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.
The only bad thing about this recipe is that it never quite made it to the pasta because my husband thought it was mashed cauliflower and ATE. IT. ALL.
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I’ve made this recipe so many times, and it pleases all whose belly it touches every time. I decided recently to start putting a cube of Rapunzel veggie bouillon per double batch, since I freeze half of it. And I also saute onion with the garlic, and deglaze with a little coconut aminos. It really adds a lot of umami which can be missed in a recipe that used to have lots of it from the cheese (it hasn’t been that long since my last cheesy escapade). All bellies are left full and feeling light and happy. I also make it with Miracle Noodle calorie-free fettuccini, which really adds to the lightness. As always, thank you Angela, for providing literally every staple in my dinner repertoire.
Lordy lordy lordy was this ever fabulous! Thank you!!
This is s great recipe we just eat it with rice noodles but it’s very very good had it several times now and don’t tire of it :)
This recipe is fantastic! I added peas, rocket, spinach and mushrooms to it.
I’ve never tried a cauliflower alfredo sauce before and both my mom and I were completely shocked with how delicious it was! I think my jaw actually dropped when I tried the sauce. We couldn’t believe how creamy it was without any dairy at all. My moms not a vegan and had me print the recipe for her so she can make it too. Definitely a keeper, and it was SO easy and quick to make. We topped ours with mixed sauteed veggies and it was great. We do have a vitamix and the sauce was super smooth. My mom had hers with fettuccine noodles and I had mine with spiraled zucchini and it was equally delicious I highly recommend it. I can’t wait to make this for my vegan-skeptic friends :)
Thanks for the lovely recipe!
I made this last night and didn’t tell anyone in the family what it was. I simply said it was a healthier version I wanted to try. My husband and I loved it. My 20 year old daughter didn’t mind it but said she would prefer the real deal. My 15 year old son said the sauce tasted funny and didn’t finish it. I should add the aside from my kids being the pickiest eaters ever, they have been tricked before so their instinct is to always be suspicious when mom makes something new. lol…..Often their reluctance to eat it is more about mind over matter rather than going by taste. At the end of the day I was totally impressed and this morning I just scooped up a mouthful of left over and it was still just as good. What I did learn was save a bit of sauce to drizzle overtop the serving on the plate to add even more creamy texture rather than mix all sauce and all pasta at one time. There was plenty of sauce for a family of four. I also added some nutmeg and accidentally used almond vanilla flavour milk instead of plain — it was delicious. I also think it would be better with rotini noodles instead of fettuccine noodles (I believe certain noodle shapes work better to hold sauces and enhance the flavour). I will definitely make this again and I can see using this sauce on other foods such as spaghetti squash, zucchini, or mixing it with potatoes for a really creamy mashed potatoes. We are not a vegetarian family but I’m trying to find more ways to add veggies to our meals and I think I can experiment with this sauce to drizzle it over sautéed vegetables and chicken or a side dipping option. This is my 4th recipe from your site/book in the last week and they have all been a hit. I have the Kale drying now so I can try some Kale chips this afternoon and the chia is in the fridge for the parfait after supper. Thank you Angela for your amazing recipes and inspiring us to eat better.
Made this tonight for dinner with my hubby! We were not surprised that we loved it, as we have loved so many of your recipes. Thank you so much for giving us another tasty, satisfying and healthy option. This is going to be a go-to favorite in our house.
Fantastic!!! Made it for my spaghetti squash last night.
Thank you!!!
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.