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.
Does this freeze well ?
Yes, just thaw overnight and reblend if needed. Heat on very low heat!
Great recipe 👌🏼 I added a little nutmeg and dry basil, love it! Thank you 😊
I made this sauce tonight with a couple of tweaks but it came out phenomenal! I and I mean that. Shout out to the owner of this recipe.
My tweaks was I used two tablespoons of cashew butter since I was out of cashews, I also just used a whole lemon and I cooked everything on the stove before blending it for the final product. I’m about to throw the noddles in the water now so I can eat. But thanks again for posting this recipe it really guided me down the path to make something I really enjoy 😊
I see two recipes here. Which one are people commenting on?
It’s the best vegan garlic Alfredo sauce!
It was awesome! We are very thankful for this recipe. I cooked 8oz of chickpea and lentils penne pasta and it was a perfect match for the amount of alfredo sauce. I also cooked some bella mushrooms, and when tender, added a few cherry tomatoes and onions and let them cook a bit more before adding spinach, oregano and basil. It is a keeper!
Yum! Made this with pasta n vegan shrimp n it was banging!
Oh wow! This truly does deserve to be called the best! I followed the directions exactly and was very pleased. Tastes rich and satisfying without the yucky dairy yuk. My kids liked it, too. Would serve with some pasta of course and steamed broccoli. I just couldn’t wait for the broccoli so had two bowls of pasta. This recipe is definitely a keeper!
What can you use instead of lemon juice? I can’t do Citrus
It helps to cover cashew flavor but you could try apple cider vinegar. Just start out with much less since it’s stronger.
How long can this keep in the fridge and can it be frozen? Thanks!
4 days usually. You can freeze it, just let it thaw overnight and reblend if needed.
I’ve made this twice now; it was very good the first time and extremely delicious the 2nd! I think I used more onion the 2nd time. I will definitely make it again. Also, I shared some of the leftover sauce with my sister (the first batch) and she LOVED it too! It’s pretty easy to make as well. I love the simplicity of the ingredients. Thanks for the recipe!
I have made this recipe a handful of times and really love it! Even family members who aren’t vegan are blown away by the delicious flavor and creamy texture. Thank you!!
Love this recipe !! I added mushrooms and more lemon. delicious! thanks for sharing 😀
I just made this for a quick lunch. I used 1/2 tsp ground black pepper, 1 TBP lemon juice, 2 TBP nutritional yeast & 1-1/2 c low sodium sodium veggie broth. I cut up a field roast apple sage vegan sausage & used GoVeggie vegan Parmesan cheese . I will make again and add veggies too
This is the best Alfredo sauce I have ever eaten . Is is sooo delicious and my non vegan family members loved it too so will definitely be putting this recipe on rotation. I added corn and spinach to the pasta poured in the sauce and served with broccoli and garlic bread. Thank you so much for this recipe 💕
Made this tonight. What a fantastic sauce!! Everyone loved it from my 3yr old Grandson, my children and myself.
So easy and quick. Will be used often by all of us, thankyou! x
LOVED this recipe !! SO easy and delicious . My husband really enjoyed it as well.
U made the Caesar Dressing as well.
This will become a staple for us.
Thanks SO much.
Really loved this dish. I always try to make enough to have for lunch the next day by this was too good. My family and I ate it all for supper! I made no changes to the recipe, just served with mushrooms and broccoli.
Best alfredo recipe ever!!!! This truly is so delicious and flavorful. It is exactly what I want when I order fettuccine alfredo without the disgusting feeling after. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
This is so delicious!! We served it to avid grilled meat eaters and they absolutely loved this!!! To increase the amount, I did add more of the same ingredients, but added the garlic and onion raw and it was great! I used squared spaghetti noodles and vegan Parmesan cheese. The left overs were great the next day!!!👍
Substituted raw cashews with some roasted, salted cashews by soaking in warm water for 4 hours before starting. Ended up with a perfectly smooth sauce. Adding 1 tsp soy sauce helped temper the nutritional yeast flavor.
Really pleased with the simplicity and creamy richness of this recipe.
This was delicious and came together so quickly and easily. I’m not a vegan and I think this tastes better than traditional Alfredo and had better texture…it doesn’t get all congealed as it cools the way oily Alfredo does. Would also be great as a sauce on broccoli or cauliflower.
So happy you loved it Faith, thank you!
I thought this sauce was great! as someone who is very lactose intolerant it was great to be able to eat alfredo again without being in pain for hours. Made it with chicken broth and added pesto, will make again!
Happy to hear that!
Wow, this is phenomenal. I followed the recipe exactly and using the lesser suggested amounts of yeast. Thank you so much. I look forward to trying more of your recipes.
So glad to hear it Stacy!
OMG! I am in Heaven. I was very encouraged after reading so many positive reviews. Yes, there are so many vegan alfredo sauces. I decided to try this one. So very glad I did. It was easy to make, I loved that it is oil free and milk free as well. I added 1 cup of fresh cherry tomatoes as well as fresh broccoli florets (lightly steamed for 2 minutes first). I literally wolfed it down in 10 minutes and not a morsel was left on my plate. (not even sauce). This recipe will be going into heavy rotation. Also, Thank you Brandi for all of your detailed notes about the ingredients and why they’re important. I was going to use almond milk and read your comment that it would make the sauce too thick. I can’t wait to check out your other recipes.
That sounds so amazing! So glad you loved it!
I made this sauce today for my daughter and she is so fussy. I said I hope you like it because if she knows it’s made with different things she won’t even try it. I told her it was bottled so she would eat it. She absolutely loved it. Then I told I made it. She said wow it’s delicious Thanks for a great recipe!!!
Yay glad it was such a hit!!
So freaking good. My family was raving. We have never had anything vegan. Our cholesterol levels are through the roof. If we can eat yummy food like this, I think we can make it. Thanks for the post.