Vegan Alfredo Sauce + 5 Ways to Use it
I’ll show you how to make the best vegan Alfredo sauce in your blender with easy ingredients! It comes out ultra-rich, creamy, and cheesy. There are SO many ways to use Alfredo sauce that go beyond pasta, and I’m sharing those, too!
What Is Vegan Alfredo Sauce?
This is my dairy-free, vegan-friendly version of classic Italian-style Alfredo sauce! Traditional Alfredo is a simple white sauce made from butter, heavy cream, and parmesan cheese (very much NOT vegan, unfortunately). Since fettuccine Alfredo was one of my favourite things to order in restaurants before going vegan, I’ve worked hard to perfect my homemade recipe! This vegan Alfredo sauce tastes like the real thing, made with a handful of wholesome ingredients in the blender.
Why You’ll Love This Alfredo Sauce Recipe
- Quick to make. With minimal prep, you simply combine the ingredients in your blender, heat the sauce afterward, and enjoy!
- Freezer-friendly. Unlike traditional Alfredo sauces, which contain dairy, this vegan sauce is freezer-friendly! Make a big batch and save the leftovers for more pasta dinners down the road.
- Use it for more than just pasta. I realised a long time ago that there are loads of ways to use creamy vegan Alfredo sauce that go beyond pasta dishes. It’s become a staple in my house, and I’m sure you’ll have it on repeat, too!
Notes on Ingredients
Let’s dive into what you’ll need to make this easy vegan Alfredo sauce. You’ll find the full, printable ingredients list in the recipe card below the post (keep scrolling!), along with detailed instructions.
- Red Onion – Or another sweet, mild onion, like shallot or Vidalia. I like to chop and sauté the onion in butter or olive oil to bring out the flavor.
- Cashews – When soaked or boiled (see below), fatty cashews become very easy to blend into cashew cream, the dairy-free substitute for heavy cream in this vegan Alfredo sauce. You don’t taste the nuttiness once the other ingredients are added, but the richness makes the sauce nice and creamy.
- Roasted Garlic – Roasted garlic adds depth of flavor and makes the sauce ultra-rich and buttery. Roasting is an extra step, but it’s worth it (I usually do it while the cashews are soaking). You can even roast garlic in the air fryer!
- Almond Milk – Or any unsweetened dairy-free milk that you prefer.
- Nutritional Yeast – If you’re new to vegan cooking, nutritional yeast is an inactive yeast with a savory, “cheesy” flavor, used in recipes like vegan cheese sauce.
- Vegan Parmesan – I like to up the cheesiness with vegan parmesan cheese, to mimic the flavors of classic Alfredo recipes. It takes minutes to make with raw cashews, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, and onion powder, or you can use store-bought.
- Lime Juice – Or lemon juice, to brighten up the flavors a little.
How to Soak Cashews
If you plan ahead, you can soak the cashews for this recipe overnight. To make this Alfredo sauce the same day, I recommend boiling. Combine the cashews with just enough water to cover them and boil for 5 minutes, then drain and rinse them. Let the cashews cool, and proceed.
How to Make Vegan Alfredo Sauce
The best part about this recipe is that you make it in the blender. It’s mess-free and QUICK! Follow the steps below and scroll to the recipe card for the printable instructions.
- Sauté the onion. First, cook the onions in a skillet with olive oil or butter until translucent.
- Combine the ingredients. Next, add the onions to the blender along with the soaked and rinsed cashews and the remaining ingredients. Blend until you have a smooth sauce. In a high-powered blender, this takes only a minute, but if not, just keep blending until it’s creamy.
- Finish and serve. Taste the sauce for seasoning, and then your vegan Alfredo sauce is ready to use! Heat it to use right away, or you can store the sauce airtight for later. See below for serving ideas and storage tips.
5 Ways to Use It
This vegan Alfredo sauce is super versatile, whether you whip it up for an easy weeknight dinner or a special occasion. These are just 5 of the MANY ways you can turn it into a meal:
- Pasta. Of course, the #1 spot goes to Alfredo pasta! I use this sauce in my vegan garlic Alfredo pasta, and it’s totally mouthwatering. You’ll also find it in this vegan pumpkin Alfredo and one-pot Alfredo penne pasta.
- As a dip. Alfredo sauce makes the best cheesy dip for veggies, crostini, you name it. Or, even better, try dunking vegan buffalo meatballs!
- Pizza topping. Use this sauce as a white pizza base. Spread it over homemade pizza dough or an almond flour pizza crust and add some tasty toppings, like buffalo cauliflower. You can also drizzle it over any of your favorite vegan pizza recipes.
- As a topping for vegetables. Drizzle Alfredo sauce over roasted vegetables, baked potatoes, roasted asparagus, or broccoli.
- In a casserole. Layer your vegan Alfredo sauce into lasagna, or use it as the sauce in a broccoli cheese casserole.
Recipe Tips
- Use quality ingredients. Be sure to use the best and freshest ingredients you can get your hands on, always. This includes getting the best quality cashews you can. It makes a difference!
- Use unsweetened milk. Be sure to use unsweetened almond milk (or whichever dairy-free milk you choose). If it’s sweetened, it’ll definitely throw off the flavor of the sauce.
- Use starchy pasta water. You’ll notice the recipe card calls for pasta water. That’s because pasta water contains lots of starches that help to emulsify the sauce. So, if you’re making pasta, use it! Otherwise, filtered water is fine, but you may need to add more salt to taste.
- Thoroughly soak the cashews. Ensure you soak your cashews properly! If they’re not properly soaked, the sauce won’t be rich and creamy.
- Don’t skip the lime. Lime juice helps neutralise the cashew-y taste and really brings all the ingredients together.
- Blend completely. Take the time to properly blend the sauce, even if it takes more than a minute or two. Keep blending until it’s silky smooth.
How to Store
- Refrigerate. Store this vegan Alfredo sauce in an airtight jar in your fridge for 4 days. Pro tip: To extend the sauce’s shelf life up to a week, cook it on the stove for about 5 minutes over medium heat before you store it. This way, it’s cooked instead of “raw”.
- Freeze. One of my favourite things about this vegan recipe is that it’s freezer-friendly! Freeze the vegan Alfredo sauce in a freezer-safe jar or container. When you’re ready to use it, just thaw it overnight in your fridge, then stir the sauce together.
More Vegan Pasta Sauces
Vegan Alfredo Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons vegan butter, or olive oil
- 1/2 red onion, chopped
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight, OR soaked in HOT water for 1 hour OR just easily boiled for 5 minutes*
- 1/4 cup pasta water, or filtered water
- 1 ½ cups unsweetened almond milk
- 4 cloves roasted garlic, **
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- ½ teaspoon sea salt, or more to taste
- 2 tablespoons vegan Parmesan cheese, + extra for topping
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
Instructions
- In a pan over medium-high heat, heat the vegan butter or olive oil. Add the onion, stir and let cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Remove the onions from the pan and add it to a blender. Add the rinsed off soaked cashews (without the water), the pasta water, the almond milk, the roasted garlic, the nutritional yeast, the sea salt, the vegan parmesan cheese and the lime juice.
- Blend it all together until completely creamy. If you have a high powered blender this will happen quickly, about 1 minute, if not, just keep blending until completely smooth and creamy. Taste and add more salt or vegan parmesan cheese if necessary. Serve it with your desired dish or store in an airtight jar until you’re ready to use it!
Notes
- *You can easily boil your cashews with just enough water covering them for 5 minutes. Drain, let cool, and proceed! This way you can make the recipe the same day.
- **YES, roasted garlic takes about 40 minutes, but you’ll need to wait for your cashews to soak for an hour at least anyway (or, if you’re doing the 5-minute method for boiling your cashews, it’s still worth it to roast your garlic for the best flavour)! Cut a bit of the top off of a whole head of garlic, put it in foil, drizzle olive oil on it, wrap the foil around it, and cook it at 450 degrees F for 45 minutes in your oven until the cloves are soft and velvety! Allow it to cool, then push the cloves out.
- You can reheat this! Just reheat it in a stovetop over medium-high heat with a bit more almond milk to thin it out again until hot.
- Prep time doesn’t include soaking the cashews overnight.
Disclaimer: Although jessicainthekitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Jessicainthekitchen.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.
Funny I made a version of this last night. I did not use any milk; I thinned with pasta water. I also had mushrooms I needed to use so it was a mushroom alfredo I finished up with. No lime at the moment, lemon worked. Absolutely delicious.
This was delicious! I used some on my Sweet potato and black bean enchiladas, yum!
Ooh, that sounds really tasty Kasandra! We’re so happy you enjoyed it and thank you so much for leaving a positive review.
This sauce recipe is incredible! I will be keeping this one in the regular rotation.
Thanks so much Ali! We really appreciate it!
Hello Jessica
I’m going to try this sauce as it sounds so delicious!!! I have always ate incredibly healthy but now I’m thinking of just remaining plant based and this sauce sounds so good.
Thanks
Danielle
Thanks so much Danielle! We hope all goes well on your journey.