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.
Thank you for this fabulous recipe!!! I have acid reflux, so I haven’t had lasagna in a long time. I used this for my veggie lasagna. I had quite a bit of frozen almond pulp waiting to find a use. I made almond pulp ricotta & a cashew mozzarella cheese sauce! I’m so happy to have lasagna again! The version with almond ricotta went to a friend who can’t have soy. Mine, I made a tofu ricotta! Thank you so much! And when I share my creations I always post your link!!!
Oh my goodness. This is by far the best vegan Alfredo (and possibly ANY Alfredo) we’ve ever had. We loved it. Thank you for this!
Woohoo! That’s awesome!
This was soooo good!! At first I didn’t blend it enough and it was a bit chunky lol but then I added a splash of water and put my blender on super high, it came it creamy and airy. I was very impressed!!
I just tried this recipe and it was AMAZING! I didn’t omit any of the ingredients and started out with the least amount of each recommended. I did add more black pepper and nutritional yeast and it didn’t disappoint, so much that my non-vegan youngest daughter indulged in two bowls of it without complaints. This opened up my eyes to what else I could do on this plant based journey!
That is so amazing to hear!!
I recently had to go dairy free and this is DELICIOUS! Thank you so much!
I started a business last year and really fell off on meal prepping and eating whole foods. I turned 40 and well, I put on some weight. Getting back healthy has become one of my main focuses. I wanted to eliminate plant-based meats and processed vegan foods. I usually purchase jarred alfredo sauce and plant-based chicken to make my chicken alfredo. I decided homemade would be best. Your recipe is the second one I came across. It seemed so easy and appetizing. Well, it did not disappoint. I used protein pasta and added mushrooms, spinach, and chickpeas(in place of the chicken). Wow! Amazing. I will be making this more often. I am amazed that I was able to make 5 bowls with this. I will be making my own cashew butter using your recipe tomorrow plus checking out more of your recipes. Thank You!
Best Alfredo I’ve ever had and that includes dairy version that I grew up loving.
My only wish was that the nutritional info/serving size/calories per serving was included.
She is not required to provide that info. Research it yourself. What a thing to complain about.
Great recipe! I caramelized my onions instead of preparing them as stated in the recipe. This changes the color of the sauce a bit but it tastes sooooo good. I also added extra nutritional yeast and imitation bacon bits. The sauce comes out so smooth and creamy, it’s surprising that it’s vegan!
WOWZA! I am just stunned at how simple and delicious this recipe is. I’m not what you’d call a “cook,” but this was so easy and almost foolproof- thank you for the step by step parts, adding details like ” start with a 1/2 teaspoon, then add more if necessary.” I cna’t wait to impress somebody with this.
This is so yummy! My son picked this for his dinner choice of the week and it will become a regular meal for our family. It is SO rare that our entire family loves something and everyone LOVED this dish. The lemon zest is a must…it really ties it all together. We did not have fresh parsley, however, I imagine that would make it even better. Thank you! We LOVE THIS!
So happy to hear that Kat!
This recipe is amazing! Tastes exactly like traditional alfredo sauce, but in a much healthier version. Will definitely be part of the regular dinner rotation from now on!
Absolutely delicious. Never missed the cheese and unhealthy ingredients at all!!
This is delicious!!!! So glad I found it since I have to be dairy free now.
Can this be frozen?
yes
I have made this MANY times and it never fails to deliver. I’ve taken it to pot lucks and it’s been a smash, especially with rice noodles, since it covers most dietary restrictions.
Fantastic! First time trying it and the instructions are perfect! Thanks for this DELICIOUS RECIPE!!!
Absolutely delicious! I made a double batch and so glad I did. Thank you.
I just read after the third time making this , to cook the onions and garlic, HA, always just put it in the blender raw and always came out really good. This is a really good recipe even with the raw garlic and onion. I’m gonna try roasting them next time!!!
Can I make the sauce ahead of time?
Yes, just reheat on low because cashew sauces will thicken very easily when heated.
I have tried lots of plant based cream sauce recipes and this is by far my favorite. I don’t think it tastes exactly like Alfredo but it does taste like an delicious cream sauce that has so much potential to use for so many different kinds of recipes that it’s even better than I had hoped for. I can see adding sauteed green chilies, onion and garlic to this sauce and using for creamy enchiladas, or add mushrooms and use as a gravy for biscuits.
I just tried making your recipe today. It’s fantastic! I’m really surprised by how easy and flavorful this is and I already had almost all the ingredients on hand. I haven’t even poured it over pasta yet but I know it will be amazing! Thank you!!
Yay!!
When making the sauce is the broth hot? Or do you heat the sauce up after??
No, it’s warm from cooking the onions, etc. and then adding hot pasta. I’ve never had to heat it up.
Absolutely delicious! And I’m a long term vegan that cooks frequently. Something about this recipe creates the perfect synergy and makes it special. So easy. New go to. Thanks!
This was soooo good and easy!! Will make for my vegan-non-believer friends!
I’m not vegan, but decided to make this recipe today. It’s absolutely incredible! Delicious! And so much lower in fat.
You sold me on this recipe – thx for your gift to us!