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.
Just finished the sauce, I did add peas and it is AWESOME! My first venture into cooking without oil, and I didn’t even get my pasta cooked yet, but I already know this is a keeper. Thank you
Any chance I can freeze this to use the following week?
I’m trying to juggle work and a family that has “gone vegan” and anything I can do ahead of time – especially when I have a long weekend – is a lifesaver.
By the way, I have used this sauce for spinach alfredo pizza in the past. It’s always a hit!
I want to have it on hand to use on pasta, however. I don’t cook well when I’m also holding a 2-month-old baby, so I’m trying to simplify in any way possible.
Hi Janet! So happy you love it! Yes. You can freeze it. Just thaw overnight and reblend if needed to smooth back out. Reheat on low on the stove, not the microwave
I was very skeptical with so much onion and no plant milk, but omg is this good. I applaud your wizardry, this is going to be my go-to sauce now. Thanks for posting, loved it so much! Now let’s see what else ya got 🙂
This is a great recipe and one that my very picky toddler will actually devour. I’ve made it using both imitation chicken broth and vegetable broth and both work nicely in the recipe.
OMG, Your sauce is amazing! Made it for dinner this evening and my husband and I finished off the whole package of fettuccine. It is now my newest favorite dish which I plan on making weekly. Thank you so much.
This vegan Alfredo is absolutely DELICIOUS!! I would choose it any day over the traditional Alfredo containing dairy that leaves me feeling bloated and sluggish. It’s a hit with all my family and besties!! None of us are vegans by the way!! Although a few of us don’t process dairy very well. 🙂
This Alfredo Sauce is amazingly delicious!
I’m not a vegan, but this recipe comes close to meeting my preferences, whole food plant based, no added SOS. I found it odd that you use low sodium broth, but put lots into your pasta and add a tspn to the sauce. Why bother searching for low sodium broth? It makes me think the sauce isn’t going to taste ok without all that salt. It’s not a huge amount as most cooks use, so I plan on omitting the added salt, keeping the low sodium broth and I’m hoping it’s going to taste great. I’m thinking you could add a teaspoon of olive oil? It’s not going to make a huge difference and oils improve texture.
When I create my recipes, I create them to meet my tastes. This recipe has been my most popular loved recipe by thousands for years who’ve left all of the comments here, so it works and tastes great, as written. I can only vouch for the recipe as written. For pasta water, cooks always salt pasta or otherwise the pasta has no flavor, no matter how much sauce you add to it. I’ve tried making pasta without it and it’s terribly bland and the majority of the salt added to the water is not actually all going into the pasta, it’s just salting the whole pot of water. And salt brings out other flavors, as it always will in food. I always use low sodium for all my food b/c it is significantly less than regular broth and I can then control how much salt I personally want to add to my recipes better this way. You even state it’s not that much to add to the sauce, but it does its job. It’s the perfect amount to balance out the flavor, but if you are not used to using salt in your food, then it will likely taste different to you. I find food extremely one note without salt, no matter how many spices are added because as again, it brings out other flavors. You can add 1 tsp oil if you want but that tiny amount I’m not sure why you’d want to? This sauce is extremely creamy and rich as is with the fat already from the cashews and loved by so many non vegans, as commented above, so it really does not need additional added fats. But you can of course add whatever you like!
I’m confused, had you made this prior to commenting? I find it odd you are commenting about a recipe before actually making it, as it seems from some of your statements. Low sodium broth is the same to me as unsalted butter, by using products with low or no salt, the amount of salt is then in your hands. Since you are not vegan, you may not realize that many of us are vegan due to health reasons and many times that also means low or no oil. I hope this recipe worked out perfectly for you, for the rest of us, we truly appreciate the details that don’t make sense to you, they keep us healthy and allow us to use food as medicine.
This was really flavorful and creamy. My whole family enjoyed it. I served it with sautéed mushrooms as a side.
So wonderful to hear, thank you!
How many days does it last in the fridge before it spoils? I expected it would last a week but mine seemed to last 2-3 days before it starts to get sour and bubbly. Or maybe somebody in the house isn’t using a serving spoon?
Mine is usually good 4-5 days, but yes, that could be a factor! I think it will depend on different environments. The lemon juice acts as a preservative, so just always check for the smell before eating!
I make this all the time. It’s fantastic and I like how it doesn’t take too many cashews to make. Thank you!
So happy to hear you loved it!
Made this last night and it was DELICIOUS!!! Followed the recipe very closely and couldn’t be happier with the results. This will be going in our monthly rotation. I did soak the cashews for about 10 minutes in boiled water, but that is my personal preference. I do think my Vitamin would have blended them nicely either way.
That is wonderful to hear Amber!
Trying to be vegan and this is the one that will help tremendously! Love that it’s butter/oil free, and throwing everything in my vitamix is so easy. My fiancé steers away from nooch and this flavor is so amazing he couldn’t tell. Thank you!
So wonderful to hear Keri!
Loved it!! I added rosemary and basil to mine and it was delicious.
This is the best vegan garlic Alfredo EVER! It is simply amazing! My husband absolutely loved it (my husband is not vegan) and said he could not tell the difference. This is now permanently added to our food menu. Thank you so much!!
So very kind, thank you for the review Ophelia!
Omg this stuff is so good!! How long is it good in the fridge for?
Thank you! about a week!
BEST EVER!!!!!!
So delicious! My first time making Alfredo sauce from scratch and it turned out amazing!
I just made this. It turned out so good. Next time I want to add some mushrooms just because I love them! Thank you for the recipe.
Wonderful sauce. Thank you for creating it and sharing.
This recipe was exceptional…thank you!!!
DELICIOUS!!! I’ve started recommending this to non vegans like my cousin who used to make the carnivore version a lot. I’m about 2 months into wfpb and this recipe is one of the reasons I laugh at people who say people like myself are depriving ourselves for not eating meat. Thanks for sharing this!
Ps, i added sliced button mushrooms, asparagus, and cauliflower just to give some more things to chew on which turned out GREAT!
Thank you so much Eric! That is so wonderful to hear!
That is amazing news Eric! Thanks for the lovely feedback!
How much sauce does this make? For 16 ounce pasta?
It depends on how much broth you end up using (see directions) but you should get 1 1/2 cups about, give or take on the broth amount.
If you follow the instructions to a T, it simply IS the best vegan garlic alfredo. I have tried a different recipe that called for way too much veg stock and you could tell. This recipe is so well balanced and I’ve already made it twice, it’s so good!!!
Thank you, so lovely to hear Mags!
I’m a lover of dairy cheese but my husband is plant-based so I decided to make Vegan Alfredo sauce for the first time. Very glad I used your recipe, this turned out absolutely delicious! I did have to substitute the white onion as I only had yellow at home so will try this again with white onion as well. Thanks for sharing this gem!
I make this once a week it’s amazing. I do boil the cashews and it blends much better but the onions in the reduced vegetable broth is genius!!!
So awesome to know this Melissa!