This vegan Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce is so rich and creamy, you’d never guess it’s low-carb and super easy to make! Serve over veggie noodles for the perfect vegan dinner.
The word “Alfredo” usually makes me think of a rich sauce that’s loaded with cream and butter, then topped with generous heaps of parmesan cheese.
Delicious, but VERY calorie-heavy. And definitely not vegan-friendly or dairy-free.
Would you believe that this recipe is just as rich and delicious as “normal” Alfredo sauce, but is made without cream or butter?
In fact, those high-calorie ingredients are replaced with an amazing vegetable: cauliflower!
Believe it or not, cauliflower makes the perfect base for a vegan Alfredo. When combined with the right herbs and spices, cauliflower can take on any flavor you like.
For this recipe, some nutritional yeast, salt, pepper, and a small amount of vegan butter (or regular butter) give the sauce an incredibly rich and cheesy flavor.
Better yet, this sauce is SO easy to prepare! Simply cook the vegetables, then blend everything up. Seriously, that’s it!
How to make a cauliflower Alfredo sauce
This sauce whips up in less than 20 minutes and tastes absolutely amazing every time.
Step 1: Add oil to a pot and heat over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the onion and cook for 3 – 5 minutes until it is soft and translucent.
Step 2: Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
Step 3: 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.
Step 4: 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.
Step 5: Add the steamed cauliflower to your blender along with the vegetable broth, lemon juice, salt, nutritional yeast, pepper, vegan butter, and chili flakes.
Step 6: Blend all of the ingredients together until the sauce reaches your desired consistency.
Step 7: Serve immediately over veggie noodles or low-carb pasta.
I love serving vegan Alfredo over zucchini noodles, they’re perfect for soaking up this rich sauce!
Tips for making your sauce
There are a few different ways you can make this recipe depending on your tastes.
If you want a thinner sauce, add a bit of unsweetened almond milk while blending. This won’t alter the taste, but will make it a bit less thick.
If you don’t have vegetable broth on hand, you can substitute with water instead. The broth does enrich the flavor, but it will still be delicious if you need to use water.
Finally, if you can’t get vegan butter at your local grocery stores, you can easily make it yourself. You can see how here.
Of course, if you’re not strictly vegan, you’re welcome to use regular butter as well.
What to serve with this recipe
I prefer to use low-carb pasta alternatives in general. Regular pasta is packed with empty carbohydrates and starches, which can cause blood sugar spikes and leave you feeling bloated.
So with this recipe, you can use any low-carb pasta alternative you like! Zucchini noodles, spaghetti squash, and cabbage noodles are a few of my favorites.
You can make your own veggie noodles or buy them pre-made at your local supermarket.
Storage
This vegan Alfredo can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
I recommend reheating in a saucepan over low heat or in the microwave, stirring frequently.
Other low-carb cauliflower recipes
There are so many ways to get creative using cauliflower! Replacing starches or making creamy sauces and soups are some of the best uses for this versatile vegetable. Here are a few other low-carb cauliflower recipes I know you’ll enjoy:
- Vegan Cauliflower Pizza with Basil Pesto
- Creamy Kabocha Squash and Cauliflower Soup
- Low-Carb Cauliflower Oatmeal
You can also check out this roundup of my favorite low-carb cauliflower recipes for even more food inspiration!
When you’ve tried this 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
- Add oil to a pot and heat over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the onion and cook for 3 – 5 minutes until it is soft and translucent.
- Add the garlic and 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 the steamed cauliflower to your blender along with the vegetable broth, lemon juice, salt, nutritional yeast, pepper, vegan butter, and chili flakes.
- Blend all of the ingredients together until the sauce reaches your desired consistency.
- Serve immediately over veggie noodles or low-carb pasta.
My husband is not liking the veggies noodles how are the carba-nada noodles? He is the diabetic, would those be okay for him?
I’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