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This vegan fettuccine alfredo tastes cheesy, but the creamy sauce is filled with healthy plant-based ingredients. It’s an easy dinner in under 30 minutes—a fan favorite that everyone loves!
Why we love this recipe
Dinnertime just got easier with this vegan fettucine alfredo! It may be plant-based, but this recipe is a winner with everyone from kids to meat lovers—it’s just that good!
Why we love this recipe: This recipe is a fan-favorite! The sauce is made with nutrient-dense cauliflower and protein-packed cashews instead of dairy, but it comes out unbelievably creamy. Make it with any type of noodle it’s an easy 30-minute plant based dinner we’ve been enjoying for years!
Featured reader comments
“I never leave comments on blog posts, but this vegan alfredo hit different. I’m an awful cook and this recipe was SO EASY. It tasted AMAZING. For the first time in a while the whole family sat down to grab a serving and enjoy it with me!” -Kara
“This is the best vegan alfredo sauce! It’s my new go-to. It had just the right amount of creaminess and the seasoning is on point!” -Maeghan
Ingredients in vegan fettuccine alfredo
Did you know that blending up veggies and cashews can make a creamy sauce that tastes like dairy? For this vegan alfredo sauce, Alex and I used cauliflower to make a white sauce similar to our cauliflower sauce but without the Parmesan cheese. Here are the ingredients you’ll need:
- Cauliflower: This cruciferous vegetable makes the body of this sauce.
- Cashews: Cashews make the sauce creamy and add plant based protein, which makes it filling and satisfying.
- Garlic and onion powder: These flavorings round out the savory profile.
- Olive oil and vegetable broth: Olive oil is used for sauteing, and veggie broth for simmering the sauce.
Cook the ingredients for 10 minutes on the stove, then blend them until a creamy sauce forms and mix that with the noodles. You’ve got vegan fettuccine alfredo, an easy plant based dinner recipe in 30 minutes!
Noodle ideas
There are lots of other options for pasta in this vegan fettuccine alfredo, especially if you eat a gluten free diet. Here are some options you could try:
- Standard pasta: This recipe is best with fettucine, but you can use any long noodle like spaghetti or bucatini as a substitute.
- Legume pasta: Pasta made from lentils is becoming easy to find at your local grocery, made from black beans, lentils, or chickpeas. Alex and I have tried a few brands and found the texture is a little tough for us—but other people rave about it!
- Zucchini noodles (zoodles) or spaghetti squash: Making this pasta with vegetable noodles like zucchini noodles or roasted spaghetti squash would also be tasty! You can make your own or they’re easy to find prepackaged.
How to cook pasta to al dente
The most important part of any fettuccine alfredo is cooking the past to al dente, in our opinion! Al dente in Italian means “to the bite,” and refers to pasta that is still firm on the inside when cooked. The ideal texture is a tender exterior balanced by a firm bite with a fleck of white at its core. Here’s how to cook pasta to al dente:
- Boil the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water.
- While cooking, check pasta continually for doneness.
- As soon as the pasta has a tender exterior but a fleck of white at its core, drain it! Even a few seconds can be the difference between al dente and limp noodles.
What to do with leftover alfredo sauce
The sauce for this vegan fettuccine alfredo makes 6 cups total. For Alex and my taste, we like this recipe with 5 cups of vegan alfredo sauce for 1 pound of pasta. What to do with 1 cup leftover sauce? Store leftover sauce for 3 to 5 days refrigerated. Then, here are a few ideas of how to use it up:
- Put it on a pizza. Imagine spinach artichoke pizza with a layer of white vegan alfredo sauce.
- As a dip. How good would baked French fries or baked potato wedges be dipped in this sauce?
- Drizzle on a grain bowl. These power bowls or a sheet pan dinner would taste incredible with a drizzle of this vegan alfredo. Or make an easy meal out of fresh or roasted vegetables, quinoa, and this sauce.
Dietary notes
This vegan fettuccine alfredo recipe is vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free. For gluten-free, use gluten-free, legume or zucchini noodles.
Frequently asked questions
Absolutely! While fettuccine is the traditional choice, you can use any type of pasta you prefer. Spaghetti, linguine, or even short pasta shapes like penne or rotini can work well with the creamy alfredo sauce.
Yes, you can easily make it gluten-free by using gluten-free pasta. Many brands offer delicious gluten-free fettuccine options.
Store leftover alfredo sauce and pasta separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 5 days. When reheating, add a splash of plant-based milk to the sauce to loosen it up, and reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave.
Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
Description
This vegan fettuccine alfredo tastes cheesy, but the creamy sauce is filled with healthy plant-based ingredients. It’s an easy dinner in under 30 minutes—a fan favorite that everyone loves!
Ingredients
- 1 pound fettuccine noodles (use gluten-free, legume, or zucchini noodles if desired)
- 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
- Finely chopped parsley, to serve
Instructions
- Mince the garlic. Chop the cauliflower.
- Make the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the pasta until it is al dente (start tasting a few minutes before the package recommends: you want it to be tender but still a little firm on the inside). Then drain the pasta and return it to the pot.
- Meanwhile, start the sauce: Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven, pot, or saucepan (that has a cover) 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.
- Blend the sauce: 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.
- Serve: Pour about 5 cups into 1 pound pasta (1 cup will be left over), or use it to taste. Top with finely chopped parsley and serve immediately. Store leftover sauce for 3 to 5 days refrigerated.
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Pasta
Is the sauce freezer friendly?
It should freeze ok but the texture wouldn’t be quite the same.
I bought your fun cookbook and have a question on this recipe. What is the sodium count, including the broth.
I’ve already made it and it was delish!!!!
Hi! We omit the sodium from our card because many ingredients we use such as beans, soy sauce or broth can have vastly different amounts and we don’t want to give false information. Even different brands of kosher salt can vary. A teaspoon of Morton kosher salt has 1920 mg of sodium.
I never leave comments on blog posts, but this vegan Alfredo hit different.
I’m an awful cool and this recipe was SO EASY. Like suspiciously easy.
Added a few tweaks here and there — some of my fav seasoning, a little more or less broth to get the consistency just right, and it was AMAZING.
Nobody ever likes my cooking lol but for the first time in a while the whole family sat down to grab a serving and enjoy it with me
(Pairs great with a red wine too)
Can you make your recipes shareable to Facebook?
We can add that in the future.
The taste took some getting used to but I’m glad I made it. It is really good. The recipe says it has 8 servings but from what I saw, it does not say how much one serving is.
This recipe was very tasty!! My daughter has recently turned vegetarian so we tried this out and it was yummy and exceptionally easy.
This recipe was beyond great! I truly was not expecting the sauce to be this tasty & cheesy like. Its a winner! Going into my rotation regularly. Made enough that we will be having leftovers tomorrow night.
Hi, the sauce is really good. Mine did not get that smooth looking creamy look, more granular. Maybe I did not bend long enough? How long can you keep the sauce once in the fridge? Thanks.
Yes! Try blending it a bit more. It can last 2-3 days in the fridge, but definitely loses a bit of flavor.
Very good and pretty easy. Just made it and I’m pretty proud of myself
The BEST vegan fettuccine Alfredo recipe. I’ve been vegan 5 years and have tried dozens of vegan alfredos , all of them pretty good but normally too heavy. This one is so so good! My whole family loves it and I’m about to make it again for the 3rd time this week cause my 1 year old is obsessed. Thank you for coming up with this delicious recipe! We will be making it for years to come!!
Thank you so much for such a kind note! We’re thrilled to hear this and so happy your family loves it. Thank you for letting us know!
Love this recipe. Exactly what I need to prepare this Sunday.
I never write reviews but seriously I am so impressed with this! It tastes so good and actually tasted like fettuccine Alfredo sauce. Crazy with such minimal ingredients. The vitamix blender is a MUST so that it actually gets smooth. Also I added tarragon to mine because I basically add it to everything. Thanks for the great recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed!
can I use an Immersion Hand Blender
Yes! Just blend until creamy.
I made this last night and it was delicious! The recipe was easy to follow and the final product was creamy and flavourful. I’ll definitely be using this recipe again :)
Hello, This recipe looks great and I’d love to try it. However, I’m in the UK and we don’t really use cup measurements so am not sure about the quantity of cashew nuts to use.
Could you tell me the weight of nuts in either ounces or grams l would need for this recipe, please?
Many thanks,
Kath
It looks like about 140 grams: https://www.google.com/search?q=1+cup+raw+cashews+in+grams&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS961US961&oq=1+cup+raw+cashews+in+grams&aqs=chrome..69i57j0i22i30.3783j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
Doctor said to be gluten and dairy free, so I’m excited to try this delightful dish😊
Great article. Thank you Sonja & Alex for all off the great info. Have nice day.
Could you advise me on your Alfredo sauce please. I am under alternative care for stage 4 Prostate cancer. I have been instructed not to consume cashews or pistachios. Could you suggest an alternative to the cashews? Thank You
I’m sorry, the cashews are essential for this preparation. Here are some of our other vegan dinner ideas: https://www.acouplecooks.com/vegan-dinner-recipes/
Thank you for the inspiration! This was truly delicious!
Can I put this sauce in the fridge, and use it in 1-2 days? Is it good for health? Thanks for your reply
Hi! Yes, you can store the sauce in the fridge.
I loved it! My boyfriend and I made it today for lunch and we just love it. We decided to add some nutritional yeast and we like the taste.
I’m becoming a vegetarian and my boyfriend is helping me and we love to try new recipes ^^
When I first read the ingredients to this recipe, I thought to myself, there is no way this tastes like a dairy-based Fettuccine Alfredo. But, boy was I wrong!!! This is a GREAT RECIPE and I will definitely make it again! I love the feeling of knowing I’m eating lots of veggies, but eating something SO DELICIOUS. I added some peas and carrots to my pasta mix and it was a great addition!
Haha! So glad you enjoyed :)
Just one thing I’ll say…. I wanna go Vegan after eating this. It’s very delicious and I don’t miss cheese at alll
So glad you enjoyed!
Hello! For those with a nut allergy, what would be a good substitute for the cashews?
Cashews make magic here! There’s not really another nut like them for vegan. If you do eat dairy, try our https://www.acouplecooks.com/creamy-cauliflower-sauce/ . You could try making this one vegan using a store-bought vegan Parmesan. Let us know what you try!
We have made it with sunflower seeds and it turns out well!
Only difference is adding more salt at the end (1 tsp after blended instead of 1/2 tsp).
I added white wine after the couliflower, cashew and garlic step and let the alcohol cook away.
Then at the end I added bit of nutritional yeast, herbs (mix from my garden -thyme, oregano and salvia) and tapioca flour.
I used the sauce for spinach lasagne and it turned out amazing!
Thank you for the inspiration!! I’ve been trying to reduce my cashew consumption in creamy sauces and this was true success!
I made this for dinner last night and, although I think it lacked seasoning, this was a good base recipe! I used macadamia nuts instead of cashews because I had them handy and they worked well. I added more of all listed seasonings as well as lemon juice, nutritional yeast, red pepper, and basil.
I did something similar, I’ve added 2 tbsp of Nutritional Yeast and around 1/2 tsp of lemon zest to the recipe and it was a much needed addition that made the sauce taste amazing.
This is a GREAT recipe! Thank you. I was not sure my daughter was going to like it but she asked for seconds! I also like that you don’t have to soak the cashews.
So glad you enjoyed!
Yum! You weren’t wrong about this sauce. My husband and I devoured it with gusto last night – lots of oohing and aahing between us! Upside, zero acid reflux, so a very big hit and a keeper! Thank you.
Haha! Glad you enjoyed!
For those looking for a way to enjoy pasta with less guilt, I use a vegetable peeler to make carrot strips and mix them into the pasta during the last few seconds of boiling. That way – with the cauliflower based sauce – my meal is more than half veggies!
Just recently started a plant-based diet for health reasons and was looking for some dairy-free pasta recipes to try. I was so happy to find this recipe. I cooked it tonight and it was fantastic! I used roasted, sea salt cashews and added a little almond milk to the mixture to get the consistency a bit creamier. I definitely had to leave it in the food processor for a longer time to get the right consistency. My toddlers loved it and even the hubby (who is a meat & sweets fanatic) enjoyed it. Thanks for the great recipe!
So glad you enjoyed it!
I’ve tried a few recipes on your site and have loved them all EXCEPT this one. I was disappointed to find this sauce very bland.
I’m so sorry you didn’t enjoy it!
My daughter is sensitive to cashews. Can you suggest an alternative to cashews?
Thanks for the recipes
Sorry! The cashews are essential to our vegan version of this recipe.
I use walnuts myself also I heard sunflower seeds are good
Our family just made it with raw sunflower seeds and it was really good! The only change we had to make was adding more salt at the end (1 tsp after blended instead of 1/2 tsp).
Can you mix the sauce into the pasta then put it in a casserole dish to stay warm in the oven?
Great question! How long were you thinking of keeping it warm in the oven? If it’s for a short period, that would work. If it’s longer, the sauce could dry out. The best way would be to keep the sauce separate from the pasta, then heat it and mix it together right when you’re ready to serve.
I expected the sauce to contain some nutritional yeast to add a cheesy tang, but it is not there. I use it to make vegan cheese and I expect that it would contribute to the flavor here as well since the intent is to replicate a cheese sauce.
I actually like it without the nutritional yeast. Perhaps I’ll try adding just a dash to see how it tastes. But I feel like so many vegan recipes use it and I’m not fond of the strong taste, especially after saving overnight. That’s why I LOVE this recipe! Just tried it last night! My husband was in a meeting when I gave him the plate, and he actually text me to say he loved it too.
do the cashews need to be soaked?
No, they soften as they simmer in the sauce.
You guys! This was truly delicious! However the consistency of my sauce looks nothing like yours – I used a food processor but mine came out with more of an oatmealy consistency. Still really, really good nonetheless!
If you keep running it in the food processor, it should get creamier. It’s definitely easier with a high speed blender.
Do you add the broth when you blend? It was mash instead of a creamy texture.
You can definitely add a bit more broth if necessary to get it to come together!
Hi! Can extra sauce be frozen for the next use?
Thanks!
Sarah
We haven’t tried it but I think it would freeze well!
Yes, it freezes well!
How long can you store this and will it reheat well?
It can last 2-3 days in the fridge, but definitely loses a bit of flavor.
The BEST vegan fettuccine Alfredo recipe. I’ve been vegan 5 years and have tried dozens of vegan alfredos , all of them pretty good but normally too heavy. This one is so so good! My whole family loves it and I’m about to make it again for the 3rd time this week cause my 1 year old is obsessed. Thank you for coming up with this delicious recipe! We will be making it for years to come!!
Awesome! Thanks for making.
Hi. I am looking forward to trying this recipe! Do I have to soak the raw cashews before using them? Most vegan recipes call for that, but I don’t see it in this recipe
You can, but we just let them soften as they simmer in the sauce.
I think there is a typo. Under “2. Make the pasta”, spinach is mentioned. I do not see spinach as an ingredient. Thanks! Looking forward to trying the recipe!
Spinach shouldn’t be there. THANKS & updated!
I’m so excited to try this! Could you use riced cauliflower or does it have to be florets?
I think riced would work, but we haven’t tried it. Please let us know if you do!