20-Minute Vegan Alfredo

Mar 26, 2020 (Last updated Jan 7, 2025) by Hannah Sunderani

20-Minute Vegan Alfredo

This vegan Alfredo sauce takes 20 minutes to make. It’s thick, smooth, creamy and rich!  Made with cashews, almond milk, and nutritional yeast for a dairy-free, cheesy flavoured alfredo sauce!

Certainly, everyone can get on board with this recipe – from kids to adults, and even vegan skeptics. Better yet, it requires just 10 ingredients and only 20 minutes to make! (If you weren’t convinced already).

All-in-all, it’s exactly what were looking for in a vegan alfredo sauce. So, let me tell you exactly how to make this recipe so you can enjoy it asap!

Vegan Alfredo Sauce Recipe

The ingredients

For this recipe you will need:

• raw cashews
• shallots, or yellow onion
• garlic
• coconut oil
• almond milk
• nutritional yeast
• lemon juice
• paprika
• sea salt and pepper

As you can see, the ingredients are simple and straight forward. Which is why I have given it my newbie cook stamp of approval. It’s likely you already have the ingredients in your pantry.

What is nutritional yeast?

However, if you’re new to vegan cooking you might not be familiar with nutritional yeast. This is the secret ingredient that vegans use to achieve cheesy and savoury taste without the cheese. I use nutritional yeast in so many of my recipes for bold cheesy flavour and umami taste. Certainly, it’s a pantry staple for a plant-based diet.

In addition to its taste, nutritional yeast has tons of health benefits. I guess you can say the truth is in its name. Check out Medical News Today to see just how nutritious nutritional yeast is.

You can find nutritional yeast at most general grocery stores. But if you’re having trouble finding it than I recommend to try an organic grocers like Wholefoods, Farm Boy or Trader Joe’s. Or, order it on Amazon.

Make this recipe with me!

Cook along and make this plant-based Alfredo with me on my YouTube Cooking Show (featuring Mitch, who doesn’t know how to cook. If he can do it, anyone can!).

How to make vegan Alfredo sauce

To make the Alfredo Sauce: Melt the coconut oil in a small skillet on medium heat. Add the chopped shallots and garlic. Cook until softened, about 5 mins.

Transfer the shallot mixture to a blender. Strain the cashews and add them to the blender along with almond milk, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, sea salt, pepper and paprika. Blend on high for 1-minute, until smooth. Set aside.

Add the spaghetti noodles to the pot of boiling water and cook until al-dente, about 7 mins. Strain and transfer the noodles back to the pot. Pour the Alfredo sauce over noodles and mix to combine. Serve in bowls, optional to sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley and chilli flakes.

Now you have a perfectly creamy and smooth sauce to pour over your favourite spaghetti noodles. Easy, peasy!

Vegan Alfredo sauce with cashew

Certainly, each ingredient in this Alfredo sauce plays a vital role in offering big bold cheesy flavour. I’ve already mentioned nutritional yeast for premium cheesy flavour, but it’s important to note that cashews are another staple ingredient for cheesy vegan dishes.

No doubt, cashews give this sauce its creamy and thick texture. In fact, I love using cashews for creamy sauces, milks and cheeses.

Make this recipe with no cashew/nut-free

Rest assured, it’s very easy to make this vegan Alfredo sauce nut-free if that’s your jam. Simply substitute the cashews for hemp hearts. You can do a 1:1 swap for this.If using hemp hearts you do not need to soak them in advanced.

However, I personally prefer cashews over hemp hearts because the cashews give a more creamy taste that’s similar to real Alfredo. While the hemp hearts give a more nutty taste. Although both are still delicious!

In addition, the almond milk in this recipe can be swapped for soy milk, oat milk or coconut to make it nut-free.

A few tips for this recipe

I recommend to soak the cashews in advance before using, preferably overnight. Although it’s not necessary, it will yield an even creamier and smoother blend. If you’re pressed for time, you can reduce the soak time significantly by pouring boiling water into a bowl of raw cashews. Let sit for 1 hour.

It’s good to note that you can also make this vegan Alfredo sauce well in advance. It will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. Simply warm in a saucepan or microwave before using.

Additionally, this sauce can be frozen for up to one month in a freezer safe container. Let thaw before using.

Other recipes you might like:

If you’re digging this recipe you might also like these cheesy dishes:

• Vegan Grilled Cheese
• Vegan Zucchini Lasagna
• Fully Loaded Black Bean Nachos
• Easy Vegan Mac and Cheese
• Vegan Cheese Platter

So there you have it. An ultra simple recipe for vegan Alfredo sauce that’s creamy, smooth and full of cheesy flavour. It’s a quick and easy recipe that all eaters adore, vegan or not. With just 10 ingredients and 20 minutes, you can have a comforting dinner on the table in no time. I’m sure you’re going to love it as much as we did.

And, if you do make this recipe please let me know in the comments below what you think! I love hearing from you. And of course, tag me on Instagram with the hashtag #twospoons. Nothing makes me happier than to see your recreations.

See more step-by-step instructions by visiting the recipe story here!