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 the best vegan Alfredo sauce I have made, keeper!
I don’t do nutritional yeast so I substituted white miso, it was delicious. Thank you!
Wonderful to hear!
I have made this recipe couple of times already and it’s been a super hit. Can’t believe this is vegan and the flavors without the guilt, win win! Thank you so much for creating this recipe, game changer for us vegans.
Thank you so much Mukesh for your kind words!!
I made this tonight with a couple of changes. 4 tablespoons of nutritional yeast and 1 cup of cashews. It was amazing.
This sauce is amazing! I’m especially obsessed with it on my loaded baked potatoes. This cream replaces all of the butter, sour cream and cheese toppings I used prior to my plant based journey!
How long will it keep in the fridge? I wanna use it for wraps and stuff. Had a similar sauce in a vegan wrap and I’ve been obsessed since!!
About 1-2 weeks!
This is on the menu tonight. Can you tell me what a good sauce-to-pasta ratio would be? This recipe makes 2 cups, so that would be a good amount for how much pasta? I will use a spaghetti or maybe a bow tie pasta.
Thanks!
It’s been so long and I always just add some pasta to a bowl and pour desired amount of sauce on top, but I think 12 ounces of pasta!
I just used this for a pound of pasta and there was plenty of sauce! You can save a little pasta water and add it to make it a little more saucy, too.
This is one of my favorite recipes of all time, absolutely delicious! As a lifelong Olive Garden alfredo fan I can say this is even better and I will never go back to the non-vegan version. My meat eating hubby also loves this and we make it several times a month. Have just shared with my mom, can’t wait to hear her feedback.
Follow the directions and you won’t be sorry! This was everything I’d hoped it would be. Excellent.
So easy. Extremely tasty. Entire family loved it. I did a taste test between this vegan sauce and a traditional Alfredo Sauce and the vegan one was the best!!!!
So awesome to hear!
We make this at least once a week. It’s so good!
I love this sauce I add minced mushrooms . Very very tastyand I get requests for it by friends
Absolutely delicious!!! Topped my pasta and sauce with a little vegan Alpha chicken and it was all to-die for. Thank you so much!!! Very simple to make but sooo good.
Absolutely delicious 😍 I paired with a little bit of Alpha vegan chicken on my pasta and it was soooo good 🥰 thank you so much for this recipe!!! So easy and lovely.
Sounds amazing Naomi, thank you!!
I just went vegan about a month ago and have been looking for vegan versions of some of my favorite foods and this Alfredo recipe is pretty darn good. Thank you so much for the effort you put into perfecting this recipe, it is much appreciated. 👍🏾👍🏾
*idk if this will post but I thought it was funny, two vegan Naomi’s, reviewing the very same recipe 1 day apart.. I love the little moments like these!!! *mine is pending moderation but still haha congrats on going vegan!!! Best decision of my life around 4 years ago now.
Haha, I love it Naomi! You are too sweet, thank you for being here!
Hi I realized I bought roasted unsalted cashews. Will these still work?
They will technically work as far as texture, however, the sauce will be a lot darker or taste a lot more nutty and less like alfredo. Raw is best because they flavor is less strong. So, just keep in mind the flavor will change!
OMG this is shockingly good and very creamy. You’d never know it from the ingredients which is part of its brilliance, but have faith and dive in, you won’t regret it! Thank you for sharing this!
That is so awesome to hear Travis!! Thank you!
The creamiest and most flavorful vegan sauce for fettucini I have ever made! Thank you for sharing, Brandi!
oh wow I love hearing this Malerie, thank you!!
Thank you SO much for this recipe! My now husband and I started dating over a decade ago. When we first met, he was a long time vegan (about 15 years) and I was omni. For our first Valentine’s Day, I had asked him when dish he missed the most after having gone vegan and he said seafood fettuccine Alfredo. I used your recipe to make him Alfredo (and added some vegan shrimp) and let me tell you, I think your Alfredo recipe is why we’re married today. It’s still the best Alfredo recipe out there and our favorite celebratory meal. So truly, thank you! <3
Jessica this was one of the sweetest most amazing feedbacks I’ve ever read, thank you so so much for sharing!!
Has anyone tried making the sauce ahead of time (meal prep) and then reheating when ready to make?
You can, you just have to reheat it on very low, as it is cashew-based and can overcook and get too thick quickly!
Shockingly good. The notes were excellent; it turned out perfectly. I made it earlier this week and I’m already making it again!
I am so thrilled to hear this incredible feedback, Beth, thank you!
Delicious! I don’t like nutritional yeast but I wanted to try the recipe as written and it tasted great!! No strange flavors. Thank you so much!
So glad you enjoyed this alfredo Tiffany!
Hi what would be the outcome of not using yeast? I can’t consume it, is there an alternative method or even go without?
It will be a lot less flavorful, so I would add some miso or vegan parmesan cheese in its place, to taste.
Everything from the ingredients to the cook time is perfect! 🤌 I could tell you spent a lot of time fine tuning the recipe. Clean up is a cinch because there isn’t any oil. I used whole wheat fettuccine, add sauteed mushrooms and spinach, and topped it off with lemon zest. I’ll be making the BEST vegan garlic alfredo sauce at least once a month. I’m excited to try other recipes on your blog – I have a feeling they’ll be just as delicious and easy!
Thanks so much!
Awww that is amazing Tamika!! Thank you!
Can you use red onions?
I wouldn’t advise it because red onions become very sweet and also will turn the sauce more brown.
I can not have salt. What do you recommend?
Have you ever tried Green Salt?
I have never heard of it