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Vegan Alfredo Sauce

5 from 732 votes

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!

Creamy Dairy Free Alfredo Sauce

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 Recipe

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!

Vegan Mac And Cheese Recipe

More vegan pasta recipes

Vegan Stuffed Shells

Vegan Mac And Cheese

Pumpkin Mac And Cheese

Vegan Cheese Sauce

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.

Vegan White Sauce With No Cashews Or Tofu

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

Vegan Alfredo Sauce

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

How To Make Cashew Free Vegan Alfredo Sauce
Pin it now to save for laterPin Recipe

Vegan Alfredo Sauce

This creamy vegan Alfredo sauce recipe is easy to make at home for dinner, with no dairy, eggs, or cashews required.
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Yield 2 cups
5 from 732 votes

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

Readers also really love this popular Vegan Chocolate Cake.
 

Have you made this recipe?

Tag @chocolatecoveredkatie on Instagram

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Published on May 2, 2021

Meet Katie

Chocolate Covered Katie is one of the top 25 food websites in America, and Katie has been featured on The Today Show, CNN, Fox, The Huffington Post, and ABC's 5 O'clock News. Her favorite food is chocolate, and she believes in eating dessert every single day.

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107 Comments

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  1. 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!

  2. 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. 🙂

  3. 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!

  4. 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!

  5. 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!

  6. 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.

  7. 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.

  8. 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!

  9. 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.

  10. 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.

  11. 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 :).

  12. J. says

    Made this vegan alfredo sauce with earth balance, parma, and nutpods plain creamer. HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT THIS WAY

  13. 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?

  14. 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.

  15. 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

      5 stars
      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.

  16. Lorie says

    4 stars
    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.

  17. Elizabeth says

    5 stars
    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

      5 stars
      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.

  18. 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!

  19. Barb says

    5 stars
    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!

  20. 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!!!

    • Rachel says

      5 stars
      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.

  21. Tam says

    5 stars
    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 😁

  22. Miracle says

    5 stars
    Thanks for sharing! I was searching everywhere for a Alfredo sauce free of cashews because I’m allergic. I will be trying this soon!

  23. Jennelle says

    5 stars
    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.

    • 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 🙂

  24. 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.

  25. Kylie says

    5 stars
    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.

  26. Gretchen Gruber says

    5 stars
    So very easy to prepare. Delicious without being overly rich! We added sauteed mushrooms and onion to complete the meal.

    • 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 🙂

  27. Marcie Melton says

    5 stars
    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

      Hi! Creamiest would definitely be coconut milk 🙂
      Unsweetened nondairy creamer, such as Nutpods, is also lovely.

  28. 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 🙂

  29. Shantisse says

    5 stars
    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!

  30. Kristy Pickering says

    5 stars
    Easy and tasty recipe. I like it because it’s much lower in fat than traditional alfredo. Thanks!

  31. Jackie says

    5 stars
    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.

  32. Amy says

    5 stars
    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!!

  33. Heather says

    5 stars
    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.

  34. Denise says

    My sauce broke when I added the nutritional yeast any ideas on how to recombine? It tastes great but is lumpy

  35. Will Parkinson says

    5 stars
    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.

  36. Carissa says

    5 stars
    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

  37. Brittney says

    5 stars
    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

  38. Chris says

    5 stars
    This is very good and super simple. The sauce thickens up extremely quick though so keep an eye on it and stir constantly.

  39. Kate says

    5 stars
    My family loved this vegan alfredo recipe. My daughter and I are vegan, husband and other daughter are not. Two thumbs up from everyone!

  40. Bree says

    I used nutritional yeast, and tried making it twice in case it was my error, but it got thick and separated both times. Any tips?

  41. Jenny says

    5 stars
    Oh my gosh, Bree! This separates on us all the time, too! We have to put it in the blender with some pasta water to get it to come together. I don’t know what we’re doing wrong, but we LOVE the flavor and make it often. Any idea any one?

  42. Leah says

    5 stars
    This Alfredo sauce is so good and so quick to make!! I LOVE it! Will definitely be making this again soon! Thanks for sharing!!

  43. Kristy Pickering says

    5 stars
    I love this recipe! I subbed arrowroot powder for cornstarch but followed it for everything else and it was easy to make and delicious to eat! I see many possibilities for this recipe (nachos, liquid pizza cheese, Mac & cheese, etc.) Thanks so much!

  44. Angela Leet says

    5 stars
    Really good vegan Alfredo recipe. I added garlic and Italian seasoning to the recipe. Very creamy texture. My vegan and non-vegan family members really enjoyed this one!

  45. Marlena says

    5 stars
    This is hands down the best vegan Alfredo sauce I have ever made. It isn’t heavy at all, and my family of non-vegans ate it happily and wanted to know when we can have it again! It kind of reminds me of Panera’s Mac and cheese. This is definitely going to be a frequent weeknight dinner recipe in our house. Thank you so much Katie!

  46. Ellie says

    Hey! I have some dairy issues but love this recipe. However, I can’t do nut subs either, and don’t know what to do for all these dairy options. What do you suggest?

  47. Mona says

    5 stars
    Thank you so much. I have a son with food allergies and this was a perfect vegan “alfredo” sauce. It is so hard to come by recipes that taste good while using alternate ingredients. I used extra creamy oat milk, 6 tbsp vegan mozzarella cheese(all I had on hand) and additional 2 tbsp nutritional yeast to boost nutritional values. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!

  48. Crystal says

    5 stars
    Excellent recipe, perfect creamy texture, thanks so much. In my recipe book now as a keeper. I used just nutritional yeast and felt like I needed just slightly more cheese flavor so next time I will use some vegan parmesan too!

  49. Emilie says

    5 stars
    This Alfredo sauce was so good that my non-vegan family loved it too. I used the base of your milk/corn starch slurry to make a cheese sauce for mac and cheese and that’s the best way I’ve seen to make a nice thick sauce.

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