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.
Good day Brandi, I’m going to try this recipe sooner than later. How long will this last in the fridge. I’ve read people making it on a “weekly” bases. I’m just starting (2 full weeks) a plant based diet and I must say it’s not that bad. Work keeps me pretty busy. And as you can imagine I have minimal time to make dishes on demand. I use the weekends to tray and prepare as much possible for the week and keep on track. With that said….. I would love to add this to my repertoire.
Hi John! This will last about a week in the fridge. It makes a good amount and if it’s just you, then you can make it last a few dinners. Hope you love it!
I’ve been vegan for a month now and I have been craving something creamy. This sauce was the perfect cure! I followed your recipe and it was delicious! The second time I made it I used a sweet onion and added extra garlic (I can’t get enough garlic!!) both variations were fantastic. Thanks for sharing!
SO happy to hear that Brittany, thank you so much for the awesome review!
I am on the third week of a vegan lifestyle and going strong. I made this wonderful sauce today and I am blown away by its flavor! Thank you so much for helping me along the path of healthier living and delicious recipes are so important to keep a person on track! I have already lost three or 4 pounds and I’m excited every day to try something new! Blessings to you and please continue to Develop and create new recipes! 🙏💞🙏
Awww, that is the best to hear Heather! Congrats to you and thank you so much for such kind feedback!
Absolutely delicious. I have made homemade vegan alfredo sauce before, but this is my favorite recipe. Tasted JUST LIKE regular, dairy alfredo sauce. 10/10 would make again!
Yay Taylor! That makes me so happy to hear this is your favorite! Thank you so much for the wonderful review!
Absolutely love this recipe (eating it now actually lol). I’ve seen a few people commenting on not being able to blend the cashews well enough – my blender is awful but i have a small food processor. I processed the cashews for a minute or two before adding it to the blender with the rest of the ingredients and it worked out perfectly!
This recipe is also great for curbing any unhealthy fast food (albeit vegan) cravings and is super filling!
That is so awesome to hear James, thank you so much for the review! And thanks for sharing your tip!!
Wow!!!
After recommendations from both my rheumatologist and my GI doc, I’ve been vegan for the past two months. It’s made a made huge difference in my psoriatic arthritis and overall general health. I’ve always been healthy, and love the fresh fruits, veggies and grains of adopting this type of diet,…but I had a little meltdown the other night. After two months of munching beans, kale, and brussels sprouts, I was just missing a bit of true comfort food. I’d just ordered a Nutribullet RX and had heard that cashews could make s great Alfredo Sauce and thought I’d give it a whirl.
This recipe is off the charts amazing!!! I followed it to a tee, except for the fact that I didn’t have lemon and used lime instead. It was delicious with the lime juice, but I understand why she’s so explicit with her ingredients and measurements. My husband became vegan two days ago and we moaned and groaned throughout the meal. (I made it with roasted cauliflower and broccoli and gluten free pasta.). Thank you for giving us an unbelievable recipe when we need a bit of healthy vegan comfort food! This will be a weekly treat!
I’m so very happy to hear and read this Debra! Such a wonderful feedback! So glad you and your hubby loved it so much and I love that y’all moaned your way through the meal, haha!
SO GOOD! My first try at a creamy cashew sauce. I am vegan going on 2 years now and starting to get more adventurous with my cooking. I just got the Nutribullet Max and it is great for making creamy cashew sauces. I used rice pasta and lightly steamed carrots, broccoli, kale and yellow pepper, then tossed it all together with the alfredo sauce at the end. Thank-you for this recipe. I love it!
Awesome Johna! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it so much and all of your veggies with it sound so delicious!! Thank you so much for the wonderful feedback!
This recipe is fantastic! Such a great alternative to the traditionally heavy and thick alfredo sauce.
Thank you so much, so glad you loved it!
This recipe is amazing!! I have been dairy free for a year and a half, this is the best thing I’ve eaten since.
Awww, wow, so glad to hear this Nadean! Thank you very much for taking the time to leave this amazing feedback!
While we are certainly not vegan, but paleo, this totally hit the spot tonight. Made my first batch of paleo pasta and paired it with this sauce some broccoli and chicken. Amazing! Thank you so much for this recipe.
Thank you so much Susan for making it and I’m so happy you all loved it!
I made this for lunch yesterday and it was a hit. I have left over sauce and was wondering wether it would be good to pour over sliced potatoes and bake in the oven, like a vegan potato gratin? Might try it out later.
Hi Robyn! So glad to hear it was a hit! I think it would be delicious but cashew sauces bake up pretty thick usually, so you might need to add a bit of extra liquid, I’m not sure. Would be a good trial to see!
Thank you! This is so creamy my boyfriend and I really enjoyed it. He went back for thirds. I am very happy I made a double batch. Soooooooo good!! We served it over pasta. We topped it with roasted red peppers, mushrooms, red pepper flakes and vegan sunflower “parm” I cannot wait to get hungry again so I can have more! You are a culinary genius!
That is so awesome Amy! Thank you so much for the wonderful review!
Made this tonight and it came out perfect! We added steamed broccoli. Great recipe, definitely filing this one away.
Awesome Stephanie! So happy to hear that!
Do you think I could replace cashews with white beans for a higher protein and lower fat version? White bean carbonaras generally tend to turn out quite creamy.
Hi Hannah! I personally am not a fan with a 100% swap of beans for cashews. I have tried it before and find the texture to be too beany/grainy. So, in my opinion, it’s not nearly as good as the cashews. It doesn’t taste like that true rich alfredo. If anything, you could try subbing half cashews/half beans and see if you like that.
Favorite Alfredo recipe. Only had a quarter onion but it still turned out great. Thank you.
Wonderful! So glad to hear it! It’s super duper yummy with all of the listed onion, more depth of flavor, so definitely try that next time 🙂
I tried this tonight and it was a huge hit. Even my son who accuses me of trying to feed him hippie food was surprised at how delicious was. I’ll be making this again for sure, I use an organic vegetable paste to make vegetable broth which I completely forgot to add and the sauce still tasted like regular alfredo sauce. Thank you so much for this recipe, it is going to become a favourite in this house.
Haha, that is awesome! Hippie food, lol! So glad it was such an all-around hit, thank you very much for the feedback!
Great recipe. Didn’t have lemon juice, but I will try it again with lemon juice. I was lazy and used 1/2 cup of organic creamy cashew butter (no sugar, no salt). Seemed easier and was very creamy. Will be using the method of cooking down the onions for gravy or SOMETHING soon – was fun! Since I haven’t had non-vegan anything for about 2 years, it was very welcomed. Had with whole wheat thin spaghetti, and I didn’t even mind the spaghetti was whole wheat.
Thank you so much Terry for the feedback! So glad you enjoyed it!
I’m curious, what did you garnish it with?
Sometimes I do roasted broccoli, sometimes peas, but spinach or really, anything you like! Some people do mushrooms!
I’ve been meaning to make this one for a while, but after seeing you prepare it on Eating You Alive, I decided to finally give it a try. And can I just say – wow! I’ve made a few vegan alfredos over the years and this is by far the best I’ve had. I can’t wait to eat it again!
Sabrina, thank you so much for this amazing feedback! So happy it’s the best you’ve tried! You should also try my 20 Minute Alfredo and see which one you like better!
https://thevegan8.com/2015/11/09/20-minute-vegan-alfredo/
First of all, I’m not vegan and I love cheese and eat it regularly. I didn’t have any nutritional yeast, but made it without and this sauce was amazingly delicious! I have a son who is lactose intolerant and daughter who doesn’t like tomato sauce, so I’m always at a loss when I make pasta. I was so happy that my whole family could eat it and loved it! Thank you!!!
This is so awesome to hear Genevieve! I love hearing from non-vegans who loved this sauce so much! Thank you so much for the feedback, I truly appreciate it!
I made this recipe tonight and it was delicious! It’s so smooth and creamy. My son is dairy free, and mac & cheese was one of his favorite meals before dairy was removed from his diet. He LOVED this and both my kids couldn’t even tell the difference. Thanks for this recipe. I’m definitely going to use this as a “cream of..” substitute in casseroles as well. Yum!
That is just wonderful Kelly, so very happy to hear it was such a hit! So glad your son loved it!
This is so amazing! I love the simplicity of this recipe, I usually have all of these ingredients in my cupboard. I can definitely see this becoming one of my go- to recipes when I’m craving comfort food this winter!
So yummy 🙂 Thank you for sharing this.
I’m so happy you loved it Jaclyn, thank you for the feedback!
Just made this tonight to rave reviews. Honestly, one of the best sauces I’ve made in a long time, and I’m a pretty stellar cook who eats meat and dairy. I was vegan for several years, so I’ve developed a love for nutritional yeast, but I didn’t think this recipe was too strong on the flavor at all. It sometimes is a bit overpowering.
I added some crushed red pepper flakes, lemon zest, a small drizzle of tamari and a little bit of grated nutmeg, as that always seems to add a little depth to cream-based sauces.
Will definitely be making this a billion more times.
Yay! I’m so glad to read this Ali! So happy you loved it so much and thank you very much for leaving your review 🙂
This looks so good! I just discovered your website while looking for a vegan Alfredo sauce. Thank you so much for posting this! I can’t wait to try it. I just need to get a blender first.
Hi!!!
Just wanted to say that I made this sauce and it was delicious!!! Thank you for such an amazing recipe 😘😘
I’m so very happy to hear that Joy, thank you so much for the feedback!