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.
S
This is my go to vegan Alfredo sauce. It is perfect every time! What makes it extra special, is using my homemade vegetable broth. I can’t imagine a better vegan Alfredo sauce.
This has become a regular in my household where I am vegan and my husband and son are not. Everyone loves it, including them!
My whole family (2 meat eaters, 2 non) loves this recipe and I have made it quite a few times! I buy a big bag of raw cashews at Costco and my hack is to put 2 inches of water over them and microwave till the water boils, then let sit 20 minutes before adding/blending. I also use Better Than Bouillon veggie stock to control the sodium. Works like a charm!
My son is vegan. I am not. I have a tough time finding recipes that he likes. But I made this today and my son said it was absolutely delicious. It’s rare to get that reaction from him. I’ll be making this again. Thank you for sharing your recipe online.
I’m really happy to hear your son loved this recipe, thank you for sharing the review!
This might be the fourth time in making this because it really is the best. Thank you!!!
That is so wonderful to hear Tiffany!!
Amazing!! Loved the creaminess and the flavor is sooooo tasty!! Definitely going to be a regular!!! Thank you!
That is awesome, thank you Sandi!
I loved it, and my 3 boys did too ( and they are not keen on vegan versions of any dish! But they absolutely loved this one, so this will be a new dish in my repertoire 👍)
Thank you 🤩
I’m not vegan and this is better than any alfredo sauce I’ve had!
Wow Adam, thank you so much for the amazing feedback!!
I literally just made this today and it is so good! Perfect recipe! Thank you so much for creating this recipe and sharing it! My little vegan son is thoroughly enjoying his Alfredo pasta right now!
Aww that is wonderful he loved it!
Wow!!! I really wanted a nice vegan white sauce pasta for my birthday and this was literally the best ever! It by far exceeded my expectations. Our kids even thought it was better than a restaurant. We will happily be adding this into our rotation of amazing meals moving forward. Thank you!!
That makes me so so happy to hear Bala! What a fantastic review, I really appreciate it!
Genius! Thank you so much kind of new to vegan food. Husband like it too. God keep blessing you and all else.
So happy it was a hit!
Loved the addition of onion and garlic to this sauce to enhance its nutrition. Really rich and creamy. Perfect with rigatoni to hold all that yumminess!
Excellent combination of ingredients and flavors ! Our non- GF/DF guests loved it as well. Thank you!
Thank you Sharon, that is awesome!
OMG. YUMMY THIS WAS SO DELICIOUS 😋
This was EXCELLENT. I’ll definitely make it again. I sautéed some oysters mushrooms and spinach to serve on top – chef’s kiss!!!!
That is so amazing to hear!!
Really tasty!
Tweaks – sub silk soy milk for veg broth at end for creamier sauce.
Incredible! I made it exactly as written. So flavorful, with a great consistency. I’ll be making this over and over!!!
Yayyyy Jenn!!
Truly is the best vegan Alfredo I’ve ever tried. I follow your recipe exactly as written and it turns out perfect every time. I have added chile flakes to the mix for a little extra spice. Thanks for this recipe. Life changer for a vegan. Made it for non vegans and they were super impressed
So very happy to hear this feedback Deb, thank you!!
I would love to make this for the holidays! I have a large crowd and typically prep ahead of time. If I make the sauce and freeze it, what is the best way to reheat it? My dairy and gluten pasta dish is fully constructed and frozen. This will be used with gf pasta which I have found doesn’t freeze well. Thank you for your time! Looking forward to serving my dairy and gluten free family members a tasty dish!
Hi Beth! Sorry for the delay! I would reheat it on very low on the stove. Since it is made with cashews, it will thicken quickly and can get overly thick so heat only briefly.
This recipe was so simple and FLAVORFUL! Thank you:)
I just want to say, THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! 🥰🥰. Excellent recipe 👌.
So glad you loved it!!
Delicious recipe. Thank you for sharing.
So glad you loved it Sydney!
Oh my goodness! This sauce is amazing! It really is the best. So easy and quick. I added a roasted zucchini and 2 white mushrooms to the sauce to increase the nutritional content and stirred through peas and roasted broccoli. Delicious! Thank you so much for this recipe, it will made regularly.
Made it as written and it was phenomenal! What a great recipe. Thank you for your hard work!
Thank you so so much Dena! I’m so happy you loved this recipe!!