Easy Cashew Alfredo Sauce
This creamy cashew Alfredo is a delicious vegan alternative, offering a rich, velvety texture and a nutty flavor that’s perfect for pasta dishes. Made with simple, plant-based ingredients, it’s a healthy and dairy-free option that doesn’t compromise on taste!
This cashew-based vegan alfredo has a rich creamy flavor that is delicious on pasta, these air fryer baked potatoes, and even my roasted oil-free vegetables. Amazingly, it can be made in only 10 minutes!
Pasta is truly comfort food for me, and I love cheesy creamy sauces even more than the ones that are tomato-based and more like marinara. There’s just something about the rich silky texture and flavor of sauces like this vegan cashew queso and my creamy dairy-free ranch sauce that makes my taste buds dance.
Inspired by my homemade cashew parmesan recipe, I’m confident that this vegan alfredo sauce is going to be a new family dinner favorite!
Reasons you will love this recipe
- Rich and Creamy Texture – This cashew Alfredo sauce delivers a luxurious, velvety texture that’s perfect for pasta or as a dipping sauce.
- Dairy-Free and Vegan – Made entirely from plant-based ingredients, this sauce is a wholesome, vegan alternative to traditional Alfredo, ideal for those avoiding dairy.
- Simple and Healthy Ingredients – With cashews, garlic, and nutritional yeast, this sauce is packed with healthy fats and essential nutrients.
- Quick and Easy to Make – In just minutes, you can blend up this creamy Alfredo sauce, making it a convenient option for busy weeknights.
Ingredients you will need
- Raw cashews- Ideal for making cashew Alfredo, raw cashews blend into a smooth, creamy texture when soaked and pureed, closely mimicking the richness of traditional dairy-based Alfredo sauce.
- Nutritional yeast- Adds a cheesy, umami flavor without dairy. It provides a savory depth and complexity that enhances the sauce’s richness, making it taste more like traditional Alfredo.
- Garlic- Creates a robust, aromatic flavor that enhances the overall taste of the sauce. Its savory and slightly sweet notes complement the creamy texture, providing depth and complexity that balances the richness of the dish.
- Plant milk- Helps to achieve a creamy, smooth consistency without dairy. It serves as a versatile base that blends well with other ingredients, providing the necessary liquid to create a rich and velvety texture.
- Thickener- When mixed with plant milk and heated, cornstarch or arrowroot powder helps the sauce thicken and become smooth, creating a velvety consistency similar to traditional Alfredo sauce.
- Seasonings- White wine vinegar, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper are the simple seasonings used in this sauce recipe.
Tips & Substitutions
- Nut-Free Option- For those avoiding cashews, almonds and sunflower seeds can be substituted. These do change the flavor a bit but they are still quite good.
- Thickness- Remove the sauce from the heat source immediately after reaching the consistency and creaminess desired. If left on the heat, it will continue to thicken.
- Thinning- If the sauce becomes too thick, using either cooking method, simply add a little plant milk and it will thin right out.
How to make vegan alfredo
The recipe card at the bottom of the page has the full list of ingredients with measurements and instructions.
STEP #1: This cashew Alfredo sauce offers two versatile cooking methods: blend it entirely in your Vitamix for a quick, seamless process, or use a lower-powered blender and then cook the sauce on the stovetop for a rich, creamy texture. Both methods deliver a delicious, dairy-free Alfredo sauce that’s perfect for any pasta dish!
Vitamix Method: For this Alfredo sauce, my Vitamix actually blends and cooks the sauce at the same time. Simply add all of the ingredients to the Vitamix, slowly turn it up to the highest setting, and allow it to blend and cook to thicken this sauce. It will need to blend for approximately 2 minutes to thicken up.
Make sure to watch it closely after the 1-minute mark because if it’s left too long, the sauce will become too thick. If this happens, simply add a little more plant milk and allow it to blend for just a few more seconds.
I used this method to make it on Facebook LIVE not too long ago. Check out this post about more terrific Vitamix blender recipes.
Blender and Stovetop Method: If your blender isn’t high-powered, you’ll need to soak the cashews in warm water for about 30 minutes or more to soften them up. This will help the sauce become nice and creamy.
After soaking, drain the water add all of the sauce ingredients to a blender, and process until smooth.
Then, transfer the blender contents to a saucepan and cook on the stovetop on medium-high heat for approximately 5 minutes until it thickens to the desired consistency.
STEP #2: Cook your pasta according to the package directions. I use several different types including whole wheat, spiral pasta, and whole wheat fettuccini.
Once it has cooked, drain the water and rinse it with cool water to stop the cooking process and keep it from sticking together. I pour it into a colander over the sink to do this.
STEP #4: Drizzle the cashew alfredo sauce over your pasta and enjoy!
Other great ways to serve this sauce are over a baked potato, as a white sauce on veggie pizza, and drizzled over roasted veggies. The possibilities are endless!
Your Questions Answered:
Believe it or not, this vegan alfredo sauce does taste very similar to traditional alfredo. My husband and I were both surprised and pleased with both the creaminess and flavor. The best thing is that this version is completely vegan and dairy-free without a drop of oil!
Yes, you can use any plant-based milk such as almond, soy, oat, or coconut milk. Each type will slightly alter the flavor and texture, but all will work well to create a creamy, dairy-free Alfredo sauce.
To thicken the sauce, add a bit more cornstarch or let it simmer longer. To thin it out, gradually add more plant milk until you reach the desired consistency. Adjust seasonings as needed after modifying the thickness.
Soaking the cashews is only necessary if not using a powerful blender, but don’t skip this step with a less powerful one because the sauce will be gritty.
Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. It freezes well too.
For those of you new to the whole food plant-based lifestyle, we’ve created a FREE 7-Day Plant-Based Menu Planner to help you get started!
If you try this recipe, please let us know how you like it by rating it and leaving a comment. We love to hear from you!
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Cashew Alfredo Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 3-4 cloves garlic depending on the size
- 1 cup plant milk almond, soy, cashew, etc.
- 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar or lemon juice
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch or other thickener
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- pepper to taste
Instructions
Vitamix Method
- If using this method, there is no need to soak the cashews first. Simply place all of the ingredients into your Vitamix blender (or another powerful blender) and allow it to blend and cook the sauce at the same time. Gradually turn it up to the highest setting, and allow it to blend and cook to thicken this sauce. It will need to blend for approximately 2-minutes to thicken up.
Blender & Stovetop Method
- Most likely if your blender isn’t high powered, you’ll need to soak the cashews in warm water for about 30 minutes or more to soften them up. This will help the sauce be nice and creamy.
- After soaking, drain the water and add all of the sauce ingredients to a blender and process until nice and smooth.
- Then transfer the blender contents to a saucepan and cook on the stovetop on medium-high heat for approximately 5-minutes until it has thickened up to the desired consistency.
Serving Options
- Cook your pasta according to the package directions. I use several different types including whole wheat, spiral pasta, and whole wheat fettuccini.Once it has cooked, drain the water and rinse it with cool water to stop the cooking process and keep it from sticking together. I pour it into a colander over the sink to do this.
- Drizzle the cashew alfredo sauce over your pasta and enjoy! Other great ways to serve this sauce are over a baked potato, as a white sauce on veggie pizza, and drizzled over roasted veggies. The possibilities are endless!
Video
Notes
- Nut-Free Option- For those avoiding cashews, almonds and sunflower seeds can be substituted. These do change the flavor a bit but they are still quite good.
- Thickness- Remove the sauce from the heat source immediately after reaching the consistency and creaminess desired. If left on the heat, it will continue to thicken.
- Thinning- If the sauce becomes too thick, using either cooking method, simply add a little plant milk and it will thin right out.
- Storage- Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. It freezes well too.
Nutrition
Disclaimer
To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
About Terri Edwards
Hi guys! I am the content creator behind EatPlant-Based and a licensed Food for Life instructor with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. I am passionate about sharing healthy recipes and tips to empower others to get healthy. I’m so glad you’re here! Read More…
This is absolutely delicious and so easy to make! I added 1 cup of frozen green peas to the boiling pasta for the last minute and used 8 ounces of bow-tie pasta. I also added a small can of stems and pieces mushrooms (drained) to the sauce after heating it up. Yummy, yummy.
Can this be frozen??
Yes, it can. Once it’s defrosted, it will need to be run through the blender again to get the consistency back, and you’ll likely need a little more plant milk too. It will still be great.
It says raw cashews, but the link to the ones you posted are organic but not raw, so does it matter? Raw or regular?
Hi Judith- Thank you for letting me know. I’ve corrected the link to point to raw cashews now. In the past, I’ve made this with both raw and roasted, and it turns out full of flavor either way. Hope you like it too.
@Terri Edwards,
Thanks so much Terri!!
Hi, can I use cashew butter instead of soaked cashews? Thank you for your wonderful site
Hi Stephany- I haven’t subbed it out before, but my understanding is that when substituting cashew butter for soaked cashews, you should reduce the amount called for by half. So instead of using 1/2 cup cashews, you would use 1/4 cup cashew butter. Good luck!
Fixed this today and it was delicious. Another wonderful recipe!
I can’t eat nutritional yeast. Will it turn out good just with the cashews?
Lait- I haven’t tried it without nutritional yeast, but it’s definitely worth a try. Please let us know how it turns out without it.
Have you by any chance tried substituting white beans for the cashews?
Hi Char- I haven’t made this with white beans but feel it would be worth a try. It will certainly change the texture and flavorsome but should still be quite good, I would think.
This is a great recipe! My husband enjoyed it as well and definitely going in our regular rotation.
Hi Patricia- So glad to hear this!