Creamy and rich, this Dairy Free Alfredo Sauce will blow you away. While most non-dairy alfredo recipes rely heavily on cashews, this recipe is nut free. Plus you don’t need an expensive blender; the sauce is made in one pan in 10 minutes!
There’s a new dairy free alfredo sauce in town, and it couldn’t be easier to make. This one tastes scarily like the real thing!
Even though it’s vegan, it’s quite rich and nothing like the cauliflower versions you’ve probably tried. I’m sorry, but blended cauliflower and garlic just doesn’t equal creamy alfredo! Not in my book.
If you are looking for something a little healthier and you have a high powered blender, try my Vegan Alfredo Sauce, made with raw cashews. It’s super good!
I created this recipe because I know there are plenty of folks who either have a cashew/nut allergy OR they don’t have a high powered fancy blender.
This is the best dairy free alfredo sauce around, and you can make it on the stovetop in 15 minutes (or less). It’s that simple! Gluten free if you use gluten free pasta.
How to make dairy free alfredo sauce
Scroll down for the full, printable recipe.
All there is to this sauce is melting some vegan butter in a pan, adding a handful of ingredients (unsweetened plant milk, vegan cream cheese, garlic, spices and a bit of vegan parmesan cheese).
You can add a little lemon zest for extra tastiness! Serve over fettuccine pasta, or anywhere else you like, such as pizza, spaghetti squash or even baked potatoes.
Allergy notes
If you have a nut allergy, make sure you check the package for allergens!
Especially for the vegan cream cheese and vegan parmesan cheese. I believe Follow Your Heart vegan parmesan is nut free, as well as Tofutti cream cheese.
If you don’t have a nut allergy, feel free to use almond or cashew milk instead of soy.
More dairy free creamy pasta recipes
Dairy Free Alfredo Sauce (No Cashews or Cauliflower!)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup vegan butter
- 2 cups unsweetened soy milk*
- 4 ounces vegan cream cheese* if you have a nut allergy, make sure there are NO NUTS in your cream cheese!
- 3 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
- few shakes black pepper
- 1 cup grated vegan parmesan cheese*
- Optional: 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- cooked fettuccine pasta
- red chili flakes, for serving, optional
Instructions
- Add the vegan butter, unsweetened milk and cream cheese to a large skillet. Cook over medium heat and whisk until the butter has melted.
- Add the minced garlic, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper and whisk until smooth.
- Whisk in the parmesan until melted and stir in the lemon zest, if using.
- Serve immediately over cooked fettuccine. Sprinkle with a few red chili flakes, if desired. Enjoy!
- Storing leftover sauce: Store leftover alfredo sauce in a jar/container with a lid in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat, whisk and serve. It can also be frozen for 2-3 months.
Notes
- I have used Earth Balance and Miyoko’s brand butter here. Any vegan butter should work well, just make sure you like the flavor of the brand you use.
- If you don’t have a nut allergy, you may use unsweetened, unflavored almond or cashew milk. Whatever you use, ensure there is no vanilla or sweetener added or it will ruin your sauce.
- I used tofutti vegan cream cheese. I would not recommend Violife here because it simply turns to oil immediately when hot.
- For the vegan parmesan, I used Follow Your Heart shredded parmesan. You could use my homemade parmesan if desired.
Hiii!! I also can’t do soy due to family allergies, so what I often use are violife for creamcheese and country crock for butter!
can I use oat milk?
Yes, oat milk works! Enjoy!
It taste great! The only thing is it’s really high in fats. I’m doing a macro diet and someone requested to do a dairy free and gluten free version and thought I’d try this! It’s really strong and calculating it. 1/2c of the sauce is 21gs of fat. I can only have 30 so I’m going to take away 1/2 the stick of butter cut the cream cheese as well. And replace pasta water for 1 cup of soymilk. It is delicious tho so great job on the recipe!
This looks so good along with so many of your recipies I want to love but I can’t get over the “amount of vegan butter it requires. That stuff is horrible for the arteries. I am trying to eat healthy and 1/2 cup of vegan butter is a lot.
No worries, you don’t have to make it. 🙂 My other recipe for vegan alfredo has no vegan butter, so you’d probably prefer it. Plus, it’s delicious. This is a good alternative for folks who need a nut free and dairy free version.
Oh perfect thanks for the link!
I so miss Alfredo anything so I thought what the heck. This recipe sounded good! I make my own heavy cream with non-lactose milk and Green Valley plant based cream cheese. Hint: Do not use Kite Hill as it will just glop up and refuse to melt. I had to throw out that mess and start over. Green Valley melts smoothly on medium/low heat, then I slowly add the milk and when that is hot and smooth, I put in the Earth Balance butter. After that I followed your recipe except for lemon zest, which I did not have. I added a few drops of lemon juice instead. When the sauce was ready, I added some thawed sea scallops and covered them with the hot sauce over medium heat. I did find whole scallops don’t cook through quickly, so I had to cut them in half in the pan. Then they cooked pretty quickly. My husband had never eaten Alfredo before and he LOVED IT! As did I. Thanks for the lactose free recipe, it’s a keeper.
THank you sooo much!!! I have to be dairy free but my daughter is deathly allergic to cashews so most recipes I cannot make or have (it’s that serious unfortunately). I made this tonight with a few adjustments (I didnt have cream cheese so i made a roux with gluten free flour and added coconut cream as well to thicken) and it was delicious!!!!! She can have regular alfredo but i cannot. I was so happy to make something she could have and liked that we bith enjoyed!
You are welcome, Amy! I’m thrilled that this recipe works for both you and your daughter! I appreciate your inspiring words! Thank you for taking your time to share!
All I can say is WOW. Before going vegan, my favorite dish of all time was fettuccine Alfredo. It’s been really difficult to replicate since then. A few recipes have gotten the job done, but never tasted like the real deal. This one is INCREDIBLE. Like out of body experience good. Thank you, Nora, for making me fall in love with Alfredo all over again.
You are welcome, Wren! It makes my day that you love the Alfredo sauce! Thanks for your stellar review and feedback! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
Thank you for sharing this recipe. Me and my son both don’t eat dairy and I have a nut allergy. I made this last night and we both enjoyed it with a side of broccoli. I had leftovers today and it tastes even better! The amount of sauce is perfect to mix with a box of fettuccine. I only had one 4 oz container of vegan Parmesan but sauce was still creamy and yummy. It really tastes better than the jarred ones I used to buy but they always upset our stomach’s. We don’t have to worry about tummy aches and just enjoy delicious Alfredo. You are the best for making these recipes ! Thank you!
You’re so welcome, Melanie! I’m thrilled you and your son love the alfredo sauce 🙂
Are there any other vegan cream cheese brands that work? I can’t do soy/tofu. Thanks!
You could use a coconut-based vegan cream cheese instead. I believe Miyoko’s cream cheese is soy free. I hope this helps!
Can you tell me which brands of cheese you use? I’m new to this non-dairy way of cooking. Thanks!
Hi Rebecca. For this recipe, I used Follow Your Heart shredded parmesan, and tofutti vegan cream cheese. I would not recommend Violife cream cheese here because it simply turns to oil immediately when hot. I do, however, like Violife brand cheese.
I made this last night for dinner and it was absolutely delicious! I added a little extra vegan parm because I wanted it to be extra cheesy and it was so so good! Every single thing I make from your website turns out wonderful and this recipe is no exception. I am thinking of all kinds of ways to use this sauce this week! It makes a generous amount-which is great! Leftovers!! Thank you for another excellent recipe!
You are welcome, Mandy! I’m thrilled you loved the sauce! Thank you for taking time to share you amazing review and feedback! Happy cooking!
After developing a dairy allergy many years ago, I’ve been looking for a dairy free Alfredo sauce and this is the BEST recipe out there! I used oat milk and added an extra garlic clove and it was so creamy and delicious. My mom even made it for my picky lactose intolerant dad and he loved it! Thanks, Nora, for the amazing recipe!
You are welcome, Dawn! How fantastic the sauce is a hit for you and your family! Thanks for sharing your wonderful feedback and review!
This recipe was super easy and quick to make and absolutely delicious!!! Even my redneck meat and dairy loving dad enjoyed it!! I have been allergic to dairy for 3 years now and I really thank you for this amazing recipe. I miss so many dishes I grew up on.
Hi Sam. I know what you mean about missing recipes that include dairy – there are so many ways to make delicious food without dairy! I’m thrilled you enjoyed the alfredo sauce! Thank you for sharing your great feedback!
Can you make it ahead of time. I am having company and wanted to make it a little ahead of time. Thanks. Love all of your recipes so far.
You could I suppose but it’s really much better when made pretty fresh. I wouldn’t make it too far in advance, but if you must, just warm it up gently before serving. I’m so glad you are enjoying my recipes, thank you!
Update: I did end up making the recipe a few hours early and kept it on warm. It was a little thicker but excellent!
I served the sauce to several non-vegans and they absolutely loved it.
Thank you again. I am 100% whole food plant based and my partner is about 75%. All of your recipes have been delicious and a big help.
I have lost over 100 pounds following a whole food plant based lifestyle and your recipes have been an enormous part of that.
Thanks again.
Hi Shelby! Thanks for the update! I’m so glad the sauce turned out great and was a hit! Thank you for sharing your feedback! I’m so glad to hear that my recipes are helpful to you – thank you for using them! Happy cooking!
Hi there! I love this recipe so much and I’ve made it so many times. My family loves it! I was wondering if I could freeze this sauce. Thank you so much for a great recipe! <3
That’s wonderful to hear, thank you so much! Yes, you can freeze the sauce for 2 to 3 months.
Hands down the best I’ve ever made/eaten!
I used Miyoko’s vegan butter and a bit of ghee to make up the amount needed, as I didn’t have enough Miyoko’s. I also used Miyoko’s cream cheese and vegan Violife parmesan cheese, grated from a wedge. The lemon brought all the flavors together and made the sauce bright. I wouldn’t omit it!
Once the sauce was done, my pasta wasn’t done yet so the sauce sat for a few minutes and thickened. Anticipating this, I reserved some pasta water like you do with spaghetti sauces and added it until the sauce was where I wanted it, 3 T. or so.
We sauteed mushrooms and parboiled broccoli and red pepper strips to add to the pasta sauce. It was fabulous.
Thanks for the recipe- best ever!
I’m so glad you loved the sauce, Lisa! Thank you for your wonderful feedback and review!
Can I use almond milk?
Yes! Ensure there is no vanilla or sweetener added or it will ruin your sauce.
Thanks so much for sharing this! My 8 year old gran boy loves Alfredo Sauce but has issues with dairy products. I am going to try this and see how it goes. Again, Thank you!
You’re so welcome, Lorrie! I hope your grandson likes the alfredo!
Learning to adapt to gluten and dairy free is incredibly hard. However, this recipe made it all worth while!!!! Thank you so much for this fabulous dish!! Our daughter wanted my dish more than theirs that was full of gluten and dairy, haha.
I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for using my recipe and for leaving such a wonderful review!
Made this recipe for my very lactose intolerant son. He loved it. I tasted it and was quite impressed and so happy. The taste and creaminess is on point. I eat dairy and did not miss the taste of dairy Alfredo sauce. I asked him if it needed any changes, “It was pretty much perfect.” was his reply. Thanks so much. No my entire family can enjoy Alfredo pasta.
How great that your son was able to enjoy Alfredo pasta with the rest of the family! Thank you for sharing your fun and wonderful feedback!
another way I have made this is by making a roux with plant butter and flour and plant milk and adding follow your heart parmesan with some aldis vegan mozzarella, adding milk and spices so it melts all together making a creamy sauce.
This is soo delicious. So quick and easy.. Made it last night. I didn’t have enough parm so I used left over Chao creamy cheese shreds. Which made it a little thicker and cheesier but I tasted it before the add and it was good and after. Was a hit with the boyfriend. I added Gardein chicken breast strips. Love all of your recipes.
Thank you for your wonderful feedback! I’m so glad you loved the alfredo sauce!
How much fettuccine do I make?
Hi Kim. The original recipe is for 6 servings. You can adjust that as needed for the number of people you will be serving.
This looks fabulous! Definitely making this for dinner one night this week!
I hope you enjoy the Alfredo sauce!
Made this tonight. It is FABULOUS! Wow! It all came together so easily and quickly but I felt super accomplished on this very busy weeknight. Thank you for another amazing recipe, Nora!
You are welcome, Kristi! Thanks for your great feedback! Happy cooking!
So quick, easy, and customizable! The sauce was tasty on its own, but I added artichoke hearts and spinach to bulk it up. It’s rich without being super heavy like typical Alfredo sauce. Thanks Nora!
You are welcome, Abby! I’m thrilled you love the sauce, and your additions sound so delicious! Thank you for sharing your review and feedback.