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Here’s the creamiest, best vegan alfredo sauce! It’s easy to make and stars nutrient-rich cauliflower and protein-packed cashews.

Vegan Alfredo Sauce
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Do you like eating plant based but miss the creaminess of alfredo sauce? Here’s the recipe for you! Many people have been telling us that they’re trying to eat plant based more often. In fact, per the New York Times 40% of Americans want to eat more plant based foods. Alex and I have been eating this way for years, and we can confirm, it’s incredibly delicious and satisfying.

This vegan alfredo sauce recipe is the perfect example of a satisfying vegan recipe! It’s creamy and luscious, yet full of nutrient-rich cauliflower and protein-packed cashews. Add it to a pile of noodles, and it’s one of our fan favorite vegan dinner recipes!

What people are saying

Alex and I sent this recipe to some friends and family who are close enough to us that they tell us their true opinion! Here’s what they had to say about this vegan alfredo sauce:

  • “This is the best vegan alfredo sauce! It’s my new go-to. It had just the right amount of creaminess and the seasoning was on point! Some recipes say the sauce is creamy and it comes out a little runny. This one is actually creamy!” -Maeghan
  • “YUM! I love it! It’s super easy to make. I made it again 2 days later!” -Lisa

Ingredients in this vegan alfredo sauce

There are lots of ways to make a vegan alfredo sauce. The more you eat vegan recipes, the more tricks you’ll learn! This sauce uses a couple tricks to make a creamy white sauce that tricks your brain into thinking it’s alfredo sauce. Here’s what we’ve got:

  • Cauliflower: This powerhouse vegetable provides the body of the sauce.
  • Cashews: These nuts are packed with plant based protein and make a magical creamy body that feels just like dairy.
  • Garlic: A key to making vegan recipes taste savory and meaty: garlic!
  • Olive oil: It’s used to sauté the garlic and cauliflower, and adds a little richness.
  • Spices: Garlic powder, black pepper and a little nutmeg round out the spices to make a savory, satisfying sauce.
Vegan alfredo sauce

How to make the sauce: simmer then blend

This vegan alfredo recipe is so easy to make! Here are the basic steps you’ll follow (see below for the entire recipe):

  • Simmer: Saute the garlic, cashews, and cauliflower, then add the veggie broth and spices. Simmer until the cauliflower and cashews are tender (this part takes 12 to 13 minutes).
  • Blend: Throw it all in a blender and blend until creamy! For the blending, you’ll want a good quality blender. If you don’t have one, you may want to invest in one (a friend of mine had one that was so bad, you didn’t even have to put the top on when you blended!). Alex and I have a high speed blender (we use this Vitamix blender), and it makes quick work of this vegan alfredo sauce.
Vegan alfredo sauce in blender

How much does this vegan alfredo sauce make?

This vegan alfredo sauce makes 6 cups total. Alex and I measured, and for our taste we liked using about 5 cups of alfredo sauce for 1 pound of pasta. So, if you make fettuccine alfredo with a pound you’ll have about 1 cup left over.

Usually we calculate that 1 pound of pasta is 8 modest servings, so that would be just over ½ cup sauce per serving of pasta. Of course, you can use as much as you’d like on a serving!

Vegan fettucine alfredo
Try it on our vegan fettucine alfredo

Other ways to use cashews in vegan recipes

You’ll be amazed at how cashews blend into a rich, creamy body for this vegan alfredo sauce! Unless of course, you already know this trick: it’s pretty widely used in vegan recipes. Alex and I use it often in our plant based recipes! Here are some of our favorite recipes that also use cashews to make them creamy without the use of dairy:

  • Soups: This wild rice soup is impossibly creamy, packed with flavor and full of tender veggies and hearty rice. You’ll never believe this vegan corn chowder is vegan: it has the perfect velvety texture and is full of flavor.
  • Cashew cream: Cashew cream is the vegan equivalent for sour cream or mayo: and it takes only 5 minutes of hands on time.
  • Sauces: This cilantro sauce is creamy, tangy, savory, sweet, and totally delicious! It’s plant-based and perfect for dolloping on baked potatoes and tacos.
  • Potato salad: This no mayo potato salad may be the best vegan potato salad you’ve ever had: it tastes just like classic picnic potato salad.
  • Nacho cheese: This vegan nacho cheese or vegan queso is ultra simple and totally creamy: with no cheese!

Dietary notes

This vegan alfredo sauce recipe is vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free, and gluten-free.

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Vegan Alfredo Sauce

Vegan Alfredo Sauce
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Here’s the creamiest, best vegan alfredo sauce! It’s easy to make and stars nutrient-rich cauliflower and protein-packed cashews.

  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 13 minutes
  • Total Time: 23 minutes
  • Yield: About 6 cups (5 cups is enough for 1 pound pasta) 1x
  • Category: Sauce
  • Method: Blended
  • Cuisine: Vegan

Ingredients

Scale
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 1 small head cauliflower (1 1/2 to 2 pounds), enough for 6 cups florets
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup raw unsalted cashews
  • 2 cups vegetable broth
  • ⅛ teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/8 + ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • Pinch nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

  1. Mince the garlic. Chop the cauliflower.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the cauliflower and cashews and saute for 4 minutes until lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant. Add the vegetable broth, onion powder, black pepper, nutmeg and ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook 6 to 7 minutes on medium high heat until the cauliflower is tender when pierced with a fork.
  3. Carefully transfer the contents to a blender and add the remaining ½ teaspoon kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon more black pepper. Blend on high until a smooth sauce forms. Use about 5 cups on 1 pound pasta (1 cup will be left over). 

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About the authors

Alex & Sonja

Hi! We’re Alex & Sonja Overhiser, authors of the acclaimed cookbooks A Couple Cooks and Pretty Simple Cooking—and a real life couple who cooks together. We founded the A Couple Cooks website in 2010 to share seasonal recipes and the joy of home cooking. Now, we’ve got over 3,000 well-tested recipes, including Mediterranean diet, vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, smoothies, cocktails, and more!

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9 Comments

  1. Julia K says:

    Made this and soooo good!! But not gonna lie, I zupped it up some!! I sautéed mushrooms and did a sherry cooking wine reduction, and added peas for extra color & textures, plus added Italian seasoning too, it was sooooo good and the 1st time I’ve EVER made a sauce with cauliflower!! I’m new to eating Vegan and absolutely EVERYTHING I’ve made from this website has been freaking AHMAZING!!! Thank you for all the great recipes!!!!






    1. Alex Overhiser says:

      Thank you for making!

  2. YM says:

    Is there a different nut I can substitute for the cashews? I’m histamine intolerant and cashews are on the no-go list…

    1. Alex Overhiser says:

      Not that we have tested, sorry!

  3. Tai says:

    I purchased some bulk cashews at the co-op, I think they’re roasted and unsalted. Would those work?

  4. Anonymous says:

    Can this sauce be frozen?

    1. Alex Overhiser says:

      It works, but is definitely better fresh.

  5. Alison says:

    This is AMAZING. I’ve been plant based for awhile now but my husband recently decided to give up his steaks and burgers too. In an effort to quench his Italian food craving, we gave this a go…it was incredibly yummy and creamy and tasty–our whole family absolutely loved it. Thank you so much!

    1. Alex Overhiser says:

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it!