How To Make Vegan Alfredo Pasta
To make the recipe, start by gathering all of your ingredients.
In a saucepan, whisk the cornstarch into the milk or creamer until its completely dissolved, with no lumps.
Whisk in the salt and oil or vegan butter spread. If desired, also add 2 tsp minced garlic.
Over low-medium heat, slowly bring this mixture to a boil. Stir occasionally at first, then constantly once it begins to thicken. The whole process should take under 10 minutes.
Once thick, turn off the heat and whisk in the nutritional yeast or vegan Parmesan until it melts. Taste the sauce, and season with salt and pepper as desired.
Above, watch the Alfredo recipe video
How To Use This Sauce
So what do you do with this sauce? Id start with topping it on every spiralized veggie imaginable. In fact, to get you started Ive whipped up a Parsnip Noodle Chicken Alfredo and Whole30 Chicken Broccoli Casserole which both use this sauce. If youre vegan, just replace the chicken with snap peas, mushrooms or another vegetable. You can also top this alfredo sauce on roasted vegetables or potatoes. So good.
Useful Tips & Variations
- How to store: This sauce is very meal-prep friendly and can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- Can I freeze it? Although Ive not tried it personally, I would imagine this sauce is also freezer-friendly. Simply leave to thaw overnight then reheat on low, mixing well. You may need a splash of water or plant-based milk to bring it back to the smooth and creamy consistency.
- Add more greens: Make this Fettuccine Alfredo recipe even healthier with the addition of some greens. This includes broccoli, peas, spinach, or kale.
- Make it low-carb: For a keto Alfredo sauce or low-carb version, swap the pasta for spiralized or ribbon zucchini or carrot.If you dont have hemp seeds you can omit them and use soaked cashews nuts instead. You can also swap the hemp seeds for two tablespoons of sunflower seed butter.
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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. Ill let you be the judge. Id say it is pretty darn close, especially considering it doesnt 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.
What To Serve With Your Vegan Alfredo Sauce
This sauce pairs particularly well with gnocchi or fettuccine noodles.
But if youre watching your carb intake, try it with my Sweet Potato Noodles or any spiralized veggie noodles.
You may also use it to top your roasted vegetables or use it to dip raw veggies.
If you want to change up your pizza night routine, use some as your base instead of traditional marinara. Or use it to dip your crusts.
Or, you may use this to dunk your Cauliflower Buffalo Wings.
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Tips For Making This Alfredo Sauce
- For those avoiding cashews, almonds and sunflower seeds can be substituted. These do change the flavor a bit but are still quite good.
- Remove the sauce from the heat source immediately after reaching the consistency and creaminess desired. If left on the heat, it will continue to thicken.
- If the sauce becomes too thick, using either cooking method, simply add a little plant milk and it will thin right out.
- Check out this post about more terrific Vitamix blender recipes.
Can Vegans Eat Alfredo Sauce
Yes!
Or at least, this version, they can.
Traditional Alfredo recipes have butter, heavy cream and Parmesan cheese.
To make this recipe vegan, Im skipping all the dairy and replacing it with luscious, creamy cashews instead.
This simply delicious recipe makes a wonderful vegan Alfredo sauce without nutritional yeast, and without the dairy.
Even though I rather enjoy nutritional yeast in many dishes, I found this to be just perfect as is.
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What Happens If Simple Truth Plant Based Vegan Alfredo Pasta Sauce Is Out Of Stock And I Need To Give Specific Instructions
- Find Best Match: By default, your shopper will use their best judgement to pick a replacement for your item.
- Pick Specific Replacement: You can pick a specific alternative for the shopper to purchase if your first choice is out-of-stock.
- Don’t Replace: For items you’d rather not replace, choose “Don’t replace” to get a refund if the item is out of stock.
Why Vegan Alfredo Is Better Than Traditional
Traditional garlic alfredo sauce has butter, milk, cream, parmesan cheese and garlic in it. Major dairy overload! Bloated, icky feeling. It also does nothave 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.
Heres a little side by side nutrition for my alfredo sauce in comparison to Olive Gardens 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 Gardens:
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.
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Perfecting This Creamy Vegan Alfredo Sauce Recipe:
When thinking of an alfredo recipe, I thought of many different ingredients I could try. I already have a similar recipe for a white wine alfredo which uses cashews and white wine, of course.
This time however, I wanted to make a sauce that doesnt use any cashews but still has the creaminess of a traditional alfredo sauce.
This creamy AF sauce is made with blended cauliflower. Now I know what youre thinking, youve tried a cauliflower alfredo recipe and the texture was still not right. Ive done that too! Being honest, I was totally turned off from the cauliflower alfredo trend for quite some time.
Then one day I thought to myself, Stop with the excuses, girl! Pasta-based is missing a traditional cheesy alfredo sauce! Get on it already!
So I got to experimenting and testing and eating wayyyy too much pasta then I would care to admit then BAM! it was ready. The recipe came out BOMB ? with a few simple ingredients.
I used this vegan alfredo recipe to smother some homemade tortellini. There is nothing like tortellini alfredo with peas. Totally inspired by every tortellini dish I had growing up. You can use it with any type of pasta you want fettuccine alfredo anyone? Ohhh damn.
Can I Freeze It
Yes, you can freeze the sauce. I recommend freezing the sauce by itself in a freezer-safe container for 3-4 months.
When you’re ready to eat it, remove it from the freezer and let it defrost in the fridge for 24 hours. Then you can heat up the sauce in a large pan. You might need to add additional coconut milk or water to the sauce to thin it out a bit.
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What Is Alfredo Sauce
Traditionally, Alfredo sauce is a dairy-filled Italian pasta dish. The main ingredients include butter and cheese, which then became butter, cream, and cheese when it was popularized in America and other parts of the world. The result is a rich, decadent sauce.
This dairy-free Alfredo sauce recipe, however, contains all the creaminess and luxury of the original and is packed with flavor, but without any dairy. In fact, with a clever selection of ingredients including cauliflower and hemp seeds, this homemade Alfredo sauce is healthier and far more nutritious its really a win-win situation.
A Few Tips For This Recipe
I recommend to soak the cashews in advance before using, preferably overnight. Although its not necessary, it will yield an even creamier and smoother blend. If youre pressed for time, you can reduce the soak time significantly by pouring boiling water into a bowl of raw cashews. Let sit for 1 hour.
Its good to note that you can also make this vegan Alfredo sauce well in advance. It will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. Simply warm in a saucepan or microwave before using.
Additionally, this sauce can be frozen for up to one month in a freezer safe container. Let thaw before using.
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Vegan Alfredo Cream Sauce
Our solution to your Italian cravingjust toss in your favorite pasta!
Time
preparation
Ingredients
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1-2 Tbsp lemon juice or white wine
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2 Tbsp onion powder
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1-2 TSP BLACK PEPPER
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PINCH OF NUTMEG
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3 TBSP CORNSTARCH DISSOLVED IN COLD WATER
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FAVORITE HERBS
Vegan Alfredo Sauce Recipe
For this recipe you will need:
- raw cashews
- paprika
- sea salt and pepper
As you can see, the ingredients are simple and straight forward. Which is why I have given it my newbie cook stamp of approval. Its likely you already have the ingredients in your pantry.
What is nutritional yeast?
However, if youre new to vegan cooking you might not be familiar with nutritional yeast. This is the secret ingredient that vegans use to achieve cheesy and savoury taste without the cheese. I use nutritional yeast in so many of my recipes for bold cheesy flavour and umami taste. Certainly, its a pantry staple for a plant-based diet.
In addition to its taste, nutritional yeast has tons of health benefits. I guess you can say the truth is in its name. Check out Medical News Today to see just how nutritious nutritional yeast is.
You can find nutritional yeast at most general grocery stores. But if youre having trouble finding it than I recommend to try an organic grocers like Wholefoods, Farm Boy or Trader Joes. Or, order it on .
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How To Make This Vegan Alfredo Sauce
Theres just three simple steps to make this recipe:
Recipe Variations & Substitutions
If you cant have cashews or nuts you may sub for sunflower seeds instead. Although, the cashews give the sauce a richer flavour, the sunflower seeds also work exceptionally well.
For extra richness and creaminess, you may sub the water for unsweetened canned coconut milk. Keep in mind the coconut milk will add significantly more fat.
Make it a mushroom Alfredo: Sauté a large handful of sliced mushrooms in a skillet and transfer your creamy sauce into the pan to combine.
Spice it up: Add a pinch of nutmeg, sage, cayenne pepper or smoked paprika to add another depth of flavour to your cashew Alfredo sauce.
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Two Methods For Cooking This Homemade Alfredo Sauce
This sauce only needs to be blended together and thickened up and, believe it or not, both can be accomplished in a Vitamix blender at the same time.
Vitamix method
Im not going to kid you, I love my Vitamix blender and use it every single day for making homemade vegan mayo, hummus, smoothie bowls, dips, sauces, and more. The reason I like it so much is that it can blend up just about anything.
If using the Vitamix cooking method for this recipe, there is no need to soak the cashews before using them.
For this alfredo sauce, my Vitamix actually blends and cooks the sauce at the same time. Simply add all of the ingredients to the Vitamix, slowly turn it up to the highest setting, and allow it to blend and cook to thicken this sauce. It will need to blend for approximately 2-minutes to thicken up.
Make sure to watch it closely after the 1-minute mark because if its left too long, the sauce will become too thick. If this happens, simply add a little more plant milk and allow it to blend for just a few more seconds.
Blender and stovetop method
Most likely, if your blender isnt high-powered, youll need to soak the cashews in warm water for about 30 minutes or more to soften them up. This will help the sauce become nice and creamy.
Easy Vegan Alfredo Sauce
This cashew-based Vegan Alfredo Sauce has a rich creamy flavor that is delicious on pasta, baked potatoes, and even roasted vegetables. Amazingly, it can be made in only 10-minutes flat!
Pasta is truly comfort food for me, and I love the cheesy creamy sauces even more than the ones that are tomato-based and more like a marinara.
Theres just something about the rich silky texture and flavor that makes my taste buds dance.
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Vegan Garlic Alfredo Sauce
One of most peoples indulgent comfort foods is alfredo sauce. I admit, I used to love it too, but I didnt 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 isnt really worth it to me. Enter the best Vegan Garlic Alfredo Sauce youll ever have.
The Best Vegan Alfredo Sauce Recipe
Published by Ela on 14. October, 2018, updated on 23. May, 2020
This is the best vegan Fettuccine Alfredo sauce youll ever have- Its rich and creamy, yet highly nutritious, and perfect for pasta dishes. SUNFOOD kindly sponsored this blog post, although all thoughts and opinions are wholly my own.
Creamy, dreamy pasta! Yes, this sums it up pretty nicely. Today I am presenting you with the best dairy-free Alfredo sauce recipe that Ive ever made! The recipe is vegan, gluten-free, healthy, high protein, and super creamy. Plus, you can make it in less than 30 minutes!
This healthy Alfredo sauce is also perfect as a meal-prep option for a wholesome, delicious lunch, or dinner. It can be served with pasta , however, you could also serve this sauce with spiralized zucchini or carrot instead, for a low-carb/keto version.
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How To Make Vegan Alfredo Sauce
Now, it couldnt be simpler to make this vegan Alfredo sauce. We will start by sautéing the onion and garlic in a skillet to soften. Then we transfer all the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Thats it folks!
Now you have a perfectly creamy and smooth sauce to pour over your favourite spaghetti noodles. Easy, peasy.
Vegan Alfredo sauce with cashew
Certainly, each ingredient in this Alfredo sauce plays a vital role in offering big bold cheesy flavour. Ive already mentioned nutritional yeast for premium cheesy flavour, but its important to note that cashews are another staple ingredient for cheesy vegan dishes.
No doubt, cashews give this sauce its creamy and thick texture. In fact, I love using cashews for creamy sauces, milks and cheeses.
Make this recipe with no cashew/nut-free
Rest assured, its very easy to make this vegan Alfredo sauce nut-free if thats your jam. Simply substitute the cashews for hemp hearts. You can do a 1:1 swap for this.If using hemp hearts you do not need to soak them in advanced.
However, I personally prefer cashews over hemp hearts because the cashews give a more creamy taste thats similar to real Alfredo. While the hemp hearts give a more nutty taste. Although both are still delicious!
In addition, the almond milk in this recipe can be swapped for soy milk, oat milk or coconut to make it nut-free.
Whats In My Vegan Alfredo Sauce
Unlike many vegan Alfredo recipes I found online that call for oil, butter and nutritional yeast, Im making a cashew Alfredo sauce with no oil, no butter, and no nutritional yeast.
Just simple ingredients that you likely already have in your pantry.
As an added bonus, this rich tasting sauce wont leave you feeling heavy and icky that the dairy overload in traditional versions often does.
So go ahead and devour this healthy Alfredo sauce by the spoon if your heart desires.
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The 13 Best Jarred Vegan Pasta Sauces
There is no denying that pasta is a vegan diet staple. While weve all got a jar of marinara in the kitchen cupboard, its time to upgrade pasta night and give it the glow-up it deserves. Dont get us wrong, there is a time and a place for linguine with red sauce, but we are all about creamy vegan alfredos, herbaceous pestos, and meatless meat sauces atop our noodles. Check out these 13 must-try sauces for your next pasta adventure!
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