This rich, creamy vegan Alfredo sauce uses cashews and a touch of coconut milk for a silky texture without any nutritional yeast. It reheats well and has quickly become a staple at my table.
Why I love this recipe for vegan alfredo sauce
Since my children were born, I’ve become much more intentional about the food I buy and serve. My son’s celiac disease made gluten-free cooking a necessity, and more recently we discovered a likely dairy sensitivity in my oldest, which has pushed us toward dairy-free options. We’re not a vegan household, but we don’t eat meat every night and I try to choose responsibly raised products when we do. I prefer to serve one meal that everyone can enjoy, so finding dairy-free recipes that actually taste like the originals is important.
My daughters love animals, and the whole family is open to reducing animal products. That’s another reason I’ve been refining dairy-free and vegan versions of favorite dishes. Too often dairy-free “creamy” sauces taste like something else entirely. This vegan Alfredo, however, genuinely tastes like Alfredo—rich and satisfying, not soupy or off-flavor.
The recipe is adapted from Alisa Fleming’s Eat Dairy Free: Your Essential Cookbook for Everyday Meals, Snacks, and Sweets, and the vegan version—what I followed—works beautifully. Alisa’s site is a reliable go-to for dairy-free guidance and product recommendations; her recipes are tested and family-friendly.
The cookbook includes 100 dairy-free recipes with clear options for common allergies and dietary needs. Many recipes offer vegan, gluten-free, egg-free, peanut-free, and soy-free alternatives. The recipe here follows the vegan option from Alisa’s Easy Chicken Alfredo entry, adjusted to be fully plant-based.
Ingredients and substitutions
Coconut-free: The recipe uses just 1/4 cup of full-fat coconut milk, which adds creaminess without a noticeable coconut flavor. If you strongly dislike coconut, try using a thicker almond milk and reduce it slightly while cooking to achieve a similar consistency.
Nut-free: Raw cashews create the smooth, rich texture. There isn’t an exact non-nut equivalent that produces the same creaminess, but hulled sunflower seeds might work in a pinch—though the flavor and color will differ.
Mushrooms: The mushrooms add savory body but can be omitted. If you skip them, add about 1 tablespoon of a gluten-free flour (or another thickener like rice flour or cornstarch) to help the sauce thicken.
If you eat dairy and want the original version, Alisa’s recipe includes a chicken option: replace the mushrooms with about 1 pound of cubed boneless, skinless chicken breast, sear it in the skillet, then continue with the sauce. The following recipe below is presented as the vegan version I make at home.
Vegan Alfredo Sauce
Equipment
-
Blender
Ingredients
- 8 ounces dry gluten-free spaghetti or fettuccine (wide rice noodles also work)
- ¾ cup raw cashews (about 90 g)
- 1 cup vegetable stock (8 fl oz)
- ¼ cup full-fat coconut milk (2 fl oz)
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
- 10 ounces baby bella mushrooms, cleaned and sliced thickly
- 1 tablespoon gum-free gluten-free flour blend (or sweet white rice flour or cornstarch)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (divided)
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Water, as needed
- Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
-
Cook the pasta according to package directions while you prepare the sauce and mushrooms.
-
In a spice grinder or food processor, pulse the cashews until they’re finely ground but not pasty, about 30–60 seconds.
-
In a blender combine the vegetable stock, coconut milk, ground cashews, and chopped garlic. Blend until completely smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.
-
Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any remaining solids, then set the sauce aside.
-
Toss the sliced mushrooms in a medium bowl with the flour, 1/8 teaspoon of the salt, and about 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper until evenly coated.
-
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high until shimmering. Add the coated mushrooms, stir, cover, and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Uncover and stir, releasing any browned bits from the pan.
-
Add the strained sauce to the skillet along with the remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Stir to combine.
-
Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce reaches your desired thickness. If it becomes too thick, whisk in water 1 tablespoon at a time to loosen it. Add the cooked noodles and gently toss with tongs to coat.
-
Divide among four plates and garnish with optional parsley and extra black pepper. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one day.
Video
Notes
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used only as an approximation.
