Creamy vegan Alfredo sauce
Creamy dairy free Alfredo sauce. This vegan alfredo sauce is decadent and delicious with a cashew cream base and delicious cheesy flavor. Top with plant based chicken and a sprinkle of black pepper.
Anything you can do, I can do vegan! This recipe definitely proves that point.
This creamy sauce is just as tasty as a the “real thing”. The perfect dish to impress your friends at a dinner party.
It’s also great for a romantic night in. Make a big side salad and you’ve got a delicious meal.
To make this decadent vegan pasta sauce taste even better, top this dish with some vegan parmesan cheese and my favorite vegan chicken tenders.
This recipe is
- Dairy free
- a great comfort food
- Easy
- Vegan & vegetarian
- Great for date nights
Ingredients
- Raw cashews – This is the heavy cream base of our dairy free Alfredo sauce. Raw cashews, when soaked in hot water and then blended in a high-speed blender it creates an amazing healthy alfredo sauce with an amazing creamy consistency that’s a great substitute for heavy cream.
- Nutritional yeast – These golden yellow flakes provide a cheesy, umami and nutty flavor to the alfredo pasta. It’s also high in B12.
- Unsweetened oat milk – Or your favorite non-dairy milk like almond milk, coconut milk or soy milk. Make sure it’s unsweetened. I find oat milk is the only plant milk that doesn’t leave an after taste. You can also just use water.
- Garlic powder – You can also sauté some chopped, fresh garlic in a large sauté pan before adding the cream sauce.
- Onion powder
- Lemon juice
- Salt & pepper – white pepper also tastes great in this. A little goes a long way.
- Vegan chicken – I love the Gardein breaded chick’n strips in this.
- Vegan butter or olive oil
- Fettuccine noodles – Most dry and boxed pastas at the grocery store are accidentally vegan. Just read the ingredients.
Recipe tips
If you’d like a healthier alfredo sauce add some more nutrients by throwing in some peas or chopped kale. I love adding greens to creamy pasta dishes. Top with fresh parsley for an added pop of flavor.
The longer you heat the white sauce, the more it thickens up.
To add some brightness and pop of flavor, add some lemon zest to the sauce.
To reheat and store
This pasta will last you about 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
To reheat: If you’re wanting to heat this up the next day for leftovers, just add a splash or two of water and add a little salt. Heat on the stove on medium heat, or in a microwave.
To make this without cashews
If you’re allergic to cashews you can make this creamy pasta sauce by substituting with one of the following:
- ½ cup of raw sunflower seeds or
- 1 cup of white beans like great northern beans or
- 1 cup of silken tofu
- 1 cup of shredded vegan parmesan cheese like follow your heart brand
- 1 cup of vegan cream cheese
To make this gluten free
To make this recipe gluten-free, just make it without the chicken tenders and useIf you would like a gluten-free version, and use your favorite gluten-free pasta.
More vegan recipes to try:
- Smoked gouda mac & cheese
- Best vegan stovetop mac and cheese
- Vegan Stroganoff
- Vegan chicken noodle soup
- Homemade vegan pasta noodles
- Dairy free lasagna
- Vegan heavy cream
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Dairy free alfredo sauce
Ingredients
- 8 oz fettuccini pasta (half of a 1lb package)
- ½ cup raw cashews (soaked in boiled water for 10 minutes)
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (or white vinegar)
- 1½ cups unsweetened oat milk (or water)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter (or olive oil)
Instructions
- Soak your cashews for 10 minutes in boiled water then drain.
- Boil your pasta water and cook pasta until al dente. Drain the pasta, but keep ¼ cup of the pasta water for later. Add some olive oil on the pasta it so it doesn't stick after draining.8 oz fettuccini pasta
- While your pasta is cooking, add cashews, nutritional yeast, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, lemon juice and oat milk to a blender. Blend on high until smooth – at least 2 minutes½ cup raw cashews, ¼ cup nutritional yeast, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1½ cups unsweetened oat milk
- In a large enough pan to hold the pasta, heat vegan butter on medium heat. Add the minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute.2 tablespoons vegan butter, 3 cloves garlic
- Turn heat to low. Add the blended sauce from the blender to the pan with the garlic and butter. Heat on low for one minute, gently stirring the sauce until it thickens. Add the fettuccini to the cheese sauce pan. Slowly add in the reserved pasta water and stir until it thickens to your desired consistency.
- If sauce gets too thick, add a more pasta cooking water.
- If sauce is too thin, keep it on low heat until it thickens – but be warned, the cashews will make this thicken quite a bit on heat.
- Top with the Gardein vegan chicken tenders, or chop them up and fold them in with the pasta if you'd like them a little coated.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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