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.
Wow! I absolutely LOVE this sauce! To be honest, I was a little unsure about how it would turn out, and I am so impressed:) I followed the recipe exactly and I like this better than traditional alfredo sauce. I only became a vegan about 6 months ago and your recipes have me so incredibly inspired ❤️ Thank you so much! 😁
So so kind! Thank you Penny for the amazing review! I love it so much better than the dairy version too! It really is better and doesn’t make me sick afterwards. Thank you for your kind words! 🙂
Thank you for this fantastic recipe! I followed to a T. I used 2 T lemon juice and 4 T yeast. I added a little more pepper. Thank you so much! I’ll be making this often to eat with steamed veggies!
I’m not vegan, but I’m allergic to milk, so I do a lot of vegan recipes. I just made this. It’s delicious, but I did make a few changes. I used about 2 tbs more nutritional yeast, and added in a little basil and paprika at the end (which I always use in pasta sauces. More a personal taste than anything else). It is a little thin for my tastes. Next time I make it I will probably use just 1/2 a cup broth to cook the onions and garlic and start with 1/2 cup to start in the blender.
Hi Amber! So glad it was delicious! Yes, the recipe ingredients lists the range of 2-4 tbsp of nutritional yeast because everybody varies on their tolerance of the flavor. As well as the directions of stating to taste and add more, as it’s up to you how much yeast flavor you want.
Also, I list specifically on the directions to cook the onions and garlic until all the broth cooks off, as well as mentioning to ONLY start with 1/2 cup of broth to the blender. So, it is noted on there so if you added the full cup and didn’t cook off the liquid, that’s why yours was more thin. It works perfectly every time when following those exact steps and is perfectly creamy to coat the pasta well. 🙂
Absolutely delicious, I had my doubts but it was incredible, my husband and friends loved it, not a bit left….thank you
That’s so wonderful to hear Tammy! So glad it was an all-around hit. Thank you for the wonderful review!
This sauce is incredible! My friend made it yesterday and it is spot on! Full of flavor and richness! Had I not watched her make it from start-to-finish I would have never known that it was not traditional alfredo! Excellent job creating this sauce. I will definitely be using this recipe from now on!
That’s so awesome to hear Jessica, thank you so much for letting me know how much you enjoyed it!
Delicious!🤗
Wonderful Platty, so glad to hear that!
Hi Alex, hmm, that’s very odd, never heard that before and as you can see from all the reviews above, hundreds have made this and loved it. It should be creamy and taste like an alfredo. Did you follow the steps of cooking the onions until all the liquid is gone and then just start with adding ONLY 1/2 cup broth to the blender? Also, the lemon juice counteracts any sweetness from the cashews, as well as the nutritional yeast and garlic. Are you adding all of that? Weigh the cashews? It sounds like too much broth got added to me. Also, when you add the sauce to the warmed pasta, that helps the sauce additionally to thicken up but it should not be watery at all in the blender, but creamy and thick like in the photos.
My 7 year old grandson was visiting and I needed something for dinner. I made this sauce and it was a big hit. I doubled the recipe because I was making planned leftovers. I measured the onion, but weighed the garlic. Only used 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Omitted the nutrition yeast because I did not have any. Super creamy. This is going on my list of make again.
Wonderful Nancy, so glad to hear it was such a hit!
Love love love it!!!
Wondering if you could can this-like mason jar canning?
My grown girls loved it and it would be great to put a few jars in their pantry.
Thanks so much for putting it all out there for all of us to enjoy!!!
Jen
Brandi this recipe was soooo awesome!! I made it tonight and added a little rosemary. It honestly tastes better than “real” Alfredo sauce, husband loved it. Thank you so much for sharing! I posted the link to the recipe on a vegan challenge Facebook group, everybody needs to know about this amazing Alfredo sauce!! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Yay Melissa! That is so awesome to hear! Thank you for the amazing review and sharing it with others!!
Made this tonight and it turned out perfect! So delicious and amazing! Did a quick soak for 15 minutes in hot water for the cashews, did everything as mentioned, and blended in my new Vitamix. Came out so good! Thank you for this recipe! 🙂
I’m so very happy to hear that William, thank you so much for the wonderful review!!
There are VERY few recipes that I lick my vitamix for when it’s done. This was one of those very rare recipes that tasted SO good I had my fingers all down in the (unplugged) Vitamix licking every drop I could!! This is AMAZING! I followed the directions to the T and it came out absolutely perfect! I bookmarked this recipe to my phone because it was so good! Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Haha, licking the vitamix is a really good sign of it being delicious! I’m so thrilled to hear how much you loved it, thank you very much for the lovely review Jill, I was so happy reading it!
Tonight I made “the Garlic Alfredo sauce and it was so good and creamy. I added some peas and carrots to them, since I go shopping each week at a farmers market. I was so good it will go onto my ” will do it more often” food plan. My hubby loved it as well, A big Thank you
I’m so happy to hear that Kerstin, thank you so much for the amazing review!
WOW WOW WOW!!!! 😮. I just made this for the first time. Absolutely no difference from the dairy sauce taste wise. My omnivorous husband said it’s the best recipe I’ve ever made him and had three servings!!
This is the first vegan alfredo I’ve tried and Im done my search. This is it. Thankyou sooo much for this recipe. And no oil or other nasties. Completely health promoting 🙂
I’m just so very happy to hear that Michelle! Thank you so much for this amazing review!
Hi!
I want to make this for a new mama who can’t have dairy – have you or anyone tried to freeze the already prepared sauce in portions to thaw & eat? They don’t have a high-speed blender and I’m going for simplicity.
Thank you,
Stephanie
Hi Stephanie! Yes, you can definitely freeze it in individual portion sizes. Just let your friend know to thaw the sauce overnight in the fridge first before eating it and heating it on low over the stove is better than the microwave and to whisk it well as it is heating 🙂
Finally, a chance to make this for a new vegan potluck dinner club and it was a huge hit! I tripled the recipe as I didn’t know how hearty an eater some of the guests would be but the extra sauce is just as delicious reheated. I used it with thin whole wheat spaghetti noodles and a vegetable melange (zucchini, yellow crook neck squash, carrots, celery, red pepper & broccoli) stir fried with sun dried tomatoes. So it was pretty as well as tasty. A great recipe that will be made again!
Thank you Peggy for making it and even moreso for all of your guests! So glad everybody loved it, yay!!
Mine also turned out gritty, however I know it’s because I didn’t soak cashews long enough and I used a food processor. But honestly my husband and I didn’t care that it wasn’t creamy because it was delicious anyway! I’ll definitely be making it again and hopefully can get it to the proper creaminess but if not that’s ok! We also added some peas on top and that tasted good too.
Hi Brit! Oh yes, that’s why I note how important it is to use a Vitamix or soak them overnight. Impossible to get it smooth otherwise. But glad it was still delicious!
Brandi, every recipe that you share with the world is delicious! I made your Vegan Garlic Alfredo Sauce again tonight and it is the best! I doubled the recipe this time and froze half for the future. I have done this with your Mexican cheese sauce and it freezes/thaws beautifully. Thank you for being so creative for us!
Oh yay Carolyn!! So happy to hear that and thank you so much for your sweet words! Great to hear about the freezing part as well 🙂 Would you mind leaving a star rating too, they are so helpful, thank you Carolyn! 🙂
This recipe is amazing! My 20-month old inhaled it without hesitation!
Oh that is so awesome to hear Stephanie, thank you!
Made the sauce, its good, and Ill make it again! A couple things though: it was quite lemony – almost overpowering so Id say err on the side of less lemon when you make it because you can always add more if you really like/want that lemon flavor; and my sauce came out WAAAAYYYY peppery and I only added a smidge over 1/4 tsp.
I’ve recently converted to vegan (though Im not always 100% I do try to keep it at least vegetarian, its a work in progress) and I dont know if my taste buds are waking up or what. Is it just me or has anyone else thought it was a little heavy on the pepper? I am probably just crazy.
Hi Sunshine, glad you liked it! Hmmm, that is very odd, it sounds like you possibly forgot the remaining broth or didn’t add enough or something because it’s oy 1 tbsp lemon juice and it’s never tasted too lemony, and certainly not too peppery. For this amount of sauce, 1 tbsp of lemon juice and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper is extremely miniscule. With that said, you could always just leave it out next time!
How do you think mushroom broth would taste in this?? Or should I just stick to using plain veggie broth?
Hi Madeline, I would stick to low-sodium veggie broth since that is what has been tested and gotten all great reviews. I have never had mushroom broth so I can’t give advice on how it would taste but I’m afraid the flavor might be too strong. I’d hate for it to ruin the flavor and you waste all your ingredients.
Just made this for dinner tonight and it was good. We are actually omnivores trying to only eat meat once a week. My hubby’s always very skeptical of copycat vegan dishes so I had to present it as pasta with sauce lol. He liked it and so did I! Our toddler ate his all up! It tastes more like a nutty garlicky cheesy sauce to me rather than an Alfredo but the flavors all come together really well and it makes me want to eat more and more. Yum!
I’m so glad it was a hit Elle, thank you so much for the review! Yes, it is not 100% like true alfredo since that one is made with nothing but cheese, butter and cream, so it’s entirely different ingredients, but this one comes so close and is actually healthy, so readers can’t get enough!
This was really good. The onions took about 20-30 minutes to cook, it could be that I didn’t cut them small enough but it would have taken that long for the broth to be evaporated as well. My husband said it tasted like real alfredo sauce. Yummy, thanks for developing this.
That is wonderful to hear, yay! Wow, really?! Never takes me more than 10 minutes! Just turn up the heat next time 🙂
Excellent turns out every single time. Personally, I add more garlic and lemon juice, we love love love this pasta dish, total comform food without all the nasty calories and animal products. Have also tried the leftover pasta with pan-fried mushrooms and sundried tomatoes. Excellent. YUM a 10 for sure.
Thank you so much Marlene! So happy to hear how much you make and love this, thank you!
Brandi! This was soooooooooooooo awesome! Girrrrrrl, you put your foot in that! I would have never guessed this was vegan. AMAZING!!! This is going to be my go to. I’m so sneaking this healthy sauce in on my Mom. My husband LOVES it. It’s so spot on. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much Laketa for this amazing review! You are so sweet! So glad it was such a hit!