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.
Ok! I know you said no subs but I cannot find white onions with all the shortages. Has anyone tried with yellow?!?!
Yellow will be fine!
Really good. I know you said you couldn’t vouch for any substitutions but I didn’t have any cashews. I used Brazil nuts and it came out just fine. Thank you!
So glad to hear it turned out well, yay!
Absolutely Delicious !!!!
I don’t normally leave reviews but I just had to with this one…
This is definitely the best vegan version.
It tastes just as good or even better than traditional alfredo sauce.
This will be the only Alfredo sauce that I make from now on.
Thank you.
Aww thanks a million Leah for this wonderful feedback! So appreciated!
Oh my! I finally found a website for vegan recipes. I was struggling as we changed diet 5 months ago. Having picky-eater kids are really difficult to feed. This one is a favourite! I will definitely browse your site for more delicious, healthy and vegan food I can try. Thank you so much!
Delicious!! I have made other Alfredo-like recipes for my husband (non-vegan) and he has never been impressed. I made this over rotini pasta with sauteed mushrooms and asparagus and it was amazing. He had three bowls. If I could’ve eaten more, I would’ve! I will happily consume the leftovers for lunch today!!
That is so amazing to hear Tamara, thank you so much for sharing!!
This was so good. I made a few changes: 1 cup quick soak cashews (boiled 30 mins), apple cider vinegar in place of lemon, Italian seasoning and water in place of broth, and a pinch of nutmeg. Husband and kid approved!
This is BY FAR the best vegan Alfredo sauce I have ever tried. It is the closest thing I have found to “authentic” Alfredo… possibly even better in my opinion. It is soooo good.. we seriously cant get enough of it!!! Serve with vegan caesar salad and garlic bread for a super yummy supper!!!
Thanks Brandi. My wife and I enjoyed for lunch today.
Hi i’ve tried this recipe and its just wonderful! only thing is my food processor doesnt blend very smoothly. May I know what blender do you use? Thanks!
Yes, I use this Vitamix linked here! https://thevegan8.com/shop/page/2/
This looks wonderful, thank you so much for sharing 😊
I just made this for my first time ,, super easy and delicious 😋 thank you for sharing !!
Wonderful to hear that Debbie, thank you!
Seriously- bravo. I’ve never reviewed a recipe but this warranted some applause. This was better than most Alfredo sauces I had even before going dairy-free. I also appreciated the detail you included in your recipe— the measurement conversions and emphasis on certain ingredients. Thank you!!
Thank you so much Hannah for your kind words! So happy you loved this so much!
We haven’t tried this yet. But, I’m wondering if you could use cashew milk instead of blending the cashews? If it’s not the same, I’ll def get the cashews 🙂
Hi Shannon, no it needs to be the actual cashews! Thank you!
Ok, thank you. I’ll let you know how it turns out! Can’t wait to try 🙂
Just made this deliciousness tonight! Oh my, it was amazing! This will definitely be a staple in our house. Thank you for this incredible recipe!
Thrilled to hear that Heather, thank you!!
I want to make this but I’m in Tunisia and there is zero nutritional yeast here in the whole country? Recommendations?
You can leave it out! It’ll still be delicious, just less strong of a flavor!
This is absolutely delicious. I have a vegan restaurant go to that serves a vegetable Alfredo dish that I love. I’ve been looking for a recipe for it so I can make it at home. This is better than the restaurant. Thank you so much!
Wow that is awesome feedback Dawne, thank you!!
Definitely recommend this recipe. You make going plant based much easier. Thank you for the time you put into coming up with these great recipes.
Love this Alfredo!
I made this tonight for my boyfriend that has been vegan for 5 years. He absolutely loved it. I even enjoyed it myself. Thank you do much for sharing.
That is amazing to hear Alyce!!
Does this freeze well?
Yes, just thaw overnight in the fridge and whisk it well and reheat on low!
All I have to say is O.M.G.!!!! This Alfredo
sauce is absolutely delicious and will definitely become a new regular on my dinner menu. I did not vary the recipe at all and loved every bite. It was so good, my seven year old daughter and my non-vegan boyfriend had second and third helpings. Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe!
That is amazing to hear Maria, thank you so much for letting me know!
What is calorie count?
It’s listed within the post.
With current grocery shortages, I had to make some substitutions. I’ve made the original recipe and love it! I also read the ‘I don’t recommend subs’ part & proceeded with caution. I didn’t have broth or lemons- I used 1 cup of water to boil the onions and added another 1/4 cup while blending. I doubled the salt and added some Italian seasoning. I also used Apple cider vinegar for the lemon. It turned out wonderful, second best, of course, to the original. But I really needed some Alfredo to go with my focaccia bread. 😉 Thank you Brandi for your incredible recipes.
Yay, that is so wonderful to hear Jessica, thank you so much for such a kind review!!
Hi!! I also did not follow the recipe too closely either and it still turned out great! My husband hates nooch and I am too lazy to measure. The onion mixture is so delicious that it is hard to mess this recipe up. We all love it! I’ve made it like 10 times. I don’t think I’ve made pasta any other way since. It’s the perfect quarantine recipe because all the ingredients last a long time too.
With current grocery shortages, I had to make some substitutions. I’ve made the original recipe and love it! I also read the ‘I don’t recommend subs’ part & proceeded with caution. I didn’t have broth or lemons- I used 1 cup of water to boil the onions and added another 1/4 cup while blending. I doubled the salt and added some Italian seasoning. I also used Apple cider vinegar for the lemon. It turned out wonderful, second best, of course, to the original. But I really needed some Alfredo to go with my focaccia bread. 😉 Thank you Brandi for your incredible recipes.
This was delicious!! Thank you so much, I definitely shared on Pinterest. I was wondering how long this can be stored for?
Love! Love! Love! Very delicious!! Thank you!!