The BEST Keto Vegan Alfredo Sauce Recipe – Perfect for Any low carb/keto pasta recipe. It’s a no cashews
This was my first attempt at vegan Alfredo sauce and I have to say that it turned out to be delicious.
There are no cashews in this vegan Alfredo sauce and definitely no dairy in it either. It’s also made with roasted cauliflower crumbles and almond milk.
All the ingredients in this sauce are going to be in your kitchen and pantry right now.
Tips for making vegan Alfredo sauce
- For faster cooking, use cauliflower crumbles because they have already been chopped up. They will cook faster stove-top and save you at least 15 minutes of chopping and cooking time. That totally makes it worth your time, right?
- It’s so easy to refrigerate or freeze this sauce. This way, you can enjoy the sauce for months.
- This sauce can be used in penne pastas, meatball casseroles or Vegan meatloaf recipes. It’s a very versatile sauce.
- I also like to call this the flax seed sauce because I use ground flax seeds in it. They add a creamy texture to the sauce and make it taste a little nutty.
- You can use extra garlic if you want. I always add more than what I put in the recipe below and it tastes delicious!
- There are no cashews or whole almonds in my recipe. You are welcome to use them, if you like. Make sure you soak them overnight. It will soften them.
Vegan, gluten-free, keto and low carb Alfredo sauce
This recipe, inadvertently, turned out to be Gluten free and low carb. That surprised me and delighted me at the same time. I love when recipes turn out to be healthy.
All the ingredients are natural and I used no sugars (that means real sugar, artificial sugars or sugar alcohols). Who would have thunk that Alfredo sauce can taste delicious without any sweeteners!
I have heard from old Italian ladies that sugar is not needed in pasta sauces. So, they inspired me to make this completely sugar-free Alfredo sauce.
I made this recipe back in 2015 when I had no idea what keto was! Yet, I inadvertently created a keto friendly recipe!
You have no idea how happy this makes me because I love accidentally keto recipes, lol. It also happens to be vegan!
Vegan keto is a very difficult combination and so, this recipes are always in high demand. I like to put it in low carb/keto pasta recipes. Soon, I am putting it in a casserole recipe too.
Nutritional yeast is a vegan’s best friend!
In this recipe, I make use of raw nutritional yeast for the first time on this blog. If you don’t use it in your vegan diet, now is a good time to start.
It is so good for vegans because it is a significant source of B-Complex vitamins. I try to put it in one meal a day and most of the time you can’t tell that its in there.
This Creme Fraiche is my favorite way to use nutritional yeast. I find it to be a substitute for heavy cream or whipping cream.
For this recipe I used raw nutritional yeast.
Here are some other recipes I have used it in: Stuffed poblano, Vegan mac and cheese, French toast bread pudding, sweet potato hasselbacks and acorn squash soup.
Ask me questions
Raw nutritional yeast is all natural. It’s what remains after the brewing process and is packed with almost all B vitamins.
Fortified, on the other hand, is raw nutritional yeast with other vitamins added to it. Particularly, vitamin B12 is added to it because raw doesn’t contain B12.
Cauliflower crumbles are found in the fresh vegetables aisle at any grocery store or big box stores.
I don’t think I will ever chop to cut cauliflower again. Don’t you just love it when companies make your life easier?
Yes, ground flax seeds make all the difference in this sauce. Even though I only use a tiny bit of it, it adds so much texture and flavor to this sauce. Flax seed flour is better than using corn starch to thicken the sauce. It keeps this sauce gluten-free
Yes, it is easy to sweeten vegan Alfredo sauce. You can use stevia drops (about 2-3). This will keep it Keto and low-carb.
Also, you can sweeten it with Agave or maple syrup. That will mean it won’t be Keto or low-carb.
Ideally, you want to make it without any sugars.
Yes, you can freeze homemade Alfredo sauce. Put it in ice cube trays (make sure the ice tray has a lid) or you can put it in Zip-lock bags (lay them flat in the refrigerator).
To refrigerate this Alfredo sauce, put it in glass mason jars. Refrigerate it and use it within 2 weeks.
Yes, you can absolutely use almond milk in it. It adds a nutty flavor and makes the sauce a little softer.
If you want even more cauliflower recipes, check out my collection of the easiest cauliflower recipes.
Recipe for vegan Alfredo sauce
1) On medium heat, put 3 tsp of extra virgin olive oil
2) Add 2 cloves of garlic. I like to cut each clove into 4 pieces
3) Add 1 cup of almond milk and heat on medium heat for 4 minutes
4) Add 1 cup of crumbled cauliflower and stir well. Let it heat until the cauliflower is softened. On medium heat, it should take about 15 minutes
5) Add 1/2 tsp of salt. This is optional
6) Add 1/8 tsp of whole peppercorns and stir well
7) Add 2 tsp of crushed pistachios.
8) Add 1/4 cup of almond milk and stir well. Remove from heat and allow it to cool for about 10 minutes
9) Put the combination into a blender and blend on medium speed for about 30 seconds
10) Add 1/4 cup of almond milk (optional), 1/2 tsp of nutritional yeast, sugar, flax seed meal, 1/4 tsp of freshly squeezed lemon juice. Blend again until the consistency is smooth.
11) Remove from blender and serve with your favorite vegan or vegetarian pasta recipe. I am sure that meat eaters will love this Vegan Alfredo sauce too.
Are you on “Team red pasta sauce” or “Team white pasta sauce”
Vegan Alfredo Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 1 1/2 cup almond milk (Split into 1 cup, 1/4 cup and 1/4 cup)
- 1 cup cauliflower crumbled or cut into pieces
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp whole peppercorns
- 1/2 tsp flax seed meal
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp pistachios crushed ground
- 1/2 tsp nutritional yeast
- 1/4 tsp lemon juice freshly squeezed
Instructions
- Heat olive oil on medium heat in a strong-bottom pan
- Add the garlic
- Add and heat on medium heat for 4 minutes
- Add crumbled cauliflower and stir well.
- Let it heat until the cauliflower is softened (about 15min on medium heat)
- Add salt, peppercorns and pistachios then mix well
- Add 1/4 cup of almond milk and stir well.
- Remove from heat and allow it to cool for about 10 minutes
- Put into a blender and blend on medium speed for about 30 seconds
- Add 1/4 cup of almond milk (optional), sugar, flax seed meal, nutritional yeast and lemon juice.
- Blend again until the consistency is smooth.
- Remove from blender and use it in your pasta recipe
Notes
- For faster cooking, use cauliflower crumbles because they have already been chopped up. They will cook faster stove-top and save you at least 15 minutes of chopping and cooking time. That totally makes it worth your time, right?
- It’s so easy to refrigerate or freeze this sauce. This way, you can enjoy the sauce for months.
- This sauce can be used in pastas, casseroles and even meatloaf. It’s very versatile.
- I also like to call this the flax seed sauce because I use ground flax seeds in it. They add a creamy texture to the sauce and make it taste a little nutty.
- You can use extra garlic if you want. I always add more than what I put in the recipe below and it tastes delicious!
- There are no cashews or whole almonds in my recipe. You are welcome to use them, if you like. Make sure you soak them overnight. It will soften them.
This looks amazing. I love pasta. This recipe looks delicious. Saving and pinning.
Thank you, Amber
this looks amazing !! oh how i love alfrado i must try this.
Thank you, Laci
This is some good stuff right here. Thanks for sharing
Thank you, Mardene
I never thought you could cook Alfredo without cream! That looks delightful! I’d love to give it a try.
Thank you, Elizabeth. I am discovering that cauliflower makes for a great creamy base
This looks delicious and I love that it is vegan!
Thank you, Ana.
We all love Alfredo sauce and your vegan Alfredo sauce looks absolutely delicious. Pinned it to my ‘Other recipes I like’ board.
Thank you, Yonca. I am really happy that you pinned it.
It sounds and looks delicious. I love cream sauces more than tomato based sauces, so I would surely enjoy this one.
Thank you, Heather. I do like tomato based sauces just as much as I like creamy sauces. I am happy to hear that you like my recipe.
I’m not a vegan, but I’m going to try your recipe as it looks delicious nevertheless!
Thank you, Katarzyna. This recipe appeals to vegans and meat-eaters. The Alfredo sauce is just like the regular version. Please tell me you like it after you try it.
These looks delicious. Great recipe for vegan. Thanks for sharing
Thank you, Urvi
Goodness gracious, this looks and sounds delicious. I’m going to forward your link to my sister. I’m always hunting down vegan recipes for her.
Thank you, Terri. You and your sister sound like fun and adventurous people. I have a feeling that both of you will like the recipe.
A novel take on the American version of Alfredo sauce, and a great alternative for people who can’t or won’t eat dairy. The result looks wonderfully luscious and creamy. Great job!
Thank you, Jerry. I am so delighted to h ear that you like this recipe.
That sounds delicious. I’m going to try this over the weekend 🙂
Thank you, Robin. I am happy to hear that. Let me know how you like it.
This sauce sounds wonderful! I eat mostly Low Carb so I am definitely going to need to try this!
Thank you, Marye. Hope you like it.
So delicious! I love making vegan alfredo!
Thank you, Rebecca.
I love pasta, I can make and prepare pasta in minutes. Lately, my teenage son discover how to make Aglio Olio without meat and I am impressed. I will show this to him and might interest him to make one 🙂
Thank you, Agnes. That Aglio Olio sounds like a super delicious recipe. I would love for him to share the recipe.
I love a good white sauce, and while I’m not vegan, this is very appealing! I am gluten free out of neccessity … so I really appreciate that you have made this GF, too 🙂
Thank you, Paula. I hope you like the recipe.
I have been craving an Alfredo… I have never used pistachios in mine, I bet that is a great flavor!
Thank you, Kristina. I like the nutty flavor that pistachios bring to this sauce
I think my computer did some kind of wacky thing while I was commenting lol.
Regardless I love this recipe and will give it a go! I need a better way to make creamy sauces without all the calories!
Thank you, Joely. I did get both your comments and I am happy that you wrote it again. 🙂
What a genius idea! I am a fan of creamy pasta sauces myself. I do adore red sauce if home made from fresh tomatoes but I prefer a white or cream sauce. Either way I stopped eating cream sauce due to all the calories! I love this idea and will give it a go!
Thank you, Joely. This will definitely make you enjoy creamy sauces again.
For a vegan based pasta sauce this look so creamy and delicious. Even though I am not vegan I have to try the recipe!
Thank you, Thalia. This sauce works for any picky eater.