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.
Hi Brandi.
I’m looking forward to trying this tomorrow. Can I use yellow onion instead of white?
Yes!
Can I use sea salt dry roasted cashew? I was gifted a large bag and trying to find how to use it for months now
Hi! I would not use roasted because that will make the cashew flavor really strong and less alfredo-like. If you want to try them, at least soak or boil them first to try to neutralize some of the cashew flavor.
Made this per the recipe…it’s Delicious!
Wonderful! Thank you David!
Oh my God, best sauce EVER!!!!!
Holy God this recipe is crazy legit. 15 years of making vegan alfredo and I’ve never had a better version than this. I imagine the type of broth a person uses really lends itself to the flavour. For me, it was Better Than Boullion “no chicken”.
Thank you! Thank you! What a gamechanging recipe.
Wow, that is so awesome to hear!! Thank you so much for the feedback!
I never take time to comment especially not on recipes lol. This was so good I HAD to comment. I just recently started eating a vegan diet due to inflammation I’m a healthy weight very active but still have health issues the only thing left to do was cut out dairy and meat. I was raised on a beef farm so going vegan was very odd to say the least. I’m so surprised by peoples creativity to remake foods like Alfredo without animal products. As a new Vegan This recipe more than holds up, taste and texture are spot on! I added mushrooms and spinach just like I would regular Alfredo it tasted the exact same. I am completely blown away!!! Thank you!
That makes me happy to hear, thank you for the lovely feedback, Mo!
This actually IS the best vegan Alfredo sauce. It’s my new go to and everyone loves it! Amazing flavour and I really love that it’s healthy. Well done!
This is the best Alfredo recipe I have tried!!!! Easy, tasty, yum! I do like to finish it off with a tablespoon of butter to make it silky.
Love this Alfredo recipe. I don’t eat meat but others in the house do. I added some chicken in for them last week and served over zucchini noodles. Everyone enjoyed it so much I am about to make another batch for dinner. All the Vegan8 recipes I have tried have been spot on and delicious.
Thanks for doing what you do.
Thank you so much Eric for the amazing review!
Hello, can I use cashew milk instead? If so how much ? Ty for any answers xo
Hi, no, unfortunately not. Cashews are what make it very thick and creamy. Cashew milk has been way watered down and would not produce nearly the same result.
This is amazingly delicious!! I was shocked that it tasted just like the Alfredo sauce i had been making for years. Never realized there was another option (healthier option)out there that could be so satisfying. My very skeptical friend was here and went home raving about the recipe too. Thank you for this recipe, I will definitely continue to search for more vegan recipes. KM
This makes me so happy to hear Kim!!
Hi! Mine tasted very flavorful but it was slightly bitter. What ingredient could cause this? Did I add too much garlic?
Hmmm, not sure why that would happen. Only thing I can think is if the lemon wasn’t fresh or the garlic was overcooked. If garlic is overcooked it will get a bitter/almost burnt flavor.
I’m so glad I found your blog! I was looking for a vegan meatball recipe, without processed fake meat & yours came up right away, thankfully. I’ve looked through a few of your recipes now & just love your style… how you don’t use processed ingredients, the testing you put in to get the perfect recipe & how your posts are relevant, helpful and to the point. I’m excited to try some of your recipes to have with my meat and potatoes guy… so tired of dealing with 2 sets of food in the house. Thank you so much!
This was so so sweet, thank you so much for your kind words, Jen!
This dish blew my socks off. It was superbly delish and talk about easy!
Awww honored to hear that!
Really yum! Made it for linguine, but I’m about to roast a spaghetti squash so we can eat it for dinner too
So glad to hear that!
Amazing recipe, so very tasty!
Yay thank you!
This recipe was a great dupe. I realized at the last moment that my kids don’t usually like regular Alfredo so they weren’t huge fans, I loved it though!
Texture was light and creamy… the lemon completely cancelled the cashews, I couldn’t taste either. Just pure onion/garlic/“cheese” taste.
How long is the Alfredo good for after it’s made and stored in the fridge?
4-5 days!
Thank you for posting such a wonderful recipe Brandi! You deserve an award for coming up with this vegan garlic alfredo sauce. I generally give ratings to the recipe that I try but this time I was compelled to post a review. Thank you once again!
Awww that’s so kind, thank you Dev!
I followed this recipe to the letter and wow!!! This sauce is delicious and flavorful. I tossed with linguine which was perfect, but I will be using it in the future for lasagna, pizza and more. Thanks!
That’s so wonderful to hear Carley!!
Fabulous sauce. It was creamy but not heavy. Loved it!
Wonderful to hear!
to clarify, you are simmering the onions and garlic? no sautéing first? thanks. (i’ve been dairy free for 10+ years and have yet to find a really good white cream vegan sauce, looking forward to trying it)
Correct! Enjoy!
This recipe, my goodness!!! Amazing. Period I added a cup of fresh spinach because my kids asked for spinach Alfredo. Bam amazing. I will be following your recipe blog.
My family just transitioned into plant-based, and your recipes have helped for a smooth transition.
Thank for sharing.
Really good and not too complicated. Will be my go-to sauce
Hi, is a yellow onion ok to use? Thanks!
Yes! 🙂
I love Alfredo but I’m lactose in tolerant. Bless you for giving me indulgence back. 🥰