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.
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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
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Hi there! (:
I don’t have onion powder, do you think I could just put in onion in my foodprocessor and make sure its chopped very finely before I add in the other ingredients? Looks amazing!
I have also been avoiding the cauliflower based sauces, but since going completely nut-free, I decided it was time to give it a go. This was fabulous!! My only change to the recipe was to omit the sauteed garlic and instead add tons of freshly roasted garlic. I served it over some whole wheat bow tie pasta with peas and little round carrots (sometimes called Parisian carrots) mixed in. I think next I will try using it in a veg lasagne instead of a red sauce.
Thanks for the wonderful recipe!!
Not to be a debby downer here, but I just wanna write a quick review for everyone reading the comments. I just finished making this recipe exactly as written. The sauce is just as creamy and decadent as promised. Texture wise, it’s perfect. However, it really doesn’t taste anything like Alfredo nor is it at all cheesy. The way the writer raves about it, I guess its just a personal taste preference. It’s not bad at all, but I felt it was missing something, even after adding sautéed mushrooms and fresh greens. Anyone who is about to try it, just don’t expect the one-of-a-kind taste of Alfredo. This sauce is very creative and unique, so props for that, but I was just a tad disappointed after the way the writer built it up. I guess the decadence of Alfredo is replaceable, just not the flavor. It was a bit too bland for me :/
My friend Diane told me about this recipe and how good it was. I am going to try it. Thank you!
So I was a bit skeptical at first but this recipe blew our socks off!! My husband couldn’t get enough and kept saying “are you sure this is made with cauliflower?” Thank you so much for the recipe! This will become a staple for us!
Can you make this without nutritional yeast?
This looks delicious! Can you taste the strong cauliflower taste in the sauce? My husband and I don’t like the taste of cooked cauliflower. Just wondering if it is hidden or if it’s still noticeable? Thank you!!
That’s hard to answer with a straight forward yes or no. I would say it’s not recognizable as cauliflower but you do know it’s not actual alfredo sauce. There is no cheesy flavour, just a creamy consistency similar to alfredo sauce. The sautéed garlic and seasoning definitely come out in the sauce more than the cauliflower does. I also like to add a few pinches of nutmeg. It’s worth trying it out. Not too difficult to make and except for purchasing the Nutritional Yeast specifically for this, more items you likely have on hand or will use them for more than just this recipe. I may try a non vegan variation next time to appease my picky eater kids and use dairy milk and add some cheese. The health benefit to get the additional vegetable in the meal would be worth it as we are not a vegetarian home but rather trying new ways to add more veggies to our diet.
So good…made with spinach/chia seed fettuccine!! Feel-good pasta. Angela is a goddess!
I am making this right now and it’s so thick I added an extra 1/2 cup almond milk. I wonder what I’m doing wrong?
Hi there
Just made this and was really nervous. It’s alfredoy I guess. The biggest critics, ages 8 and 5 said it was awesome. I added broccoli which they tolerate and mushrooms, which they don’t. In all transparency, I also added bacon. We aren’t vegan and I was hoping this additional ingredient would help the flavour.
I am going to put it over broccoli for our next meal as a “cheese sauce”.
Thanks!
Made this with zoodles!! So delicious and easy!!! This was my first vegan recipe and it turned out perfect! This is better than “regular” fettuccine! Never going back now! Thanks for the recipe!!! LOVED IT!
I really like this but I would cut down on amount of garlic next time. It seemed to overpower this delicate sauce. Maybe my garlic was just extra strong, and I did omit the garlic powder because it already seemed strong with just the fresh garlic.
Also might try skipping the nutritional yeast because I can kind of taste it in the background, maybe switch to a pesto like some of the other reviewers.
Will definitely make again! Serving tonight over zucchini noodles, can’t wait. Love your recipes.
I’ve made this recipe multiple times- probably 4 or so. It is heavenly and healthy- my favorite combination. A few times, I have also thrown in some basil for an alfredo pesto-style sauce. Divine. I just made it this afternoon and will be feasting on some for a pasta night this evening. I’ll be whipping up some spaghetti and zoodles, and serving this sauce, along with some tomato-basil sauce for a fun make-your-own pasta bar. Thanks for creating such a perfect recipe, Angela!
Have you ever tried steaming the cauliflower instead of boiling? My daughter loves alfredo sauce so I’m really excited to try this.
I steamed mine and the sauce came out great.:)
This was amazing! Just made it for dinner tonight and threw some peas in it. Next time I make it I will cut back on the pepper. Thank you again for another delicious recipe of yours.
Hello, I was wondering, is the yeast necessary to the recipe?
Just made this for supper and it is really delicious! I usually can’t have alfredo sauce, or any kind of white sauce for that matter, because it is too rich and hard to digest for my stomach… So this is a great recipe that I’ll be making again and again because it is so good. Thank you for your recipes Angela! :)
Forgot to rate it….
I was so excited to try this recipe…I specifically went out to get some of the needed ingredients last night just to make this! After reading all the rave reviews I thought this would be delicious. I’m not naïve enough to think that it would taste exactly like Alfredo sauce. But, I followed the directions exactly and it tasted like pureed cardboard! Neither I nor my husband could finish it! I even tried adding a big more salt, garlic, nutritional yeast, lemon, etc…to no avail. It just tasted like nothing! I honestly cannot believe how many people in the reviews said it fooled their omnivorous friends and family!! I used an immersion blender, so the texture was nice and creamy…but, once I mixed it in with the pasta (about half a pound) it seemed to make the sauce very pasty and dry. I did not want to add more liquid because it was already so bland tasting, so I just put more sauce on. I ended up using all of the sauce ( it made a lot!) and it still tasted off. And I’m sure if I had added veggies to it or something it would have still tasted like pureed cardboard…just with veggies. I am so bummed. We are trying out a plant-based diet and are very new to this so far. I don’t want to make Angela feel bad as it seems her recipes are almost always a success for people, but this left me feeling very discouraged. I have tried several recipes now from various popular and highly rated vegan blogs and cookbooks and most tasted very bland, especially the ones that try to mimic dairy or meat-based dishes. I don’t normally add tons of salt to my food, in fact, I make sure to leave it unsalted most of the time until I serve it. Is there something wrong with my taste buds?! I am starting to think a lot of plant-based recipes are quite bland and people must just get used to it or something…
Does anyone have any advice? I really want to make this work, but I don’t know what I’m doing wrong.
I have been vegan for 2 years, added miso paste and yellow mustard to mine – see comment below for veggies I used too. hope that helps?
That’s really sad that you’re still searching, BUT, you will find what’s right for you. I changed my diet in March/April and it has taken until now to start to hone in on the right recipes for me. You probably do have to go without cheese for quite a while to be fooled by pretend cheese, so yeah, that might be why you’re not totally dazzled by this recipe like we are. I actually went to a vegan cheese making class and the recipes were from a book called The Non-Dairy Evolution Cookbook. They were really good, especially the smoked gouda. For me, these recipes work because they’re relatively simple to make yet they taste really good and are totally healthy, but you might have other criteria, like you’re foodies who are happy to spend all evening cooking and want to make something amaaaazing, or whatever. Don’t panic, just keep on trying out recipes and you’ll work out what you like. Also the ingredients are used in a lot of recipes, so don’t worry about buying stuff specially, you’ll use it eventually for more recipes. I’m so glad I got through the tough part at the beginning when you don’t know what the hell to eat. I’m now eating super healthy delicious food for every meal. There’s a really good Facebook page called vegan richa too, that might be your taste. Good luck good luck! X
My husband is a carnivore, and he loves this sauce, the most important thing to realize is that you shouldn’t follow the recipe to a t.
For instance, I hate the taste of nutritional yeast, so I only add in one tablespoon in this sauce.
You need to keep on “tasting” the sauce to adjust it to your taste buds.
Trust me, as a long-time part-time vegan (I fast for religious reasons almost half the year which basically means I’m vegan half the year) – NO recipe will “fool” you unless you go so long without “processed” foods that you can be fooled.
I’ve given up trying to make vegan cheeses/cheese sauces because they will never taste the same as the real deal.
Instead, enjoy the new experience with new types of sauces and food. :)
While I did love the sauce when I followed the recipe, I liked my alterations best the second time. I found that sauteeing half a yellow onion and about four cloves of garlic in olive oil for five minutes or so and adding it all to the blender REALLY made this recipe awesome. It definitely can take time for your taste buds to adjust when you go plant-based. Fresh onion and garlic are always my go-to to add flavor instead of just pouring on salt. Lots of freshly ground pepper too!!
I have posted before that this was a hit but now, I can definitively say the WHOLE family liked it. As before, tastes great with bacon :) and I will be including chicken in the next presentation to the family. However, they also ate it on top of broccoli so how awesome is that! I used unsweetened coconut milk (Silk) so no issue with using that alternative.
can the sauce be made a day ahead an refrigerated?