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.
This was so delicious! I followed the recipe exactly and then added sauteed veggies to make a primavera alfredo pasta. The family LOVED it. Thank you!!
The best and easiest recipe!! Ididnt change a thing!!!
Thank you Brandi, you are the best!
This Alfredo sauce is amazing – it’s so similar to a heavy cream and cheese sauce! Thank you for a great recipe!
Floored!!! This is incredibly creamy and delicious and by far the best out of all the vegan alfredos I’ve ever tried. I made it with soaked cashews.
So awesome to hear that Julia!
Brandi Hi
I am thanking you in advance just reading all the comments lol! Problem can we use cashews in the bag?I can’t find raw cashews anywhere… or are those considered raw. I only see them unsalted at wal-mart and places in the bags? also I have a kitchen aid mixer and a older model Cuisinart is either ok to blend these babies! I’m so ready to make this after spending $8 bucks on a jar at whole foods.
Check the ingredients to make sure they don’t say roasted and no added oil/salt and if they don’t, they should be raw. Roasted usually say roasted on the bag or can. I would use the food processor but make sure to soak the cashews in a bowl of water overnight, drain and rinse. It’s all listed under NOTE.
This. Was. Amazing. 100% will be making this again! Thank youuuuu!
I’m not sure how you do it!!! We’ve tried the cauliflower version from another vegan blogger… good, but lacking something. I’m pretty sure my butter loving parm loving husband will be fine without both when he tries this!!! The heavy cream, butter, parm, salt, and garlic recipe I use for his birthday dinner every year (seriously, I only cook it once a year) tastes more like a buttery-creamy-dairy cheesy version, but this is FANTASTIC, and WORTH THE TRADE!!!! We have gone 100% WFPB since having some health scares and your recipes make it SO easy!!! <3
Aww yay Kelley! So happy to hear this!
Thank you for this excellent recipe. I recently started eating a vegan, no added oil diet after years (16) of being a vegetarian. For health reasons mostly. The fat is a bit higher than I would normally eat in a single meal but oh boy, was it ever worth it! I liked it so much, I have made it for supper again tonight lol 😊
I forgot to give a rating in my comment earlier. It’s a 5 star recipe!
So happy to hear that, thank you Sharon!
Cuisine American? I don’t think so! Although I suppose this version is…
Well, based on a good Italian one. Still, going to try this tonight.
So I made this, this morning for my meal prep for the week. I’m a flight attendant and meal prepping is how I survive being vegan with little options when I travel for work. This was sooooo delicious. Thank you Brandi girl for this recipe. I really love it and appreciate it !
Absolutely delicious! Super easy to make and very nutritious!
I’ll try your recipe asap! Can I freeze it? Thank you! ☺️
Yes, freezing is fine, you will need to thaw it and reblend to a smooth consistency.
I’ve made Salmon Alfredo Past twice in the past week using this recipe and it is PERFECT. I added mushrooms to the pot when I was cooking the veggies and it added to the flavour. Thank you so much for this recipe and I truly love the simplicity of the ingredients.
I’M ADDICTED!! I make this just as often as I can, and I make a double batch every time. I recommend it to anyone who will listen! It’s so velvety smooth and just delicious. I’m not even vegan and I will take this version over any dairy alfredo ANY day.
SO awesome to hear, thank you Madi! Glad you love it more than the dairy version, whoop!
Soo good!! I didn’t think it could be true but all the comments made me give it a try. I put it over zucchini noodles! Fantastic!
Aww yay, really glad to hear it Ciera!
How many does this serve?☺️
Hi Klaudia, this makes about 2 cups of sauce, so 3-4 people!
I’m somewhat offended the overall rating is 4.99 and not a perfect 5. This receipt is INCREDIBLE. Simple but every ingredient and amount is just perfect. This sauce is just as creamy and has as much flavor as any alfredo sauce I’ve ever had. Brillant. Thank you for sharing it!
Hahaha, that made me laugh!! Thank you so much! I’m so happy you love the recipe so much! Thank you Lewis!
Amazing!! My boyfriend, who normally hates all pasta sauce (vegan or not), LOVES IT! Huge win for me because I love pasta sauce, so now I can make this every time.
I had cashew cream already made so I used it instead of raw cashews and additional broth. I also didn’t have any nutritional yeast on hand so I used miso paste and it was delicious!!
Thanks for the yummy recipe. I will be adding this to our dinner rotation. ❤️
Wow. This was so good even though I forgot the yeast and I’m totally not a vegan. What does the yeast do? Is it for the flavor profile? Thank you for the recipe!
Wonderful! Yes, it provides extra flavor and a bit of cheesiness. But I’ve made it many times without it as well and still really good!
Excellent recipe. My husband has been vegan for almost a year and the rest of us are pretty much vegan because I don’t cook more than one meal at night, but we never found a alfredo sauce that actually tasted good. So, thank you. Big hit in our home. 🙂
Hey ! How long can this sauce last in the fridge before it goes bad ?
Hi, about 4 days or so, just make sure it isn’t smelling off! But we honestly always finish it within 3 days!
My family raved about this. It’s been requested to become one of our staple recipes. I love that it’s healthy, and we feel good… even though we definitely overate! I added sun-dried tomatoes and peas. Lovely.
So wonderful to hear that Tonya!
Do you have any suggestions for making this in the instant pot or do you think this specific recipe would not be compatible with that cooking method? Thanks!
Hi Courtney, yes, this recipe would actually take more time in an instant pot. All you are doing is cooking onions and garlic in a pan and then blending up the sauce. I wouldn’t suggest cooking it in an instant pot with the pasta. The recipe is incredibly fast, so it’s just not necessary. It would take longer just waiting on the IP to heat up.