Creamy fettuccine Alfredo is one of the most elemental delights of Italian cuisine. The smooth, rich, and cheesy Alfredo sauce cloaking each strand of pasta makes this dish an all-time family favorite. How does this vegan fettuccine Alfredo compare to the dairy-based classic? You be the judge.
When you think of comfort food, what comes to mind? Home-cooked mac & cheese, mashed potatoes, a big slice of warm apple pie? Everyone has their favorite comfort food and we don’t only turn to it when we’re upset. It’s something we reward ourselves with. The downside is that unhealthy high-calorie comfort food is usually at the top of everyone’s list. Not many people crave a bowl of steamed broccoli or kale.
The good news is that there is a way to make your favorite comfort food healthier. Remember my mac & cheese sauce made entirely from veggies? If you enjoyed it, here is another veggie-packed comfort food for you: vegan fettuccine Alfredo. since most of us are on a constant quest to eat more vegetables anyway, why not add some vegetables into our favorite comfort dishes?
Tips for Making Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo
Ingredients
Traditional Alfredo sauce has butter, milk, cream, and Parmesan cheese (or other cheeses) in it. A blend of two ingredients – cauliflower and cashews – is a great alternative to all that dairy. Cooked and pureed cauliflower creates a perfect light and silky base while cashews add richness and creaminess. Both cauliflower and cashews have also a very mild flavor, which can be pushed in many different directions.
To get the cheesy Alfredo sauce flavor, I add plenty of nutritional yeast and salt. Parmesan cheese, as opposed to nutritional yeast, is pretty salty. So don’t be afraid of salt. If, after you toss everything together, it tastes a little bland, add a little more salt.
Onions and garlic are the flavor base for pretty much any savory dish, including this vegan fettuccine Alfredo. Cooked onions give dishes a rich umami flavor and a subtle sweetness while garlic adds a nice bite. You don’t always know onions and garlic are present once a dish has been spiced, but you’d definitely miss them.
Finally, I add a little bit of lemon juice to brighten the Alfredo sauce up.
Technique
Unfortunately, there’s no shortcut to good flavor. Onions and garlic almost always need at least a brief sweat in a little bit of oil before you add the remaining ingredients.
When the onion and garlic become translucent (be sure they don’t turn brown), you can add the cauliflower, cashews, and almond milk. It’s not necessary to cook the cauliflower longer than for a few minutes because we’ll blend all the ingredients anyway. I usually let the cauliflower simmer for about 5 minutes.
To create a silky smooth sauce, I use a high-speed blender. However, you can achieve a smooth puree even with a food processor. A food processor won’t give you the best result, but it is the best alternative to a blender.
Tools You’ll Need
1. Blender (Vitamix 5200) | 2. Cookware Set (Calphalon, Stainless Steel) | 3. Knife Set (6 Pieces, Utopia, Stainless Steel) | 4. Cutting Board (24″x 18″, Michigan Maple Block, Maple) | 5. Measuring Cup (1 Cup, Pyrex, Glass) | 6. Measuring Cups (Set of 6, Stainless Steel) | 7. Measuring Spoons (Set of 6, 1Easylife, Stainless Steel)
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- 10 oz. fettuccine pasta*
- 1 tsp. olive oil
- 1 white onion, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 5 cups cauliflower florets
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk
- 3 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
- 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
- salt, to taste**
- black pepper
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In a medium-size pot, heat up the olive oil. Add the chopped onion and garlic and saute until softened and fragrant, but not browned.
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Add the cauliflower florets, cashews, almond milk and bring it to a boil. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until the cauliflower becomes tender.
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In a high-speed blender, add all the ingredients - the cooked onion, garlic, cauliflower, cashews, and almond milk together with nutritional yeast, lemon juice, and salt. Blend until smooth.
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Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the fettuccine pasta and boil for the time instructed on the package. Drain pasta.
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Add cauliflower sauce into the pot (you can use the same pot!) and add the drained pasta. Heat over low-medium until heated enough to your liking. Salt again to taste (the pasta dilutes the flavor). Serve with freshly cracked blacked pepper.
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Store leftover fettuccine Alfredo covered in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
*I used quinoa fettuccine to make the dish gluten-free, but you can use any fettuccine you like.
**Start with 3/4 tsp. (4.4 g) salt and add more as needed.
Thanks for making the fettuccini gluten free Petra, I certainly appreciate that. Now a few questions:
1. Can I use cashew milk instead of almond milk?
2. Did you have the baby yet (I know it’s an irrelevant question but just curious)?
All the best for you, Tanner, Katie, and the new baby.
This was really good. Easy to make. It has good flavors, creamy just like traditional fettuccine. I added steamed broccoli for protein.
I am so happy you liked the recipe, Evelyn 🙂 Really appreciate your feedback!
Can you tell me how to contact you!
Hi Tommy – you can find my email address under “Contact”. It’s info@nutritionrefined.com
Yumm! Lovely pasta …Nice presentation!
Thank you so much, Kim!
Dear Petra,
I have used your recipes for a while now and really enjoy the tutorial videos, they are so satisfying and make the cooking seem like therapy 🙂
Is nutritional yeast a must in this recipe? I have an intolerance against any yeast (among dairy,eggs intolerance).
Thanks,
Liina
Hi Liina – thank you so much! That’s so good to hear that you’re enjoying the videos 🙂 The nutritional yeast is not a must, but it is what gives the Alfredo sauce a cheesy, rich flavor. That being said, I have heard from a few people that they substituted the nutritional yeast and the Alfredo sauce still turned out great. Here is what you can try to add instead of the nutritional yeast: 1. more garlic and seasonings (herbs), 2. pesto, 3. white miso – works really well! Let me know if you have any questions 🙂
Petra – I love Alfredo fettuccine and have been missing it until now – wow! I made this sauce and put it over zucchini noodles (got to find a substitute for zucchini as I am not a fan – I love broccoli – so note to self – try making noodles out of that next time with my Veggie Bullet). I didn’t have almond milk but unsweetened almond/coconut milk which made it taste more like corn chowder which I also love so win, win, win!!! I had plenty sauce left over (it made 4 or more cups of sauce). Do you think I could freeze it? Thanks for this recipe – it was light and creamy – yum!! We just had a simple salad or tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots and celery with apple cider vinegar – my taste buds are dancing!!! I am wondering how to swap up your Mac and cheese as I can’t do potatoes – perhaps cauliflower could be used there?
Hi Jan – thank you so much for taking the time to comment. ❤️ I am so happy you enjoyed the Alfredo sauce 🙂 I haven’t tried freezing it myself, but I have gotten quite a few comments on my YouTube channel that the sauce freezes beautifully. So, I would give it a try 🙂 Yes, I would try cauliflower as a substitute for the potatoes. Cauliflower is not as creamy as potatoes, but it is neutral in flavor (and when you add the nutritional yeast, the “cheese” sauce will still turn out yellow). If the sauce isn’t creamy enough with the cauliflower, you could always throw in a handful of cashews. Hope it turns out great!
What does the nutritional yeast do to the Alfredo? This looks so delicious!!!
Hi Kalynn – nutritional yeast has a relatively strong flavor that is somewhat similar to that pungent taste found in cheese. In addition to its cheesy flavor, it also provides a creamy texture. Definitely an essential ingredient in this recipe 🙂