Vegan Alfredo
If you’re dairy-free or vegan and have been missing fettuccine Alfredo, look no further! This Vegan Alfredo Sauce is thick, creamy, and savory.
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Equipment
- high powered blender to make the cashew cream
- large stock pot to boil pasta
- cutting board and knife
- cheese grater if you are purchasing vegan parmesan in a wedge/block
- large nonstick skillet
- wooden spoon
- tongs
Ingredients
- 16 oz fettuccine or other long pasta
Cashew Cream
- 1 cup raw cashews soaked 4+ hours or overnight
- 1 1/2 cup water
Vegan Alfredo Sauce
- 4 tablespoons vegan butter
- 1/4 teaspoons red pepper flakes (optional)
- half of a small onion or 1 shallot, finely diced (optional)
- 4-6 cloves garlic minced
- 4 oz vegan parmesan shreds see notes for brand recommendations
- 1 cup reserved pasta water or as needed
- salt to taste
Instructions
Prepare the Cashew Cream
- Add soaked cashews and 1 1/2 cups water to a high-powered blender. Blend until completely smooth.
Cook the Pasta
- Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Begin preparing the sauce in the meantime. Before draining pasta, reserve about 1 cup of the starchy pasta water to thicken the sauce.
Make the Alfredo
- Melt vegan butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Optionally, add red pepper flakes and allow to bloom for about 30 seconds.
- Add diced onions/shallot (optional) and minced garlic and sauté for 3-5 minutes, until onion is translucent.
- Add cashew cream, vegan parmesan, and 1/2 cup reserved pasta water and stir to melt cheese. If the sauce begins to spatter too much, you can reduce the heat to medium or medium-low at this stage.
- Add pasta and toss to coat, adding additional pasta water as needed to thin out the sauce to your preferred consistency. (If you anticipate having a lot of leftovers, see the notes about storage and reheating. You may wish to keep the sauce and pasta separate.)
- Season liberally with salt to taste and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Vegan parmesan: Our favorite brands are Follow Your Heart and Violife. The Violife comes in a wedge which you'll need to grate yourself, whereas Follow Your Heart comes in shreds (in a tub) or grated (in a shaker). We've only tested this recipe with the shreds.
Pasta water: This helps make the sauce more cohesive, while also preventing it from becoming too thick. Cream sauces (even vegan ones) thicken rapidly as they cool, so feel free to use your pasta water liberally.
Gluten-free: The sauce recipe is gluten-free as written (provided your vegan butter and vegan parmesan are gluten-free). Our favorite gluten-free pasta are the brown rice pastas by Tinkyada or Jovial.
Storage: If you anticipate having a lot of leftovers, it's recommended to keep the pasta and sauce separate until right before serving. The sauce thickens quite a bit as it cools and even more when refrigerated. If the pasta and sauce are already mixed when refrigerated, it can be hard to reheat them without breaking the noodles.
Reheating: The sauce thickens quite a bit when refrigerated. Add an extra splash of water as needed to thin the sauce back out to your desired consistency when reheating.
Did you make this recipe?We’d love for you to leave a review on the website! You can also share a photo on IG and tag @sarahsvegankitchen_ or #sarahsvegankitchen.