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.
Looking forward to trying this. I am not sure what B/C is in the recipe. If you could clarify that would be great.
Sorry, it means because!
Best white sauce ever!
Thank you so much Liliana!
Not a vegan here… tried this and followed the recipe exactly. Served over chickpea rotini with broccoli and leftover rotisserie chicken. Excellent alfredo substitute. Is it exactly the same as a cream and butter based sauce, no, but its a darn good substitute. My husband and kids agreed, they would not have known it didn’t include dairy! When making it in the vitamix, I did notice a little bit of a sweet taste from the raw cashews, the lemon juice and salt helped to counter that so be sure to add enough. It’s even better the next day! Thank you for this recipe!
I am officially shocked. NEVER did I imagine it would be so good. I’m not vegan but am looking for more healthy recipes. Honestly, it was one of the most delicious things I’ve ever eaten and so satisfying. I made chickpea pasta with it and I loved the combination. I can’t wait to try another recipe!
That makes me so happy to hear, Kathleen, thank you for the awesome review!
i come back to this recipe almost weekly, so easy and so good!! i like to top it over some gnocchi!
Unbelievably scrumptious, all my carnivorous housemates LOVED it! I pan fried mushrooms and asparagus and folded those in with the pasta.
I too eat everything but am experimenting with plant-based recipes and this is one of the most delicious I’ve ever found! And you’re right about it feeling lighter in a good way. Amazing work!
Amazing!!! It’s hard to believe this recipe is dairy free!!! This is a definite keeper! So delicious 😋
Cashew hack- if you don’t have time to soak the cashews overnight-sauté the cashews with the onions. This produced a very creamy sauce.
Great idea! So glad you loved it so much!
Just made this–it’s awesome! Thank you! You’re guidance through all of the taste-testing steps was perfect. Excellent recipe. Will 100% make again.
This was SO GOOD. I am lactose intolerant and was craving alfredo sauce. The shelf stable dairy free option at Whole Foods looked gross so I took to the internet. This recipe is so easy, delicious, and I’m already buying ingredients to make it again. I served over Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi with sautéed mushrooms and asparagus.
I tried this last night and it was so good! I made roasted cherry tomatoes with Italian and oregano seasoning to go a long with the pasta and it was a big hit.
Will this work without nutritional yeast? Do you have any suggestions if skipping that?
It adds a lot of depth of flavor and a bit of cheesiness like parmesan would, but it’s still good without it. You will need to add maybe a pinch of miso or extra garlic/onion powder to taste and maybe a pinch more salt.
We LOVE this recipe! Even my picky teenager asks for it. Thank you for sharing it 🙂
Just made this and loved it! I added a shallot to the onion mixture but kept everything else the exact same and it was delicious!
This was super yummy! Flavor and consistency were both spot on! Thank you for sharing this with us!
The best recipe ever! I just recently went vegan so am on the hunt for great recipes. Thank you for taking the time to perfect it! Simply amazing!!!
That’s so awesome to hear Sheryl!!
This was absolutely delicious. I thought this was an excellent Alfredo substitute. My husband, a huge dairy fiend recently turned vegan, thought this belonged in its own category, as he didn’t think it could be considered an Alfredo sauce. With that said, he also found it to be fantastic and is asking me to make this again. I made this according to recipe, but with Trader Joe’s nutritional yeast.
One thing I will note is that I quick soaked the cashews in hot water for 2 hours and puréed this several times with my Ninja blender, and it still had a slight grittiness. So I would suggest soaking overnight if this is make or break for you, but we likely won’t be taking this additional step.
Just made this sauce! My husband said it’s the best he’s ever tasted! I am definitely not a very good cook but I was able to make this with ease! Thanks for the recipe!
That is amazing to hear Shannon, so glad it was a hit!
A pox on people who use your recipe and don’t give credit where credit is due! I had some Alfredo at an Italian in town and it was so rich it gave me diarrhea. I’m going to making your vegan Alfredo sauce!
The sauce is very creamy and tasty! Thank you for sharing your recipe!
I made this tonight for my first time. It is soooo creamy and delicious. I had to stop myself from eating the whole thing!! I don’t eat much pasta so served it over broccoli and potatoes.
This is definitely going to be a winter staple for me.
Thank you!!
Yay!
Best vegan Alfredo recipe out there. I’ve tried them all!
Yay, that is awesome!
Brandi, I made this sauce tonight, and my husband and I liked it so much, we are having it tomorrow night. Thank you so much.
Wll Brandi I don’t know what magic you used to conjure this recipe but this is the most amazing/addictive/ridiculously delicious sauce ever!
I hear you saying, “oh how good could it really be?”
Well since finding this recipe last week my gf and I have made it 3 times 🙂
Can’t wait to try more recipes from your blog!
Hi Brandi! Wanting to make this recipe now, so of course I do not have pre-soaked cashews. I do have cashew butter freshly ground at my local Lazy Acres (think Whole Foods). No salt or oil added, Would this be a workable substitution? (Also maybe an option for lower power blender owners?)
If so, what measurement since it’s already ground to a paste? (I’m guessing 1/2 to 3/4 of whole nut measurement.) If not, is there a way to speed up the soaking process? I think I’ve read about soaking in boiling water?
Hi! Do you have a scale? If so, then you would use the same gram weight amount of 75 grams of cashew butter. Yes, if the only ingredient in your cashew butter is cashews, it is fine to use. If you don’t have a scale, then 75 grams would be equivalent to almost fully 5 tablespoons.
I saw someone mentioned freezing, but can’t see your response. Does it freeze well? If yes, any special notes on reheating it?
Yes, it freezes fine. Just thaw overnight in fridge and reblend if needed to smooth back out. Heat on very low over the stove.
Soo good! Super tasty and totally fool proof 🙂
Can you make this ahead and freeze it?
Yes definitely!