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)
Wow! This looks AMAZING! Isn’t cauliflower immensely versatile?!!? Not only am I going to try your recipe but now I have the courage to make a 2nd attempt at vegan cauliflower crust pizza. I had a MAJOR fail last night with. I believe I left too much water left in the cauliflower and not enough “egg” (flax + water + nutritional yest + chia seeds). I was wondering if you might have a recipe to share or suggestions as to what the be the best prep. method? I was thinking of not cooking the cauliflower first but I’m not sure! I Thanks & as always, I look forward to your next post! :-)
I made this for dinner tonight. It was filling…yet pleasantly so, knowing it was mostly cauli. Mine was slightly stodgier than yours. I will tweak the milk next time to make it a bit less thick. Otherwise, a great flavour and a great meal idea. Very easy and tasty.
Made this tonight, so amazing! I upped the lemon juice and nutritional yeast a bit because I had a larger head of cauliflower. Then I added roasted baby bella mushrooms and fresh spinach as I tossed it all together. This stuff is definitely a crowd pleaser! Don’t know if it beats your smokey butternut squash sauce, but I haven’t found anything that does! Love it more than typical dairy heavy Alfredo for sure!
:O oh my goodness – how gloriously delicious! I haven’t had alfredo in years! I can’t believe this is vegan AND healthy. Amazing.
This is perfect! What a coincidence that I just bought a huge head of cauliflower yesterday, and now I know exactly what I’m going to do with it. I’m always looking for ways to mimic Alfredo; it’s the dish I miss most since becoming lactose intolerant. Thank you for this simple and delicious-looking recipe!
Update: I made it today and added some vegan butter like you suggested. Amazing!!!
And that will be added to my menu for next week! Who doesn’t love alfredo?
Looks really good! Just made cauliflower mashed “potatoes” last week and loved them. Excited to try this! What’s the nutrition information? Can you please post this on all recipes like you used to!
I LOVE the name you gave to this recipe and your photography makes me want to reach into the screen and try a bite of your vegan Fettucine Alfredo! I made something very similar to this this weekend using cauliflower and soaked cashews! I love how creamy it makes the pasta sauce :) Yum!!
I’ve been a long time follower and just moved to Zambia in August… without nutritional yeast! Thankfully a friend from home brought me several cups in December, and I’ve been guarding over it like it’s gold. Oh my goodness, I am SO SO SO glad that I used it for this recipe. With a couple modifications (no unsweetened soy milk here, sub tofu; vegetable oil, raw garlic and onion instead), the dish turned out to be delicious! Being vegan in Africa has been a challenge, and I’ve been drooling over your last few months of posts… I’m being completely honest when I say that one of the things I miss the most about being Stateside is making your food. Thanks for spreading the joy!
Girlfriend, I am reading this recipe at the coffee shop, and my jaw has dropped in complete surrender. I want this for my Valentine’s dinner, too! I wonder if my date ( my dog) will approve. Ha ha! Love. Thanks for the divine recipe. Sharing it now!!!
Delicious! I added paprika to the sauce and poured the mixture directly into the sauteed garlic and olive oil on the stove. The sauce was a bit much, so I added some steamed zucchini ribbons into the mixture, and now we have enough servings for 6-8. Thank you for this recipe!
I make the raw Alfredo using cashews A LOT but I will most definitely be trying this version out. Alfredo was a favourite of mine before going vegan (and learning how terrible it was for me lol) so this is pretty exciting :D
I made this today and it’s super tasty! I actually prefer it on it’s own rather than mixed into pasta and have been having it as a dipping sauce with carrot sticks!
Thanks for another great recipe Angela :)
This looks divine, I just love cauliflower especially in a creamy sauce. Thank you.
So funny you posted this because I just made your other Alfredo recipe last week! I made this too, it was amazing! I hash tagged the pic on Facebook. Have you ever tried bean pasta? I used mung bean fettuccine for this recipe. Black bean pasta is incredible also. Packed full of protein and gluten free!
What is the difference between regular and nutritional yeast?
This sounds delicious and I can’t wait to try it, but I have an allergy to yeast. I saw your comment about replacing it with pesto. (which sounds great) Just wondering if there’s anything else to replace it with to keep it low cal/fat and healthy?
Oh yum.
Just pinned – LOVE it!
Dear Angela, you’ve done it again! I can’t wait to try this recipe….
I am new to nutritional yeast and working on avoiding dairy as much as possible. With that said, do you have any recommendations for brands of nutritional yeast that are tried and true?
What’s the story with nutritional yeast? I haven’t tried it yet and have seen it in lots of recipes. Is it a flavor or texture kind of thing?
It lends vegan recipes a cheesy flavour. :)
Ok, after reading your post my daughter and I were like we have to make this, so…… we did and it was awesome!!!!! It even fooled my cheese and meat loving husband, who would have NEVER tried it had he known what it was. ( honestly i never thought it would get past my hubby) Fooled my son as well, My daughter and I could barely keep a straight face as my husband asked for 2nd helpings!! What a great recipe, Everyone should make it, easy and YUMMY!!!!
So excited to hear that!!! Thanks for the feedback :)
Son of a muthamuchacho I want this! lol!
Gonna stick the recipe on the fridge for this week.
Did I just get cauli-power sauce in my hair while I was licking the serving tongs?! Yes. Yes, I did. And I found a use for the last of my frozen peas that had horrible freezer burn! But there was no freezer burn taste with that amazing sauce that I could put on anything!
Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe! It makes me wonder how absolutely wonderful the recipes must be that you don’t share with us because they’re going in your cookbook!
-Amy in Texas!
OMG! This dish is out of this world! SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good! :)
Yum Looks so good! I’ll try this for my husband, since Fettuccine Alfredo is one of his favs! He’s a veggie hater, but I bet he won’t even notice with this!
Thanks for sharing!
This is SUCH a great idea! I love how cauliflower can be substituted for so many things – rice, pizza crust, and now alfredo sauce?! Who knew? :)
Oh my gosh Angela – that was amazing !!! We all enjoyed that one. I am not eating wheat so I had it with rice and spinach. It was so good I included this recipe and another one of your posts in to my blog yesterday. In admiration of your blog I called it “Oh Yes, She Glows”
loseweightandgainhealth.com/2014/01/20/oh-yes-she-glows/
Angela, I’m a big fan of your website. I like reading your stories. I am not a vegan or vegetarian but enjoy the healthful aspects of your recipes. What would you suggest using as a substitute for the nutritional yeast in this cauliflower recipe?…cheese?
I just made this sauce. Holy Moly. This is so amazing! I’m going to steam a bunch of vegetables and throw this on top. I just gave my husband a bite, and he is blown away by the flavor. I’m so excited to have a cauliflower based go-to sauce now. Thanks AGAIN, Angela.
This looks really good, but then I enjoyed your smoky butternut squash mac-n-cheez (when in doubt, nutritional yeast = BIG YUM). I’ve been a site lurker for a long time, and my husband and I have had so much good food ala Angela (kale salad is fantastic, and your no-bake protein bars are a migraineur’s best friend) that I had to post my first comment today to tell you how happy I was to see your cookbook FEATURED IN AN AMAZON EMAIL this morning. Congratulations!
Hey Judy, Thanks so much for your lovely comment! So happy you are enjoying the recipes :)
This looks great. I watched my daughter make Alfredo this evening for the family. Lots of milk and cheese, etc. I can’t eat it. Thank you so much for this recipe. Will be trying this very soon indeed!!!
I just made this for dinner tonight and it definitely hit the spot and was so yummy. I will be making this again for sure!
Angela
You are a genius!!!
This is soo delicious – I was eating it with my spoon ;)
Thank you for every recipe you give us – it makes plant based eating so much more delicious :)
Keep up the good work!
Seriously!? How in the world did you know that I have a head of cauliflower in the fridge, and am dying for a hearty pasta dish!? You are a mind reader :) I am so excited for your cookbook to come out and just and FYI your adult version of Rolo’s have had all my non vegan friends giving me shocked faces when they tell me how amazing they are and then I tell them whats in them!!!
Cheers! Happy tuesday!
Naomi
I love all the cauliflower recipes that I’ve been seeing lately! I’ll definitely have to try this sauce. It sounds delicious.
Tried this tonight over spagetti squash – was terrific! I was glad to find a vegan cream sauce that doesn’t use nuts. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
I made this tonight and couldn’t believe how incredible it was! It will definitely be on regular rotation at my house. Even my cauliflower hating husband liked this. I added peas and parsley as a garnish, but didn’t care for the parsley so will leave that out next time.
Hi Angela,
We tried your Smoky Butternut Squash Sauce with Pasta and Greens recipe last night and tonight we had this one. They were both amazing! Very much comfort food without being fattening. My husband said, “Can you message her and tell her how awesome the Cauli-power Fettuccine is? Like, it’s REALLY good”.
We’re really glad that we found your blog…I’m an Oakville-born California-transplant, and I’m finding your recipes to work perfectly with my organic veggie box. Your creativity makes being vegetarian/vegan EASIER and your photos are beautiful. THANK YOU!
Honestly, I’m a not a vegan in the slightest, but this sounds really good. Even my mega carnivore hubby seemed intrigued when I described this recipe to him. I’ve been looking for ways to reduce meat/dairy consumption for health purposes so this definitely helps, thanks!
Oh my gosh, I made a cauliflower-based alfredo recipe just like this one over the weekend! It wasn’t a vegan recipe so I kind of just substituted and added things till it tasted good. Can’t wait to try your recipe! :)
Do you prefer the cauliflower sauce over the cashew cream sauce? I’m just wondering because I tried a cashew alfredo sauce once and it was really sour and gross (to be fair though it was out of a jar; it’s probably much better if it’s homemade). My fiance and I definitely miss alfredo so I’d love to find a vegan alternative!
I made this recipe the other night… Holey moley, was it GOOD! My fiance and I haven’t been vegan for very long (a few months I believe) so we still remember the taste of regular alfredo… and I have to say, we both prefer the vegan version!!! It tasted just like regular alfredo, but without the heavy feeling or the guilt! Thank you SO MUCH! This recipe is AMAZING! And I can only imagine how much healthier this version is compared to the original, I’d love to the nutritional info for both recipes compared!
wow. the recipe looks and sounds delicious!
Great job!
Best, Luu
WOW – this looks AMAZING! I am so excited to try this recipe!!!! THANK YOU :-)
Just added this to my menu for the week! Can’t wait to try it!
I cooked this creamy pasta yesterday. Oh, it was so good! The flavor of cauliflower is amazing. Thanks, Angela, for one more great dinner!:)
This looks so amazing, I am going to make it this weekend!
I am such a huge fan of your blog and your recipes have really helped me in my journey to becoming vegan! When I saw this post I rushed to the store to get the ingredients. It was divine! So so good!! We added spinach to our dish and it was delish!! My whole family loved it! (A rarity for anything I cook!) Cannot wait to eat the small amount of leftovers for lunch today!! Thank you!
I am obsessed with your blog!! I didn’t make a new years resolution but did decide to run my second half marathon this year! Somehow healthier eating choices followed in that decision knowing how badly I want to kick butt in the LuLu Seawheeze this time around! (As I sort of was a newb in 2012 and just did it to say I did it, barely was my results :P) Going to make this tonight! Thank you for sharing all your amazing recipes.