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 am not vegan, but am looking for more low calorie, low fat recipes and this really hit the spot. I used chicken broth bc it’s all I had and served over zoodles with a simple crispy salmon fillet and grilled lemon – the mix was so good and guilt-free. I also accidentally bought unsalted, roasted cashews but it turned out really good. The sauce is thick and filling and would def be just as filling over the zoodles and without the salmon!
Looked like it might be a bit of a faff but very straightforward and really tasty. Loved it and will make again
HOLY COW, this is the best stuff I’ve ever put in my mouth. Not thick and oily like traditional Alfredo sauce…just freaking delicious. I could eat with a spoon. I’ll be using it to top roasted broccoli, cauliflower and carrots. The recipe is perfection and your instructions are so clear. Thank you!
Haha so awesome to hear!!
Didn’t turn out for me. Some measurements are estimates which don’t help. Tried to make a vegan dish for my meat eating friends but they wouldn’t eat it 🙁
They aren’t estimates, but ranges. In other words, since all our tastes vary, start with the lessor amount, taste and adjust to your liking.
I know you say not to sub anything, but I’m allergic to nutritional yeast and don’t mind if the sauce doesn’t take *exactly* like traditional Alfredo sauce. Is there anything of similar consistency that won’t interfere with the recipe that I could substitute for nutritional yeast to main a similar texture? Just some flour, maybe?
Hi! No I wouldn’t add flour. You can leave out or use a vegan parmesan cheese. You may need to add a touch more salt for flavor since the yeast has a salty bite.
I made this last night and it was amazing. My wife and I are not vegetarians but my wife absolutely hates milk / cream. She loved it! …. And so did I. I followed the instructions without any modifications and everything worked out. Thank you for sharing. I’ll will definitely make this again.
Bob
I’ve made this recipe several times and it’s delicious. I did use a yellow onion instead because the white onion made the Alfredo a little sweet.
I haven’t made this yet but I can’t wait to try it! I’m getting the ingredients together and have a question about the nutritional yeast. Do you recommend the original flavor or have you used the garlic Parmesan flavor by Sari?
My husband loved the recipe- he’s a tough sell when it comes to vegan/plant based foods!
This IS the best vegan garlic Alfredo sauce! I don’t usually make a white sauce but I thought I’d try this. So much flavour ! Thanks for this recipe!
Hi I made this some time ago because my son is vegan and the rest of the non vegan or even vegetarian family members loved it. I tried it again recently and it turned out green. My son said t was probably due to not taking out the garlic core. It still tasted pretty good even though I over did the garlic and pepper. Any thought on what I may have done wrong?
Green?? I have no idea since none of the ingredients have that. Never heard of that happening!
Completely incredible!!
Have you tried freezing this? How does it do?
Yay! Yes, just let it thaw and reblend if needed and reheat on low so it doesn’t overthicken!
It was a little bit hard cuz i could not get ALL the water out to be GONE and then didnt understand why to add more of the broth that I just evaporated. I followed the rest of the instructions and it was so perfect….A keeper and I am so happy I can now eat this dish which I adored when I was not a WFPB person. Thank you!
This turned out great!! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe.
Absolutely a gourmet Garlicky Alfredo Sauce without all the unhealthy fats and dairy! This is now our go to sauce for pasta, or other recipes such as a roasted cauliflower head drizzled with this delicious sauce! Thank you Brandi! As a plant based, oil free,whole food cook, I am often asked who I follow for high quality tasty recipes. Hands down Vegan8 always my first and strongest referral!
Aww this was so sweet to read, thank you Carol!!
I absolutely love this recipe! So easy, flavorful, creamy and cheesy! Perfect alfredo sauce! I made mine with mushroom bacon and roasted Brussel sprouts to mix in. Bonus, my non vegan partner who usually doesn’t like cashew based sauces loved it too! It’s a win win. Thank you!
Tried this tonight and it did not disappoint!! Very good and flavorful! Thanks for a great option for a dairy free alfredo sauce. 🤩
Have made this recipe a few times. This time I didn’t have broth so just used a bit of water and it still turned out just as delicious.
This was so good! I used roasted cashews and it was still delicious! Thank you!
Awesome!
Hi there!
Can I sun water for the broth?
Thanks.
It will be less flavorful so you’ll need to add more flavor to make up for it.
This recipe is AMAZING and I share it with friends ALL the time (by sharing the link so YOU get credit for the recipe and not me)!!!!! I am telling you – it goes on EVERYTHING and cannot be beat!
Thank you so much Mary!
Just tried this tonight! Fabulous !
Boiled my cashews and let them sit for 25 min
Before adding to blender. Very smooth!
Have to say I’m easing into the vegan lifestyle and this sauce is perfectly nuanced. Arguably better than traditional Alfredo sauce. Thank you for sharing 🙂
Thank you so much!
Listen…I was skeptical, one of my favorite meals is to eat half spaghetti with pasta sauce and half fettuccine with Alfredo sauce but I’ve made a move for health to eat better. I made it exactly to the recipe and it was fantastic. To quote my husband “dare I say this is even better than the spaghetti factory” he also asked “are you going to eat more Alfredo or can I finish it off” this will be a weekly staple! Thank you for sharing!
So awesome to hear!!
So easy and yummy! The recipe I had was a bit involved and on days when I just didn’t have the time, I would avoid making it, even if I was in the mood for Alfredo. All I added to this recipe (because we love spice) was 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper and then 2 med. carrots, just for some vegetable. No oil and no coconut milk needed (like my other recipe) makes this one a WIN WIN – Thanks so much
Just made this for the first time and it’s a hit! Thank you! This recipe will definitely be going in my regular monthly rotations. Made extra sauce to add some fake vegan chicken in there with the pasta too. My non-vegan boyfriend loved it all!