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.
SO I made this tonight for dinner and it was AWESOME! Honestly, Brandi, thank you for the wonderful, easy and flipping delicious recipe 🙂 I added in heaps of mushrooms because we are big mushroom fans around here! This is the best Alfredo I’ve ever had – vegan or otherwise! My boyfriend loved it as well! Everyone should make this recipe – the best part? You feel like a million bucks after eating it with a very happy tummy unlike the traditional stuff 🙂 Thanks!
Thank you so much for making it Ceara! I’m so glad you loved it so much! Better yet, that your boyfriend loved it too!! xo
OMG!! Spot on! I love this recipe! Thank you for sharing it with us. Someone posted your pizza with Alfredo sauce recipe on fb today and I was looking for an Alfredo sauce- it was meant to be 🙂 first time coming across your website and all your recipes I’ve looked at seem to be winners!!
Wonderful! Thank you so much for the wonderful feedback Brandie!! So glad you loved it!
Hi! I want to make this tonight for dinner…I am confused though when you say to add the cooked veggies to a blender….I do not see any veggies in the ingredient list? :/ TIA!!
Hi Kelly! The first step is cooking the onion and garlic (veggies), then that is what you are adding to the blender. I just added that extra note. Enjoy and let me know how it turns out! Make sure to soak your cashews now if you don’t have a high powered blender.
I was wondering could I add sundried tomatoes to this as i love tomato alfredo sauce. How would modify the recipe? Sorry if this has been asked already. I’m excited to try this out!
Hi Brianca! I have never tried it so I am not sure how it would affect the taste. Could you maybe just add them on top of the sauce and pasta? If you want to add them to the sauce, I guess just add a few while blending it up and just taste and see how much you want in there. Let me know how it comes out!
Ok so this was so good the first time I HAD to make it again. I didn’t have an onion in my fridge so I used a zucchini for a filler.. turned out the exact same as before (if not a bit creamier)! Would definitely recommend zucchini if you don’t have an onion 🙂
Oh wow, that is so awesome that zucchini worked! I can totally see why since zucchini gets mildly sweet just like onion! I make a soup from cooked zucchini and it’s so good. Thank you so much for sharing and I’m so glad you love it!
I made this tonight and it turned out great. I added some extra lemon juice for some extra tang and also threw in a few handfuls of spinach when cooking the onion so I made spinach and garlic alfredo. Thanks for sharing!
Oooh the spinach sounds like a wonderful addition, thank you for sharing! Thank you so much for making it and providing feedback, I really appreciate it!
I am new to the vegan lifestyle and this recipe is fabulous! Thank you!
Wonderful Tammi!! Thank you so much for making it and the wonderful feedback!!
I made this tonight with tempeh bacon instead of the real stuff. So good! Thanks for the recipe.
WOnderful! Thank you so much for the feedback….that sounds SO delicious!
I am making this without the yeast (Daniel Fast), but can you tell me the purpose of the yeast in the sauce?
I’ll report back on my results.
Thank you so so much!!
Hi there! The nutritional yeast is there for flavor. Since traditional alfredo sauce tends to have cheese in it, the nutritional yeast is added to this for flavor, as it lends a slight cheesy flavor and more depth of flavor. If you leave it out, it will be more bland. It’s a crucial ingredient to the sauce flavor. You can try subbing with a tablespoon or so if tahini and a teaspoon or more of low sodium soy sauce and that will help a tad with the similar taste of the yeast. Will not be the same as the yeast, but it’s something.
Super excited to try this recipe. Can I use Brewers yeast instead of nutritional yeast? Or will this change the taste too much? It’s all I have at home right now!
Hi! No, definitely don’t use brewers yeast, it is entirely different than nutritional yeast. Nutritional yeast provides a specific flavor, kind of cheesy and there isn’t really a sub for it.
Some stores sell it, but I find many in the stores to have a strong vitamin taste, so I always order it online.
Here is the one I like: http://amzn.to/2yXw6qr
OR, you can make my other alfredo and just omit the yeast called for (only 2 tbsp) and increase the salt just a bit.
https://thevegan8.com/2015/11/09/20-minute-vegan-alfredo/
Came across your blog through Pottery Barn and made the garlic Alfredo sauce today. We LOVED it.
Can I freeze some of the sauce and re-use it? I made too much
Hope to hear from you soon
Keren
Hi Keren! Wonderful! Thank you so much for making it and I’m so glad you loved the sauce! I haven’t tried freezing it myself, but I would think it should fine since there is no fillers or weird ingredients in it. You should be able to reheat it on the stove, but I would do it at a very low heat and maybe add some more broth, since cashew sauces thicken up the longer they are cold. Thanks again!
I love dairy so much so trying substitutes after I went vegan has always been disappointing. This, however, was actually really, really good! I served it over zucchini noodles with some spinach and mushroom and everybody loved it. I put the leftover sauce in the fridge and two days later it tastes even better. I will be recommending this to EVERYONE. Very easy, and very delicious! Thanks!
Awww yay!! So thrilled to hear that! So glad it was such a hit and I truly appreciate you leaving me feedback, I love hearing it. Thank you for sharing the recipe with others too, you are so kind!
I made this tonight for the first time and let me tell you, it was delicious!!! I used pine nuts, instead of cashews and it turned out nice and smooth. It was also super easy to make too!! Thank you Brandi!!!
Awesome Melissa! I’m so happy to hear that and thrilled that it was still delicious with the pine nuts! Thank you so much for the feedback! If you like pine nuts, you should try my Ceasar dressing 🙂
https://thevegan8.com/2014/03/06/vegan-caesar-dressing/
Super easy and yummy. I made this over macaroni and baked it with panko. Thanks for the delicious recipe once again. They’re all good.
Omg that sounds wonderful with the panko crumbs, thank you so much for sharing and making my recipe! Thanks so much for the feedback!
Made this tonight and it was REALLY tasty. Served it over zucchini noodles with artichoke hearts and roasted red peppers. I went heavy on the lemon because we like it in our house and my husband was a very happy guy!
Oh I love artichoke hearts! Great idea! I’m so glad you loved it, thank you so much for letting me know and the wonderful feedback!! I really appreciate it 🙂
Oh my god. I’m a vegetarian slowly transitioning to vegan. I gave up meals that were dairy-focused and opted to reserve dairy for sprinkling feta on salads and whatnot. But I’ve miiiiiiiissed Alfredo. I love Alfredo so much that it was the main course at my wedding, but that was the last time I let myself eat it (3 years ago!)! I made this tonight and it is SO. GOOD. I tried califlour Alfredo the other week and it was meh. But this is my new favorite dish. Followed closey by vegan korma curry – also with blended cashews and onions! Such a winning combo!
Thank you so much for the amazing feedback, it made my day! I’m so happy to hear it was such a hit and thank you for letting me know!!
This is 6th recipe of yours that I have made and my family loved every one of them. Thank you for posting this blog. Being a vegan family with 2 small children can be difficult at times. This website has saved me so much time and your creativity has my 2 yr old licking the plate. Thanks again and I’m exploring your recipe index now for this weeks dinner.
Can I just tell you how much your comment made my day?!! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave feedback…I work so hard to produce wonderful, SIMPLE recipes for my readers and when I hear feedback like this, it makes it all worth it! I’m so happy you and your family have loved all of the recipes and even better, your 2 year old is licking the plate, haha! Thanks again for making me smile 🙂 🙂
Omgoodness!!
Alfredo sauce in one of the things, on a very short list of items I miss after going Vegan.
We tried this tonight and my entire family loves it.
Thank you!
Wonderful Marisa! Thank you so much for letting me know, I love hearing feedback! So glad everybody loved it!
I have tried a number of these dairy substitutes and they are often grainy or a little funky tasting. This was incredible. I’m visiting my Mom and her husband who are not Vegans, and we made this with spaghetti squash. It was the best squash and sauce I’ve ever had. Thank you for your hard work vetting these items.
Thank you so much! I’m so glad to hear it was such a hit! Thank you so much for the feedback, I really appreciate it! 🙂
I, nor my husband, can have cashews (or pistachios). Do you have a recommendation of another nut or seed that I could use? Thanks! 🙂
Hi Melissa! The best sub would be macadamia nuts. They tend to be gritty though as they are much harder to get completely smooth than cashews, so my recommendation would be to roast the macadamia nuts at 300 degrees for 15 mins and then proceed with the recipe. They do not produce 100% as creamy of a result as cashews, so maybe scale back a tad on the water and add as needed. I think that should work. Please let me know how it turns out! Thank you!