I don’t know about you, but I’ve really just been craving a ton of comforting recipes these days. Maybe it’s the pandemic, maybe it’s the weather. It doesn’t even matter, all I want are big bowls of carb goodness. And if you’re feeling the same way I am, then this Vegan Alfredo Sauce is just going to make your day.
How to make vegan alfredo sauce
This vegan pasta sauce is loaded with cauliflower, cashews, miso paste, lemon, herbs and nutritional yeast. The process for this recipe starts with roasting the cauliflower and soaking the cashews.
A little tip, did you know you don’t necessarily have to soak cashews overnight? That’s right, all you have to do is soak them in a bowl of hot boiled water for 30 minutes and that will get the cashews nice, soft and ready to be blended.
So get the cashews soaking and the oven preheated. The cauliflower needs to be roasted but once it’s done, you will set aside all of the cauliflower except 1 heaping cup of it because that heaping cup is going in the cashew alfredo sauce.
You must drain the water from the cashews, then add the cashews to the blender along with the other ingredients, and make sure you reserve 1 cup of pasta water for the blender. That’s going to add some starchiness to our sauce to thicken it up beautifully.
Then blend baby, blend. The end result is a silky, smooth white vegan pasta sauce. Toss your favourite pasta in this sauce and add the rest of the roasted cauliflower to your big bowl of comforting pasta.
Here are a few reasons why I love this cashew alfredo sauce
- To be honest, growing up I was always Team Red Sauce. I wasn’t a huge fan of the white stuff. Maybe it’s because dairy didn’t sit super well with me so I just wanted to avoid it. But I recently felt the pull to attempt my own vegan alfredo sauce and let me tell you I am not disappointed. I love this cashew alfredo sauce because it’s introduced me to my love for white pasta sauces. They don’t have to heavy and full of dairy to be lip-smackingly good.
- I love that this vegan pasta sauce uses cauliflower as the base. It adds some veggie nutrients and creaminess to the sauce. And I love that that instead of throwing the rest of the cauliflower away (because the sauce only needs 1 cup of it) or having to think of another recipe to use the cauliflower in, you simply add it to the rest of the pasta at the end, as a garnish. No food waste over here!
- The rest of the ingredients in the cashew alfredo sauce are ones that I always have in my pantry. So for me and hopefully other plant-based lovers, these ingredients aren’t outside of your normal scope when it comes to grocery shopping. I love a good recipe where I don’t have to go out searching for recipes, they are already right in my pantry.
Looking for more delicious vegan pasta sauce recipes?
One of the great things about this cashew alfredo sauce is that you can use whatever pasta you want. Whether you are a gluten free-er or you love your wheat filled pasta, they will both go amazingly with this vegan pasta sauce. This has been a year of craziness. When I look back on 2020 I think I’ve learned to value my time with friends and family WAY MORE than I ever did in the past. I’ve learned that slowing down doesn’t have to be a negative thing- it is good for the soul. I’ve enjoyed cooking, even more, this year because of this slowing down thing. So slow down, see it as a good thing, and make a big bowl of this vegan alfredo sauce for your bumpin’ Saturday night.
Vegan Alfredo Sauce
Ingredients
roasted cauliflower
- 1 head cauliflower (cut into florets and roasted)
- 1-2 tsp avocado oil
Rest of ingredients
- 1/3 cup raw cashews (soaked in boiling water for 30 minutes)
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 tbsp miso paste
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp avocado oil
- 1 cup pasta water
- 200-340 g fettuccini noodles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the cauliflower into medium-sized florets and toss in in 1-2 tsp of oil. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until golden. Then remove from the oven and set aside.
- Boil water (to soak the cashews). Once boiled, add the cashews to a bowl and add the water on top. Let soak for at least 30 minutes.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Add a generous amount of salt to the water. Once the water is boiling, add your desired amount of pasta. Refer to the package for cooking instructions.
- Before draining the pasta, reserve 1 cup of the pasta water for the alfredo sauce.
- Add 1 heaping cup of the roasted cauliflower to a blender. Drain the water from the bowl of cashews and add the cashews to the blender. Add the rest of the ingredients (pasta water, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic, miso paste, lemon juice, and apple cider vinegar). Blend until smooth. You will need to blend this mixture for a few minutes in order for it to be completely smooth.
- Once smooth. Add the alfredo sauce to the pasta. Top with pepper and the rest of the roasted cauliflower. Best eaten fresh although the sauce will stay fresh for a few days if you store it in the fridge.
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