This vegan cauliflower Alfredo sauce is rich and creamy while also being low-carb and super easy to make! Put in on top of veggie noodles for the perfect vegan dinner!
The word Alfredo usually conjures up images of a rich and creamy sauce, loaded with cream and butter and topped with generous heaps of parmesan cheese. Delicious, but VERY calorie-heavy.
This recipe is just as rich and delicious as “normal” Alfredo sauce, but instead of being made with cream and butter, it is made with an amazing vegetable: cauliflower!
Believe it or not, cauliflower makes the perfect base for a vegan Alfredo sauce. If combined with the correct herbs and spices, cauliflower take on the flavor of whatever you like. For this recipe, some nutritional yeast, salt, pepper, and a small amount of vegan butter (or regular butter) give the sauce a cheesy, rich flavor.
What’s even better about this recipe is that it is so easy to prepare and get ready that it makes for a perfect weeknight dinner. Simply prepare all of the ingredients, blend until smooth, and serve over your favorite low-carb pasta or veggie noodles. It’s that easy!
How to make a cauliflower Alfredo sauce?
Making this vegan cauliflower Alfredo sauce is super easy! It takes less than 20 minutes to prepare and tastes absolutely amazing every time.
Step 1: Saute a medium sized onion until it is soft and translucent. Add in some fresh garlic and fry for another 30 seconds until fragrant.
Step 2: Add the cauliflower florets and vegetable stock to the pot and steam until the cauliflower is soft (about 5 minutes but check with a fork).
Step 3: Add the steamed cauliflower to your blender along with the rest of the ingredients: the lemon juice, salt, nutritional yeast, pepper, butter, and chili flakes.
Step 4: Blend all of the ingredients together. Make sure to blend long enough to obtain a smooth consistency.
Tip: You can adjust the consistency of the cauliflower alfredo sauce to your liking by blending the sauce less for a chunkier sauce or blending longer for a smoother consistency.
Step 5: Serve immediately over veggie noodles or low-carb pasta.
Tips for making a rich and creamy vegan alfredo sauce
- You can add a bit of unsweetened almond milk while blending the sauce if the mixture is too thick.
- You can use any low-carb pasta alternative you like for this recipe. Zucchini noodles, spaghetti squash, and cabbage noodles are all good options for this recipe. You can also buy many of these noodles ready-made at your local supermarket.
- Water can be used instead of the vegetable broth. This recipe works with water, but the broth does enrich the flavor of the sauce.
- If you can’t get vegan butter at your local grocery stores, you can easily make it yourself. You can see how here. You can of course also use regular butter if you don’t care about the recipe being vegan.
Other low-carb cauliflower recipes
Using cauliflower is so much fun in the kitchen and you can be very creative with how to use it. Replacing starches, making creamy sauces and soups are some of the best uses for this versatile vegetable.
Here are a few other low-carb cauliflower recipes you might enjoy:
- Vegan Cauliflower Pizza with Basil Pesto
- Creamy Kabocha Squash and Cauliflower Soup
- Low-Carb Cauliflower Oatmeal
You can also read this roundup I created of low-carb cauliflower recipes for even more food inspiration!
When you’ve tried my vegan cauliflower Alfredo sauce, please don’t forget to let me know how you liked it and rate the recipe in the comments below!
Vegan Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 garlic cloves
- 4 cups chopped cauliflower florets
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt
- 1 tbsp. nutritional yeast
- Pepper to taste (I used 1 tsp.)
- 2 tbsp. Vegan butter
- 1 tsp. chili flakes (optional)
Instructions
- Heat a pot over medium-high heat and add the oil. Once the oil has heated up, add the onion. Cook for 3 - 5 minutes until it is soft and translucent and then add the garlic. Allow to cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the cauliflower florets and vegetable stock to the pot and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Steam the cauliflower for 5 minutes until soft.
- Transfer the soft cauliflower to your blender and blend on high until smooth and creamy. You can add one tablespoon of broth at a time if the cauliflower doesn’t blend easily.
- Add in the lemon juice, salt, nutritional yeast, pepper, butter, and chili flakes (if using) to your blender and blend until smooth and all the ingredients are fully mixed together.
- Serve immediately over your desired low-carb pasta alternative. I used zucchini noodles which work wonderfully with this rich sauce!
Nutrition Info Per Serving
Jennifer Lynn Daley says
April 14, 2019 at 9:59 pmMy husband is not liking the veggies noodles how are the carba-nada noodles? He is the diabetic, would those be okay for him?
Christel Oerum says
April 15, 2019 at 7:16 pmI’ve never tried that product but it looks ok. The net carbs are 15 g per 2 oz. pasta which isn’t bad. My favorite alternative right now is Edamame spaghetti from Explore cuisine (I just buy it in my local supermarket). That only has 4 g of net carbs per 2 oz. and has the texture and taste of spaghetti