This is the best Vegan Alfredo Sauce ever! Easy to make with just a handful of ingredients and ready in 15 minutes or less. No one will know it’s vegan!
This vegan cashew Alfredo sauce is ultra creamy and flavorful with NO cheese, heavy cream or butter!
Cashews form the base of this easy vegan Alfredo sauce. Cashews are such a magical vegan ingredient, creating rich and creamy dairy free delights. A few of my all-time favorite recipes using cashews include Vegan Scalloped Potatoes, The Best Vegan Mac and Cheese and 5 Ingredient Vegan Queso.
If you can’t have cashews or nuts, go make this Dairy Free Alfredo Sauce with NO nuts. It’s equally incredible.
You might also like this Instant Pot Vegan Alfredo made from a combination of cauliflower and cashews.
What you need for the best, easy vegan Alfredo sauce
- Raw cashews – They are the base for the delicious creamy sauce. You can try using slivered almonds or sunflower seeds instead, but it won’t quite be the same.
- Olive oil – For sautéing the onions and garlic.
- Onion – Adds incredible flavor!
- Garlic – Again, for that garlicky classic Alfredo flavor.
- Unsweetened almond milk – May also use water or another unsweetened, unflavored plant milk.
- Nutritional yeast – For a cheesy taste. May omit if you don’t like it.
- Lemon juice – To brighten up the flavors a bit.
- Salt, to taste
- A high powered blender for best results – I highly recommend a Vitamix or other powerful blender. A regular blender can possibly be used, but the sauce won’t get as creamy.
How to make vegan alfredo sauce
This is an overview with photos of the process. For the complete, printable recipe, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom.
If you plan on serving the sauce with pasta, cook the noodles now. Drain when cooked and add back to the pot for mixing with the sauce.
Soak the cashews for 5 minutes in hot water. I simply use my tea kettle to boil water, and pour it over the cashews in a glass measuring cup.
Sauté 1/2 an onion and 6 cloves of garlic in a small pan for 5 minutes.
Add the drained cashews, onion/garlic, almond milk, nutritional yeast, lemon juice and salt to a high powered blender and blend until creamy and smooth.
Add sauce to pasta, mix and warm if needed. That’s it!
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I make it without cashews? I recommend you try my Dairy Free Alfredo Sauce, which is nut free. You can also try substituting sunflower seeds or raw slivered almonds for varied results.
- What if I don’t have a high powered blender? It’s possible to make the sauce in a regular blender or food processor, just know it won’t be as creamy as the photos. Try soaking the cashews for a half hour at least in hot water to make them extra soft for blending.
- How long will the sauce keep in the refrigerator? Store in a covered container for 4-5 days.
- Can you freeze vegan Alfredo sauce? Yes, it freezes well. Freeze sauce separate from pasta. Pour into freezer friendly containers, leaving a little room for expansion. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight is possible and rewarm in the microwave or stovetop.
Variations
- “Chicken” Alfredo – I often cook up some vegan chicken or simply Gardein nuggets. Slice and serve with the fettuccine Alfredo.
- Add some heat – I almost always sprinkle a good amount of red chili flakes on my Alfredo pasta. So good!
- Mix in some vegetables – Serve a veggie on the side, or mix them right in! My favorites are steamed or roasted broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, cooked kale, green peas or asparagus.
Want more creamy vegan pasta recipes?
- Creamy Vegan Carbonara
- Dairy Free Mac and Cheese
- The Best Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff
- Tuscan Vegan Gnocchi
Vegan Alfredo Sauce
Ingredients
- 12 ounces fettuccine pasta, optional
- 1 1/2 cups raw cashews
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 medium sweet onion, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups unsweetened almond milk*
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Instructions
Cook the pasta, if using
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then add the pasta and cook according to package instructions. Drain, then add it back to the pot and cover until the sauce is done.
Make the sauce
- Bring 4 cups of water to a boil (I use my tea kettle). Pour the hot water over the cashews and let soak for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a small pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the chopped onion and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes until fragrant and the onion is translucent. Remove from heat.
- Drain the cashews and discard the soaking water. Add them to a high powered blender along with onions/garlic, unsweetened almond milk, nutritional yeast, lemon juice and salt. Blend until very smooth.
Serve
- Pour the sauce over the pasta and stir. If the noodles are still hot, you may not need to cook it any more. If you want, heat the pasta with the alfredo sauce on low heat until warm. If it becomes too thick, add a bit of water to thin out the sauce. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- Gluten Free: Use gluten free pasta.
- Cashew Free: Use raw slivered almonds instead of cashews, or even sunflower seeds. Cashews give the sauce the best buttery and cheesy taste though.
- May use water instead of almond milk. Other plant milks work as well – soy, cashew or coconut. Just make sure the milk you use is both unsweetened and unflavored.
- “Chicken” Alfredo: Cook up some vegan chicken nuggets (my favorite is Gardein brand), slice and serve on top of the pasta!
- To Freeze: The sauce freezes well! Freeze in small freezer-friendly containers. Leave an inch or so of room for expansion. Re-heat in the microwave or stove top until warm.
- If you don’t care for nutritional yeast, it is okay to omit it.
- Alfredo sauce is also wonderful drizzled on baked potatoes, on pizza, spaghetti squash, cooked vegetables and more.
- Calories are for 1/6th of the sauce, and does not include pasta.
Nutrition
This recipe was first published in September of 2019. The recipe is the same, but the writing is updated to provide answer to frequent questions and variations/options.
Incredible. I won’t lie, it’s been 10 years and don’t remember if this is similar to Alfredo sauce, but it was delicious, creamy, and comforting. I paired it with roasted broccoli and sprinkled in some follow your heart parmesan. It really elevated the cheesy flavor even more.
I’m sorry but this recipe is badly written. Unless you have a Vitamix or such a super-powered blender, adding the cashews, onion/garlic mixture and milk together and blending all at once results in quite a gritty texture and appearance, the opposite of creamy. Creaming the cashews first is recommended. Then, add the onion/garlic and process well, followed by gradually adding the milk.
Some white miso and more salt “alfredo” gave much-needed flavor. Next time I would cut back slightly on the amount of onion as I felt it was too onion-forward for my taste.
Hi Alice – I clearly state several times that you really do need a high powered blender, such as a Vitamix, in order for the recipe to work. You really need a high powered blender for any cashew or nut based creamy sauces, or the final result will be gritty. I also have a recipe called Dairy Free Alfredo Sauce that does not require a blender at all.
Can violife vegan parmesan be subbed for the nutritional yeast? It sounds workable, but…
Yes, I think that would work just fine.
Love this recipe! Wondering if it can be frozen and if not, how long do you think it will keep in the fridge.
Thank you!
Hi Jen. I’m glad you love the Alfredo sauce! The sauce freezes well! Freeze in small freezer-friendly containers. Leave an inch or so of room for expansion. Re-heat in the microwave or stove top until warm. Thank you for sharing your wonderful feedback!
I used a red onion and subbed 1 cup of pasta water for 1 or the cups or almond milk; I also let my onion and garlic cook a little longer. I used rotina pasta and added roasted broccoli, yellow squash, zucchini, bell pepper, onions and carrots and topped it with homemade parmesan. It was delicious!
I finally found an easy, scrumptious alfredo sauce! Thanks so much!
You are welcome, LaKeila! I’m thrilled that you love the Alfredo sauce! Your pasta meal sounds delicious! I value your wonderful feedback and review! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
Nora this is a delicious, flavorful Alfredo sauce. I bought Trader Joe’s organic lemon tochietti pasta and decided to make your Alfredo sauce to put over this pasta. It was amazing! Topped it with some fresh parsley, black pepper and a sprinkle of vegan Parmesan. Thank you for sharing these awesome recipes! 10 + stars for this recipe!
You are welcome, David! Your meal sounds really delicious! Thanks for taking time to share your awesome review and feedback! I am thrilled that you are loving my recipes, and I appreciate you using them! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
I absolutely love this recipe and so do my husband and 2 little kids! We’re going to make it for my son’s 1st birthday and I was wondering if we can make the sauce in the morning and keep refrigerated until we make the pasta in the afternoon or is it best to keep it all freshly made/served?
Hi Devon. How wonderful your family loves the recipe! Happy birthday to your son! You can make the sauce early. It will keep well in the refrigerator. I do recommend making the pasta fresh. Enjoy and have such fun!
is the sauce meant to be very textured from the cashews? or is there just something wrong with my blender 😅
The sauce should be silky smooth. If you don’t have a high powered blender like a Vitamix or Blend Tec or something similar, it just might not be able to achieve a super smooth consistency. You can try soaking the cashews for longer, that might help.
So I’ve been making this recipe for a while and today instead of 2 cups of almond milk I used 1 cup of vegetable broth and it was the best! So creamy and so easy!
I really loved this recipe. I sprinkled a little nutmeg on top and loved that too. Thanks for the recipe
Excellent! I added a little more lemon, some follow your heart Parmesan, pepper and topped with roasted broccoli. My husband and I loved it. I am freezing the extra sauce and plan to use it in the future. Thank you for such an easy and quick week night dinner.
You are welcome, Mallory! Your meal sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing your awesome ideas and review!