Learn how to make absolutely #1 The Best Vegan Garlic Alfredo Sauce as rated by readers! So easy, dairy-free, oil-free, just 6 ingredients (+salt & pepper) and so incredibly creamy and full of flavor!
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VEGAN GARLIC ALFREDO SAUCE
One of most people’s indulgent comfort foods is alfredo sauce. I admit, I used to love it too, but I didn’t love how after just a few bites, I felt sick. There is such a thing as foods being too rich. Feeling nauseated and in a nasty food coma for hours after eating something isn’t really worth it to me. Enter the best Vegan Garlic Alfredo Sauce you’ll ever have.
HOW DO YOU MAKE VEGAN ALFREDO SAUCE?
Easy, you just need 6 simple ingredients:
- raw cashews
- onion
- garlic
- lemon juice
- nutritional yeast
- low sodium vegetable broth
First, you will cook your onions low and slow until really tender.
Add the garlic and cook until soft. Add the onion and garlic to a blender with the remaining ingredients. Blend until completely smooth.
Serve over pasta and enjoy the decadent, but healthy, vegan alfredo sauce!
No need to try any further anymore. This one is dairy-free and oil-free. Most vegan versions contain vegan butter or oil, not healthy. This one is made from cashews which make it exceptionally creamy. I wanted a whole food version and oil-free.
WHY VEGAN ALFREDO IS BETTER THAN TRADITIONAL
Traditional garlic alfredo sauce has butter, milk, cream, parmesan cheese (or other cheeses) and garlic in it. Major dairy overload! Bloated, icky feeling. It also does not have onion in it. However, I wanted to give my alfredo sauce that slightly, sweet richness typically reached by cream and butter, so I added cooked onions, lots of them.
Here’s a little side by side nutrition for my alfredo sauce in comparison to Olive Garden’s version:
Mine per 1/2 cup serving which is a hefty serving:
125.2 calories, 7 g fat, 5.6 g protein, 11.3 carbs
and Olive Garden’s: (they use heavy cream, milk, lots of cheese and 6 egg yolks, see here)
460 calories, 43 g fat!!, 9 carbs, 8 grams protein
Wow, what a difference! Hey, so it has a hair less carbs, but who cares when all of my ingredients are quality ingredients and not heavy on the heart. Nothing wrong with indulging occasionally, but you could eat my alfredo sauce weekly with much less guilt.
DOES IT REALLY TASTE LIKE ALFREDO?
I know what you are thinking….does it really taste like garlic alfredo sauce?? Well, my hubby said, “spot on” and then “it really tastes exactly like garlic alfredo sauce”. I was shocked. I’ll let you be the judge. I’d say it is pretty darn close, especially considering it doesn’t have any of the typical ingredients!
Regardless, it is delicious and very creamy and you can eat this alfredo sauce without tons of guilt.
Other Vegan Alfredo Recipes to try:
Sadly, this recipe is my MOST popular weekly and is continuing to be stolen and copied and posted by other sites/blogs without ANY credit. It is very upsetting, so please know that I worked hard to create this recipe years back and it is my original creation. If you like this recipe, please give credit where credit is due.
the Best Vegan Garlic Alfredo Sauce
INGREDIENTS
- 1 medium white onion, diced (200g) (MAKE SURE to measure out 1 1/2 cups b/c this is where lots of flavor comes)
- 1-2 cups (240-480g) low sodium vegetable broth, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 x-large (15g) minced garlic cloves
- 1/2 heaping cup (75g) raw unsalted cashews (see NOTE)
- 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice (start with just 1 and taste after blended!)
- 2-4 tablespoons nutritional yeast (I highly recommend this Sari brand, it is non-fortified with much better taste.)
NOTE
- It is not recommended to sub or eliminate any of these ingredients, as I cannot vouch for the results if any are changed. The lemon juice is crucial, as it eliminates any cashew flavor.
NOTE
- If you are using raw cashews and 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.
INSTRUCTIONS
- Add the onion and ONLY 1 cup of the broth to a large pan over medium to medium-high heat. Cook for about 8 minutes until the onion is very tender. (Add a tiny bit more broth if it is cooking too fast or turn the heat down, so the onions don't burn) After 8 minutes, add the garlic and cook a couple of minutes more, stirring often. All of the broth should have evaporated by now. If not, keep letting it cook until the broth is GONE. You don't want any more liquid once it's done cooking, so the end result is thick and creamy.
Add the cooked veggies (the onion and garlic) to a blender. Start out by adding JUST 1/2 cup more of the remaining broth and add the remaining ingredients (salt, pepper, cashews, starting with JUST 1 tablespoon lemon juice, nutritional yeast-starting with just 2 tablespoons yeast). Blend on high for a couple of minutes until very creamy and smooth. Add any more broth to reach desired consistency, if necessary. I did not. If you don't add more broth, you would likely not need any more yeast. Taste and add any more salt & pepper or lemon, if desired.
- Serve over preferred pasta. Note: When preparing your pasta, make sure to salt your water well, so your pasta has flavor and isn't bland, which can affect the end flavor result of the dish. I add around a tablespoon to a large pot of boiling water. Garnish with parsley, lemon zest and salt & pepper, if desired. Add any veggies you like. I like to add broccoli or even peas. Store leftovers in the fridge. The sauce will thicken up even more overnight, which you can thin out a little with a touch of broth when reheating, if necessary.
Oh. My. Gosh. I made this a few days ago, and I am forever changed. It was so simple, so easy, so quick. I truly enjoyed it. I cooked it up with some vegan spicy sausage, rigatoni pasta, and a side of steamed broccoli. (Chef’s kiss) thank you, thank you for this creamy, beautiful, delightful and most delicious Vegan Alfredo Sauce.
Aww yay, that is amazing to hear, thank you Selina for the feedback!
Phenomenal. No yeast at the store today but added plant-based parm plus sautéed mushrooms spinach broccoli and vegan unbreaded tenders. Soaked cashews in hot water for 90 min so a 5 min pre prep and then about 40 min for everything else. Family kitchen activity and will
make again soon!
This Alfredo is AMAZING. I am very shocked at how much it tastes like Alfredo.. it’s a healthy version, but actually tastes amazing. I used whole wheat pasta and that tasted great with it!! I don’t have anything else to say except for this is one of my new fav meals!
Tried your sauce and found it to be absolutely wonderfully DELICIOUS. Such a gift – something that is so good for you and yet it tastes like the real sauce after which it was created. Thank you for taking the time to create it and especially sharing it with others – I am ever so delighted and grateful.
Can I freeze this sauce
yes, just reblend once thawed so it gets smooth again.
The flavour rocks. However: As directed, I cooked the onions then the garlic in 1 cup of broth. Once these veg were soft, instead of waiting for broth to evaporate, I simply sieved the onions and garlic out, saved the remaining (now 1/3 C of broth) and when it came time to add the broth to the food processor, I just used the broth from the onions and garlic cooking. Didn’t need any additional liquid, perhaps because the onions n garlic were wet enough. Finger-licking good–I wish I had mushrooms to saute and serve with this pasta dish. Delish.
So glad you loved it!
We put this on fettuccine noodles. It was good and my family, including 2 children enjoyed it. I added sun-dried tomatoes and green peas to mine. Was very good.
I haven’t eaten dairy since I was in the 5th grade when I learned I had an allergy to milk. I saw this recipe and went to the store at 11pm to get the ingredients to make and I am not disappointed in the slightest. This is sooo amazing!! Thank you !! I added capers to it and it was really amazing.
So happy to hear this, Ellie!
OMG this so soooooo good, even my meat eating family asked for seconds.
I’m not vegan but this alfredo sauce but my husband is so I made this primarily for him. It was a huge hit even with the kids. It’s going to replace our regular store bought alfredo sauce for sure. Thank you!
This is so good. I love the creaminess and it is so satisfying and delicious!!
Thank you
To shortcut the cashew step – can we use 100% cashew butter instead? If so, how much do we use?
Yes, I think that should work fine! Use the same gram weight amount, which for cashew butter, that would equal just under 5 tablespoons.
Just here again after a few tears to say my family never tires of this amazing Alfredo sauce. Made it again tonight and served over pasta with chicken ken and broccoli.
I made this sauce last night and could not believe how creamy and delicious it turned out!!
So so so darn good! Loved it! Thank you so much for sharing!!!!
I made this tonight for my omnivorous friends and they were so impressed, they said they wouldn’t have known that it was entirely vegan! I liked the taste as its similar to alfredo but personally I always like adding a little more spice to my meals.
So glad it was a hit! Alfredo is a very basic mellow flavor but you can always add any more spices if you want!
I made this recipe before and my family didn’t notice this was vegan. I am the only vegan member of my family and slowly I’ve been serving them delicious food like this Alfredo sauce and they have barely noticed. :). I love this sauce so much that I am going to make it again tonight. Thank you! I really appreciate simple and quick recipes like this- I work long hours and have little energy to cook meals that require too many ingredients and time. Thanks again 🙂
Thank you so much for such kind feedback!!
This is so good and we *have* subbed ingredients (not because the recipe needed it but because I don’t always plan well) but no matter what, it’s always fantastic. Some of the changes we’ve tried are subbing a whole, roasted onion (that was frozen and defrosted), using freeze dried garlic, dubbing unsweetened almond milk for broth, adding oven-dried tomatoes, adding dried red pepper flakes… always comes out great!