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This Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce is creamy and delicious, while being deceptively simple! In lieu of the heavy cream, butter and cheese found in traditional Alfredo sauce, this particular version gets its creamy texture from pureed cauliflower— but when you serve it, most people can’t even tell.
This sauce is naturally Vegan and Paleo-friendly, but make sure to choose a pasta that also fits your dietary needs by looking at the label. Zucchini noodles make a great grain-free option!
Benefits of Cauliflower
Cauliflower is the ultimate “chameleon” of vegetables, if you ask me. It can easily transform into Cauliflower Fried Rice, Cauliflower Pizza Crust, or a creamy sauce, like this one. Cauliflower also hides well in a Low-Sugar Smoothie, if you’re trying to use a little less fruit.
Here are some of the nutritional benefits of cauliflower:
- There are 3 grams of fiber in just 1 cup of cauliflower. (That’s 10% of your daily needs!)
- Cauliflower is high in antioxidants and flavonoids, which may help to lower the risk of cancer and heart disease. (source)
- 92% of cauliflower is water, and eating water-rich foods have been shown to aid in weight loss.
- Cauliflower is high in choline, which is involved in brain development and a healthy metabolism.
How to Make Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce
Making this Cauliflower Alfredo is as easy as steaming fresh or frozen cauliflower until tender, and then blending it until smooth with the rest of the ingredients. The key to this sauce is slightly over-cooking the cauliflower, so that it’s very soft and easily blended.
In situations like this, I’m not concerned with losing a few nutrients by over-cooking, because the true benefit of eating this sauce is that it’s replacing the heavier version.Â
By avoiding the whipping cream, butter and cheese found in traditional Fettuccine Alfredo, you’ll be doing your body a favor every time you choose this sauce, instead! Your taste buds will be pretty happy, too.
This low-fat creamy sauce is dairy-free and nut-free, making it the perfect topping for your favorite pasta or vegetables. I could see it being delicious in a homemade lasagna, or even over a white pizza, too! The options are endless. If you follow food combining principles, this sauce is “neutral” and can be served with any other foods you like for streamlined digestion.
How to Make Cauliflower Alfredo (1-Minute Video):
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 12 ounces cauliflower florets (about 3 cups)
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon fine Himalayan salt , or more to taste
- black pepper , to taste
Instructions
- Saute the minced garlic in the oil in a small saucepan over low heat. Allow to cook for a few minutes, until the garlic is tender and fragrant, but not browned.
- Add the 1 cup of water to the saucepan, along with the cauliflower, and bring the water to a boil. (The water will not cover the cauliflower, and that's okay.) Once the water is boiling, lower the heat to a simmer and cover the pot to cook until the cauliflower is fork-tender and very soft, about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Transfer the entire contents of the saucepan into a blender or food processor, and season with salt and pepper. Process until very smooth and creamy, with a texture similar to traditional cream sauce. (Always be careful when blending hot liquids-- the steam pressure can blow the lid off your blender. Cover the vent in your blender lid with a thin kitchen towel to allow venting.)
- Season with additional salt and pepper, if desired, and serve hot over your favorite pasta.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Per Serving: Calories: 64, Fat: 2g, Carbohydrates: 9g, Fiber: 3g, Protein: 3g
This sauce is delicious on its own, but it can be extra-tasty with a few add-ins. A few ideas are listed below, but feel free to get creative!
Optional Add-Ins:
- A generous topping of freshly grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan, for an authentic-tasting Alfredo sauce. (If you’re not vegan & dairy-free.)
- Sun-dried tomatoes and fresh spinach.
- Sauteed mushrooms and roasted broccoli.
- Nutritional yeast, for a dairy-free “cheesy” flavor.
As always, if you try something different with this recipe, please leave a comment below letting us know what you tried. We can all benefit from YOUR experience!
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Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite pasta sauce?
This looks absolutely delicious! I have to but some of the ingredients to make this asap!
FYI, chocolate covered katie posted this recipe 3 days ago.
…and multiple other food bloggers have posted a version of it as well. Katie adapted it from somewhere, but never gave credit. At least Megan did.
Megan – I cannot wait to try this. Craving some comfort food. What kind of noodles are you serving this with?
I used some spelt fettuccine noodles for the photos, but my husband usually prefers spelt angel hair pasta on non-photo days. 🙂 For a grain-free option, you could use spaghetti squash or spiralized zucchini noodles!
Hi Megan. I love all of your recipes. Could you plz suggest a couple of brands that you have tried for pasta that work well in most of your recipes on Detoxinista? Like chickpea pasta brands, spelt, and the brown rice one you mention, forget what else.
I am really trying to make our dishes healthier and going gluten free again and I know I screwed up some dishes ruining some of my meals with yucky tasting pasta. If only I could remember which ones I tried that I didn’t enjoy. Lol Thank you so much.
I personally love JOVIAL brown rice pasta, LOTUS FOODS noodles, and BANZA chickpea pasta 😊
Love this! My alfredo sauce is cashew based and I’ve been looking for a lighter version.. can’t wait to try!
Yum! I’ve been looking for a good, easy cauliflower alfredo sauce and this just might be it! I’m definitely going to try it with the nutritional yeast!
I was just thinking about the yeast!!!
Looks yum and perfect for the head of cauliflower in my fridge begging to be used up. Are the noodles gluten free? What type of noodles do you prefer?
When we want traditional pasta, we’ll go for spelt noodles, since they have a lower gluten content and seem to digest well. Brown rice pasta would probably be a good gluten-free option, too. We’ve also tried this with spaghetti squash and sauteed zucchini “noodles” and both versions were tasty, if you want a totally grain-free option!
This looks so good. Can’t wait to try it. I love Bionature Organic Gluten Free penne. Tastes amazing and on amazon
Looks amazing, and want to Pin it but don’t see a Pinterest button, wonder if I’m overlooking it?
Thanks, Kristina! The “Pin It” button is always located directly under the “Reader Feedback” section, right at the bottom of the post.
Looks and sounds delicious. I’ve been looking for something new to try with my pasta. Thanks for the suggestion.
oh my god this looks so good i think i’m going to drawn my keyboard in my own drool!!! gotta try this asap – possibly next weekend, thanks so much for your inspirational and extremely tempting recipes.
Not bad, but I have recently gone dairy free and I made this for my self while my family had real Alfredo sauce. This was a mistake. Seeing the two next to each other, smelling the Parmesan cheese, and remembering the taste from when I ate it couple weeks ago; no comparison. I don’t know if adding more oil would have made it creamier?
The recipes here are generally a little more health conscience. There are lots of other vegan/dairy free Alfredo recipes that are heavier and more creamy. Using a cashews cream base, v butter, add in vegan parm. The other recipes wouldn’t use cauliflower. Sautéed shallots and you can get soy based heavy cream or use full fat coconut milk.
wicked! this looks and sounds delish. might have to try it tonight 🙂