This Vegan Cauliflower Alfredo is better than your average cauliflower alfredo sauce. With TWO secret ingredients, this creamy vegan alfredo is filled with tons of vegetables. It's truly a healthier & dairy-free alternative to a traditional white cream sauce that can be made in 30-minutes or less!
One of my favorite quotes from 2019 was "If cauliflower can become pizza, you can do anything". From this cauliflower pasta sauce to my favorite TJ's Cauliflower Gnocchi or my creamy Carrot Cauliflower Soup, it's true that cauliflower is the ingredient that can do it all!
Are you curious what makes this vegan cauliflower alfredo sauce so delicious? Well, first of all, there's no boring boiled cauliflower here. While you could boil the cauliflower in this recipe, I chose to chop it up with onions and sauté it in a pan with garlic for maximum flavor.
To make this creamy cauliflower sauce even more delicious I added in two unexpected ingredients- chickpeas and miso paste!
The chickpeas make this creamy and dairy-free alfredo sauce SO creamy without butter. Plus, this cauliflower cream sauce is made with oat milk making it allergy-friendly and completely nut-free.
How to make vegan cauliflower alfredo
Ingredients:
- Cauliflower & Onions (sautéed in a bit of oil, garlic, salt, and pepper)
- Chickpeas (for ultimate creaminess!)
- Oat Milk (or any other dairy-free milk)
- Nutritional Yeast (for that cheesy flavor)
- Lemon (for a little tang)
- Miso paste (adds in that umami flavor that makes this alfredo sauce truly unique)
- Pasta...because we can't have alfredo without a good pasta!
How to make a dairy-free cauliflower sauce:
First, sauté the chopped onions, chopped cauliflower, and minced garlic in a pan for 10-12 minutes.
Once the vegetables are cooked, add them to a blender with lemon juice, miso paste, chickpeas, oat milk, and nutritional yeast. Then, blend until creamy and completely smooth.
As the last step, pour the sauce over cooked pasta noodles, reheat on the stove, and then top with fresh parsley and lemon slices!
For reference, I used my Le Creuset Dutch Oven to cook the pasta and reheat the sauce for this recipe and used my KitchenAid K400 Blender to blend up the sauce. You can also use a food processor to blend the sauce.
FAQ & Substitutions
Absolutely! In fact, this creamy white sauce is already naturally gluten-free, lactose-free, and vegan! Simply sub in gluten-free pasta noodles for an entirely gluten-free pasta recipe. Also, make sure to double-check you are using a gluten-free miso paste as some are made with barley, wheat, or rye.
If you are looking for a pasta suggestion, I recommend Jovial spaghetti or brown-rice pasta from Trader Joe's.
Yes! While I like using olive oil for maximum flavor, the only time oil is used in this recipe is to sauté the cauliflower, onion, and garlic. Simply sub in 1-2 Tbsp vegetable broth to sauté the vegetables and make this dish entirely oil-free.
If you've never used miso before, it is actually fermented soy with salt and grains (sometimes gluten-free, sometimes it is not). Since I wanted to make a gluten-free sauce, I used Hikari Organic Miso Paste, White which is Certified GF. While I used white miso for this recipe, other darker varieties will work but expect a darker pasta sauce.
If you can't find miso, this recipe STILL tastes great without it, but I will say it adds a really unique flavor to the dish.
There's not really a replacement for miso paste that I can truly recommend. However, if you truly can't find it, try mixing 1 Tbsp tahini with 1 tsp soy sauce or tamari to get a similar taste, or just omit it from the recipe altogether and add in extra salt to flavor.
Yes! White kidney beans work just as well in this recipe.
This sauce actually stores amazingly as leftovers! Simply add to a container and store in the fridge for 4-5 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month. To reheat, either microwave until warm throughout or reheat in a saucepan over low heat on the stove.
This creamy cauliflower sauce is SO delicious, can be whipped up in 30 minutes or less, and makes a great weeknight dinner to serve to the whole family.
To make this Vegan Cauliflower Alfredo even more delicious try it with some sautéed mushrooms as I did in my Vegan Truffle Mushroom Pasta or add in some Miso Brussel Sprouts for a fun twist. Whatever you decide, I know you will love this Vegan Cauliflower Alfredo!
-TSG
More Vegan Pasta Recipes You Will Love:
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Vegan Cauliflower Alfredo
Ingredients
- 12 oz cooked pasta
- 4 cups chopped cauliflower ½ head of cauliflower
- 1 cup diced onion 1 small onion or ½ large onion
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoon oil
- 2 ½ cups oat milk or other non-dairy milk
- ½ cup chickpeas
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon white miso paste
- 2 teaspoon lemon juice
- salt & pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoon parsley optional, as topping
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Strain and set aside in a large pot.
- While the pasta is cooking, chop up the cauliflower, onion, and garlic and set aside. Add the oil to a frying pan or wok and turn on the heat. Once the oil is hot, add in the vegetables and sauté for 10-12 minutes until browned. Remove the vegetables from the heat and season with salt and pepper.
- Add the cooked vegetables to a blender with the oat milk, chickpeas, nutritional yeast, miso paste, and lemon juice. Then, blend until completely smooth and creamy. The sauce will be pretty thick, so if you are looking for a thinner sauce add more oat milk. Depending on the quality of your blender this can take anywhere from 2-8 minutes.
- Add the blended cauliflower sauce to the pan with cooked pasta and mix together over low heat until the sauce has reached the desired temperature. Turn off the heat, season with salt and pepper, and serve the pasta immediately. Garnish with parsley and lemon slices if desired!
Notes
- the cauliflower alfredo sauce will keep in the fridge in a closed container for 4-5 days. It can also be stored in the freezer up to 1 month. To reheat, cook in the microwave or add to a small pan and cook over low heat.
Kara says
This recipe is AMAZING!! Easy, and delicious! A great way to curve those craving, but healthy! Definitely try this!
Spicy demons says
This recipe was so delicious, this is the first recipe from your blog that we have tried but we will definitely be trying many more! The miso paste was an excellent addition and added some umami depth. We will be making this one again and again. We would highly recommend
Megan Horowitch says
Thank you so much for the feedback and so glad you loved the addition of miso paste!
Mia says
I tried this recipe even though I was skeptical that it could even come close to the real thing, but boy was I wrong! The texture and consistency were spot on (I used a food processor instead of a blender), and it tasted wonderful. So much so that my husband, who’s not at all vegan, went back for more! The only thing I would change is to add some more seasoning; I was seeking a little kick that it didn’t have. But that could just be my preference. I also used red miso paste instead of white because that’s what I had on hand but it doesn’t look like it changed anything. Overall, loved it and will make it again!
ShortGirlTallOrder says
Thanks Mia! Next time I'd add in some chili flakes or more ground pepper for more of a kick 🙂
Rylee says
Seriously the best vegan Alfredo I’ve ever had And could not be easier to make! The sauce is so so good I could eat by the spoonful! I used great northern beans because that’s all I had and it was fantastic! Can’t wait to try it with chickpeas next time! This will for sure be part of our dinner rotation!
ShortGirlTallOrder says
Thanks for the feedback Rylee so glad the bean substitution was still delicious!
Julia says
Made this “alfredo” sauce over the weekend, and WOW. I’ve tried other vegan alfredo sauces that were ok, but had weird aftertastes. This one TAKES THE CAKE (speaking of cake, I originally followed @shortgirltallorder for her vegan baking recipes, but I am most definitely going to work my way through everything now!!!). This sauce was so creamy and so well-flavored, if I hadn’t made it myself, I’m not sure I would have known it was vegan. All the taste and none of the guilt! Will most definitely be making again!!! Thank you!
ShortGirlTallOrder says
Wow thank you Julia this comment just made my day 🙂 The miso makes such a big difference doesn't it?! So so glad you liked it!