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Healthy Vegan Alfredo Sauce

April 21, 2020 by Lindsay 17 Comments

6162 shares
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This perfect vegan alfredo sauce will blow you away with its delicious simplicity and its healthy ingredients–think potatoes, onions, garlic, cashews, and coconut milk.

small white plate holding vegan fettuccine alfredo, garnished with parsley. Fork to the right of plate, with cast iron skillet in the background

Several years ago, when I started VeganYumminess.com, I shared a recipe for vegan mac and cheese that was (and is) AMAZINGLY delicious and healthy. The cheese sauce is a blended up mixture of cooked potatoes, carrots, and onions, with some cashews and coconut milk to make it super creamy.

Back in, oh, 2012 or so, I also posted a recipe for vegan alfredo sauce that, while delicious, was almost too rich and nearly too sweet (from a whole can of coconut milk added to the sauce). SO, this week I completely reworked vegan alfredo sauce, incorporating some of the hidden vegetable elements of the creamy vegan mac and cheese, and I think you’re going to LOVE it.

cast iron skillet full of vegan fettuccine alfredo, garnished with parsley, small white plate in right bottom corner of image

How to Make Vegan Alfredo Sauce:

1. Bring 4 cups of water to boil, and dice your potato and onion into 1/2 inch size pieces. Peel a clove of garlic.

2. Place diced potato, onion, and a clove of garlic into boiling water and simmer for about 8-10 minutes, or until potatoes are fork tender.

3. Drain water off of potatoes, onion, and garlic clove, saving at least 1 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid to add to your sauce later.

4. Put cooked potatoes, onion, and garlic into high-speed blender with 1 cup of potato cooking water, cashews, coconut milk, lemon juice, nutritional yeast flakes, and salt.

Steps 1-4 of making vegan alfredo: chopped potatoes and onions on cutting board, potatoes and onion boiling in saucepan, cooked potatoes and onion in strainer over measuring device, and alfredo ingredients in upright blender

5. Cover your blender and blend on high for about 30 seconds or until alfredo sauce is smooth and creamy. Your alfredo sauce will be warm at this point (from the hot potato water and potatoes/onions), but if you want it hotter, feel free to put it in a saucepan on medium heat for a few minutes, just until hot and bubbly. If you’re sauce seems a little thick, add another 2-4 tablespoons of the potato cooking water, and salt to taste. Then, serve it however you like.

overhead shot of vegan alfredo sauce in upright blender

How to Adapt This Recipe:

  1. Don’t be afraid to adjust the lemon juice and nutritional yeast flakes amount in this recipe. There are SO many different flavor preferences out there, and if you like a more cheesy flavor, add another teaspoon of yeast flakes. If you like your alfredo sauce a little more tangy, add 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice or more to your liking.
  2. If something doesn’t taste quite right, you might need a tiny bit more salt. Again, preference varies widely here, and you shouldn’t need to add much. Remember, you can always add a little more salt, but you can’t take it back out once it’s added.
  3. Don’t have a high-speed blender? Have one of those inexpensive countertop blenders? No problem. (You definitely need a blender of some kind for this recipe, though.) While the sauce may not be QUITE as creamy as mine, it will still be delicious. Just soak your cashews for a few hours before making this recipe, and dump them into the boiling water for 10 minutes with the potatoes and onions to soften them up.
  4. Love a strong garlic flavor? Don’t boil your clove of garlic with your other veggies, and just add it to the blender at the end. This will preserve some of the raw garlic spice and tang that you love. I prefer a milder garlic flavor, so I cook it first.
  5. Want to make this sauce a little richer? Add 1-2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to the sauce just before it is blended.
vegan alfredo sauce in spoon held over clear glass jar with cast iron skillet in background

How to Use Your Alfredo Sauce:

There are SO many ways to use this easy vegan alfredo sauce.

  • Pour it on pasta or gluten-free pasta, adding your favorite vegetables or seitan.
  • Drizzle it on steamed vegetables for a super healthy meal or side.
  • Use it as a white pizza sauce, or drizzle on top of your pizza.
  • Use it as a sauce for white vegan lasagna.
  • Spread it on a slice of French baguette with your favorite toppings and broil it for a few minutes to make a crostini.
forkful of vegan fettuccine alfredo held over cast iron skillet, garnished with parsley

Other Pasta Dishes You’ll Love

  • Vegan Creamy Kale and Zucchini Pasta
  • Creamy Vegan Mac and Cheese
  • Vegan Mushroom Ravioli with Sun-dried Tomato Cream Sauce
  • Easy Vegan Pesto
  • Ultra Creamy Vegan Stroganoff

Did You Try This Recipe?

Don’t forget to leave a comment and let us know how it went! Want to show me what you made? Take a picture of the finished product and tag @veganyumminess on Instagram so I can comment on your image. We love seeing your creations. Follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook to stay in touch. Happy vegan cooking!

vegan alfredo sauce in spoon held over clear glass jar
Print Recipe
4.50 from 10 votes

Perfect Vegan Alfredo Sauce

This perfect vegan alfredo sauce will blow you away with its delicious simplicity and its healthy ingredients–think potatoes, onions, garlic, cashews, and coconut milk.
Prep Time5 minutes mins
Cook Time10 minutes mins
Course: Entree, Side Dish
Cuisine: American, Italian
Servings: 6
Calories: 155kcal
Author: Lindsay Reynolds

Equipment

  • high speed blender like Vitamix or Blendtec

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup diced potato (should be diced in 1/2 inch pieces)
  • 1/2 cup diced onion
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 3/4 cup raw cashews
  • 1/2 cup coconut milk (unsweetened, from a can, found in the Asian aisle of your grocery store)
  • 1 1/4 cup hot water (preferably cooking water from potatoes and onions)
  • 2 teaspoons nutritional yeast flakes (Add 1/2-1 teaspoon extra for added cheezy flavor, if desired.)
  • 2 teaspoons fresh or bottled lemon juice (Add 1/2-1 teaspoon extra for added tangy flavor, if desired.)
  • 1 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  • Bring 4 cups of water to boil in a saucepan on medium heat
  • Dice a potato and about 1/2 an onion into 1/2 inch pieces. Place 3/4 cup of diced potato and 1/2 cup of diced onion into boiling water on the stove. Peel a clove of garlic, and add that to the boiling water in the saucepan.
  • Simmer diced potatoes, onion, and garlic on medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until potatoes are just fork-tender.
  • Use a strainer, collander, or slotted spoon, to drain liquid off of cooked potatoes and onions. Make sure to save at least 1 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid.
  • Place cooked potatoes, onion, garlic, cashews, coconut milk, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, and salt into a high-speed blender. Add 1 cup of your reserved cooking liquid (or hot water) to the blender as well. (You may add 1/4 cup of cooking liquid later, if you want your sauce a little thinner.)
  • If sauce isn't hot enough to your liking, heat it in a saucepan with pasta or vegetables, until it is hot and bubbly.

Notes

Notes:
1. Don’t be afraid to adjust the lemon juice and nutritional yeast flakes amount in this recipe. If you like a more cheesy flavor, add another teaspoon of yeast flakes. If you like your alfredo sauce a little more tangy, add 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice or more to your liking.
2. Salt to taste
3. Don’t have a high-speed blender? Have one of those inexpensive countertop blenders? No problem. (You definitely need a blender of some kind for this recipe, though.) Just soak your cashews in warm water for a few hours before making this recipe, and dump them into the boiling water for 10 minutes with the potatoes and onions to soften them up.
4. Love a strong garlic flavor? Don’t boil your clove of garlic with your other veggies, and just add it to the blender at the end. This will preserve some of the raw garlic spice and tang that you love. I prefer a milder garlic flavor, so I cook it first.
5. Serving this alfredo sauce with pasta? This sauce adequately covers about 16 ounces of dry pasta. Cook pasta according to package instructions, drain, and pour sauce on top.
**This recipe contains affiliate links. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Nutrition

Calories: 155kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 491mg | Potassium: 291mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @VeganYumminess or tag #VeganYumminess!

Filed Under: All, Gluten-free, Pasta, Recipes, Spreads and Toppings, Spring Recipes

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Comments

  1. Beverley says

    April 27, 2020 at 5:25 pm

    I do this recipe substituting Lima beans in place of cashews…creamy and lower in fat for those looking for that option…I use this sauce literally everywhere

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      April 28, 2020 at 5:50 pm

      What a great idea, Beverley! Thanks for sharing. :)

      Reply
  2. Joanne says

    May 1, 2020 at 7:37 am

    We made this last night and loved it! So creamy, and love the “secret” veggies in it. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      May 1, 2020 at 4:05 pm

      Yay! So glad you loved it!

      Reply
  3. Safiyyah says

    May 1, 2020 at 5:51 pm

    5 stars
    Just made this today, so good and flavorful. Very easy and so quick to put together. I can see myself making it often. I love it!

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      May 1, 2020 at 7:17 pm

      Yay! So glad you liked it, Safiyyah! Thanks for commenting! :)

      Reply
  4. Megan Russell says

    May 18, 2020 at 1:42 pm

    Hi, so while this recipe is amazing, I personally preferred your first one (before the revisited one) but for some reason I can’t find it now on your website. Was it removed?! I should have saved it. :(

    Thank you very much for all the delicious recipes.

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      May 18, 2020 at 2:17 pm

      I’ll send it to you, and will probably repost.

      Reply
      • Megan Russell says

        May 18, 2020 at 9:19 pm

        That would be awesome, thank you. ❤️

        Reply
  5. lexeel says

    June 15, 2020 at 5:26 pm

    I loved the original recipe that was on here. Have you reposted it somewhere else?

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      June 18, 2020 at 8:59 pm

      Right here is the original! :)
      https://veganyumminess.com/vegan-fettuccine-alfredo/

      Reply
  6. deb rogers says

    July 15, 2020 at 8:49 am

    5 stars
    Best vegan alfredo ever! My family and I loved it.

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      July 27, 2020 at 6:07 pm

      Yay! So glad you loved it! :)

      Reply
  7. Karin says

    October 25, 2020 at 10:45 am

    Can I replace the cashews with sunflower seeds and is the sauce freezable? Looks delicious must say

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      October 25, 2020 at 9:19 pm

      You know, I’ve never tried replacing the cashews with sunflower seeds in this recipe, but it would probably work! I’ve used sunflower seeds in place of cashews in other recipes before with decent results. If you give it a try, let me know how it turns out. :)

      Reply
  8. Arzu says

    November 20, 2020 at 11:24 pm

    5 stars
    This was an amazing recipe. I went ahead and deleted all other Alfredo sauces that I had marked because I don’t need to try anything else. The flavor is quite surprising, frankly better than real Alfredo sauce. Thank you thank you thank you.

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      November 22, 2020 at 8:57 pm

      Wow! Thanks, Arzu! I’m so glad you liked it. :)

      Reply

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Hi and welcome to Vegan Yumminess! I'm Lindsay, and I love vegan food. If you're looking for fabulous vegan recipes where taste reigns supreme, you've come to the right place. Have a look around, and make yourself at home. Want to know more?

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