Dreamy Vegan Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce
This rich, creamy, and totally dreamy cauliflower alfredo sauce recipe is 100% dairy-free. You'll be amazed at how healthy and delicious vegan can be!
This recipe was originally published back in 2016. We've spruced it up with some new photos and more information. It's been one of our favorite healthy hacks for years now. If you haven't tried it yet, we hope that you treat yourself to it tonight!
Cauliflower alfredo sauce
This cauliflower alfredo sauce is EVERYTHING! Seriously, it's a game-changer. Even though we're all on the get-healthy-in-January train right now (all aboard!), this cauliflower alfredo sauce is going to see us through the whole year.
When we ditch the kale smoothies and salads in favor of chocolate cake and peanut butter cookies, this vegan cauliflower alfredo sauce will remain stay strong.
Regular alfredo sauce, with all its cream, butter, and cheese, is pretty darn awesome. For our mouths. Not so much for our bellies. Jeans are feeling a little tighter just thinking about it!
This alfredo sauce is something different. It's made from the highly skilled impersonator, cauliflower. It's cooked with some onions and garlic then blended into a smooth, creamy sauce with some veggie stock.
We've flavored it with a little nutritional yeast ā¦ that weirdly awesome flaky stuff that tastes a little like parmesan cheese.
This sauce has been a lifesaver. Whip up a batch in all of 15 minutes then slather it on everything from spaghetti squash to pumpkin alfredo noodles to casserole. It's a total timesaver/ healthy hack.
How to make vegan alfredo sauce
Making this vegan alfredo sauce is super easy. Here's what you're going to do:
- Saute some onions and garlic.
- Add the cauliflower and some stock to the pot and steam the cauliflower until it's nice and soft.
- Transfer all the good things in the pot to your blender. Now add the remaining ingredients and blend until you've made a deliciously creamy sauce.
Full recipe in the recipe card below.
What does cauliflower alfredo sauce taste like?
Since we're eat-everything-arians, we're pretty picky when it comes to imitations of ‘real' food. That's why this sauce is such a dream; it's the best knockoff alfredo sauce ever.
Does it taste EXACTLY like cream and butter loaded alfredo? No, but it's unbelievably close.
It's super creamy even though there's not a drop of cream in sight. And the flavor is mild with a touch of garlic and a little cheesiness thanks to some nutritional yeast.
What to serve with cauliflower alfredo sauce
Pasta is the obvious choice here. Linguini, fettuccini, or even penne or fusilli all go well with this sauce.
And you can add extras like spinach, steamed broccoli, peppers, peas or any other veggie that you like.
This is also a great ‘base recipe”. You can use it to build a special (and healthy!) dinner. Here are a few ideas:
- Add some roasted garlic.
- Pour it over steamed or roasted broccoli.
- Make some vegan mac and cheese pasta.
- Use it as a dip for nachos.
- Pizza sauce!
How long does cauliflower alfredo last?
Cauliflower alfredo sauce will keep well for at least 5 days in your fridge.
Does this recipe freeze well?
Yes! This vegan cauliflower alfredo sauce can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Troubleshooting cauliflower alfredo sauce
This can happen if too much stock evaporates while cooking the cauliflower. If needed, add a little extra stock or water to the blender.
This can happen if your blender isn't very strong. In this case, pour the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any pieces that didn't blend properly.
When making the sauce, start with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of nutritional yeast, then add more as needed
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Easy Vegan Dinner Recipes:
- Creamy Coconut Lentil Curry
- Cashew Cream of Mushroom Soup
- Curried Vegan Shepherd's Pie with Coconut Sweet Potato Topping
- Chipotle Mushroom Sloppy Joes
- Deliciously Rich Lentil Bolognese
Dreamy Vegan Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce
If you love this recipe as much as we do, let us know with a 5-star rating!
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- Ā½ yellow onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 3 cups (12 ounces) chopped cauliflower
- 1 cup vegetable stock or water
- 1-2 tablespoons nutritional yeast, see notes
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1-2 teaspoons sea salt
- Ā½ teaspoon soy sauce, gluten-free or coco aminos, as needed
- Optional: 1 tablespoon butter, vegan or regular butter both work, use what you have on hand
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a medium-sized pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and let it cook for 3-4 minutes, or until it is soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the cauliflower and the vegetable stock or water to the pot, cover with a lid and let the cauliflower steam for 5 minutes, or until it is soft.1 teaspoon olive oil, Ā½ yellow onion, 3 cloves garlic, 3 cups (12 ounces) chopped cauliflower, 1 cup vegetable stock or water
- Transfer everything in the pot to a blender (a high-powered blender will make the smoothest sauce, but any blender will work) and blend on high until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients (starting with 1 tablespoon of nutritional yeast and 1 teaspoon of sea salt) and blend again. Taste and add more nutritional yeast and sea salt, if you'd like. If you are using the optional butter add it now and blend once more.1-2 tablespoons nutritional yeast, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, 1-2 teaspoons sea salt, Ā½ teaspoon soy sauce, Optional: 1 tablespoon butter
- Either use the cauliflower alfredo right away or pour it into a pan to keep warm until you are ready to use it.
Notes
I just made this! It turned out great; slightly salty for me, even with just the 1 tsp of salt, but I should have started with less knowing I dont need much (and then plus the coco aminos, its def enough). I made it with no oil (sauteed in veg broth) and mixed all the ingredients in the pot before adding it to the blender. I got a vitamix recently so I figured it was powerful enough to blend everything at once. The texture of the sauce was perfect! No need to add more liquid. Excited to add it to pasta with mushrooms.
I found this recipe here but have changed a few things. 4 cups riced cauliflower, 1 diced stalk celery, 1 diced onion, 3 -4 cloves garlic. I saute the aromatics, add the riced cauliflower, 1 boullion cube ( chick) & saute a little then add a little salt and a good amount of white pepper, cover & steam for 5 minutes then turn off heat & let sit while I clean the kitchen. Pulse in my Blendtec blender for 20 seconds then add 1/2 tsp coconut aminos, 2 tsp lemon juice, then hit juice button (60) seconds. It is so perfect on everything!
I’m just passing this along too: you can store riced Cauliflower so you have ready for 3-4 days & it’s way better then frozen which is watery. I use my large 9×13 pyrex w/a lid. Put a large cotton napkin or flour sack towel in bottom – add your riced C evenly then cover with the rest of napkin. Stores well for 3-4 days. I make a risotto like dish with the above sauce that can be customized any way you want. Btw, stick to 4 cups & 2 tsp lemon or it comes out really badš¤Ø
Nutritional yeast can be bought online anywhere, not just through tax cheating amazon! Please can you change the description? The less endorsement the better!
I made this for the first time tonight following the recipe exactly, but I only had purple cauliflower. Not only was it delicious, the pop of color was fun, too!Ā
Delicious!! Going to serve it for my non-dairy, gluten-free family. Thank you!!
Made this for dinner tonight and I didn’t expect my husband to like it but he actually asked me to make this again tomorrow with mushrooms and zoodles tomorrow! I did change one thing. I added a spoonful of miso paste and it really kicked up the savoriness a notch! Thanks so much! It’s been interesting trying to find low carb recipes for him that are also dairy and gluten free so I can also enjoy them. š
Iām not vegan but this sauce is awesome! Trying to avoid dairy as much as possible!!Ā
I didnāt tell my family about the ingredients- simply that it was Alfredo Sauce. They LOVED it!! Ā I was shocked.
My husband figured out it wasnāt real Alfredo sauce – he ended up calling it Alberto sauce. I subbed in lactose free milk, threw in some frozen quinoa I had on hand, added some Parmesan cheese (low in lactose). Ā I also used brown rice noodles since my daughter is lactose and gluten intolerant.
I tried this recipe because I had a head of cauliflower that was getting black spots and wasn’t nice to serve plain and I was craving something creamy and cheesy. Being dairy free, finding something that actually tastes like real cheese and has a nice creamy texture is difficult. This recipe does both. My husband even asked me to make chicken broccoli alfredo using this sauce!
Can I make the sauce the night before, refrigerate it and heat the next Ā day?
I find that it tastes the best the same day that it’s made. The cauliflower flavor intensifies by the next day. It’s still good, but just something to note.
Hi. We made this last night to serve over Zoodles and it was yummy. One question: There is lemon juice in the ingredient list but we couldn’t find where in the instructions to add lemon juice so we left it out.
During Step 2 you add the remaining ingredients. In smaller print it lists the lemon juice along with the the soy sauce, etc.
I make this on a regular basis and eat it with sauteed mushrooms, spinach and zoodles. It stays good in the fridge for several days, so I usually make a double batch to use a full large head of cauliflower.. I keep cut up mushrooms and pre-spiralized zoodles in the fridge, too… then toss everything in a pan for a quick heat and top with cracked pepper. Super fast lunch for me every day for a week, plus I use a good 1/3 of it with macaroni noodles in a thermos and that’s school lunch for my kids for a couple of days!!
This was simple and really delicious. A keeper for sure. Ā
This recipe is soooo delicious. It is super creamy, which I did not expect with just cauliflower. So glad to have found a dairy free creamy based sauce that is not super high in calories.
Excellent sauce! Ā Steamed the cauliflower with garlic and blended with about 1 1/2 cups Ā non fat milk. Ā Used all other ingredients in your recipe. Ā Makes a great base for Mac and cheese., just add cooked pasta and grated cheddar and bake about 30 min @ 350.
WOW! Not even vegan and this was divine. Added half a cup of oat milk when I purĆ©ed up in my vitamix. Delicious.Ā
It was yummy. I might add extra yeast but then Iām a yeast freak having grown up with Marmite but itās perfect as it is.Ā
Best cauliflower pasta sauce Iāve made! Itās actually creamy. I did add a bit of almond milk too. Ā
Thank you for this. I’m currently restricting my diet and although I omitted the fats, it tastes delish! I added spinach and mushrooms and used on spaghetti squash, and i only wish I’d found this recipe sooner!
I’m with you, I don’t used oil or other processed fats, so I water sauteed the onion and garlic, and instead of adding “butter” at the end I just boiled up a 1/4 cup of cashews with the cauliflower… to placate the rest of the crew who requested more “creaminess”.
Insanely good!!!!!
Absolutely delicious. I used the two tablespoons of nutritional yeast, coconut aminos and all the salt and then a little more than a cup of vegetable broth to get the right consistency. Itās just so good. The lemon gives it that little bite like thereās real Parmesan cheese in there. Omg just so so good.Ā
Would never Be able to tell it has cauliflower! This was so delicious, satisfying, and creamy. Totally fills the craving of the rich Alfredo we all know and love. First time having anything like this after going vegan for a year and I am so happy and impressed with this recipe! I added black pepper and next time might add more lemon juice and some zest for a brighter flavor.Ā
I made this with high skepticism. Although Iāve made many recipes from this blog and have never been disappointed, so I trudged on. And oh my goodness Iām so glad I did! This was surprisingly creamy and didnāt have a cauliflower taste to it at all! Although still not EXACTLY like Alfredo, but itās pretty close and not nearly the amount of calories. Delicious and also super easy and quick to make!Ā
I don’t need another cashew-based alfredo sauce recipe ever again! I use this as my base for regular alfredo, rasta pasta alfredo, mac and cheese…everything!
I meant cauliflower-based!
Hi thereĀ
I have no nutritional yeast left any suggestions or will I be okay to leave out? Plan to make this this evening looks great!
It will likely be missing a little something if you leave it out, but it should still be pretty tasty.
Iāve tried so many of the faux cheese sauces over the past few years. This is seriously the best Iāve had.Ā And I donāt really even like cauliflower that much! You donāt even know thatās the main ingredient. I omit oil/butter and add about a quarter cup cashews or sunflower seeds for a creamy boost. Ā The recipe consistently turns out delicious – a scrumptious sauce to be used on pasta, nachos or veggies. Wicked good. The soy sauce/aminos are brilliant in this recipe. Thank you so much for creating and sharing!!!
You’re so welcome!!
I am swimming in bags of frozen riced caulifl Ā can I use one of those instead of fresh, whole cauliflower?
I think they should work. Sometimes I find that frozen cauliflower has a stronger taste, so just expect that it might be a bit more cauliflower-y if you use frozen.
This was so delicious. Non vegan family and friends loved it. I also cannot believe how easy and simple this recipe is. It is way healthier and lower in calories than your regular Alfredo yet it tastes just as delicious. I can eat a whole bowl or two and not feel like crap.Ā I will never miss non-vegan Alfredo with this recipe. Itāll definitely be a staple from now on. Thank you so much for sharing! š
I seem to be the only
Person who thought this was awful. I had to redo dinner because I refused to feed this to my family.Ā
I’m sorry to hear that the recipe wasn’t a hit!
This was so good! I couldn’t believe it. So creamy and rich. I don’t even like regular Alfredo sauce that much, but this was awesome.
Iām so surprised by how good this tastes. Iām on a very limited diet before an operation so this was a great recipe to come across. I put it on zucchini noodles and it was delicious. Will definitely be making again!
I had two heads of cauliflower. One, for this recipe. The other I had intended to roast in the oven for later. But this sauce turned out SO amazing that I immediately used the other cauliflower to make a second batch. Lunch tomorrow is going to be such a treat!
Good, though I’d not mistake it for either alfredo or bechamel sauce. Maybe some miso instead lemon juice, to sub for parmesan?
This sauce was so easy to make and really delicious. I skipped the oil and optional butter and it was still so good. I used the 2 tsp of salt as suggested and was a little worried when I tasted the sauce on its own that it might be too salty but when I put over pasta and veggies it was seasoned perfectly. I didnāt have to add any additional seasoning to my plate. Thank you for such a great recipe.Ā
You’re very welcome!!
Do you blend the cauliflower with the stock or do you drain the stock off
Add both the cauliflower and the stock to the blender. š
Okay, I don’t think I have ever reviewed a recipe before, but I HAD to review this one. This was amazing. I in no way expected this to taste anything like alfredo sauce. My expectations were for a rich cauliflower sauce that tasted good, but only slightly resembled alfredo sauce. But this sauce was so good and tasted so much like alfredo sauce!!! I think the soy sauce/coconut aminos were just as important as the nutritional yeast. I would not skip it. Thanks for sharing. ā„ļøā„ļøā„ļø
Why add soy sauce?
For flavor. š
I LOVE this recipe. It’s a great ‘base’ recipe that can be used in so many ways. I use it to replace any white sauce or cream in soups.
I was pleasantly surprised by how good this tasted!Ā
I served it cold with pasta and my family and I loved it. Itās such a versatile recipe so Iāll be making it again and adapting it for other recipes!
I’ve been looking for a non-dairy sub for white sauce and omg I was so surprised at how good this turned out! The only sub I made was that I used chicken stock instead of vegetable. It was so good! I could just eat a whole bowl of this.
Love it!!!
Wow! So easy and good my mom who isnāt vegan even loved it!
That’s so great to hear, Deb! Thank you for the comment!
Can you freeze this?
Yes you can. š
We followed the directions as written. I doubled the recipe for a bunch of hungry young adults. Everyone enjoyed it and most went back for seconds. They agreed that it was yummy but not really an alfredo. I wonder if I did something wrong. They loved the texture but thought it could use some more flavor. I’m planning on roasting some garlic to add to the leftover sauce to see if they think that puts it over the top. Thanks for the inspiration. These kids are tough to please and they devoured it.
I think that roasted garlic would be an amazing addition!
This sauce was very tasty. Ā Although it slightly resembled cheese sauce it was still a great tasting sauce. Ā I had it on steamed broccoli and it was delicious. Ā I ended up adding Ā 3 tbsp of nutritional Ā yeast
Happy that you like it!
I really don’t like cauliflower, I have tried it in a myriad of ways bc as a vegan I like to keep my options as open as possible. Cut to making this recipe and it was AMAZING. I finally found a way to not only eat it but LOVE IT.
I do have a question! How well does this recipe freeze? I’d like to premix a huge batch and freeze it for later, but I also didn’t want to go in blind in case it doesn’t go well š thanks!
Horray! That is the best news!!
Several readers have commented that they’ve had success freezing this sauce so it should work well for you, too!
Lovely – a total hit with my family! Worked so well. Wanted a bit of colour, so added in finely chopped spinach and parsley to the sauce. Served with bean salad, green salad, sliced jalapenos and smokey coconut chips.
I bet that it was so pretty with the parsley!
I made the sauce few minutes ago but it was so good that I just kept eating it out of the blender. Hardly any left to use at dinner. One substitution I made was add 1 1/2 Tbls. of Mocha Mix (non-dairy creamer) instead of water to thin the sauce down a little. That made the sauce even creamier and luscious.
I might have to make a little more sauce for dessert. š
Love it! And good call on the creamer!
Loved this recipe! I’ve made my fair share of cauliflower Alfredo sauces and this one is my favourite by far! I followed the recipe exactly, only adding in 1 tbsp of the nutritional yeast. I’ll definitely be making this again!
Love hearing that, Melanie!
This is my go-to creamy white sauce now that Iām doing my best to eat WFPB (whole food plant based). Now that I have the basic recipe down pat, Iāve been adding different flavors and experimenting. Itās amazing. Tonight I added roasted red peppers and had it with pasta and diced veggies. I made a white vegetable lasagna with it for my daughter-in-lawās birthday last week and it was a big hit as well. Good stuff. Make it ASAP (you wonāt regret it). Oh and my omnivore hubs laps it up every time I serve it. That should tell you how good it is! Ā Ā
I definitely need to try your red pepper version. That sounds amazing!
Made this last night and WOW, amazing. It will be a staple from here on out. Thank you!
I’m really happy that you loved this recipe!