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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
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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 recipe was great! I haven’t had success with cauliflower Alfredo but this was awesome. I doubled the recipe (I had a whole head of cauliflower to use) and when I blended everything together I added 1 heaping tablespoon of White Miso and 1/4 cup nutritional yeast. So good!
made this to replace a nut based sauce in a gratin recipe. Added nutritional yeast to give it a cheesy flavour. My non healthy eaters couldn’t believe it was made with cauliflower and how amazing it was
I was very excited to try this recipe but it didn’t quite reach my expectations. The recipe is easy to make and quick to prepare as well.
The flavour of cauliflower was very over-powering. I had to put in lots of pepper and oregano to level out the taste.
But I found that once it is refrigerated and then heated the next day, the sauce tastes more like alfredo sauce!
Can’t wait to try it out. Can I use this with penne pasta or elbow pasta? And what is Himalayan salt?
Can you do this with riced cauliflower? I have a bag of cauliflower rice and would love to try it.
Yes, I think you could definitely use riced cauliflower to make this Alfredo sauce, as long as the ounces are the same.
Thank you! Totally trying this tomorrow.
What brand of nutritional yeast do you use
I usually buy one from Whole Foods 365 brand, or Bragg’s brand.
I was very skeptical about this recipe, but after reading the positive comments I decided to give it a go. I added sliced baby Bella mushrooms to the pasta while it was boiling. I also added thinly sliced sun dried tomatoes and sliced fresh basil to the sauce. It was AMAZING! It was creamy and delicious. And, NO cauliflower taste. This is going in our rotation for an easy and delicious meat free dinner.Thanks so much!!!
Yum…I added Nutritional yeast and easily doubled the fresh cracked Pepper. I mixed with a hearty pasta and added roasted veggies.
Eight ounces pasta with a bit of chopped red and green bell peppers for color, two tablespoons full of nutritional yeast in the Alfredo, vegan Parmesan, then chopped parsley leaves. Presto: Pasta Alfredo cavolfiore, since you don’t tell a fourteen year old he’s enjoying cauliflower until after his second helping. Sorry not to be able to post a picture, but it looked as good as it tasted.
Can’t believe how something so simple tasted to creamy and delicious. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!