This creamy cashew alfredo sauce is a delicious dairy-free alternative to the classic recipe. It’s made with a mixture of raw cashews, nutritional yeast, fresh garlic and vegan butter. Its perfect paired with your favorite pasta and served with a side salad!
Vegan Cashew Alfredo Sauce
Fettuccine alfredo used to be my go-to pasta dishes growing up. I wanted to create a lightened up version of the dish that also caters to those with dairy allergies.
I tested this dish about 3 times in the past two weeks, and I’m so excited to finally share it with you guys! It’s hubby approved- which is huge considering he loves his dairy dishes- and is SO easy to whip up.
You can serve it on its own, with a side of grilled fish, or a simple side salad for a balanced weeknight meal.
How to make vegan cashew alfredo sauce
The sauce recipe is made from a few simple ingredients. The most important part is using a high-speed blender to get the cashews as smooth and creamy as possible.
Here’s what you’ll need to make the cashew cream sauce:
- Raw cashews
- Nutritional yeast- this plant-based yeast adds a delicious cheesy flavor to this sauce. It’s a pantry staple of mine and can be used in so many different ways.
- Vegan butter
- Fresh garlic
- Lemon Juice
- Salt & pepper
The pasta is cooked until al dente to allow it to finish cooking in the sauce without getting soggy. The sauce gets thick and creamy, and totally hits the spot for that pasta craving!
Whether you’re plant-based or not, this lightened up cashew cream alfredo is a delicious dish to try out during the week.
My favorite pastas to pair with the sauce are fettuccine, pappardelle, or tagliatelle, which contain eggs so keep that in mind for any allergies!
If your blender isn’t the strongest, I suggest soaking your cashews in warm water before blending it into the sauce. If you wanted to prep the sauce in advance, you can refrigerate it for up to 5 days.
I can’t wait for you guys to try this recipe! Let me know what you think in the comments below 🙂
Other pasta recipes you may like:
Tahini Pasta Stir-Fry
Vegan Pesto Pasta
Vegan Creamy Pasta Sauce
Vegan Cashew Alfredo Sauce
Ingredients
- 8 oz pasta of choice, like fettuccine or pappardelle- use gluten-free if needed
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1 cup pasta water, reserved from the pasta
- 1.5 cups unsweetened almond milk, or other plant-based milk
- 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 tbsp vegan butter
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and cook the pasta for about 8 minutes until al dente. It will continue cooking in the cashew sauce. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water and drain the pasta. Set aside.
- In a high speed blender, blend together the raw cashews, almond milk, nutritional yeast, lemon juice and salt until smooth.
- In the same pot you cooked your pasta in, heat the butter with the garlic on a low/medium flame and cook for about 5-7 minutes until fragrant.
- Add in your cashew cream sauce and cook over a low flame for 1-2 minutes until fully mixed through.
- Add in your pasta water and pasta, and let it simmer over a low flame for about 5-7 minutes until thick and creamy. Season with black pepper as desired.
- Top with fresh or dry parsley and enjoy!
- Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 5 days. To rewarm, I suggest adding a little extra almond milk to your portion when warming over the stove or microwave.
My first time trying a dairy free pasta sauce recipe. Tasted so freaking brilliant. It was delicious. Thank you!!
Thank you, Sally! I’m so happy you tried it
This recipe is fire!!! My teenage sons loved it and had NO CLUE its dairy free. This is a keeper!!
Thank you, Kelly! I’m so happy to hear that 🙂
SO GREAT and super filling!!! loved this recipe so much! i added some herbs & seasonings to my blended ingredients (garlic, onion, basil, italian, and red chili flakes). i’ll definitely be making this again 🙂