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.
Winner!! Even my fussy non vegan husband loved it (finally a creamy white sauce he loves). I made it almost exactly to the recipe measurements. Only thing is I’m glad I bought two white onions to make it just over 200g. I had mine with green peas stirred through and some extra salt and pepper when I added the pasta with the sauce. Thank you! Glad I trusted the reviews.
New to Vegan cooking, this was so delicious!! Thank you!
I’m really happy to hear that Lori, thank you for sharing!
This recipe is amazing!!! Both my 10 year old son and my husband absolutely love it!!!
Have you (or your readers) tried this recipe without the onions or with an onion substitute? How did it turn out?
I only ask because the recipe looks awesome but I am allergic to onion and to a lesser extent the garlic as well.
Hi Kyle! I have not. The onions are a large part of the flavor, so I don’t think it would be that good without them. However, I have other alfredo recipes that may be a better option for you:
20 Minute Alfredo (no onion): https://thevegan8.com/20-minute-vegan-alfredo/
Cream Cheese Alfredo: https://thevegan8.com/vegan-cream-cheese-alfredo
OMG! This recipe is delicious and so easy to make. Thank you for providing a vegan, healthy version of one of my sauces!
We loved this sauce. So good! Thank you!
I feel the need to leave a second review. This is absolutely the best vegan Alfredo sauce you will find. My son is incredibly picky and he just loves this sauce. He actually gets excited when he knows I’m making it. It’s that good! If you haven’t tried it, you need to.
So very happy to hear this Pamela!!
This was amazing! I’ve used carmalized onions in a similar recipe but this was simple with so few ingredients and the payofff…delicious! Even my non-vegans enjoyed. I served with fettuccine, mushrooms, broccoli, olives and a few fresh basil leaves.
Thank you for sharing!
That is so wonderful to hear!
This is AMAZING!! The only change I did was omit the salt and added 1 tablespoon white miso. It’s SO delicious!!!
Great idea!! Thank you Marj!
I made this sauce for dinner tonight on spaghetti noodles with peas and my kids loved it!
My partner and I made this recipe for the first time 5 years ago and it has become a staple recipe ever since! It doubles (and even triples) easily. I sometimes add some soft or silken tofu to add some protein and it stays delicious because the base is so good. I also use the alfredo in place of bechamel in vegan lasagne to fantastic results that non-vegans enjoy just as much! So grateful for this simple, easy, nourishing recipe!
You just blew my mind using this for bechamel! I love this recipe and will definitely be trying it in lasagna.
Made this recipe and loved it This is my first time of doing vegetarian recipes and hoping to get to like it as best for environment
This vegan alfredo sauce is AMAZING!!! We put it on top of some delicious homemade vegan sourdough pasta and broccoli. Even my 11y/o who won’t eat anything with onions LOVED it! Thank you so much for such a tasty recipe. This is going into our cozy comfort food rotation!
This makes me so happy to hear Jess!
Wow that sounds so incredible!
So so good and very quick!
You are always my go-to website when I am looking for. Recipe that will not disappoint. This is rich and so satisfying over chick pea pasta.
That is so kind, thank you so much Alexandra!!
This will be my new (and first) go-to for alfredo! All simple basic ingredients that I already have. Just found this this evening and didn’t have to do any shopping. I had this with mushrooms and broccoli, but I can already tell that this will also be fantastic with many other mixes, like sun dried tomatoes, vegan shrimp, olives…anything that would be done with alfredo, because this tastes just like what I remember from when I wasn’t vegan (except no guilt now).
I am really happy to hear all of this Susie!!
So delicious and digest so much better than dairy Alfredo
Yayyy Nate!
Absolutely delicious. Simple, quick n tasty. The search for vegan Alfredo sauce is finally over. Thank you!
This is my go to Alfredo recipe! It reminds me of the Olive Garden Alfredo and my toddler also approves.
Yay I’m so happy you and your toddler love this recipe!!
I give you a 5 star rate as it is delicious. Am working on making an alfredo sauce without cashews as they are expensive and also fatning
Ocasionally I do use cashews so I would like to give you a tip on working with cashews. I have a new coffee grinder (and I love it as it is so handy).
I put dry cashews in the coffee grinder. They grind up fine so that I don’t have to wait around to let them soak. Then I just add them to the blender with the other ingredients. It is so much faster.
I substitute half the cashews with cooked potatoes for a lower fat sauce. Still tastes great and the texture is perfect!
Awesome!!
This was simply delicious and my first vegan meal! Thank you!!!
This was exactly the kind of rich, indulgent pasta sauce that I’ve been missing since going dairy-free! Added broccoli florets & peas and served over high-protein penne – such a delicious and satisfying meal! Thank you!! 😊
Yayyy I love that Kara!
Genius. I can’t believe this short list of ingredients and easy method results in the perfect sauce. We’ve used it so many times, I’ve lost count. Thank you for coming up with this recipe and sharing it with us. I’m sorry to hear that people have been stealing/taking credit for it. 🙁 Somehow I failed to notice that you have a new cookbook out… off to get a copy now!
Yayy Jessica, I am so very happy to hear this!! Thank you for the review and buying my new book! I will email you the 10 free bonus recipes for purchasing my book 🙂
I’m looking forward to trying your recipe! Will it mess up sauce if I heat it up after processing, or is it best to just pour over pasta from the processor? Thank you.
You can slightly heat it over very low, as you don’t want to overheat it or it will get too thick.
Excellent recipe. Quick to make. Can this sauce be frozen?
Yes it can be frozen, just reheat on low and reblend if needed to bring it back together smoothly!