This is the best easy vegan Alfredo sauce recipe you’ll try, with no dairy, no eggs, no tofu, and no cashews required!
Creamy vegan Alfredo sauce
Imagine a classic vegan Alfredo recipe so luxuriously rich and smooth, you will 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
If you are looking for a thick cream sauce to serve over your favorite pasta or ravioli, look no further.
This recipe is perfect for topping fettuccine, linguine, tortellini, spaghetti, rigatoni, penne, rotini, or macaroni.
It also includes gluten free, nut free, soy free options.
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.
You can even use it as a vegan white sauce for an Alfredo style Cauliflower Pizza Crust!
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 Cashew Alfredo Sauce.
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.
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 are looking for something even easier, 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.
Vegan Alfredo recipe video
Above, watch the step by step 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
Video
Notes
Vegan recipes from scratch
(Or these Cauliflower Tacos)
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. 😀
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!!!
Oh wow. I cannot agree with you more about the trolling. It kind of makes me go “yuck”.
seriosuly, trolling on a recipe blog…. how low
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 🙂
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!
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.
I couldnt agree more.
Hi…this is a vegan site…so to expect Alfredo sauce which is basically animal based and literally fat (cream, butter and cheese)..is not fair!! This is a delicious substitute..less fat and still creamy, though!! Love alfredo….but toooo much animal fat for my life style and diet…
You did *way* too much with this comment. Seriously.
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 😁
Thanks for sharing! I was searching everywhere for a Alfredo sauce free of cashews because I’m allergic. I will be trying this soon!
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.
Have you ever frozen this?
It is absolutely amazing.
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 🙂
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.
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.
So very easy to prepare. Delicious without being overly rich! We added sauteed mushrooms and onion to complete the meal.
Thank you for trying it 🙂
This is a great recipe! I’m going to keep it in my line-up for future dinners. 😋