Dreamy Vegan Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce
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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.
What does cauliflower alfredo sauce taste like?
Since we're eat-everything-arians, we're pretty picky when it comes to imitations of āreal' 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 ābase recipeā. 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
The sauce is too thick.
This can happen if too much stock evaporates while cooking the cauliflower. If needed, add a little extra stock or water to the blender.
The sauce isn't smooth.
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.
The sauce needs more flavor.
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:
Dreamy Vegan Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce Recipe
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.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
For more inspiration, check out all of our vegan recipes!
This has become one of my go-to recipes over the last couple years. I make it so often and everyone Iāve made it for loves it! So so good, def recommend!
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