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
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made this last night – absolutely floored at how good it was. go make this asap!
I have never EVER commented on any of your posts. Although I do love your blog and your recipes, and I use it all of the time. BUT this cauliflower sauce was absolutely out of this world, thank you so much for the great recipe!
Kim
Hi Kim, Thanks so much for your feedback! So happy it was a hit :)
I love Cauli-power and I am so excited to try this!!! An alfredo vegan is so nice to try since we have dairy allergies in our household! It looked like it turned out beautifully!
I made this and thought it was good, but used the leftover sauce in a vegetarian lasagna with mushroom, chard, and a tomato sauce. It was fabulous! Thanks.
I made this tonight, it is good but very very rich and I must say, the sauce makes a LOT, so, use your FAVORITE pasta with it, I tried one that I hadn’t tried before ( because it came in fettucini style and my pasta ruined the dish. It wasn’t the best. The sauce is awesome though! Amazing rich and creamy, Angela, you never cease to amaze me and I’m so grateful for you!!!!!
My husband and I have been eating vegan for 9 months and really loving it. It’s been fun to explore cooking/shopping in a completely new way. I have loved all your recipes and am really excited to get your cookbook when it comes out. Thanks for all the food ideas and support I get from reading your blog.
Last night I made the cauliflower fettuccine and OMG! That is so good and creamy that I think it beats regular by a landslide. We enjoyed eating it and the way we felt AFTER we ate it! That’s amazing! My 16-year old son and his friend sampled it and both gave it 2 thumbs up, that’s huge! Thanks for doing what you do.
P.S. I’m obsessed with Peanut Better Balls
Hi Karen,
Thank you so much! I’m so happy you all enjoyed it so much. And yes, how you feel after the meal is very important to me as well! Thanks for reading.
This looks amazing! I am very excited to make this! However, I have recently purchased nutritional yeast and tasted a tiny bit of it and am worried that adding a quarter cup of it will leave the sauce tasting a bit “yeast-y” (for lack of a better word). Should I be worried about this?
If you are concerned, you can always add it slowly and taste as you go :) That would be my advice!
Currently eating this sauce with a spoon. INCREDIBLE.
I posted on your next post about how much we loved this but wanted to add…had it with kale mixed in the first night….SOOOO good! and then had leftover sauce on my salad the next day (warmed up) with roasted chick peas….another yum! THANK YOU!!!
Looks lovely. I may add a little spinach stirred into the sauce to add a bit of colour instead of the mushrooms. Worth a try. Thank you for your recipes.
We made this last night and it was AWESOME!
As a long-time vegan, about 20 years now, I’ve found a couple delicious cashew “cheese” sauces over the years and while I love them, the high calories are something to be aware of. This recipe blew me away at how yummy it was and I imagine the calories are dramatically lower…thank you!
We did add about 1 1/2 tablespoons of Earth Balance, (a vegan margarine), as you suggested and I feel it gave the extra richness needed.
So glad to hear this Mark!! Thanks for your great feedback :)
Tried this last night – even my meat and potatoes father liked it! I would suggest some fresh herbs and/or broccoli for extra taste and color.
This looks great! I have sent to a friend of mine who can’t eat a heck of a lot, due to allergies, but this he can have on his treat days….
I am loving your blog and can’t wait for your book!! Made this today for myself and my husband and we loved it! I sweated some onion with the garlic and I also added some red chili. Served it with Spelt/Spinach tagliatelle. Absolutely devine!!!
Made this last night! We topped it with a veggie medley (zucchini, summer squash, carrots, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, and sweet peppers) that was roasted with some olive oil, honey, balsamic vinegar, garlic, and shallots. WOW. Amazing mix-in and I highly recommend it! So grateful to have a tasty non-tomato based pasta sauce that ISN’T a calorie bomb!
Hi Angela, I just discovered, by accident, your blog a few months ago. I have been wanting to be vegan for about 5 years, but between trial and error, and living with two men in the house (meat eaters) by the time I would cook for them, I didn’t have the energy to cook for just myself. Well, finally something just clicked, and your blog has been pivotal, erasing the error part. I have made several of your recipes and they are SSOOO! delicious! But today, I made your Cauli-power Fettucini “Alfredo” and it is so over the top the angels must be singing. I know you’ve been doing this for some time now, but your work is so new to me, and Im sure there are a lot of people yet to discover your gift on this subject. Thanks so much.
haha the angels were singing! Amazing analogy for this recipe, hah. :) So happy you are enjoying my recipes Becky!
P.S. Chocolate and Peanut butter ROCKS!!
I am making this tonight. Whipping up a batch to go with some broccoli slaw and yam noodles. Such a great substitute for cashew-based sauces, which are also delicious. Thanks!
Oh my! I just made this tonight. It was sooooooo GOOD. I served it over roasted spaghetti squash instead of pasta b/c I had some cooked already. This sauce was so easy and quick to make. Thank you so much for another great recipe.
Best vegan fettuccine I have made. Definitely a Valentin’s/anniversary dinner. Thanks!