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.
I could just sit and eat this sauce right out of the pan, no noodles. Oh my goodness! This is SO amazing! I found that if I let it rest for about 30 minutes after it’s done, this gives it time for the flavors to get married and become one in a beautiful union. If I could give it 6 stars I would.
haha, that’s how I feel too, I totally eat it out of the pan! SO glad you loved this so much!
Brandi , I made this Alfredo tonight and followed exactly the recipe. I like grams anyway as a European person. I know little about cups etc. thank for a perfect dinner for my hubby and I soooo good
So happy you loved it Kerstin! Thank you so much for making it!
It is the best! Thank you!
Awesome Recipe! I followed it step by Step, to kick it up a little, I sliced up some beyond meat italian sausages and sliced some mushrooms, sauteed that and added the sauce to it! poured it over Penne pasta and it was a great dinner!
Oh yummy! The sausages sound so good! So glad you loved it!
Just tried this recipe today and I have to say that I ABSOLUTELY love it. My family was shocked that it was vegan because it tastes so similar to the non vegan version. I added Trader Joe’s umami seasoning, crushed red peppers, and Parmesan cheese on top for more flavor and I could not be more satisfied. Can’t wait to try your other recipes!!!
So happy to hear how much you loved it!
Hi Brandi,
I am new to the plant based diet. After 56 years of eating meat and anything else I wanted, health issues caused me to wake up and make a change. This sauce was one of the first things I found that I wanted to try. We absolutely love it!!! We have served this to a few non vegan or plant based friends, and everyone has thought it to be delicious. Thank you for your efforts. So far every one of your recipes that we have tried, we like.
This is so amazing to hear Larry! Thank you for the wonderful feedback!
This is amazing! I am not one why typically comments, but I had to take time to give you credit for such an amazing recipe. I made it twice in one week for my picky family. My picky boys even approved! Thank you so much for providing these recipes.
Hi Lori! Wow, that’s so wonderful to hear, thank you so much!
SOO good I hope my carnivore family doesn’t taste it because I want ALL the leftovers! I use over potatoes, pasta, rice, veggies, dip bread into it, lick it 🙂
I just got the cookbook and the alfredo and chocolate chip muffins are both magnificent. I eat vegan due to allergies and really appreciate healthy eating that this book allows for. I’m also a working mom and love the simplicity and affordability. Thank you!
Thank you so much Rachel! I’m so happy you are enjoying the recipes from the book, thank you for leaving such a kind note here! Please feel free to leave an amazon review too, they help me out so much, thank you!
It’s SO GOOD. We’ve been trying to go vegan for a while and finally decided to commit, with recipes that taste like this I won’t miss cheese 😂
Oh yay! Thrilled to hear this!
Tried this tonight with spaghetti squash and it ROCKED! So good 🙂
I made it and did exactly what you said to do and it was fantastic. Thank you!
I made this today thtough the recommendation from a friend. Thus is incredible and I absolutely love this the flavor. Wowzers!!!
So wonderful to hear Shawn!!
Wow, wow, wow! My wife and I are on day 5 of a plant-based diet experiment and I stumbled across this recipe. I followed it to the letter, and added sautéed mushrooms at the end when I tossed it in pasta. It was absolutely, positively delicious. As we ate it, we kept saying how fun it would be to fool our friends, who would never guess this recipe is NOT loaded with butter, cream and cheese. Bravo, it’s a new family favorite!
We made this tonight and we love it! How can we make it less thick?
So glad to hear! Please read step 2, it addresses the broth amount, etc.
Made this tonight for my family! Absolutely delicious!
When will your book be back in stock?
So great! You can actually place an order now on amazon to reserve your copy! Amazon is taking orders now and the distributor is in the process of printing thousands, so they’ve listed it will ship February or so, I don’t have an exact date.
Can I use an immersion blender with soaked cashews?
I really don’t think an immersion blender would get it totally creamy but you could always try it. Although a food processor would work better with soaked cashews. (If you have one)
Thank you for this recipe! I can’t wait to try it tonight on my non-vegan family.
An FYI: If you need to soak cashews, you can do so by adding enough boiling water to cover and soaking for 10 minutes. That way, you do not have to soak overnight.
Hello!
Any ideas if you don’t like/can’t use fresh onion?
Would onion powder work or do you have any alternatives?
Thanks so much.
Yes, make this recipe instead! https://thevegan8.com/20-minute-vegan-alfredo/
Non-vegan here. I currently eat dairy and meat, but have been trying recipes to see if I can live without dairy. Well, I tried this recipe last night and it was a big hit! I fed it to 6 non-vegan eaters and we all had seconds! I had mine over zoodles and finished my whole plate (and I hate zoodles lol). It’s not quite alfredo, but is seriously good!
Yay, that is the best feedback, wow! Thank you April! Oh and yes, over zoodles will take away from the full alfredo experience, haha, but still tasty. Definitely try it over traditional pasta next time and it’s unbelievably filling and satisfying!
I am so blown away!!! It is so creamy! I can’t believe it and my guests were so shocked when I revealed it was vegan. Thank you so much you’re brilliant !!
I wanted to add an extra “oomph” so I doubled the amount of garlic, and I added white miso paste to it! So extremely flavorful!
So happy you and your guests loved it so much! Yes, the cloves I use are always extremely large or if they aren’t that big, I always use extra and it’s always plenty garlicky!
This is insanely delicious! Not only that but my 14 yr old son who pretty much only eats meat and sugar loved it. Of course I only said it was homemade but didn’t tell anyone what was in it. Everyone gobbled it all up!
I am going to share a link also to this recipe in my weight watchers feed as it is a great healthy substitute.
Thank you so much for sharing this awesome recipe. I just found you and can’t wait to try more as I transition to a vegan lifestyle myself.
xo
This sauce is awesome, even better than classic Alfredo. My daughter is very sensitive to dairy and she loves this sauce…delicious and no stomach aches. Sometimes I add a can of fire roasted tomatoes to the blender. I was very happy to discover your blog and I look forward to trying many of your recipes.
How many serves is this?
Hi there, it is listed that it yields 2 cups of sauce, so it will just depend on how much sauce the individual likes to use on their pasta. I’d say easily 4 though.
Is it possible to double or triple the recipe then store in glass jars?
Yes you can try doubling it, but tripling it would be hard because that would be 6 cups of sauce and would be really hard to blend all that up. I’m assuming you mean jars to freeze.