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 have a question, can I use Cashew flour as an alternative so I don’t have to grind up the cashews?
So sorry I missed this Toya! Honestly I’ve never tried that so I’m not sure…is the only ingredient cashews?
I made this and my whole family loved it! Even my picky kids liked it. It is really good! Thank you!
That is amazing to hear Dana, thank you so much for the review!
this was veryyy good. i will 100% be making it and again. i was sceptical at first wondering where the flavour would come from but woww all the ingredients come togethe so well. and its pretty easy. thank you for the recipe
20 STARS!! DELICIOUS!! And Bonus, s9 freaking Easy!!! This sauce is the BOMB!! Tastes better then dairy made sauce!! Its a MUST TRY RECIPE! Proof is in the pudding though so I challenge y’all to make this & tell me anyone, no matter diet type, doesn’t love this sauce.
Made this to toss on GF spaghetti noodles & added shredded chicken, as my hubs is Not vegan but can’t have dairy or gluten. This is his new favorite over store bought in jars even. He just loved it & I rate this 20 stars even if 5 is the limit.
Thank YOU for sharing this Delicious creation with the world!! 😘
Aww this is wonderful Marie, thank you for the amazing feedback!!
Absolutely delicious. I’ve been craving a healthy version of Alfredo sauce and bam, this is it! Thank thank thank you.
Love hearing this Liz!
Going to be trying more of your recipes, just purchased the book can’t wait!
Loved it!! So healthy and easy to make! My favorite white sauce recipe, thank you!
Thank you so very much Alicia!!
Love this!
i made this for my dad and he really liked it
Hi. What I can use instead of nutritional yeast? They are toksin, and not the food for people, Medical Medium Anthony Willuam says.
If you don’t want to use it, I would suggest a vegan parmesan cheese!
I love this recipe. I eat it at least once a week!
This recipe is so yummy! But does NOT take 20 minutes haha! Takes me 45-60 typicallyz
OMG I am obsessed with this sauce! As a new vegan, it’s been a struggle to find dairy free sauces that actually taste good…this is a major win! There are so many possibilities I am going to explore with this sauce! Maybe try adding some white wine with the garlic and reduce a bit before blending to make a creamy white wine sauce…add basil to the blend for a pesto cream sauce…toss it with rice and veggies and chickpeas and bake for a veggie rice casserole…add it to lasagna along with marinara for extra creaminess…I could keep going! THANK YOU!!!!
So very happy to hear this Nicki!! Thanks for the lovely review!
I followed your instructions as precisely as possible and we super loved the sauce that came out.
Everyone loved it at the dinner table.
Thank you a ton for providing a healthier alternative.
Has anyone had any luck making the sauce ahead and freezing it? I’m excited to try this one!
Yes, you can freeze it!
Hooooooly moly. I was craving a creamy pasta and honestly, I had my usual on standby because I wasn’t sure about this but woah. I started eating the sauce straight out of the blender! Managed to save some and added some woodland mushrooms to it and it tasted like a professional restaurant dish. Husband isn’t vegan and he is obsessed. Thank you so much! Will be checking out your other recipes too (already shared this one with friends) x
Thank you Hannah, I am really happy to hear that!!
A doctor recommended WFPB diet to me and I’ve been struggling with missing cheese and creamy sauces such as this one. Let me just say OMG!! This is amazing! Now, I’m looking for more recipes that I can incorporate this sauce! Delicious! Thank you so much!
This recipe is awesome! I’ve tried out several other plant-based alfredo sauces, and this is the best one I’ve made by far. If you follow the instructions exactly, and only modify a bit after tasting, you will have a creamy tangy alfredo-y sauce. I soaked my cashews for about an hour and a half (and rinsed as recommended), and after blending I added slightly more lemon juice and nutritional yeast. But otherwise, I made it exactly as written. To serve, I roasted some cherry tomatoes and sautéed zucchini, onion, and baby spinach. I made some gf pasta, mixed the pasta, veggies, and sauce in a pan until heated through. My non-plant eating spouse went back for thirds, so I think that tells you how awesome this recipe is! Thank you!
Wonderful to hear Das, thank you for the feedback!
Absolutely delicious. Thank you so much!
Very delicious!
7 stars out of 5. It was easy to prepare and delicious. I will definitely keep this. Thank you!
This is FANTASTIC!!!
This is the ultimate Vegan alfredo recipe. No need to try any other! I have made this countless times and it is so easy to prepare A little goes a long way and the flavor….you can’t even tell the difference from the real deal. I prefer this over the high calorie, dairy based alfredo (i am not vegan). Many of my friends have asked for the recipe. Folks this one is a winner.
Awww I’m so glad!!
Tastes like “regular” Alfredo. My family had NO IDEA! 😈 I made extra cooked onion and garlic, added peas, rice, and tofu chunks. This was a hit in my house!! Brava!
I sometimes struggle to make recipes, for my non vegan husband, that he really likes, without having to make separate meals. My approach is usually to make a WFPB recipe, and just add whatever animal protein he desires, to his portion. One of his favorite meals is a pasta ,with peas and pancetta, in a cream sauce. I used this recipe putting peas and mushrooms in mine, while adding pancetta to his. HE LOVED IT! Slowly but surely I am making a positive impact on his health, while drastically improving my own. He’s eating low sodium, sugar, and 50% less dairy and other animal products, while eating way more veggies, legumes, grains, and fruits. He will even drink a big green smoothie without complaint. Well most of the time anyway. Once again thank you for making my life tastier, healthier, and easier. Oh, and hubbies too!
So, sooo happy he loved it Donna!!!