This vegan pasta Alfredo is so delicious and creamy. It’s a healthier alternative and tastes incredibly good. Only 9 ingredients needed!
I love pasta Alfredo so much, it’s one of my favorite pasta recipes and this version is even better than the traditional one. You’re going to love it because is simple, super creamy, is made with less than 10 ingredients and ready in just 25 minutes!
Before I went vegan, I realized I didn’t feel well after eating dairy products, so I was looking for an easy and delicious alternative to pasta Alfredo and after trying so many recipes I made it, I found the best vegan pasta Alfredo recipe.
It’s healthier and also dairy and gluten-free, but feel free to use regular pasta if you want. We used gluten-free spaghetti, made with corn and rice flour, but I prefer brown rice or buckwheat pasta now because they’re less refined and tastes much better.
Look at the photos, the sauce is so creamy! We used homemade almond milk instead of cream and nutritional yeast instead of cheese. Believe me, you’ll barely notice any difference.
I tried nutritional yeast two years ago and I didn’t like it because of its strong taste, but now it’s one of my favorite foods in the whole word. I used to be addicted to cheese and I’m nooch-aholic now.
Even if you don’t like cauliflower, you need to try this pasta because you’re going to love it, I promise! Besides, it’s the perfect plant-based recipe for kids. Hope you enjoy it!
If you like this vegan pasta Alfredo, check out these pasta recipes: vegan stir fried Udon noodles, vegan Pad Thai, 15-minute coconut green pasta, lentil bolognese and simple vegan Piquillo pepper pasta (GF).
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a comment below, share it, rate it or tag a picture @simpleveganblog on Instagram and hashtag it #simpleveganblog. We’d love to see what you cook!
Vegan Pasta Alfredo
- Prep: 5 mins
- Cook: 20 mins
- Total: 25 mins
- 2 1x
- Main Dish
- Vegan, Italian
Servings 2 1x
This vegan pasta Alfredo is so delicious and creamy. It’s a healthier alternative and tastes incredibly good. Only 9 ingredients needed!
Ingredients
- 4 ounces gluten-free uncooked spaghetti (120 g)
- 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (175 ml)
- 1 cup raw cauliflower (100 g), chopped
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Cook the pasta al dente according to package directions.
- Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the garlic over medium-high heat for about 3 to 4 minutes or until golden brown.
- Add the almond milk and bring it to a boil.
- Low the heat to medium-high, add the cauliflower, salt and pepper and cook for about 7 minutes or until the cauliflower is soft. Add more milk if needed.
- Transfer to a blender and add the nutritional yeast and lemon juice. Blend until smooth.
- Drain the pasta and pour it into the pan with the sauce. Stir and serve (we added some dried oregano on top).
- Keep in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Notes
- Use regular pasta if you want.
- You can make this recipe oil-free sautéing the garlic in some water or oil-free broth or even using garlic powder instead. To make the sauce creamier, add 1 tbsp of tahini or any other nut butter, although it’s not necessary.
- Any unsweetened plant milk is okay.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 of the recipe
- Calories: 283
- Sugar: 3.1 g
- Sodium: 501.4 mg
- Fat: 4.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 48.8 g
- Fiber: 6 g
- Protein: 13.1 g
I’ve been making this recipe for about 4 years now. I have tried MANY different vegan/non-dairy “Alfredo” recipes and this one is by far the best!!
With time I’ve added two tweaks: doubling the recommended nutritional yeast and adding a 1/2 cup of soaked, drained raw cashew pieces for added creaminess.
Anytime we have an extra head of cauliflower I make a huge batch (usually about 8 cups of raw cauliflower). At this moment I have 14 cups cooling. I portion it into quart size freezer bags and lay it flat to freeze.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe; it’s been a complete game changer and my family absolutely loves it!!
★★★★★
Thanks for your kind comment Mary 🙂 Have a nice day!
Can white wine be added to this recipe?
Hello Stefany! I haven’t tried it myself, sorry. But, feel free to try 🙂 Have a nice day!
WOW! Super impressed by this recipe. I’ve never had much luck with vegan cream sauces that start with a roux. This is much much better than other recipes I’ve tried! I added a bunch of spices (garlic & onion powder, oregano, and black pepper) which were nice touches. Next time I’m going to add more almond milk to make it thinner since mine turned out quite thick. It also did not taste like cauliflower at all! I added extra nutritional yeast and Follow Your Heart grated parm to make it more cheesy. Really really good!!!
★★★★★
Hello Sarah. That sounds great! I am glad you liked our recipe 🙂
Can I also use unsweetened soy milk instead?
Hi Franziska! Yes, you can use another veggie milk instead. The flavor probably changes a bit but you can use it. Have a nice day!
This is fantastic! I wanted to let you know we love this recipe and used it for one of our meals for Christmas. Thank you for sharing!
Hi Vilma! So glad you guys enjoyed it 🙂
I love this recipe so much! It’s great on pasta, mixed with some brown rice, and on pizza! Have you ever made a huge batch and frozen it? I don’t want to have to make it every week, so wanted to see if you have ever tried freezing…
★★★★★
Hi Kim! Thanks a lot 🙂 No, I haven’t, but I think it should work. Have a nice day!
Thank you! I have been looking for a sauce that didnt cost a second mortgage on my soul.
I love cashews but If I have enough money to buy them, you better be gosh darn sure I am going to eat them, not cook with them. Ha ha. And this is definitely a lower calorie/fat option.
Hi Hannah! You’re so welcome 🙂 Hope you enjoy it!
Fire
★★★★★
Hi Naomi! Thanks a lot 🙂
This is my favorite alfredo recipe! I add 2 tablespoons of cashews to make it creamier.
★★★★★
Hi Kathy! Thank you so much 🙂
Could I use frozen riced cauliflower instead? My blender is not very good.
Hola Ana! I think it should work 🙂
LOVED THIS!!! Thank you! I did add about a half a teaspoon of garlic powder, a little more Himalayan salt, pepper, and I sprinkled some paprika. I steamed some shredded zucchini and put some of the sauce over that for me personally, but my family loved the recipe over linguine pasta. Again thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
★★★★★
Hi Anita! Thank YOU 🙂 Sounds so good!
love it
★★★★★
Hi Connor! So glad you loved it 🙂
Hi, Iosune! I just made this and am enjoying it very much! I used twice the garlic and a little garlic powder. Yeah, I love garlic. LOL I also sprinkled a little extra lemon and nooch on top. Final touches were the oregano you suggested as well as some crushed red pepper.
I will definitely make this again! Thank you, Iosune!
★★★★★
Hi Carol! So glad you enjoyed it 🙂 Sounds amazing!
If mine wasn’t thick, should I cook the cauliflower longer next time? I saw you also mentioned more cauliflower for a thicker sauce. I was making my family regular Alfredo pasta while making mine and mine finished first so I let sit on low to keep warm. It almost seemed a little thicker before it sat. Any tips?
Hi Jaime! If your sauce is not thick enough, add less liquid less time or more cauliflower. Hope it helps!
I was looking for a quick and easy recipe for non-dairy (vegan) alfredo sauce that would turn out thick and creamy – and this definitely fit the bill! In the past I’ve tried replicating a basic cream sauce starting with a roux ( using margarine or olive oil instead of butter), substituting soy milk for cream and milk and nutritional yeast for parmesan; but I’ve never been satisfied with the results. I’ve never been able to produce a creamy yet also rich-tasting sauce. This recipe is fantastic: so quick and easy and delicious! And I loved the fact that I didn’t have to prepare anything in advance. (I found quite a few other recipes for vegan alfredo sauce but they all seemed to call for raw cashews, soaked overnight.) This recipe is a winner!
★★★★★
Hi Sara! Thank you so much for your comment 🙂 I’m so happy for you. Have a nice day!
This is my favorite pasta alfredo recipe! I add 2 tablespoons cashews to make it creamier.
★★★★★
Hi Kathy! Sounds great 🙂 So glad you liked it!
Put me in line with all the others 5 star-ers. The sauce is good! My homemade, gluten free fettuccine pasta was not so good. I will try with angel hair pasta next time. I read about 80% of the comments and got some good ideas for adding additional spices and using it without pasta. It’s a very flexible recipe.
★★★★★
Hi Annie! Thanks a lot, so glad you liked it so much 🙂
Perfect Alfredo sauce! I’ll be making this one again and again!
★★★★★
Hi Agnes! Thanks a lot 🙂 So glad you liked it!
Just tried this with rice milk and it was delicious! Thanks for sharing
★★★★★
Hi Jacqueline! You’re so welcome 🙂 Thank YOU for making the recipe. Have a nice day!
This sauce is amazingly delicious!
Hi Anna! Thanks a lot 🙂 Have a nice day!
This was truly yummy. I doubled the recipe because three of us were having it, and we wanted more. It was quick and easy. Thanks for sharing it.
Hi Mary! Thanks a lot 🙂 I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Can you make this with vanilla almond milk? I don’t want to have to go back out and by unsweetened?
Hi Becca! You should use unsweeted milk to make this recipe, but you can try if you want…
….. I forgot to add that I didn’t use oil, I never use oil for sauting, or my dressings, or anything, even my baking….. and I like Winnie’s comment about more cauliflower. I will do that next time too! This recipe is in my “favourites” book! Thanks again! 🙂
★★★★★
Yes, you can make any dish without oil 😉
I love this recipe!!!! Sooo tasty, it didn’t last long at all, I finished it off the next morning for breakfast….. no kidding! Love the taste, thanks for the recipe!!!
★★★★★
Hi Karen! Thanks a lot 🙂 So glad you liked it so much!
I love, love, love this recipe, I eat it almost every week. I made a few changes though, I use almost double the amount of cauliflower because one cup per person is not enough veggies for me and it makes it creamier. Also I added a half cube low sodium veggie bouillon/broth.
The only negative is, it’s not enough. I am not a big eater at all, but I can easily eat this portion (as the original recipe goes) on my own, it’s that good. I also added some mushrooms, to have a bit of a bite.
I’m happy to hear you are going more whole food plantbased and skipping oil altogether. Watch forks over knifes.
Thanks for your webside
Hi Winnie! Thanks a lot 😀 I saw fork over knifes, so I’m trying to limit the amount of oil in my diet. Have a nice day!
This sauce turned out nothing like the way it was described. The milk pretty much evaporated by the time the cauliflower cooked, and the sauce was very thick with very little flavor. Definitely needs herbs and more liquid. But overall I was disappointed.
Hi Emily! I’m sorry the recipe didn’t work for you, but it’s one of our most popular recipes and our readers love it. Add more milk and herbs next time 🙂
This looks fantastic. Two questions. Have you tried it with frozen cauliflower? Also, do,you foresee any difficulty making larger batches, say for 20? Thanks
Hi! Thanks a lot 😀 No, I haven’t, but I think it should work, maybe you’ll need to add more or less milk. I think you should make big batches, even for 20 people if you adjust the recipe 🙂
I added shrimp to the sauce before it was served……yum!
Hi Grothe! So glad you liked it 🙂 Try the recipe without the shrimp next time, it’s also delicious, much healthier and cruelty-free!
Thank you again! This was yummy and simple. I didn’t have any cauliflower so I used broccoli instead, but the milk evaporated almost entirely so I had to add a little more. It worked out just right, creamy and tasty.
★★★★★
Hi Kate! So glad you liked it 😀 I need to try this recipe using broccoli!