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.
I made this for the first time a couple of days ago and I was in love. I let my non-plant-based 10-year old have some and he said it was the best alfredo sauce he’s ever had! And he’s asked me to please make it again. haha. This is definitely a keeper and will be a regular in my rotation.
The New York Times just recently published an Alfredo recipe from a then-famous upscale restaurant: Elaine’s. The original Roman recipe has but few ingredients. I’m delighted to have found this one. And without dairy (I am allergic). Though I am not a vegetarian, I like to collect no-meat recipes. I was surprised recently to learn that Mexican people have done well without much meat. The usual (and incomplete) notion is that rice and beans offer complete protein. Historically, locally-grown corn and ,(wait for it) squash, eaten together, have all the amino acids. By contrast, Mexican restaurants in North America serve but beans and rice. The beans are canned: not good! Always do dried; soak overnight, toss the water and rinse beans in a colander.
So yum!! No leftovers!
Hi,
Just wanted to say how my husband and I absolutely love this recipe!
Today, instead of vegetable broth, I’ve used the mushroom broth, as the whole meal was mushrooms and spinach risotto, and it was a great combination as well.
Thanks for this healthy and yummy recipe!
This was phenomenal! Only change I made was double the salt 😉 Put over wild mushroom ravioli. Thank you for such a delicious recipe!
Yay, really happy to hear this, Darcy!
This recipe is so easy and delicious!
Thank you Ranae!
I modified this recipe a bit by adding italian seasoning in with the onions – I was amazed – this may be one of my favorite italian sauces of all time – vegan or not. Thank you for this recipe – it is fantastic.
I have quit dairy and miss creaminess. I am soooo greatful for this tasty recipe!
Outstanding!!! I added peas and mushrooms to the pasta (not the sauce) so good, so many variations to add I can’t wait to make it again!! I plan on doing pizza with the leftovers I have 🥰
Yay!!
Amazing recipe, can be added to so many meals! Thank you!
Can i use salted cashews & just omit the salt by chance?
Sure, you can try that! Just make sure they are raw or the cashew flavor will be really strong.
I’m on vacation and was looking for some rich and screaming to enjoy, so I tried this recipe. It did not disappoint! Oh my word was this delicious. Served on a bed of pasta with artichoke hearts, califlower, broccoli, and black olives! It paired well with a glass of organic white wine and was absolutely delicious! Thank you so much,
Rae.
So thrilled to hear this Rae!!
I thought I had an onion. I didn’t. But having already started down the path of prepping and gathering everything else and committed to this as my dinner choice for the evening I moved forward using onion powder. Since I was going to use onion powder I just went ahead and used garlic powder too. Just threw all ingredients in the blender. It tasted so good. The best out of the 3 vegan recipes I had attempted thus far. I’m looking forward to making it again properly when I get an onion.
Thanks for all you do!!
It is delicious
OMG, hands down the best alfredo sauce I’ve ever made. And SO EASY!! Thank you for another amazing recipe!
In your recipe you say in the instructions…MAKE SURE to measure out 1 1/2 cups b/c this is where lots of flavor comes. What is b/c mean?
It means because
I just want you to know that I always give you credit for this recipe. I just send people your original post. So while I know people are stealing it, I promise I am spreading the word about you and your awesome creation! This is such a lifesaver for my dietary needs and I appreciate you a lot.
Thank you so much Ally!!!
Incredibly easy to make and the end product is simply delicious. Thank you!
This Recipe is awesome! I’ve made it several times and it is by far my favorite vegan creamy pasta sauce!
I wanted to ask if there was anything you recommend to maybe substitute the cashews? I have a friend with a cashew allergy (not all nuts just cashews) and I was trying to think of a way to make this for her without them…. Thanks so much!
So glad to hear that!! You can try raw sunflower seeds, but keep in mind they are more bitter, so the flavor will change a bit.
Yes recipe was absolutely delicious it’s not exactly like regular fettuccine Alfredo but close enough and so good I’ll make it again for sure.I would serve this to company and hopefully encourage them to use more vegan recipes. What I liked most about it is it didn’t call for any ingredients that I didn’t have on hand.
I made this dish exactly as written. I give it 10 stars!! I’ve tried so many Alfredo vegan sauces, this one was by far the best ever. I’m so happy to find you and your creative recipes. Your notes were so helpful. Thank you so much.
Delicious. I came across this while looking for “creamy” vegan dishes. It cooks up very well I used all the minimums as the recipe worked extremely well as written.
Wonderful to hear Mike!
Hello I’m planning on making this tomorrow and was wondering how many grams of fettuccine to use? I have a 350g box, would that be too much?
Thankyou I am so excited to make this.
Hi! Yes, that should be a good amount! Just only add as much pasta individually to bowls as you want the sauce ratio to be though, so as not to dilute the flavor! You can always store any leftover pasta if needed.
I’ve made this before and lost the recipe and just did a google search to find this EXACT recipe again just now. Because it really is the best one. It sucks to hear you aren’t getting credit for your work. I will definitely throw out a tag when I post my dinner tonight. Thank you for sharing your talent with us all! <3 (:
Oh my! Delish!!! I caramelized the onions until golden for extra umami goodness and used low sodium miso instead of veg broth. Thank you for the great recipe!
How did the miso do in this recipe? That sounds delish!