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.
This is absolutely amazing!! Can’t believe how creamy and tasty this is from plant based items. Decadence without the food coma and aftermath feeling from heavy cream based pastas. Although oil free, this is my third timing making it and this time added a small dash of olive oil for sauteeing the onions.
I so love this dish. I found out I’m allergic to dairy and that crushed my soul. I found your recipe and now it’s my go to. I made it a few months ago and my coworker tried it and she thought I put cheese in it. I had to tell her nope so thank you so much. I’m in love. “)
Wonderful!
My wife and I found this recipe about 8 years ago I believe and is hands down my wife’s favorite dish. I feel the need to share a review because as her non-vegan husband I actually like this dish better than real Alfredo sauce. I don’t feel fat or heavy chested like dairy makes you feel. So after probably making this recipe, no exaggeration 100 times, doubled each time (leftovers) I felt it was time to leave you the review you deserve. Thanks again for all your recipes, I wholeheartedly can’t think of one dish she hasn’t loved.
That is so wonderful to hear Marcus!! You are so kind, thank you so much!
This really is THE BEST Alfredo sauce I’ve ever had! Absolutely delicious. I will make this over and over again! It’s so nice to have recipes to make for my non vegan friends that I know they will love. It’s recipes like this that help people make the switch to becoming vegan. Thank you!
Makes me smile to hear this, thank you so much Allison!
This recipe is fabulous: healthy tasty creamy and doesn’t leave behind the sick feeling you get when eating cream sauce pastas.
I added mushrooms/ broccoli/ tomatoes a small amount of capsicum and a garlic I’d sized portion of basil and parsley for a meal in a plate.
Can anyone tell me whether or not the cashew sauce freezes well? I currently only eat it if I have friends over; as four nights in a week is too many times from r me!!
So happy to hear you loved it!! Yes, you can freeze it!
Yum. I added tomatoes and basil at the end and used zoodles. Thanks for the great recipe!
Not gonna lie… I was skeptical. I think I’m the only vegan who hates nutritional yeast so when I see a recipe that calls for more than a tablespoon I flinch. I made this exactly as instructed and it’s excellent! Creamy and comforting, for sure! After following the instructions to the letter (because you cant fairly rate a recipe if you change it), I added my own flare and I’m very pleased with results both before and after my few additions. I’ll be doubling this recipe so I have some on hand. Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe!
So thrilled to hear you loved it!
So glad to find this recipe!! I just had this at a Vegan restaurant called Plant City. My daughter loved it too!! She can’t have traditional Alfredo sauce so this will be an excellent substitute!!
So awesome to hear you ordered this from the restaurant and loved it, yay!!
This pasta sauce is out of this world. Just made this tonight and the family loves it and can’t even tell that it’s vegan! Thank you for this wonderful recipe!!!
That is so wonderful to hear Emmy!!
Delicious!! Easy, creamy, soooo tasty. Loved by all the family and my meat eating hubby too! Thank you for the recipe x
Yay, that is awesome!
Great taste and so creamy! I cooked the onions in a dollop of vegan butter and added 2 T of Chao cheese shreds. It was indulgent!
Love hearing that!
I followed the recipe as written and then added sauteed peas at the end. Absolutely delicious! We are not vegans, but are trying to incorporate more vegan dishes and this one is a keeper!
The sauce had a very wonderful flavor, but mine did not look as creamy and smooth as yours, especially after adding it to my pasta. Do you think my blender isn’t powerful enough?
Hi COnnie, that would definitely be why! The blender makes all the difference in the world. I use a Vitamix.
This is a great recipe. As my family loves a lot of spice, I add a little extra here and there, but this is the family favorite for gluten free & vegan fettuccine alfredo. It is creamy and tasty. My daughter and son in law save the leftover sauce to use on their next three meals, and we have a new vegan alfredo egg & cheese crepes. Delicious!
I thought I’d try another cashew cream pasta sauce just for comparison. This is clearly a tops in sauces, vegan or otherwise. Simply light, creamy, tasty. Unbelievable that this is vegan. I used it with Trader Joe’s spinach/ cashew ravioli. Delicious!
Oh my word. This sauce is to DIE for! Let me start off by stating that I am not vegan or vegetarian, and do not limit my diet in anyway. I made this sauce for a friend a few years ago and wanted to make it again to see if it was as good as I remembered. It’s better. I have also made this recipe with sun-dried tomatoes and it is heavenly! When I tell you I could NOT STOP licking the spoon…. yeah. It was THAT good (add the sun-dried tomatoes!!).
Yay, that is so wonderful to hear April!!
OMG this sauce is amazing. I had to sub in sunflower nuts for the cashews (allergies in the house) but nothing else. Thank you so much for this recipe. I’ll be making it again and again
Yes, this *is* the best vegan alfredo sauce! I couldn’t wait to comment on how delicious it is. It’s up there with my vegan piccata sauce as one my favorite sauces. I only had red onion so I used that instead of white and it still came out phenomenally. I served it over bow tie pasta with sautéed veggies. AMAZING!
Thank you for sharing this recipe!!
I’ve tried multiple versions of vegan Alfredo and this is by far the best! I make it all the time! My kids love it and I’m serving it for the non-vegan in laws tomorrow. Thank you!
I tried this recipe years ago and loved it. It was on regular rotation here in my home. It got buried within my pinterest recipes I saved and just when I didn’t know what to make for dinner I saw this recipe and had all the ingredients! It’s back on the menu. How could I have forgotten such deliciousness? 😄
This was easy and tasted fantastic! We have a friend who has trouble swallowing and needs dishes that have lots of sauce. I was so happy to be able to make something that had a healthy sauce and tasted great!