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
- 1/2-3/4 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)
- 1/2-1 tablespoon lemon juice (start with just 1/2 and taste after blended!)
- 2 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 1/2 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.
Best Alfredo recipe!!
Loved it!
This was awesome! I have thrown out several vegan cheese attempts but even my 4 year old granddaughter liked this one. Great recipe! Thanks for sharing!
Yay, thank you, that’s wonderful to hear!
This dish has been a weekly staple for my family over the last two years. My go-to recipe for Alfredo as a veteran vegan due to the taste, texture, and quick process. Would just like to note that it never takes me just 8 minutes to sautee the onions and evaporate the broth no matter how great a pan I have, how high the heat is, the type of range, etc – this is a 15-minute process easily. Just a note so readers know what to expect. Can’t stop, won’t stop! This recipe is life!
So happy you love it Mary, thank you for sharing!
Made this for dinner and it was awesome! Very easy and quick to make. This will definitely be a regular at our house. Thank you for sharing!
This is the most amazing sauce. I keep a jar in the fridge and use it on everything! I put it on pizza and pasta. One of my favorite ways to use this is to open a can of fat free refried beans and mix it with the sauce and use on whole grain tortillas for a quick, easy and tasty lunch! No cheese sauce can compare to this one!!
Got damn this was goooooddddd!
I did t change anything except added an extra clove of garlic. Oooh whee! I don’t miss regular Alfredo sauce!
So happy you loved it Reah!!
Does this freeze well?
Yes! Just thaw overnight in the fridge an reheat over low.
Delicious!! Thank you for this recipe!
Is it the “original” or “natural” nutritional yeast you recommend?
I’m not sure..it should say non-fortified.
Made this and it was delicious! Had it with chickpea rotini! Next time will add broccoli or peas! Wonderful!,,
Yay so happy you loved it!
This recipe is absolutely amazing. Tip: if you are running low on time, boil some water, add the cashews, cover and remove from heat. In 15 minutes they will be ready for the blender.
Amazing – thank you so much for sharing this recipe. Due to a medical condition, my son is unable to have dairy at all and so this recipe is an absolute blessing to our family. I mixed it through a dairy free mushroom ravioli I found in the shops, and it was SCRUMMY! This is going to become a definite staple in our household. I also used it tonight as the cream base for a dairy free beef stroganoff and just thinned it out with more stock. Worked an absolute treat. Wow! Thanks!
Another winner, just right in richness and flavor, thank you for good recipes. I also tried the Vegan Snickerdoodles and the Vegan Instant Pot Lentils, thanks
Woohoo!!
I did a few changes 🙂
I made a broth with celery root, red onion, garlic, potato and carrot.
Then I added in the broth liquid: mushrooms, scallions, garlic.
Raw cashews work wonders in Nutribullet .
Never added yeast.
Thank you!
Soooo good. I used extra cashews and red onion instead of brown. Also added some chilli and it was soooo delicious. This recipe is amazing.
Absolutely love this recipe! I had to adjust how much vegetable stock i used to get it to the consistency i wanted but other than that, 10/10!!! I HIGHLY recommend
So happy you loved it Ash!
This recipe is phenomenal!!!!! My picky husband ate 2 bowls of Spaghetti with this sauce👍🏻 Thank you so much!
So glad to hear you enjoyed it Molly!
Easy and delicious! I soaked the cashews overnight in fridge for 15 hours, blended in a mini Kitchen Aid food processor, the texture did not turn out smooth like cream no matter how much I blend. Might soak them longer next time! And, I pre-roasted the garlic bulb before blending, really added depth to flavour. Thanks for your recipe!
This recipe was spot on. Perfect proportions. Easy to make and one of the best vegan dishes I’ve ever had at home or at a vegan restaurant!!! 5 Stars
Woohoo, wow that is amazing feedback, thank you Karl!!
I made this recipe exactly as written and it was AMAZING!! My boyfriend who is very picky and not vegan also absolutely loved it. I am saving this for future use, I know it will become a stable in our family. Thank you so much for sharing such a wonderful recipe!!
So happy to hear that!
This sounds delicious! I’m trying to remake an Alfredo pasta dish that is served cold, will this do well as a cold sauce?
I suppose! I’ve never eaten it cold!
I’ve been vegan for over a decade and one of the things I miss most is creamy savoury sauces. I have tried so many vegan alfredo sauces, some that try to replicate the original ingredients using processed vegan butter, milk, and cheese, cauliflower alfredo sauce, sauces with flour and butter, and all cashew. All disappointing. Then THIS recipe came along and changed my life. NOTHING compares to this sauce. I have made it dozens of times and I couldn’t recommend it more highly. I can’t even figure out how you came up with it. It’s fantastic and I am going to go make some now.
This made me so happy to read, thank you Bella!
I didn’t have any vegetable broth do I just used water but that didn’t stop this recipe from being absolutely delicious! Yummmmmm
Absolutely fantastic!
I loved it! My whole family loved it too. Thank you so much for this recipe. I look forward to more!
So awesome to hear, thank you!
People have been using oil to cook for literally thousands and thousands of years. I’m not saying we should deep fry all of our food, but how could you publish such a biased and unfounded statement as “other recipes contain oil, which is unhealthy?” I’ve been vegan my entire adult life, about 8 years, and have found that most things in moderation are totally fine! Other than that, this recipe was great. Always love a good vegan alfredo, nice simple recipe
You can read all about my viewpoint here on oils and why I try to limit them as much as possible. https://thevegan8.com/how-to-cook-bake-without-oil/
And my actual statement was “Most vegan versions contain vegan butter or oil, not healthy.” I’m mainly referring to the vegan butter and excess oil used, which there is no person who can state vegan butter is a heath food. It is highly processed oils. I am by no means a perfect eater and consume oil on occasion and eating out of course, but my GOAL as a recipe developer is to create recipes whole food based as much as possible. Oils are not whole foods and I prefer to get my fats from whole foods with all the nutrition still in tact…nuts, seeds, avocados, olives, etc.
As a naturopathic doctor and former RN, I completely agree with you Brandi. It’s just a matter of educating one another to help better our food intake.
I made this just now for my boyfriend who does not like ANY vegan food and he actually loved this! He said he wouldn’t have known it was vegan if I didn’t tell him. I followed the instructions to a T and it came out perfect. Also! I only soaked the cashews for 20 minutes and the result was still creamy.
Yay, that is amazing, thank you for sharing!
I’ve made similar recipes, but they don’t compare to this one! Quick and easy and very adaptable. I added peas, mushrooms and soy curls once the sauce was made. Thank you!
That’s awesome Tracy!
Man alive this sauce is outstanding, shamefully l was literally licking the spoon 🤫. The taste, texture, thickness and it was very easy to make definitely a 10/10 from me, thank you so for sharing.
I’ve made this several times, it’s super easy and super delicious. Instructions are clear and easy to follow. Thank you for this awesome recipe!
Absolutely delicious! Perfect! This will be part of my repertoire! Thank you so much!
Yum! Easy!
it was so easy and tasted amazing!
Looks good, but this is certainly not oil-free. The 1/2 C of raw cashews in this recipe has around 30 grams of fat; roughly equivalent to 2 tablespoons of oil. Either added to a recipe will be equally healthy.
You are confusing oil-free and fat-free. Oil-free means no added oil (Olive, vegetable, coconut, etc.) by itself as an ingredient. Cashews are a whole food containing all the nutrients: fat, protein, carbs etc. whereas oil is nothing BUT 100% liquid fat. Oil is not a whole food and 1 Tbsp of oil is 14g of fat, almost double the amount of 1 Tbsp of nut butter. People who try to to avoid processed oils prefer to get their fats from whole food sources like nuts, seeds, avocado, olives, chia and flax. They are much more nutritionally complete than just oil itself. I use Whole Foods as fats instead of oils for nearly all my recipes. I do not avoid fats. You can read in-depth about it here.
https://thevegan8.com/how-to-cook-bake-without-oil/
This was amazing! My family couldn’t believe it was vegan! Wonderful!
woohoo!!
so sad people are stealing your recipe. i can’t wait to try it out tonight though. looking for healthier options.
I have now made this recipe several times because I love it. I can’t believe how delicious it is and still vegan! Thank you, thank you!!! My non-vegan girlfriends will also love it! I plan on serving it for a luncheon!
I made this tonight and it was FABULOUS!
I was unsure about this when I tasted it by itself. Once on my pasta and veggies…WOWZA1
For the first time with a dish like this, I air fried my veggies and it all came together so quickly:
Zucchini, yellow squash, red pepper.
To the sauce I sprinkled garden fresh oregano, basil, and parsley. A generous helping of lemon zest (which I believe really enhanced the whole,thing)
Definitely a keeper!
Thank you! ❤️
I just read this recipe and am looking forward to trying it. We are not vegan but we are looking for great tasting white sauces; and yours reads well. Thank you.
Quiet innovative. Will surely try out on this
Love this recipe! Turns out perfect every time! Do you know if it’s possible to freeze sauce leftovers for later use?
Yay! yes, it freezes well!
Excellent easy recipe-thank you! I sautéed the onion and garlic in a bit of the stock at a time rather than waiting for a lot of liquid to evaporate. So tasty! I used it in a pasta bake with butternut squash and chestnut mushrooms, panko breadcrumbs mixed with olive oil on top. Will definitely bookmark this one.
I was shocked at how good this was! For such a simple recipe, it tastes amazing. This will definitely be in my weekly routine in the future. Thanks!