Any other pasta lovers out there? While I’m a huge fan of pasta with tomato sauce, there is something special about alfredo sauce. Creamy and cheesy, it feels like you’re eating macaroni and cheese for adults. This dairy-free alfredo sauce recipe is the perfect way to enjoy a healthier version.
Believe it or not, this vegan alfredo sauce recipe is even easier to make than traditional alfredo sauce. This recipe is as simple as blending together a few ingredients. You’ll be shocked at how much it tastes like the real deal.
As someone who has always been a fan of cheese in whatever form, I was a bit skeptical to try alfredo sauce without it. One nice thing about being dairy-free in 2022 is that we’ve learned so much about how to make substitutes for different foods. The combination of cashews, almond milk, lemon juice, and some spices give the same creamy and cheesy flavor we get from traditional alfredo sauce.
Ingredients Needed
To make this easy and delicious dairy-free alfredo sauce at home you’ll need the following ingredients:
- Cashews: Believe it or not, cashews have a creamy flavor to them that helps replicate the taste of alfredo sauce. For this recipe, we’ll need a 1/2 cup.
- Almond milk: I’ve linked my blog post on how to make almond milk at home. It’s way easier than you’d actually think. However, if you don’t have the time to make your own you can pick some up from the store. For this recipe, we’ll need a 1/2 cup.
- Lemon juice: For this dairy-free alfredo sauce recipe we’ll only need 1 tsp of lemon juice. You should be able to get this from either half of a lemon, or from lemon juice concentrate.
- Salt: We’ll be using 1/2 tsp of salt to help bring out the flavor in this sauce recipe.
- Pepper: You’ll only need a pinch of pepper for this recipe. If you’d like your alfredo sauce to be more peppery to taste more like Cacio e Pepe, then you can add more.
- Minced garlic: We’ll need 2 cloves of minced garlic for this easy vegan alfredo sauce recipe.
- Paprika: Paprika is the final ingredient in this sauce recipe, and I think it might be my favorite part! It adds the perfect amount of spice to the dish. We’ll only need 1 tsp of paprika for this recipe.
- Pasta: You can use any type of pasta for this recipe. Since I’m gluten-free, my favorite pasta to make this recipe with is the Banza chickpea pasta linked. It tastes just like regular spaghetti to me, but it’s gluten-free and made from chickpeas! It can be found in most grocery stores, so I highly recommend picking up a box on your next trip to the store.
Equipment Required
As mentioned above, this recipe is incredibly straightforward to make! I think it’s even easier to make than traditional alfredo sauce since all it requires is a blender. To make both the alfredo sauce and the pasta you’ll need the following kitchen tools:
- Blender: Linked is the blender I use, the Ninja. I think this blender works extremely well and is one of my favorite kitchen appliances. Any blender will work for this recipe though!
- Pot
- Strainer
How to Make this Recipe
Follow the instructions below to make this dairy-free alfredo sauce recipe at home:
First, add the cashews through paprika ingredients to a blender and blend on medium for 1-2 minutes until the mixture is well combined.
Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box.
Pour the blended sauce over the cooked pasta.
Serve warm and enjoy!
Dairy-Free Alfredo Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup cashews
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 pinch of pepper
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 box pasta I like Banza chickpea pasta
Instructions
- First, add the cashews through paprika ingredients to a blender and blend on medium for 1-2 minutes until the mixture is well combined.
- Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box.
- Pour the blended sauce over the cooked pasta.
- Serve warm and enjoy!
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