good a week in the fridge and yes, it reheats well! Just give it a good whisk 🙂
Thank you so much!
Oh my goodness! This was delish! Couldn’t stop eating it. I added asparagus and steamed sweet peas. Will be making again and again! Uses riced noodles which were perfect.
That is so wonderful to hear Tonya, thank you so much for the wonderful feedback!
Hello,
What does the vegan cream cheese pasta taste like…? I’m personally not a vegan myself and I’m considering trying some of your alfredo recipes. Can you do a vegan carbonara (including egg yolk) and a penne alla vodka?
God Bless,
Gen
Hi Gen! Well, it has a cream cheese flavor! It’s creamy, rich and delicious. If you see all the reviews above, readers have loved it and I’ve served it many times to non-vegans and heard from many non vegans who made and loved it. My alfredo recipes are a universal hit with people, whether vegan or not, just creamy, rich sauces! Honestly, try not to think of it as “vegan”, but rather just a yummy creamy sauce, which it is! I’ll kero those others in mind!
This was amazing! Thank you for the easy and tasteful recipe.
Hello! I was just wondering if the taste will differ with soy yogurt versus coconut yogurt? Also, how do I subscribe to your newsletters?! Loving your recipes!!
No, either will work fine! As long as there isn’t added sugar, otherwise it might have a sweet taste to it! I have your email since you left a comment, so I will add you to my newsletter, thank you so much!
Totally hijacking this for Thanksgiving to make a clean Green Bean Casserole!!!! Thanks so much! Also… Quick cooked potatoes: poke holes, put a small amount of water and flip a glass bowl over the top…. Voila… No more plastic wrap. 🙂
Great tip Lili!
This is so much yum! I’ve already made it 3 times this month! My hubby really likes it too. Sooo good! Thank you Brandi!
Oh my goodness this is your best Alfredo yet!!! I prepared the recipe exactly as is, but had to add veges as I add them to everything haha. I sautéed onion, mushrooms & broccoli. Sooooo good! Thank you Brandi for continuing to develop these amazing recipes & making my vegan journey that much easier 😍😍😍
Yippee! Oh this made my day Tania! I’m just so so happy you loved this so much! Thanks for the amazing review!!
Y’all. I tried and conquered this dish. Whatever a “serving” size is, well, I managed to eat maybe four. Being new to oil-free vegan means I need food that still tastes like the comfort foods I have eaten my whole life, but have the amazing health benefits of being plant based. This is the fifth recipe I have made of Brandi’s and ALL are keepers.
Thank you so much Alena for this glowing review, you really made my day!! And you totally made me LOL about the serving size, hahaha! So glad you’ve loved all my recipes, makes me happy to hear!
I am 15 weeks pregnant with twins and have severe pregnancy nausea and food aversions to just about everything. I had to make some modifications to the recipe (leave out the garlic, onion powder, Italian seasoning because I can’t handle all those delicious flavors right now). But let me say that even down to its bare bones, this is an amazing recipe! Thank you so much. I can’t wait to make this as written with all the flavor once I am past this crazy nausea. The yogurt addition is genius and is why this still has a great flavor even without all the seasonings.
Yay! Thank you so much Katherine for such awesome feedback! So happy you loved this so much, even without the seasonings! And congrats on your twins, how exciting and such a blessing!
I made a big batch of your Alfredo sauce knowing I was going to have surgery. I added it to edamame pasta with portobello mushrooms. The recipe made about seven servings with leftover sauce. Freezing this gave my husband and I a quick pasta dinner for when he was tired. The sauce was fabulous and gave me a treat when he was tired.
Hi Sharon! I’m thrilled to hear how much you loved this alfredo! Sorry to hear about your surgery, glad this recipe gave you some comfort and I hope you recover quickly!
Shoot forgot to give the star rating in last comment, definitely a 5+++ thank you again for such a incredibly favorable recipe
😀
Yay Lisa, thank you so much for the awesome feedback! So thrilled you and your hubby loved this alfredo!
Just made this for my husband and myself, and we both said wow!! We’ve been looking and looking for a great vegan Alfredo sauce, and this is perfecto! Another great recipe, thank you!!
FINALLY!!! An vegan alfredo sauce that not only tastes good, but is incredible! I have tried so many others – seriously, I was on a quest – and usually wind up tossing the sauce as it is inedible. Some I ate, but never made again. But THIS! Better than the original! Thank you a million times over.
Yay! Such a fabulous review Kayleigh, thank you so much for this awesome feedback and sharing it on here! So thrilled you loved it so much!
How many servings for this recipe? TIA.
4
I’ve tried several different vegan alfredo sauces, and this recipe is by far the best! It is soooo good y’all!
So very happy to hear that Annie, thank you so much for the amazing review!!
Can i use lemon instead of white vinegar ?
Hi Cathy, it won’t have quite the same cream cheese flavor but it will still work and be yummy!
I’m planning on making this for dinner one night this week, and I was wondering how much sauce this makes. Is it enough for 1 lb of pasta, or should I double it?
Hi Faygie! This makes about 2 cups of sauce so it makes a good amount. Depending on how saucy you like your pasta to be, you may or may not need to double it.
I ended up doubling the recipe and using 20 oz. of pasta, and it was perfect. And delicious! Thank for another great recipe!
That’s so awesome to hear!
Brandi, I had to send.a quick note to say how glad I am to have found you! My family and I switched to vegan several mo this ago. We are busy like all families and I really have a hard time finding the motivation to tackle dinner with a dozen ingredients and many steps. I stumbled first on to your Mexican cheese and bean dish and it looked so simple I made it that night. Everyone loved it. Since then we have made many more from your site. They always turn out perfect. Tonight I made this Alfredo sauce and honestly my husband didn’t believe me that I didn’t sneak in cheese or cream! It tastes exactly like the original. Thank you for all your hard work and for short, delicious family friendly recipes!
Hi Kelly! What a wonderful, kind and lovely review to read, thank you so much! I love hearing how much all of my recipes are loved by you and your family, that makes me so happy to hear. So glad to hear how much this cream cheese alfredo was a hit as well. I really and truly appreciate you taking the time to leave this note and let me know. It means so much to hear! If you get a chance to star rate the recipes you try or this one, it means so much and really helps me out, thank you again Kelly!
Ok I had to come back and give this recipe a review. If I could give it more stars I would. The recipe is beyond perfect. Everything about it the flavor, the creamy texture and consistency it is all simply amazing. I tasted two bites with just pasta and sauce but I of course had to load it with veggies but the sauces amazing texture and flavor still stood out over the veggies, so the veggies didn’t ruin or change the flavor in the least bit. What an amazing sauce. This is going to be a regular in my house for sure. The only problem with the recipe is it is addicting. Hahaha After I finished eating dinner I was already craving it again 😛 . It is truly divine and I am so grateful that you created this recipe and you shared it with us so we could all enjoy. Thank you!!!
Aww, thank you Christina! I so much appreciate you taking the time to leave such a lovely review! So, so happy you loved this recipe and your extra veggies sound super delicious! Never can have too many veggies!
Could you please the brand noodles you used for this recipe since they look like either fettuccine or linguine and I have not been able to find gluten free noodles other than regular spaghetti, thank you so much
Hi Maria! I did not use gluten-free in these photos but I do know that there is gluten-free fettucini by a brand called Tinkyada that is made from brown rice. Walmart sells it and so does Sprouts and many grocery stores.
Do you think raw cashew butter could be substituted for the cashews? My Whole Foods no longer sells raw cashews only roasted. If it is a good substitute would I use 1/2 cup of the cashew butter? Alternatively I was thinking of making it with the white beans and using this cashew yogurt I found at Whole Foods. Do you think cashew yogurt would work in the recipe? If I used cashews I probably wouldn’t use cashew yogurt too that might be too much cashew but with white beans hopefully cashew yogurt will work.
Yes, cashew butter would totally work! You would just use the same weight amount (75g), which is about 5 tablespoons. It’s going to taste MUCH better with the cashew butter than beans, trust me! Yes, I think cashew yogurt should work. I’ve never tried it, but I think it would!
Awesome thank you so much I have everything I need for the recipe except the cashews now that I know cashew butter will work I am going to pick that up and use that. Since I already have it I will also try the cashew yogurt and see how it goes. I am so excited to make this I am making it this Friday.
This looks so yummy and I love that it doesn’t have nutritional yeast since I can’t handle that at all. I was wondering if you could use lemon juice instead of vinegar in this recipe? I can’t have vinegar because of candida
Yes, that will be fine Amy!