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If you love creamy pasta, but you’d rather not use heavy cream and loads of Parmesan, this dairy-free alfredo is a satisfying alternative. No store-bought vegan cheese is required, so you may already have most of the ingredients you need in your pantry.
It comes together quickly while you wait for the pasta to cook, so it’s a fast weeknight meal that tastes a lot more decadent than it really is. (Really!)
Whether you’re vegan or not, it’s a delicious recipe to try when you want a luscious sauce that’s higher in fiber, lower in fat, and naturally dairy-free.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Featured Review
“Holy Moly! I don’t think Im going to have any left to put on the pasta! Soooo good!!!” – Laura
Vegan Alfredo Sauce Ingredients
- Cashews. Use unroasted and unsalted cashews for the most mild, neutral flavor. These are softer than other nuts, so they break down into a creamy sauce easily in the blender.
- Onion. Sauteed onion helps boost the flavor and creates a silkier sauce when blended with cashews.
- Garlic. A key flavor in any good Alfredo sauce. I use four medium-sized cloves in my recipe, but you can add more or less to your liking.
- Lemon Juice + Vinegar. The combination of these two tangy ingredients creates a cheese-like flavor without relying on nutritional yeast.
- Salt + Pepper. These two spices are crucial for the perfect flavor.
How to Make Dairy-Free Alfredo Sauce
Step 1:
If you plan on serving this sauce with pasta, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Use gluten-free pasta, if you need to. By the time the noodles are done cooking, your vegan cashew alfredo sauce will be ready to use.
Add olive oil or vegan butter to a large skillet over medium heat and saute the onions until they start to soften and look translucent, about 8 minutes. Add in the minced garlic and stir for 1 more minute.
Step 2:
Transfer the cooked veggies to a high-speed blender, then add in the cashews, water, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, and black pepper.
Blend until the sauce reaches your desired consistency. Keep in mind that it will thicken when you toss it with pasta in a hot pan.
Step 3:
When the pasta is done cooking, drain the noodles, then return them to the large pot. Pour the creamy Alfredo sauce over the top, and toss well. (This can also be served over zucchini noodles, for a veggie-packed option.)
Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking. I usually add more salt and black pepper, to make the flavor pop!
Serving Tips
If the sauce still doesn’t taste like Alfredo, you probably haven’t used enough salt. (Parmesan cheese is very salty, so we’re trying to mimic that here.)
Once you’re happy with the flavor, serve warm with any add-ins you love, like roasted broccoli, peas, crispy mushroom bacon, or other vegetables.
Storage Tip
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Or you can freeze it for up to 3 months.
Dairy-Free Alfredo Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion , chopped
- 4 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 cup whole cashews (not roasted or salted)
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt (I use Real Salt brand)
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and saute the onion until it's soft and translucent. This should take 5 to 8 minutes. Add in the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1 more minute. Remove from the heat.
- In a high-speed blender, combine the cashews, water, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Add the sauteed onions and garlic, then blend until very smooth. The sauce should look creamy, without any visible chunks of cashews.
- Serve this alfredo sauce over your favorite cooked pasta, then adjust any seasoning to taste. The noodles will dilute the flavor of the sauce, so you may need to add more salt and pepper, as needed. (This recipe makes enough to coat one pound of pasta.) Leftover sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
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Notes
Nutrition
More Recipes to Try
If you try this Vegan Alfredo Sauce recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below, letting me know how you like it.
My initial thoughts were that there was no way this could be creamy – I thought it would be a drier, sticky sauce. Definitely not the case!
This is an outstanding replacement for a much healthier version of the traditional comfort food, especially for those of us sensitive to heavy cream, parmesan, etc. I made this exactly as instructed, although I did use linguine noodles instead of the traditional fettuccine since this is what I had on hand. I used a Vitamix to mix the sauce well.
This reminds me of your vegan queso, without the green chilies and pickled jalapenos – another recipe I make ALL the time. I was in the mood for something comforting without all the heaviness and this made a perfect lunch with a side salad.
I may consider adding some chopped sauteed spinach in it the next time I make it, and mix it in my bowl just before eating. We did make a pound of pasta to use for several meals, but went a little lighter on covering it with the sauce, so we had about a cup of sauce left for more meals this week. It makes a great quick reheated lunch. Yum!
Love this recipe I usually have ingredients in the pantry! Makes a great last minute week night meal!!
Yay! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Holy Moly! I dont think Im going to have any left to put on the pasta! Soooo good!!!
Delicious creamy sauce recipe
I love your recipes! Which brand of raw cashews do you use/where do you buy them? Thanks!
Hi Erica! I usually buy the raw cashews from Trader Joe’s or ones that are labeled “unroasted & unsalted ” from Whole Foods.
Can I add cottage cheese into the sauce? If I want to do a one serving pasta, how much cottage cheese should I add to this sauce?
I have tested a cottage cheese pasta, but it curdles when I add it to a hot pan with pasta. Maybe the cashews would help with that, though? You’ll have to experiment and let us know if you try it. I’d probably start with a 1/4 cup of cottage cheese for a serving of pasta and see how it affects the flavor/texture.