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.
How much pasta is this amount of sauce for? Most recipes are based on 8oz pasta but I always use the full box (16oz) so I can have leftovers. Should the pasta and sauce be kept separate or can I throw it all together and refrigerate leftovers?
Hi Stephanie, this makes 2 cups sauce and how much you want on your pasta will vary person to person. It should be plenty for 16 oz. I, personally, would not combine the sauce with the pasta for storing. I never do that since it tends to dry out and dilute the flavor a bit. Also, again depending on how saucy somebody wants their pasta, storing them together I wouldn’t do. I always just store them separately and reheat and add as much sauce as desired.
This recipe is a family favorite! At my daughters request, we had this sauce for our vegan family Christmas gathering, served on whole wheat linguine with chicken-seasoned soy curls, peas, & sundried tomatoes. I tripled the recipe to assure enough sauce for a crowd & then had a bit left over that I used for a white pizza.
I wonder if leftover sauce could be frozen. Had anyone tried or does anyone have insight about freezing a cashew-based sauce?
So glad to hear that! Yes, you can freeze it! Just thaw it in the fridge and whisk or reblend and heat on low.
This is one of my FAVORITE vegan recipes I have found!!! What a treat! I used a half lemon and stuck to the minimums on the yeast and veggie broth. I think I used about 2 table spoons of garlic from a jar. I also sauteed up some portabella mushrooms because I had them on hand and needed to use them up. ABSOLUTELY TERRIFIC! Thank you so much for posting!
Sounds incredible!!
Yum!! This is the best vegan Alfredo I’ve tried. I’ve tried a couple with Coconut milk in them that I didn’t care for. The slow cooked onions and garlic add a great flavor! Served mine over spaghetti squash and broccoli. Mixed it all up and baked it for a bit. Hubby loves it too!!
I’m so very happy you all loved it Tracy and it was the best you’ve had, yay! Thanks for the review!
I am going to use your recipe for making a spaghetti squash casserole to go with dinner tonight! i have been dairy free for a year, along with mammal meat and by products, due to me contracting Alpha Gal allergy. Giving up mammal meat was not nearly as hard as giving up dairy. This recipe sounds so awesome. my husband has type 2 diabetes which he controls with a keto diet. This sauce is low enough in carbs that he can enjoy it too.
Thank you Brandi for the sauce recipe and you Tracy for the squash idea.
Robin
I’m so excited to try this. I only have no salt added vegetable broth at home. Will it be the same or should I add more salt?
No, you will need to add more salt likely. So after blending, I would taste it and more salt if needed.
I am definitely going to make this! I made a vegan alfredo sauce a couple of years ago (before I became a vegan) that was really. I have been trying to find a good recipe since. Based on all the positive reviews, I have a very good feeling 🙂
We’ve just been trying to go vegan for two weeks now. I’ve made quite a few meals that my family didn’t love. This was a winner for my 8 and 9 year old girls. Daddy hasn’t tried it yet but I would say this was my best vegan dish so far. Thanks so much for sharing! I followed the recipe exactly except I didn’t have raw cashews so I used roasted. Anyway it was great. I.look forward to trying more of your recipes.
That is so amazing to hear Jessica, thank you!
Hello, wondering if macadamias would work to replace cashew for your recipe. Thank you
Hi Heather! Macadamias are a much harder nut and have a different flavor so I’m not sure they would taste good here.
I love it.
Thank you for this really yummy recipe! It will be a regular dish in my house now!
I was seriously licking this from the bowl! I’ve tried several vegan alfredo recipes and haven’t found one that I consider top notch, until I tried your recipe! The lemon zest gave it the perfect flavor to add to rhe creamy rich sauce. My non-vegan husband reslly enjoyed it as well! 😊
Yay, that is amazing to hear Kathrine!
I made this tonight with broccoli and found it very satisfying. I did not have my usual after dinner cravings. 🙂
Awesome!
Made this last night. I also fried veggies like steamed broccoli, corn and green peas in some oil and mixed with this sauce. It was absolutely delicious. Loved it, loved it, loved it. Thanks Brandi for sharing this recipe. God bless you.
Hi,
My 11yr old son and I are trying to be more plant based in our diet and this was absolutely delicious!! I threw in some spinach as well…mmmmmmm!!
Can you freeze the sauce succesafully? Can you recommend a low carb alternative to pasta at all?
Thanks from stuffed and satisfied!!
So happy y’all loved it! Yes, you can freeze it definitely. Just thaw it overnight in fridge and reheat on low over the stove, not a high heat. You could try zucchini noodles for lower carb?
I highly recommend trying spaghetti squash for noodles! This sauce is so great that you don’t even notice them.
This is my second time making this sauce , it is amazing the flavor the texture sooo creamy , thank you so much 🥰
Awesome recipe! My daughter is vegan and I have a hard time finding vegan recipes that everyone likes. This was fantastic! Thank you!
Awesome, thank you Lee!
I tried this tonight. It was good although, I have to add that I have a nut allergy and cannot use the cashews so I substituted with sunflower seeds. It tasted quite nutty, not bad, but didn’t have the Alfredo flavour I was looking for. I split batch and added tomato to make a rose but it was still quite nutty tasting. Next time I will try with raw pumpkin seeds. 🙂 Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Hi Leauna, yes, unfortunately sunflower seeds will not work well here instead of cashews. Cashews are very smooth and creamy tasting and sunflowers are way too strong in flavor. I have a nut-free alfredo sauce that I would try instead: https://thevegan8.com/nut-free-vegan-garlic-alfredo-sauce/
If I use a vitamix, do I need to soak my cashews? I’m making it for a picky 3 year old and I’m afraid of it being gritty haha
Nope! I never soak when using my vitamix. Just blend until completely creamy!
We have just switched to dairy-free in the past few weeks- so we still remember what traditional garlic alfredo tastes like, ha- and both the man and the picky 6 year old gobbled this up. So good – followed it exactly as written (using the gram measurements) and it came out perfectly without needing a thing. Thank you for such an awesome recipe- this will be in our rotation from now on!
That is amazing to hear, what a testimony! Thank you so much for making it and sharing!!
Does it have to be white onion? I think I only have sweet and I really don’t want to go back out to the store.
It may make the sauce sweeter but you can always try it.
Thank you for sharing this recipe. It was delicious and I will definitely make it again.
So happy to hear that!
I made this last week and my friend told me it was the best thing I’d ever made! I made the sauce start to finish in my Vitamix.I’ll be making this again soon. Thanks for a great recipe
Oh wow, that is so amazing to hear, thank you so much for the feedback!
Oh my gosh, this tastes so good you can hardly tell it’s not “the real thing”. I tried this with brown rice fettuccine since I am gluten-free. Even with a low-power blender (came out a little chunkier) it is phenomenal. Thanks so much for sharing!
So wonderful to hear Jennifer, thank you!
Hi, I’m wondering why your Alfredo sauce is a creamy white and mine is a pale yellow color ?
Hi Paige! Mine is actually a very pale yellow, not actually white. But 2 things that can cause your alfredo to be more yellow, the broth you are using or the nutritional yeast. Some broths are very dark. The one I use is not much darker than water and some nutritional yeast are more dark in color.
Hi,
I love this recipe! We add spiralized zucchini
and a little pesto to the pasta for a little added flavor and
color.
Thank you!!
We loved it! My 15 year old son loves Alfredo but recently has discovered a dairy allergy. I tried this recipe, and he loves it! The flavors are wonderful. Thank you!
That is so wonderful to hear Casey, thank you so much for making it and letting me know! So happy your boy loves it!
Ok last comment I swear. I just saw and read your book is sold out everywhere. I literally searched within 100 miles of both mine and my best friends address in Pittsburgh. Good news though, I’m in Houston, so you can just release a smoke signal next time you need taste testing! lol
But seriously, that’s absolutely amazing. Huge kudos, congratulations & all the girl power juju and continued blessings to you!
Haha!! Thank you so much for your kind words Simone!
Hi there-
Just wanted to say THANKS FOR GIVING OUT YOUR RECIPE. This was my first time trying to do a vegan alfredo (my family recently went vegan) I loved this sauce, so did everyone else. So good!!