This is the best creamy vegan Alfredo sauce recipe you’ll ever find, and it’s easy to make at home with no dairy, no eggs, and no cashews required!
Imagine a classic vegan Alfredo recipe so luxuriously rich and smooth, you’ll want to pour it over absolutely everything.
I’ve served the recipe to both vegetarians and omnivores, always with rave reviews and expressions of complete disbelief that something this deliciously creamy could possibly be made without any heavy cream at all.
Also be sure to try this Vegan Cheesecake
The best vegan Alfredo sauce
Dairy free
Gluten free
Nut free
No tofu or soy
No heavy cream
It’s perfect for serving over your favorite pasta, such as fettuccine, linguine, tortellini, spaghetti, rigatoni, penne, rotini, macaroni, or ravioli.
Or if you want to try something other than pastas, the dairy free Alfredo is also great with broccoli or roasted vegetables, gnocchi, rice, stuffed shells, lasagna, low carb zucchini noodles (zoodles), baked potatoes, or spaghetti squash (see How to cook spaghetti squash).
You can even use it as a vegan white sauce for an Alfredo-style Vegan Pizza!
More vegan pasta recipes
I’ve also included my cauliflower Alfredo recipe below, or if you’re looking for a homemade Alfredo sauce with cashews, try this Creamy Vegan Garlic Pasta.
Healthy Alfredo ingredients
Milk of choice: Feel free to use whatever milk you have on hand. I recommend choosing an unsweetened variety, such as almond milk or soy milk, or it’s especially rich and creamy if you use nondairy creamer or canned coconut milk.
For garlic Alfredo: Add 2-3 tsp minced garlic to the saucepan at the same time as the salt, before bringing the mixture to a boil.
For the cheese: The recipe works with either Parmesan cheese (such as dairy free Violife or Follow Your Heart) or nutritional yeast. The two ingredients have different flavors but are both good here in their own right.
Or you can sub your favorite shredded vegan cheddar, pepper jack, or mozzarella cheese. Add this in at the very end when you turn off the heat, then stir until it melts.
Oil free Alfredo: While the recipe below does call for oil or butter (try Earth Balance or Miyokos vegan butter, or Smart Balance Light for low calorie Alfredo sauce), I substituted an equal amount of tahini once with great results.
Add-ins: Make it a meal by throwing in a handful of spinach or kale, some roasted mushrooms, peas, vegan bacon (for carbonara), or a protein like baked tofu or tempeh.
This vegan pasta sauce is super quick and easy to make, but if you’re looking for something even easier, then there are a bunch of boxed or jarred Alfredo brands on the market, including Primal Kitchen, Daiya Cheeze Sauce, Victoria Vegan, and Simple Truth Plant Based Alfredo.
For dessert, try these Homemade Chocolate Bars
How to make vegan alfredo pasta
To make the recipe, start by gathering all of your ingredients.
In a saucepan, whisk the cornstarch into the milk or creamer until it’s completely dissolved, with no lumps.
Whisk in the salt and oil or vegan butter spread. If desired, also add 2 tsp minced garlic.
Over low-medium heat, slowly bring this mixture to a boil. Stir occasionally at first, then constantly once it begins to thicken. The whole process should take under 10 minutes.
Once thick, turn off the heat and whisk in the nutritional yeast or vegan Parmesan until it melts. Taste the sauce, and season with salt and pepper as desired.
Above, watch the Alfredo recipe video
Vegan Alfredo Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 cups milk of choice or nondairy creamer
- 3 1/2 tbsp cornstarch or 5 tbsp flour (or try this Cauliflower Alfredo Recipe)
- 2 tbsp oil or vegan butter (for oil free, see note above)
- 6 tbsp vegan parmesan or nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tsp salt, plus salt and pepper to taste
- 8 oz pasta, optional
Instructions
- In a saucepan, whisk cornstarch into milk until completely dissolved. Whisk in salt and oil (and 2 tsp garlic if desired). Slowly bring to a boil over low-medium heat, stirring occasionally at first and then constantly once it starts to thicken. Once thick, turn off heat and stir in cheese until it melts. Taste, and season with salt and pepper as desired. View Nutrition Facts
Notes
Have you made this recipe?
Tag @chocolatecoveredkatie on Instagram
Vegan recipes from scratch
(Or these Cauliflower Tacos)
Emily says
OMG this looks delicious. So healthy – I’m making this for dinner next week
As always – love reading your posts! Thanks for the dinner idea!
Kathryn says
Emily, that was me too- exactly!!
Katherine says
GORGEOUS!
Sarah says
I happened to have everything on hand so I made this for lunch. It was delicious and stupid easy to make. Recipe printed out and going on regular rotation now. 🙂
Sarah says
P.S. You are beautiful!
Sarah says
Katie, do you mind answering a non-food question? I absolutely adore your jeans in this photo and was wondering if you would share with your blog readers what brand/style they are. Keep up the great balance between healthy desserts and main dishes!
Chocolate Covered Katie says
Your comment made me laugh, because my mother is always telling me I need to embrace the skinny jeans trend to be “in style,” but I hate them. These are boot cut jeans… I think American Eagle brand.
Akino says
I love really love pasta and this looks so delicious! 😀 Thanks so much for sharing, I’m excited to try it out!
Akino
Anna says
Hey Katie!
I made the recipe for dinner last night and added steamed broccoli. It was delectable, and my whole family gobbled it up! We love our “Chocolate Covered Katie” desserts, but I think we like your savory recipes even more. I’ve been making the sweet potato chili for more than a year now and have even served it at parties. Thank you for your great blog!
Maria says
I think I’ll make this tonight! Just need to pick up some cauliflower and shallots, I have everything else. Looks easy and delish!
Nina says
Delicious dinner. Thank you beautiful CCK for this awesome post. I love your recipes and enjoy getting to know a little about you.
Bites for Foodies says
I love alfredo sauce but always make a dairy-free version. It’s a lot of work sometimes. I spend my summers in Italy and they actually have dairy-free cream or panna, as they call it. It is DELICIOUS…unfortunately, I’ve yet to find it at home in Canada.
Kelly | Maverick Baking says
This is such a good idea!
Susan says
This is now my favorite way to do a fettuccini alfredo! So rich and creamy and filling! And easy to do!
Chocolate Covered Katie says
Thank YOU for trying the recipe 🙂
Amela says
Hey Katie,
Can I use a red onion instead of the shallot as I haven’t seen it around but I really want to try this recipe. Thanks for your work <3
Chocolate Covered Katie says
Sorry I haven’t tried… but you can definitely experiment!
Svenja Evans says
OMG! I just made this and ate almost the entire pot myself. This is absolutely to die for and will definitely be added to my meal rotation!
Camille Coad-Williams says
I just made this alfredo sauce. It was super creamy and fantastic. I like like like garlic, so I will add extra next time.
Brittany Littleton says
Thanks for an awesome recipe, Katie! And you look beautiful. Xoxo
Kristy says
We make this regularly. Thanks for a great recipe! The whole family enjoys it! Sometimes I use broth and powdered coconut milk in place of the “milk of choice” for some extra nutrition.
Veronica says
This was so much creamier than I thought it would be. My non vegan family was very pleasantly surprised too! Thank you for a great (and easy!!) recipe! We are very happy :).
J. says
Made this vegan alfredo sauce with earth balance, parma, and nutpods plain creamer. HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT THIS WAY
May says
Katie you are brilliant! I have been looking for a cashew free alfredo, and finally you delivered. Every other post I’d click on would call for cashews or tofu as the base (or one had coconut milk), and I didn’t want any of those. This was perfect! It was creamy and delicious, while also being low fat and soy free. Thank you, thank you, thank you for this recipe!!!
Qweenie says
Hi May,
I’m curious. How were you able to make yours low fat when the recipe calls for vegan cheese as one of its ingredients? I’m interested in making this, but I’m hesitant because I don’t consume vegan cheese because of its high fat content. Did you use nutritional yeast in place of vegan cheese?
Rebecca says
SO BOMB. I’m super impressed by this recipe, I’ll definitely be making it again.
Thank you!
Felicia says
I’ve tried many plant based alfredo’s and I must say.. This is the best one yet and it’s so simple to whip together! Perfectly creamy and rich. I used canned coconut milk and ate it on edamame spaghetti.
Laura says
I made this with coconut coffee creamer (half and half version, unflavored), gluten free flour, and nutritional yeast. Not a big fan. It tasted like a white sauce, but not at all like alfredo. I think the coffee creamer is not a good idea – it’s too rich and leans toward the sweet side. It was simple to make and it was edible, but to me it wasn’t alfredo at all.
Jenn says
I made this tonight for myself and my partner who absolutely loves alfredo pasta and barely eats any vegetables. He thinks he hates cauliflower :). So I made this and only told him that I made a lighter version of the sauce. He loved it! He was going on about how good it was and said to make sure I kept the recipe. I was going to tell him what was in it after he ate, but decided not to. I’ll keep making your recipe and he can keep hating cauliflower. 😉 I loved it too btw. Delicious.
Nicole Richmond says
It’s great but would be way better without all the oil!
Lorie says
I used cashew milk and parmesan. No nutritional yeast.
The only thing I did different was add quite a bit more parmesan, and it definitely needs salt and pepper. Turned out pretty good and was very easy to make.
Dustin says
How simple and delicious!
Elizabeth says
Does anyone know how long this sauce keeps in the fridge? It turned out really good, but I can’t eat all of it in one sitting.
CCK Media Team says
Thank you so much for making it! We have kept it successfully for 3 days but haven’t had it around any longer than that to know.
Ceressia Menefee says
Thank you! I enjoyed the simplicity of this recipe and I was very satisfied w the result. Very tasty! I will use it all the time!
Ceressia Menefee says
Here’s my rating!
CCK Media Team says
Thank you so much for making it!
Barb says
We loved this alfredo sauce! I am a vegan as is my daughter, but hubby and our other daughters are not. Clean plate club for all of us, both vegans and omnivores!
Jenn says
Delicious!!!!!
Reader says
Oh jeez, I hate to be a lead balloon, but this is technically a roux-based cream sauce, not an Alfredo.
Alfredo is special. I acknowledge this even though I abjure the things it is traditionally made from. And as far as I know, it’s only ever been made that way. Nothing in a jar or tin has ever even approached being an Alfredo, and to my knowledge no vegan version has yet been created.
I’ll share this much: it does not involve flour, and requires far more fat than this.
I know I’m being a little cranky here, but Alfredo is one sauce and one sauce only. Anything with this level of fat and these ingredients can only be called a low-fat mock Alfredo. Eating low-fat and vegan, as I am? Fine, but Alfredo isn’t on that menu. It’s just not. A lovely low-fat -mock- Alfredo like this one can be, but please don’t call it Alfredo.
I believe it can be made vegan, but one would have to have -just- the right vegan ingredients to achieve it.
At least you’re not putting in garlic and other spices. So kudos and thanks for that. The pepper should be white pepper.
At some point I will try to work this out, but am currently enjoying a very low fat diet, and development of an Alfredo would not fit into the regime 😀
This is as much a challenge as it is a critique; I’d LOVE to see you prove me wrong by creating an actual vegan Alfredo that’s made from vegan equivalents of the only ingredients in a real Alfredo, and made in the same way as a real Alfredo (such that by Alfredo’s in Florence) is made. 😀
E.I. says
Oh my God! You are such a Troll and such a pain in the ass!!!! GET OUT AND AWAY FROM HERE! No one needs a cry baby like you!!!
DP says
Oh wow. I cannot agree with you more about the trolling. It kind of makes me go “yuck”.
RACHELLE says
seriosuly, trolling on a recipe blog…. how low
Rachel says
it’s not authentic alfredo, but its alfredo because that’s the best thing to call a thick, creamy, white pasta sauce. you got me curious about what real alfredo is and apparently it’s just parmesan and butter. anything else isn’t “actual” alfredo. so if you really want to make the closest to authentic vegan version, try to emulsify non-dairy parm and butter. see how that works out for you 🙂
Dee says
ATTN: Reader. How sad! Your life must be pretty bad that you felt the need to be a bully to our dear, precious CCKatie! I think what would make you (and a lot of us) feel better would be if you moved to Florence so you could have, or not, the sauce you described.
ATTN: CCKatie, we love you and your recipes! We truly appreciate the time and energy you put out trying one recipe after another and another and another with all of the variations before you finally GIVE us (yes, for free) your final version for all of us to enjoy without us having to do a darn thing! You are an amazing woman! I wish you nothing but the best life has to offer for you and your family! Take care!
tori says
Thank you, this was very interesting! I have made at least 1/3 of Katie’s recipes over the last several years — many of them several times– so consider myself a pretty big fan of hers. Still, I enjoyed your comment and just want to say I don’t construe it as disrespectful or trolling at all. In truth, I wish there were more substantive comments on the recipes since well over half of them seem to be essentially, “this looks great; I will have to make it sometime” +5 stars.
Another Reader says
You did *way* too much with this comment. Seriously.
Tam says
I made this for dinner over the weekend and the family loved it. Threw in some gardein to make it a full meal. Today is Monday and I have been requested to make it again for dinner from my oldest daughter who is not vegan 😁
Miracle says
Thanks for sharing! I was searching everywhere for a Alfredo sauce free of cashews because I’m allergic. I will be trying this soon!
Jennelle says
OMG. This is amazing. I halved the recipe and used it for pizza sauce. I used nutritional yeast for my “cheese” and the flavors are delicious. I also added two cloves of garlic. I will be using this again.
Kathy says
Have you ever frozen this?
It is absolutely amazing.
CCK Media Team says
Thank you so much for trying it! We haven’t tried freezing, but be sure to report back if you try it before we do 🙂
Abby says
I made this recipe and it had almost no flavor. I added a bunch of seasoning and it turned into a yummy alfredo mac n’ cheese. The texture is the same as an alfredo texture.
Kylie says
It was creamy and thick! Thank you for making a vegan alfredo without cashews. All the other recipes I’d been finding contained cashews and we have a nut allergy.
Gretchen Gruber says
So very easy to prepare. Delicious without being overly rich! We added sauteed mushrooms and onion to complete the meal.
CCK Media Team says
Thank you for trying it 🙂
Jennifer says
This is a great recipe! I’m going to keep it in my line-up for future dinners. 😋
Karen Reyna says
Going to try this but non dairy creamer does have milk so it’s not vegan friendly.
CCK Media Team says
Hi Karen, there are many brands of nondairy creamer nowadays that are dairy free and vegan. Just look for one that says vegan on the label 🙂
Mark says
Do you still use corn starch if using a vegan cream (I’m using Oatly cream)?
CCK Media Team says
Yes! You can try omitting it and seeing if it’s thick enough, but we have not tried that.
Marcie Melton says
We are thinking our daughter who is 23 has a new dairy allergy. We are looking for new recipes to try. This was a hit. She loves Alfredo and was so disappointed to not be able to eat it anymore. Thank you for this. She wants to put in in a bottle and take it to restaurants so she can enjoy her favorite foods. 🙂
CCK Media Team says
This makes us so happy 🙂
Miso says
Good but I had to add more nutritional yeast than suggested and now it’s awesome.. Liberally apply that stuff
Stephanie R says
What milk suggestions give the creamiest results? We want it to be vegan of course 🙂
CCK Media Team says
Hi! Creamiest would definitely be coconut milk 🙂
Unsweetened nondairy creamer, such as Nutpods, is also lovely.
Laura says
Hey Katie,
Did you change this recipe? I had it bookmarked for the longest time, and remember the ingredients (hazy on the amounts) and this recipe is different. The original included vegetable stock I remember and definitely garlic and flour in lieu of cornstarch now. Is there any way I can be sent the original recipe? While I’m sure this one tastes just as lovely, I was quite fond of the original and had planned to make it for dinner this evening for some non-vegan friends. I appreciate you & the OG was delicious!
CCK Media Team says
Hi Laura! I am so sorry, I’m not sure what recipe it might be but am trying to search for it. Was it this exact URL?
Laura says
I had it bookmarked to my previous phone which I just got rid of, but when I went to search for it again on Google I came here since it was familiar. There’s less ingredients now, the one I used to make included:
Coconut Milk
Vegetable Stock
Flour
Non-dairy butter
Garlic
Nutritional Yeast
Man, I wish I could remember the amounts of each it was so good! I know it was yours, I remember the little pink heart in my phone’s bookmark, just like now. Was this recipe changed to fewer ingredients by chance? I really do appreciate your help – that recipe was spot on like most of the ones I’ve tried here 🙂
CCK Media Team says
We looked up the previous version of the recipe from this url (as it looked from 2016 until it was changed to its current version), but I do not see vegetable stock as an ingredient. Hopefully it is what you are looking for? https://web.archive.org/web/20160731095638/https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2016/07/28/vegan-pasta-alfredo-recipe/
RACHELLE says
Just made sooo savory
Shantisse says
I am by no means a cook, but I gave this a try and it came out wonderfully. If I can do it, literally anyone else can too. Thank you so much!
Alexanne says
Hi! Looking forward to trying this for dinner tonight. Approximately how many does the recipe serve?
Anna says
My substitute was agar agar instead of cornstarch. Turned out Fantastic!
Took me less than 2 minutes to make
Kristy Pickering says
Easy and tasty recipe. I like it because it’s much lower in fat than traditional alfredo. Thanks!
Jackie says
Have you tried adding vegan pesto to this to make a pesto cream sauce? If I tried this, do you think I should omit the oil as pesto has oil in it? Thanks for your input.
Chocolate Covered Katie says
Hi, sorry I have not tried so really cannot predict how it would turn out. Be sure to report back if you experiment, as it sounds fun!
Amy says
Turned out good! It was my first time trying an alfredo sauce recipe, vegan or otherwise. I added it to my broccoli and will be eating with pasta and marinara tonight! Thanks!!
Heather says
This was surprisingly delicious! I’ve had to go dairy free for health reasons and I really missed creamy alfredo sauce. This recipe was pretty convincing! I used nutritional yeast and garlic. Highly recommend as a dairy free alfredo alternative.
Denise says
My sauce broke when I added the nutritional yeast any ideas on how to recombine? It tastes great but is lumpy
Hannah Klunk says
Does this work with oat milk?
CCK Media Team says
It should! We recommend unsweetened.
Will Parkinson says
Holy hell and OMG! This stuff was AMAZING! I was dubious when I saw the ingredient list, but the number of highly rated reviews convinced me to try it. I am SO glad I did. Can’t wait to make it again.
Carissa says
Made this for my teen daughter with a newfound love of pasta (alfredo in particular)… Shes omni and I am vegan so I wanted to find something that should she love it enough she could also make it at her other parents home on her own.
She loved my creation! I used Kikkoman Pearl soymilk in unsweetened, Country Crock plant butter, plain flour, smoked garlic from a local fruit stand (with a small amount of garlic powder just to use up the tiny amount I had. Added Follow Your Heart Parmesan and white pepper/salt. Next time I may just attempt with Silk Heavy Cream, Country Crock plant butter or vegan ghee, smoked garlic and Follow Your Heart parmesan for a more “authentic” vibe as it still is not “Olive Garden” tier lol
We loved this recipe, and I feel like it is a great filling recipe without spending a ton of money which I love!
This blog for sure my “safe landing zone” within the recipes when I google vegan recipes, I use SO MANY of these recipes for my own cooking (only vegan in household) <3
CCK Media Team says
Thank you for such kind words, and for making the recipe!
Brittney says
loved this recipe! I’m a new vegan (one month) and this was a good way for me to cook a meal my meat eating family can eat! They just add chicken to their plates! I used oat milk, nutritional yeast, and a nice big dash of pepper, garlic powder and some salt. So creamy! Makes you regret ever buying jarred Alfredo sauce
Chris says
This is very good and super simple. The sauce thickens up extremely quick though so keep an eye on it and stir constantly.
Tammy S says
Love this recipe! So easy to make and delicious, I added some garlic powder instead of fresh and it so good!
Kate says
My family loved this vegan alfredo recipe. My daughter and I are vegan, husband and other daughter are not. Two thumbs up from everyone!
Chris says
Can I substitute coconut milk and if so is it a 1 to 1 ratio? Do you think it would taste like coconut though?