Eric is in love with this creamy cauliflower pasta dish. I mean, in love. In fact, he asked if we could make it together on Valentine’s Day. Who am I to deny a grown man cauliflower? Plus, creamy pasta and Valentine’s Day go hand and hand. Chocolate too, of course. I’d say it’s a win-win.
Traditional Alfredo sauce is mostly made up of butter, cheese, and often, cream. Decadent? You betcha. Hiding a super healthy vegetable? Not so much. I’m happy to say this cauli-power sauce brings us both decadence and nutrition. To be honest, I was super skeptical to try the blended-cauliflower-as-pasta-sauce trend and I wasn’t rushing to try it out. But after whipping up a version in my kitchen, I went crazy for this stuff. And by crazy, I mean standing over the pot of pasta and spooning it into my mouth uncontrollably. Yea that happened. It’s downright irresistible just like you’d hope a creamy pasta to be. Of course, soaked cashews can create a fine alfredo sauce too, but it’s great to have a change from nuts. All you have to do to make this sauce nut-free is swap the almond milk for a nut-free non-dairy milk of your choice. Fun, right?
This sauce makes a lot (3 cups!) which means you can happily drown the pasta with the sauce. No skimping here! It is cauliflower after all. I stirred the sauce into whole grain spelt ribbon pasta which was quite tasty. I gravitate toward meals that leave me feeling good and this certainly made the cut. Not bad for a decadent-tasting pasta, I say.
Cauli-power "Alfredo"
Yield
4 servings (makes 3 cups sauce)
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
This vegan “alfredo” sauce tastes decadent, yet is super light and energizing thanks to the sneaky cauliflower base! The nutritional yeast lends this sauce a rich "cheesy" flavour, while the blended cauliflower creates a creamy, luxurious base. This alfredo sauce is lovely served with pasta, but you can also enjoy it stirred into your favourite roasted or sautéed veggies. I love sautéing seasonal vegetables to serve along with the sauce over pasta. In the photo, I topped my bowl with a lovely spring veggie trifecta of leeks, asparagus, and peas. Thanks to Pinch of Yum for inspiring this tasty recipe!
Ingredients
- 4 heaping cups (460 g) cauliflower florets (1 small/medium cauliflower)
- 1/2 tablespoon (7.5 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 heaping tablespoon minced garlic
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) unsweetened and unflavoured almond milk*
- 1/4 cup (20 g) nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon (15 mL) fresh lemon juice, plus more for serving
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, to taste
- 3/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt, or to taste
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, to taste
- 1 package (350 g/12 ounces) fettuccine or rotini pasta**
- Fresh minced parsley, for garnish
Directions
- Place cauliflower florets in a steamer basket and steam, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes until fork tender. (Alternatively, you can boil the cauliflower in a pot of water for 8 to 15 minutes until fork tender. Drain well before proceeding.)
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain well and add it back to the pot. Set aside.
- Add the oil and minced garlic to a small skillet and sauté over low heat for 4 to 5 minutes until softened and fragrant. Be careful not to burn.
- Add the cooked cauliflower, sautéed garlic, milk, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to a high-speed blender. Blend until a very smooth sauce forms. Adjust seasonings to taste.
- Add the cauliflower sauce to the pot with the pasta and stir well. Heat over low-medium until heated through. The pasta will tone down the flavours of the sauce so it’s important to taste the mixture and add more seasonings (salt, pepper, lemon, etc.) to taste before serving.
- For serving: Divide the warm pasta into bowls and top with more salt and pepper (to taste), along with a squeeze of lemon and some fresh minced parsley. Feel free to add your favourite cooked veggies such as broccoli, peas, leeks, asparagus, butternut squash, etc.
Tip:
* It’s very important that you use an unsweetened and unflavoured non-dairy milk in this recipe (nothing with vanilla or added sugar, please!).
** If you’re only preparing a couple servings, feel free to cook less pasta and save leftover sauce for another time. The alfredo sauce will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for at least a few days.
To make the alfredo taste extra decadent, add a tablespoon or two of vegan butter to the sauce.
Make it gluten-free: Use gluten-free pasta.
Boost the protein: Use a legume-based pasta such as chickpea pasta.
Make it nut-free: Use a nut-free non-dairy milk (such as soy milk) instead of almond milk. Be sure to use unsweetened and unflavoured milk.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
So I’ve been making this sauce for a while now, but wanted to comment today because I had it over a baked potato and it is divine!!! Hubby and I loved it :) this has become my new pregnancy craving! Love having the creaminess AND the healthiness!
Loved this recipe! I’m making it for the second time in a week tonight.
I did make a slight alteration that I would recommend if carbs aren’t a concern for you: I used half cauliflower, half Yukon gold potatoes, to give it more of that buttery flavor I associate with Alfredo sauce. Threw some roasted portobellos on top and it was a total hit with my meat-and-dairy-eating boyfriend.
Tried this today and it was amazing! I added some sauted mushrooms to mine and my husband loved it
Looks like a great recipe! Unfortunately due to allergies we can’t use nutritional yeast (or nuts). Any ideas for a substitute ingredient?
So I tried this recipe and it was not good. I mean, it was edible, sure. But addictive or amazing? Not really. I was really disappointed. Too bad :(
This sounds lovely. Going to give this recipe a go. thanks for sharing this.
Simon
Can you tell us what the purpose of the nutritional yeast is in the recipe? Thanks!
This was wonderful! Thanks for sharing your recipe; it will be on quick rotation in our vegan home. I made it as written except that I sauteed a very small onion with the garlic (instead of using the powders) and used unsweetened coconut milk instead of almond.
Do you know if the sauce freezes? I like cooking big batches and freezing for nights when I’m feeling lazy
My husband was dreading vegan night but ended up loving the dish! He couldn’t believe how it tasted exactly like alfredo sauce. Best of all, we finished it without feeling groggy and guilty. Thanks for the recipe Angela! I can’t wait to try your other ones.
This is delicious. I thought the comments about eating with a spoon were a bit exaggerated but here I am eating this with a spoon, hoping my husband gets home before this is gone. I made it to go over baked potatoes.
Thanks for the recipe!!
Wow I rarely post but I have to say this recipe was awesome!! I grew up eating italian-american food in NJ and alfredo was one of my favorites. I truly cannot believe how much you can’t tell that this is cauliflower! Even my picky husband agreed. My secret ingredient for alfredo is nutmeg, so I grated in about 1/8 tsp of that. It went really nicely with the sweetness of the almond milk (I used the new added protein kind). I ran out of black pepper so I also added red pepper flakes. I don’t have a high speed blender – just the old school kind so I kept it on high taking breaks for several minutes. I still can’t get over how creamy it tasted even though it was just frozen & steamed cauliflower. Thanks so much for publishing this recipe online!
Oh I forgot to mention I also added peas and crumbled tempeh bacon. Yum!
How long can the sauce keep in the frig? This is my second time making it but the first batch was eaten with minutes. I’m being selfish with this batch. I love it!
My fiancé made this, and it was amazing!!! Roast some cherry tomatoes and add them – it’s divine! Best vegan alfredo recipe !
This is my fave recipe at the moment, so glad I found it. I also use a whole broccoli as well as the cauliflower and I blister some cherry tomatoes in the oven and add these in.
I am really looking forward to trying this recipe. Avoiding dairy seems to be using nuts and as I read about cashews the oxalate is not good for kidney concerns. Thanks for your creativity – I enjoy Oh She Glows!
(kisses pinched thumb, pointer and middle finger) VIOLA!
As a vegan for 5 years I thought I had made cheeses out of everything possible so this entry had a catchy title! When I told my boyfriend I was making an Alfredo out of a cauliflower . . “say whaaaaaat?!” He couldn’t believe it.
It was very good but it was best after really pulsing it into a cream. I added some white wine vinegar for more of a cheese taste, maybe 1-2tsp.
Thanks for this vegan’s cheesy cauli-power first!
Wow this was so much tastier than I expected it to be! Honestly one of the tastiest meals I’ve made to date since being vegan. Thank you so much for this beautiful recipe x x
Dear Angela,
most of your wonderful recipes in your cookbook (sooo good!!!) I have tried and have just finished my portion of this creamy dreamy pasta dish. And: Wow! I devoured this in under five minutes. Even without the garlic and onion powder it was fantastic. (Instead I added some nutmeg, which was nice).
I feel ready to tackle whatever comes my way now:) Go cauliflower!!
Thank you, Angela, you are an inspiration. You even inspired me to leave my first ever comment on someone’s blog:)
10/10 fantastic!!!! thnx
This was gorgeously and healthily indulgent, thank you! I used a real onion, as I don’t have any onion salt, which I just softened in the oil with the garlic. I followed a previous commenter’s suggestion of blending the cauliflower first (with onion and garlic) in the food processor before adding the rest of the ingredients and carrying on for a couple of minutes, and it was silky smooth. Spinach worked well with it, and next time will try adding more roasted veggies.
This recipe is SO DELICIOUS ! It’s also super quick! i steamed the cauliflower instead of boiling it. its a lovely delicate tasting creamy sauce! ..i also added garden peas, which seem to work well.
I made this recipe with frozen cauliflower to save money. I also seemed to add double the nutritional yeast and seasonings. My non-vegan fiancé approved.
This is one of the most delicious things I have ever eaten, THANK YOU, I have made it twice ( just finished eating it) I made mine with wheat pasta that I made but I only used that because that’s what I had so next time if I have made some I’m going to use regular vegan pasta, also I’m thing about putting in seitan if I can find a recipe for chicken flavor if not I’ve made seitan before that taste like turkey I’ll try that and again thank you very much for this recipe
Absolutely so delicious – since I went vegan, fettuccine alfredo is my biggest craving but no longer! Honestly, better than the original, thanks so much Angela (:
I just made this sauce directly as above without using any butter and it tasted horrible!!! It tasted awful and had no flavor at all besides tasting like cauliflower!! I had to add a bunch of hot sauce to make it edible
So I made this tonight, being ex-vegan, now vegetarian I’m accustomed to substitute style recipes not tasting exactly like the original. This recipe required quite a bit of doctoring to make it resemble something that would pass with my picky non-veg family would. I had to add more non-dairy milk, a handful more nut. yeast, a Tbl. more minced garlic, and basil. As is, it was pretty bland as an alfredo sauce replacement. The consistency was good however. I would have been okay with it, but be warned it will not pass as alfredo sauce with non-veg folks as-is. Thanks for the recipe though. It’s a good way to sneak cauliflower into my kids, plus its a good base.
Hello do I use the powdered nutritional yeast or the flake version? Thanks!
Your recipes are usually spot on , but I just have to say so others can adapt to their taste . There was no flavour to this at all :( the sauce was amazing texture etc but the flavor not so much ! Will make again but wil double maybe evn triple the amount of seasonings. We added extra salt and pepper because it was already on the plate but next time I will make sure I taste before I add to pasta .
I made this recipe today, followed all the instructions but mine turned out too bland to my taste. I’ll add more salt and nutritional yeast next time because it tasted mostly like cauliflower and it’s not like I used a particularly large one. But otherwise I liked how creamy is was, and it went well with mushrooms :)
Made this last night, it was sooo good!!! and done in 30 mins!
My husband said it takes like real alfredo (which is a lot since he loves alfredo).
– I used ghee in place of butter
– found that i needed to put a lot more of my pink salt than i thought i would need. so keep adding salt until it suits your tastes.
– i didnt have garlic or onion powder, so I just sauteed garlic and about one onion before putting into my food processor with the cauliflower.
– used a food processor to blend up the sauce since i dont have a blender on hand
Loved this one, will make often!
Hi Samira, I’m glad you liked it! :)
This recipe was amazing! Have been vegan for about a month and a half and am sometimes looking for a creamy and rich meal! This hit the spot completely and my boyfriend loved it as well! I’m a huge garlic fan so I added quite a bit more garlic, along with some Italian spices :)! It was fantastic! Can’t wait to have the leftovers tomorrow
Hi there! I’m so happy to hear this recipe hit the spot. Enjoy the leftovers!
This recipe was so good! I don’t even like cauliflower so I was a bit nervous, but it tastes so much like the real thing. YUM
So glad to hear you enjoyed it, Brittany!
Such an amazing recipe!! Made it for the second time now, using unsweetened coconut milk and zucchini pasta! My husband, who is not nearly as health conscientious as I am, really loves it too! Thank you!
Hi there, I’m so glad the recipe’s a hit! It’s always my goal to create crowd-pleasing dishes that can be enjoyed by everyone, so it’s great to hear the Cauli-power Alfredo won over your husband, too. :) Thanks for the comment!
I made this last night for a vegan roommate and it was awesome! It may not be exactly like the real deal, but it’s pretty darn tasty :)
Hi Erin, I’m glad it was a hit! :)
I was looking for a recipe to use cauliflower in and I stumbled across yours. I just made it and it was out of this world!!!! I substituted coconut creamer for milk, added broccoli. It’s going to potluck and I know I won’t be bringing any left overs home. Thanks, and I wool be checking you website more often.
Hi Linda, I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! I hope the potluck went well, and that whatever recipe you try from the blog next, you like it just as much. :)
I’m not a vegan, but I do work a lot of vegan meals into the meal rotation with my husband because I’m trying to be healthier overall. I’ve always been curious about how well nutritional yeast actually works to impart certain flavors, but I’ve always been a bit worried to try it, because, since I’m in graduate school and unemployed, money is a bit tight, so it’s hard for me to be willing to spend over $5 on something I might hate. I have to say, this post encouraged me to actually try.
The only thing that I did differently was use a bit more flax milk (allergic to oats and tree nuts, so flax milk has been a godsend) to help smooth it out a little bit more. I was very surprised – not only does the nutritional yeast give the sauce the “cheesy” flavor of an alfredo, but the cauliflower breaks down and becomes almost impossibly smooth. I’m not missing the dairy in this at all! I had my husband try a quick spoonful of the sauce before we put it on the pasta, and he loved it, too – said it tasted just like an alfredo (something I don’t know much about since my weight is bad enough without adding fatty sauces on top of it). I’m really glad I finally took the plunge and tried something like this.
If anyone’s curious, the same amount of sauce worked for a full pound of pasta, and it coats it all pretty perfectly. My husband and I will be polishing this off every couple of nights this week, and I’m looking forward to it!
Hi Erin, thank you so much for the great comment . I’m so happy that the recipe was a hit! I hope you’ve enjoyed the leftovers, and wish you the best of luck in grad school. :)
I’ve made this a lot of times but today I threw in one roasted red pepper and one roasted yellow pepper. The two peppers not only made a nice “cheesy” shade of orange but it kicked the flavor up a notch. Delicious! Served over pasta and asparagus.
This recipe is AWESOME, it is a family favorite and we are making it again, for Easter Sunday dinner. We have some family coming and thought this would be the perfect dish to introduce them to the wonderful world of vegan food. We really like it with the mushrooms and we also add some chopped up asparagus, serve it with some homemade bread. So good.
Sounds like a great meal, Connie! I hope you and your family have a wonderful Easter get-together. :)
G’Day from Down Under… :)
This pasta is such a hit in our household! I’ve made it many times, but on this occasion I was short 1 cup of cauliflower so substituted with a 400g tin of butter beans as a trial.
Let me tell you, it totally worked! It’s a great way to up the protein power of this dish without compromising the silky texture of the sauce.
Thumbs up.
Had this in the freezer for a while and tonight I decided to use it for gnocchi. O.M.G. – unbelievable! I had added a couple of tablespoons of coconut oil for richness before I froze it. When I was defrosting I was not that hopeful but once it all thawed out and heated up….. sigh sigh and more sighs! I served it with homemade (vegan) Parmesan cheese and I have carefully put the left overs into a container for the fridge – I might just eat the rest of it with some bread for lunch tomorrow!
I’m happy it froze and reheated so well for you, Maureen!! Enjoy the leftovers. :)
made this today. absolutely satisfying for a alfredo pasta alternative! i would love to see the nutritional info behind this pasta though :) anyways, amazing. the best nutritional yeast sauce i’ve come across yet. thank you for this.
I just cooked this..sooo good..thank you :D
This alfredo pasta sauce was delicious, and easy to make. My husband and I loved it! I added green peas, instead of the mushrooms, and it worked really well with the pasta (Eden’s Artichoke fettucini-style pasta) and sauce. Yum!
So glad to hear the recipe was a hit, Helen! :) Green peas sound like a great addition.
Hey girl, tried, adapted (just for fun-your recipes are always on point) and loved it! So I made broccoli fettuccine Alfredo-OSG style of course. I added cashews instead of nutritional yeast (since I had them) and did a gluten free fettuccine pasta. Also added parsley, Chardonnay, a little more lemon juice and a teeny bit of cayenne in the blender when I mixed it. Omg-major on the yumminess!!! One day I’ll invest in a food processor, but for now, I’ve been making my Ninja blender work for all of your recipes. The boys love it! Can’t wait for my husband to try this evening-thus far, the taco salad is his favorite recipe I’ve tried from your website.
Those adaptations sound delicious, LaKerie. I always love to hear about readers having fun and experimenting with my recipes – it’s so inspirational!
OMG this is completely delicious!! Who knew cauliflower could be so tasty?! The sauce is amazing. Thanks for the recipe!
I’m glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Vicki!
This absolutely devine. Before I ate plant based, I always loved Alfredo but rarely ate it because of how rich and calorie laden it was. This dish leaves our family feeling satisfied and energetic. So creamy, yummy and super simple to make.
Wow! This is delish! Tossed with roasted asparagus and fettuccine. I’m taking this to my next family dinner to see how many folks I can fool.
I hope everyone loves it, Laura! :)
Oh wow! This is so good! I need to cook my cruciferous veggies really well to be able to digest them and I have been looking for new ways to use cauliflower – this is perfect! I was out of pasta so I poured the sauce over brown rice and sautéed portabellas and kale. I kept going back to add more and more sauce!
I made this before and loved it. I was thinking of making it tonight and serving with steamed cauliflower and bread crumbs on top. Has anyone tried this?