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.
By far my absolute favorite vegan Alfredo out there. We aren’t vegan, but what the heck does that matter? It’s FREAKING DELICIOUS. We use a food processor and it works just as well as a blender. We occasionally add in a little freeze-dried organic cheddar powder, and that puts a dairy-infused cheesey twist on it, too! Well done!
It was alright. I have to disagree with your husband. This doesn’t taste like Alfredo sauce. It is similar to a white cream sauce but doesn’t capture the Alfredo taste and texture.
Hmmm odd! I’ve had thousands say otherwise! Sorry you didn’t like it, thanks for trying it.
This is the best vegan/non-dairy Alfredo recipe. Make it on a regular basis!
This is our weekly go to! So delish and everyone LOVES it. Vegan and non-vegan. I definitely like that you’ve included the measurements in weight. I’ve found that measuring insures a PERFECT sauce every time. I make soy curls flavored with poultry seasoning. Can I freeze this?
So happy to hear you all loved it so much!! Yes, you can freeze it!
Brandi, I made your Alfredo sauce today. Tossed it with some rice/quinoa pasta. Added some lightly steamed broccoli and peas as you suggested. Also through in spinach and tossed to slightly wilt. Added some sliced cherub tomatoes for color. It was very satisfying. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe!😋
So happy you loved it!
This is the BEST alfredo sauce ever! I had it over spaghetti and broccoli. This will be in the rotation often. It’s a shame that my husband can’t have cashews. That means all the more for me! LOL
I can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
woohoo thank you so much Jodi!
Seriously great recipe. My 8 year old and I both loved it (and she is very picky!) It was easy, flavorful, and creamy. Total winner.
Made this sauce tonight. The family complimented how good it was! I will add the recommended salt next time and possibly the other 1/2 tablespoon of lemon juice. Used my nutri bullet for blending. I will definitely make this again!
This is the BEST recipe!! I absolutely love it and it’s amazing that it’s oil free. At the end of blending I add a couple splashes of unsweetened almond milk. I think it makes it creamer and also gives it a whiter “Alfredo” color. So good!!
This was surprisingly accurate to Alfredo sauce and very easy to make.! My kids and my husband loved it. I also added tofu on the side.
On my nutrarian journey, I really miss pasta; this is my comfort food, especially Alfredo!
26 days into a drastic change of lifestyle food journey left me wanting a little something indulgent. Enter vegan garlic Alfredo sauce!
I made this with baked spaghetti squash with mushrooms, onions, and broccoli. I promise, it was a restaurant-worthy meal! Talk about indulgence! This vegetarian “pasta” entree will be joining my regular rotation now!
I can hardly wait to try another recipe!
Thank you for healthy and delicious, nutritious food options that fit into my current eating lifestyle.
Is there a possible substitute for lemon juice? Unfortunately I can’t have lemons
You can try apple cider vinegar, but I’d start with half, as it is a lot stronger.
How many days is the sauce good for in the fridge?
About a week.
This was amazing!!! I can’t wait to make it again.
This afredo sauce was so good! And I didn’t really think I liked alfredo sauce all that much. Then I saw that this was your most popular recipe on the blog so I had to check it out. Your comment about how eating the tradition alfredo would leave you feeling not so well. I thought, hmm, maybe that’s why I remember not caring for it. So I read some (a lot!) of the reviews and was convinced I should try it. I made the recipe as written and it was easy and really delicious. And I felt good after eating it! 🙂 It will definitly become part of our meal rotation.
Oh, and I had some leftover sauce and used it on a naan pizza crust and that was delicious also!
Thank you, Brandi!
Wow – this was great! My husband rarely likes the dairy free “dupes” I make but he loved this one. So did my kiddos. No modifications were made to the recipe and my ninja blender worked great on the raw (un-soaked) cashews. Highly recommend – even for non-vegans!
This Alfredo sauce is fabulous! I am new to vegan substitutes for dairy sauces. It’s so good for many uses. So sorry to hear others are posting your recipe without giving credit:(
Awesome, thank you so much Maura!
Wow! I was shocked at the flavor. This was so good. My husband and I just watched “Eating You Alive” and saw this recipe. I happened to have all the ingredients on hand (I will admit to using chicken broth instead of vegetable stock though because it’s what I had). I love Alfredo sauce but the dairy version does not often agree with me or my husband. This recipe is amazing, it’s super filling and I didn’t feel gross after eating dinner. While I made this, my son made your flat bread recipe. We are pleasantly surprised with the results from the 2 recipes we’ve tried so far. We’re planning on trying more of your recipes and I look forward to purchasing your cookbook when I get paid next.
That is so wonderful to hear Amanda that you enjoyed both recipes!!
Delicious and easy to make!
This is delicious! I prepared as written and made no ingredient substitutions. Served with fettuccine and roasted broccoli. Will definitely make again!
All of my kids loved it!
Ok I am honestly SHOCKED at how good this is. I made this with everything except nooch (I ran out) and I added in 4 packets of parmesan cheese from Olive Garden 🤷 so it was not vegan but mannnnn is it good!
Yowza! That sauce is the BEST!! We used it over spaghetti squash and I will be using it again for sure! Hubby already suggested several dishes too. So so easy – perfect for quick dinner after work. Love it!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE this recipe. In fact, last time I made it I decided to make a double batch and put some in the fridge for later in the week. Now I am wondering how long it will stay in the fridge. Any idea?
SO happy to hear this Jilly! It’s good for about a week!
This sauce turned out great! I did modify a little by water sautéing the onions and garlic before adding all the water/broth. Will def make again.