This lightened up Fettuccine Alfredo uses cauliflower to create a rich vegan Alfredo sauce without the cream! It’s healthier, lighter, and just as tasty as the original version, in my opinion. Cauliflower Alfredo makes a wonderful weeknight dinner, and pasta is always a fantastic option for serving guests at a dinner party. If you’ve been wondering how to prepare a simple vegan Alfredo sauce from scratch, keep reading!
To be honest, I don’t think of this as a vegan fettuccine Alfredo. I just think of it as a healthier fettuccine Alfredo recipe that happens to be vegan.
Many people I know follow a strictly plant-based diet, and I think that’s wonderful. It’s incredibly difficult for me to do this because of my job, but I do try to minimize my intake of animal-based products for a variety of reasons.
How to Make Vegan Alfredo Sauce
How do you create a vegan version of fettuccine Alfredo when you can’t use cream, butter, or cheese? The secret is cauliflower, which becomes incredibly thick and creamy when cooked down and pureed.
I’ve used cauliflower many times to create “cream” soups. It’s magical. You simply cook it down in a large saucepan or Dutch oven, preferably with some onions and maybe a bit of garlic. Add a bit of broth and finish it with some nondairy milk… done.
Obviously, there are usually a few more ingredients involved, as is the case below. But when I’m looking for a vegan alternative to a creamy pasta, this Alfredo recipe does the trick every single time!
What is Nutritional Yeast?
Nutritional yeast is a deactivated yeast that’s typically sold in the form of a yellow powder or flakes. It has a nutty, savory flavor that, while strong on its own, makes a great addition to vegan recipes. Nutritional yeast brings the savory umami quality you’d normally get from an aged cheese like Parmesan.
For awhile it was only available in health food stores and online, but recently I’ve been seeing it in national chain grocery stores as well.
It’s an optional ingredient in this recipe, but if you can find some, I recommend giving it a try!
Looking for more vegan recipes?
Check out my Kung Pao Brussels Sprouts, Crispy Baked Tofu with Broccoli, and Roasted Butternut Squash Soup!
Fettuccine with Vegan Alfredo Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 1 head cauliflower, chopped (approximately 2 pounds or 3-4 cups)
- 1 cup vegetable stock, preferably homemade
- 2/3 cup water, plus more as needed
- 1 cup unsweetened nondairy milk, (I like soy milk)
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper, or to taste (see notes)
- Optional: 1/4 cup fresh grated vegan cheese
- Optional: 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast, or to taste
- 1 pound fettuccine
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven or heavy bottom saucepan, heat the olive oil on medium-low. Add onion to the pan with a pinch of salt and cook for 3-5 minutes until soft. Add the cauliflower and turn up the heat to medium. Cook for an additional 3-5 minutes, stirring, until the cauliflower has softened up. Add the stock and water, then turn the heat to high. Bring the mixture to a simmer, cover the pot and lower the heat. Simmer for 45 minutes.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Prepare the pasta according to package instructions and set aside.
- Carefully ladle the sauce into a blender (in batches, if necessary). Puree until smooth and silky. Return the sauce to the pot and add the milk. Season with fresh grated nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste. Stir in cheese and/or nutritional yeast if using.
- Toss the sauce with the pasta and serve.
Notes
Please read my full post for additional recipe notes, tips, and serving suggestions!
Nutrition
Recipe Troubleshooting
For immediate help troubleshooting a recipe, please email me using the form on my contact page. I’ll try to respond to urgent questions as quickly as possible! For all general questions, please leave a comment here :)
Using cauliflower in your sauce is brilliant!
It’s not very original but I’ve always wanted to try it! It works perfectly.
I’m the same way, Jen. I absolutely HATE my job but it pays the bills so what can you do? I’m giving myself a year until Jason finishes school, moves back home and I can finally quit and blog full-time. It’s becoming exhausting to have 2 jobs!
Anyway, I love this fettuccine. The cauliflower in here is a genius idea.
Same here, Chung-Ah! Except that part about my guy living away from me. We did that for 2 years, though. Not fun! I hope the year will pass quickly for both of us. :)
You’re on the right track, hang in there!
This post was really interesting to read. Especially the part about going to culinary school!
I’ve been eating a ton of lightened up fettucchine alfredo lately and thought that this would be the same version but surprisingly… it’s a new version! I’ll have to try it.
I love reading more about you. I can relate to the feeling of hating your job, I hated all of mine before I got pregnant & decided that staying home with my kids was going to be my new job. I also tinkered with the idea of going to culinary school – a lot. I’m happy you took the leap of faith and are now happy :)
This sauce sounds amazing! Adding the cauliflower is brilliant!
Thank you so much for reading, Aggie! It was scary to put all of that out there so the support is very appreciated.
I want so badly to go to Culinary School. I’m feel like it will never happen now that I’m going on 29 and with the kids…. *sigh* And then the fact that we would have to relocate since there are NO culinary programs in the state of NH… lame. I have been thinking about your list of songs a lot this week. I challenged myself last night to start thinking about it… my list is getting close to 25. I can’t narrow it down! Anyways…. I love this Alfredo…. cauliflower and chicken stock is brilliant.
I’d love to hear your list of songs sometime! You should look into culinary boot camps. I know the CIA in New York has weeklong sessions and you’d probably get a lot out of them without having to deal with student loans or moving.
Carrie – I live in Vermont and there at least two culinary schools in this state. Depending on where you are in NH, you might be able to commute. There is one in Montpelier (Alton Brown when to this one) and there’s one in Johnson, VT. This one is further north than Montpelier. It might be worth your while to check these schools out. Good Luck!
Thanks for featuring my pasta! This looks insanely good!
Thanks Liz!
Awww YAY! Look where you’ve ended up =) I’m glad you found your place and your passion. We do have pretty awesome lives =)
We are very lucky :)
Your story is so inspiring <3
And this fettuccine alfredo looks like perfection-I can't believe that there's cauliflower in the sauce!
Thank you, Kayle!
I will always take a lightened up version of alfredo. This looks incredible!
I really identify with your story. I was a corporate lawyer for years, and I hated it with a burning passion, but I was good at it and I made a lot of money… so I felt trapped. It took me getting to the brink of a nervous breakdown to actually make a change — I took a leave of absence and never looked back. If I’d known about My Life in France at the time, things might have been different! I took 2 years off to have a baby and “find myself” and ended up realizing that the things I would do if I didn’t have to work were cook and write about it. Bam.
Anyway, the pasta looks great, too. ;)
Better to realize later than never :)
Oh my gosh, I love you. Air is my favorite band. NO ONE knows who the heck I’m talking about whenever I mention them–ha. Finally, someone else likes Air! Finally! I also happen to love Fettuccine Alfredo. :)
Yay! They’re one of my favorites as well and I wish people knew how amazing they are. One day I’ll see them live.
I’m so super intrigued by this substitution. Alfredo is one of my favorites but I have it infrequently because it’s so heavy, a lighter option would be perfect!!
This is definitely something that can be enjoyed more regularly. I basically adapted my soup recipe because it was creamy enough to be a “cream” sauce before I thinned it out. It really hits the spot.
Jen, thanks for sharing your personal journey to us. I am sure you are inspiring someone out there, who may be on the fence about career change, to pursue their dreams – or at least give it a shot! I think it’s worth noting too that when you said you got your happy ending, you used the word “career” instead of “job”. I think that’s the difference between the two. If you are passionate about what you are doing, it’s a career. If you hate what you are doing, it’s a job!
This alfredo sauce is gorgeous – love that there’s cauliflower in it!
I always wanted to be someone with a career instead of a job and I cannot believe I actually pulled it off. It was a dream of mine but things looked very dismal for a long time. Thanks for taking the time to read, I really appreciate it!
I’ve really enjoyed checking out all the songs and have even bought a few. Love the top photo.
Which ones did you buy? I’m glad you listened to them! I figure most people skimmed but you have to listen to get the full experience. And thank you :)
I loved reading these last few posts, Jen. Thanks for opening up to your readers- I feel as though I have a better understanding of you and your fabulous food. :)
P.S. I don’t think I could ever get sick of The Wall, but then again, I never had to listen to it 24/7. ;)
Thank you for reading! It’s been nice sharing. I used to LOVE The Wall. I think part of the problem was that he didn’t just play it constantly, he blasted it and often sang along at the top of his lungs. Some of those songs just aren’t meant to start the day.