This is the best ever, creamiest Easy Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo Sauce with NO cashews. A bold statement, I know. But you won’t even believe that this Fettuccine Alfredo is vegan, dairy-free, and plant-based. This sauce is made without coconut milk, cauliflower, cashew cream, or dairy-based heavy cream.
Why you’ll love this vegan alfredo sauce without cashews
My husband challenged me to make an Alfredo sauce as good as Olive Garden’s (his favorite pasta and fav traditional Alfredo sauce). And thus, this easy vegan pasta dish was born. The best part about this Alfredo? It’s ready in under 30 minutes, making it an amazing weeknight meal. Or it could even be an easy date night dinner!
- Quick and easy recipe: ready to eat in under 30 minutes
- No weird ingredients: just plant-based butter, plant milk, and vegan parmesan cheese
- Completely omnivore approved comfort food: you won’t be able to tell this sauce is dairy free
- No high-speed blender or food processor is required: this recipe uses minimal equipment- you only need 2 pots!
- Unbelievably creamy sauce: a super tasty, slightly cheesy, velvety sauce that tastes like the real thing
the ingredients
This non-dairy Alfredo cream sauce only has 6 ingredients (not including salt & black pepper!). They are:
- Vegan Butter, I’m using Country Crock Plant Butter
- Olive Oil
- All Purpose Flour
- Dairy Free Milk, unsweetened & unflavored (I like oat milk or almond milk)
- Violife Parmesan Cheese, or another vegan Parmesan
- Fresh Garlic
The Best Plant Milk for Vegan Alfredo Sauce
Every non-dairy milk has its pros and cons. For this vegan fettuccine alfredo, I prefer to use either unsweetened almond milk or unsweetened oat milk.
I don’t recommend plant milk with strong flavors, like coconut milk.
Keep in mind that each milk has a different consistency and water content, so the sauce may need to simmer slightly longer to thicken or may need a little extra flour depending on the specific brand or type you use.
Add-Ins
- Lemon Juice: add a squeeze of zesty lemon at the end to help lighten up the dish
- Nutritional Yeast: while I don’t think this sauce needs any other flavorings, you could definitely add in some nutritional yeast for a cheesy flavor
- More Garlic: to make garlic alfredo
Helpful Equipment
- Small Saucepan or Pot: to make the alfredo sauce
- Large Pot: to boil the pasta
- Strainer: to strain the pasta
Step-by-step instructions
*Video Tutorial is Above the Recipe Card Below*
STEP 1: Fill a large pot with water, bring to a boil, and cook the pasta per the package’s instructions
STEP 2: Melt the vegan plant butter and olive oil in a medium saucepan on medium heat. Add in the grated garlic and cook for a minute.
STEP 3: Once warm, whisk in the flour, 1 tablespoon at a time until completely dissolved and the mixture begins to thicken.
STEP 4: Add in the almond milk, 1 cup at a time whisking constantly to prevent any clumps from forming.
STEP 5: Reduce the heat and let the sauce thicken. Then, stir in the vegan parmesan cheese, salt, and black pepper.
STEP 6: Pour the vegan alfredo sauce on the cooked pasta and toss to combine.
Serving the Vegan Alfredo
This vegan Alfredo sauce is best served warm and poured over Fettuccine pasta. I like to garnish the dish with fresh chopped basil, salt & pepper, and a little more fresh grated vegan Parmesan. This is truly the creamiest vegan alfredo that I’ve ever had and it’s completely omnivore approved.
You can serve this vegan alfredo pasta with plant-based chicken, roasted mushrooms, or a side salad. Below are a few vegan recipes this dish would pair well with:
- Vegan Caesar Salad
- Blackened Vegan Chicken
- Flavorful Baked Tofu
- Crispy Roasted Balsamic Brussel Sprouts
Storage Tips
This pasta is best served fresh, however, it can be stored in the fridge for 2-3 days once the sauce has been tossed with the cooked pasta. Keep the pasta in an airtight container in the fridge. The sauce will absorb into the pasta while it’s stored, so it won’t be as creamy the next day.
For best results, store the vegan alfredo sauce separately from the cooked pasta.
When stored separately, the sauce will last up to one week.
tips for making creamy vegan Alfredo
- Simmer the sauce until it thickens and easily coats the back of a spoon: increase the heat if it looks like the sauce isn’t thickening enough
- Use unflavored and unsweetened plant milk: I don’t recommend using coconut milk in this recipe
- Pick a vegan parmesan cheese that you enjoy the taste of: my favorites are Violife Vegan Parmesan and Trader Joe’s Vegan Parmesan Shreds
- Remember the sauce will continue to thicken as it cools: and as it’s mixed with the pasta
FAQ
This creamy vegan Alfredo sauce is similar to a Béchamel sauce (or also known as a vegan white sauce). The first step in making the sauce is to make a roux.
A roux is a mixture of a fat and flour made on the stove top that is used to thicken up sauces.
The fat used in this recipe is vegan butter (Country Crock Plant Butter) and olive oil. The vegan butter adds a rich saltiness that balances the flavor the olive oil provides. Plant milk replaces heavy cream in the recipe.
Once you add olive oil and vegan butter to the pan, you’ll want to add in the flour, 1 tablespoon at a time until completely dissolved and the mixture begins to thicken. Try not to add all the flour at once, as this will create more lumps.
Similarly, add in the almond milk 1 cup at a time. You’ll also want to whisk constantly to prevent any clumps from forming.
looking for more vegan Pasta Recipes?
- Easy Creamy Vegan Mac & Cheese
- Vegan Baked Feta Pasta
- Creamy Garlic Tahini Pasta
- Vegan Tomato Pasta Bake (No Boil)
- Creamy Lemon Zucchini Mushroom Pasta
Did you make this vegan alfredo sauce recipe?
I’d love to know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating and comment below!
Video tutorial:
The Creamiest Vegan Alfredo (No Cashews)
This is by far the creamiest non-dairy fettuccine Alfredo that you won't believe is vegan! Twirlable and slurpable, this Alfredo sauce is free from cashews, coconut milk, and cauliflower.
Ingredients
Alfredo Sauce
- 6 tablespoons vegan butter, Country Crock Plant Butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 cups dairy free milk , unsweetened & unflavored like oat milk or almond milk (see notes for nut-free options)
- ¾ tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp pepper
- 1 cup grated Violife Parmesan Cheese, or other vegan parmesan like Trader Joe’s
- ½ tsp fresh grated garlic, about 1 clove
Pasta
- 1 lb fettuccine pasta
- Chopped fresh basil for garnish
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil per your pasta’s instructions.
- While the water boils start the sauce.
- Melt the vegan plant butter and olive oil in a medium saucepan on medium-low heat. Add in the grated garlic and cook for a minute.
- Once warm, whisk in the flour, 1 tablespoon at a time until completely dissolved and the mixture begins to thicken.
- Add in the dairy free milk, 1 cup at a time whisking constantly to prevent any clumps from forming.
- Reduce the heat to low and continue stirring until the mixture begins to bubble and to thicken. The sauce should easily coat the back of a spoon when done. It will continue to thicken as it cools and as it is mixed with the pasta.
- Stir in the grated vegan Parmesan, salt, and pepper.
- When finished cooking, drain your pasta and add it back into the large pot.
- Pour the alfredo sauce onto the pasta and toss to combine. It should thicken some more.
- Serve warm and garnish with more grated vegan parmesan, basil, and any additional salt or pepper to taste!
Notes
- It will appear that there is a lot of sauce prior to mixing it in with the pasta. This is okay! Once combined with the pasta, the sauce will thicken more and the pasta will absorb some of it.
- If you'd like to make the sauce nut-free you can use unsweetened Soy Milk, Rice Milk, or Oat Milk.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 405Total Fat: 23gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 490mgCarbohydrates: 37gFiber: 4gSugar: 2gProtein: 15g
Nutritional info is an estimate.
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