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.
Favorite vegan Alfredo! Have made many, and this is the most delicious. Thank you
So glad to hear that Emily!
This was SO GOOD! Definitely a keeper.
Yay, thanks Amanda!
Thank you for this – I am so excited and going to make it tonight. I am wondering… If I DO have a food processor do I still need to soak the cashews? Does a food processor count as a high powered blender? Thank you!!!!
Yes, definitely soak, otherwise, they will be gritty!
This was DIVINE. Hands down the best vegan Alfredo sauce I’ve ever had. Honestly better than typical Alfredo sauce and it doesn’t leave you feeling bloated at all. I was actually quite surprised I had a BIG bowl (maybe 2,) and felt great after. Thanks so much for sharing, it was incredibly delicious !!
That is so very wonderful to hear Pamela, thank you!!!
so happy with how this turned out!!!
Perfect! I’ve tried multiple Alfredo recipes which were very good, but this is definitely the best!
Wow this is gorgeous! Taste so creamy & rich. Thank you, even my fussy teenager liked it!
Thank you 😊
I’ve already made this three times, it’s literally a part of our rotation. We like to sprinkle vegan parm on top. So delicious!! Tastes just as good as the unhealthy stuff 😀 Thank you for this recipe.
Awesome!!
This turned out really nice even though I substituted a few elements like nutritional yeast and veg stock. The onions need to be cooked exactly the way it’s mentioned for the flavours to be right.
Hi Brandi! I will be making this pasta for my family, there are seven of us. I was wondering if I will need to double the sauce recipe in order to accommodate or if this amount of sauce will be able to spread throughout the pasta and still retain its flavor.
Yes, I would double it!
Hi,
How long do you recommend keeping in the fridge for? I made it 3 weeks ago and haven’t gotten a chance to use it! Certainly don’t want to waste, but is it no longer edible?
Oh 3 weeks might be pushing it, haha, but smell it and see if it smells bad I guess! I am not sure it would still be good after 3 weeks, we always eat ours within a few days.
I am a vegan, but my family members are not. They finally took me up on my offer to cook, so I had to pull at your beautiful recipe to make sure it was a meal to remember. This literally did not believe there were no dairy and eggs, commented on beautiful it was without the seedy sick feeling that often comes after traditional alfredo! Love your stuff!
Such wonderful feedback to hear, thank you Rachael!
Well……this has to be THE best creamy sauce ever !!!! Thank you for creating this dish and sharing with the world !! ust brilliant 🙂
Yay, thanks so much Sandy!
I have rated this before but I have to do it again because I just put this sauce on zoodles and it was so freaking delicious and decadent! I could not imagine a more delicious way to eat vegetables 🙂 I recommend this sauce recipe (and a lot of your other recipes) to literally everyone!
aww thank you so much Molly, I appreciate that so much!! You are so kind!
This was excellent! We put it on zucchini noodles and added a little bit of cayenne, delicious!
AMAZING!!! Thank you!!
SSSOOOO GOOD I did add spinach though. Such an amazing recipe. My belly is smiling 🙂
Why do you recommend to use the non fortified nutritional flakes? would braggs brand be ok?
Because the added vitamins leave an overwhelming nasty taste for me and many others don’t like the flavor. Also, they upset my stomach. You can use whatever brand you like though.
I’ve been meaning to try this recipe for ages and finally did so tonight. It was delicious! The whole family loved it. This one will definitely be on our list of regulars. Thank you!
Was a skeptic.. had a vegan friend come over for dinner and we all loved it. did not tell kids it was vegan and no complaints! Made a believer out of me. 🙂
OHHHH MY GOODNESS. This is hands down the best vegan cheesy/cream sauce I have ever had. I was in shock with how good it tasted. I didn’t have cashews on hand so I subbed for walnuts and I was a little worried but it turned out perfect. I also used chicken broth instead of veggie because I didn’t have veggie and I’m not vegan. Wow thank you SO much. Seriously life changing sauce.
Yay Bridgette! Thank you so much for making it, so wonderful to hear how much you enjoyed it!
Made this tonight and it was delicious! My very picky husband even approved. Thank you!
I had high expectations for this recipe given all of the great reviews. Well here I am, the next morning still thinking about last nights dinner! It was so easy and soooo tasty that I decided immediately that I better make a second batch as this wasn’t going to last! I was right! With only 1 vegan in the house and 4 others to feed – they all loved it and went back for seconds. Its definitely going in the family favorite pile. Thanks!
This was the best thing I have ever made for dinner, made it earlier this week and I already am making it again because it was so so tasty, thank you!
Absolutely delicious! Thank you for creating this amazing recipe.