Vegan Alfredo Sauce Recipe
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The best Vegan Alfredo Sauce recipe from scratch, made with cashews, garlic, onion powder, nutritional yeast and a touch of lemon. Raw, homemade and plant-based, no dairy, no eggs, the ultimate cashew pasta sauce. Only 5 Ingredients!
Vegan Alfredo Sauce
As we all know, the classic Italian Fettuccine Alfredo pasta sauce is not vegan, but I’m going to show you ho two make it that way without sacrificing any of the flavor and texture and without the dairy and cholesterol overload. I promise you guys this sauce tastes amazing, authentic flavor just like the original and it’s also good for you!
A total keeper and an absolute favorite around here served together with this tofu parmesan, vegan steaks, lentil loaf, mushroom scallops, and even this peanut tofu. Of course It also pairs well with sautéed veggies, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes and fresh basil.
You can toss it with the classic fettuccine or linguine noodles, gnocchi, ravioli, macaroni or even whole-wheat penne. I really love how the sauce collects in the grooves inside of the short tubular pasta guaranteeing extra creaminess in every bite.
The Best Cashew Alfredo Pasta Sauce! It’s:
Recipe Tips + Notes
- The Cashews – This sauce is super quick and easy to make and I’m happy to inform you that you DON’T have to soak the cashews overnight! True story! A quick 20 minute soak in hot water is more than enough. Let your Vitamix do its magic and you’ll end up with the silkiest creamiest cashew Alfredo Sauce ever.
- Add Ins – Wilted baby kale or spinach, smoky tempeh bacon, sautéed wild mushrooms, fresh or roasted cherry tomatoes.
- Storage – If you plan to store it in the fridge for later just keep in mind that the sauce will thicken up as it sits. Not to worry, reserve some of the hot water you cook your pasta in, and use it to thin out the sauce a little bit when reheating on the stovetop. Works like a dream.
- Freezing – Yes, you can also freeze this sauce up to 6 months stored in a glass container. After defrosting you can run it through the blender again to emulsify and get the texture silky smooth again if needed.
how to make it
Vegan Alfredo Sauce
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups cashews -raw unsalted
- 1 cup hot water
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1.5 tsp onion powder
- 1-2 cloves garlic (to taste)
- 1/2 lemon , juiced
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 1 cup cold filtered water
Instructions
- Add the cashews to a bowl and cover with the hot water. Allow to soak for 20 minutes.
- Drain and rinse the soaked cashews and add them to a powerful blender together with the one cup of cold filtered water, onion powder/ flakes, garlic nutritional yeast and lemon juice. Process until extra creamy and smooth.
- Taste and adjust seasonings to your taste with a pinch of sea salt and more lemon juice. Toss with 1/2 lb of your favorite pasta or zoodles and enjoy.
WFPB + Plantricious
Notes
- The sauce will thicken up in the refrigerator so you might want to stretch out any leftovers with a little warm water. Adjust seasonings again with sea salt before serving.
- If you prefer you can use almond milk instead of water to make the sauce but it isn't necessary at all. Water works great!
Nutrition
Finally the perfect recipe for a vegan Alfredo. I’ve failed trying different variations before and this is the absolute best one. I added extra garlic but that’s it, if you are using for an amazing plant-based creamy sauce this is fantastic. A keeper, thank you.
Short cut for the cashews? Cashew powder or cashew flour? Would it work?
Have not tested it but i believe cashew powder would work great. Let me know if you try it!
Amazing sauce, my husband couldn’t even tell I made him a vegan sauce. One of my favorite sauces will be making it all the time. Thank you for sharing!
Maybe you can help me. This creamy and delicious but I keep detecting a faint “off” flavor. I can’t put my finger on it—sort of sour, sort of funky. Too much nutritional yeast? Too much lemon juice? I really love it so I want to get it right. Thanks for your thoughts.
Hmmm… can’t really tell for sure but my first guess would be maybe the lemon was a little off or the cashews… The oils in the nuts can start going rancid quickly if stored at room temperature so I always pop them in the freezer as soon as I get them and they last for years. Hope your next batch will turn out perfect!