A Vegan Cream Cheese Alfredo that is tangy, creamy, dairy-free, oil-free and incredibly delicious! Just 8 ingredients and ready in 20 minutes!
Oh yes, I did. Classic Alfredo just got a delicious twist. 4. This is number 4 alfredo for my blog. Why? Well, because I’d say that I love eating alfredo as much as I love creating them. This one is different than my other 2 popular ones. Best Vegan Garlic Alfredo and 20 Minute Vegan Alfredo.
How?
Well, this one does not have ANY nutritional yeast. All 3 of my alfredos have it and pretty much any recipe online has it. But, since so many detest it and I personally don’t use it anymore and often get asked how to sub it, I switched gears for this alfredo and created Vegan Cream Cheese Alfredo. OMG. That’s what I kept saying over and over after I tasted it. Since yogurt worked so well in this Strawberry Cream Cheese, I wanted to use it again. Cream cheese alfredo had to happen.
OMG. It’s divine y’all. Divine.
All you need to make this is 8 easy ingredients (+salt & water):
- 1/2 cup raw cashews or white beans if you don’t mind bean-based sauces
- 1/2 cup plain unsweeted coconut yogurt (I use the So Delicious brand)
- 1/2 cup yukon gold potato
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar…the white vinegar is infinitely better than apple for the cream cheese flavor
- 1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs
- pasta of choice
Once again, yukon gold potato shows up in a sauce. I know you aren’t surprised by that considering I’ve done it in my Vegan Mac ‘N’ Cheese and my third alfredo, the Nut-Free Vegan Alfredo!
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN CREAM CHEESE ALFREDO
First, if you don’t have a high-powered blender then soak your cashews overnight in water.
Cook your potato. I just wrap a potato (with skin on) in plastic wrap and microwave until soft and then peel the skin and measure out 1/2 cup mashed (120g). The plastic wrap does not touch the actual part being used. Let cool a bit while you add the ingredients to a blender.
Add the cashews, water, yogurt, potato, garlic powder, onion powder, vinegar, Italian herbs, salt/pepper and blend until smooth.
Add to cooked pasta and you are ready to eat! No oil, no butter and yet, so creamy and divine.
If you are feeling it then add some dried or fresh Italian herbs and red pepper flakes!
Vegan Cream Cheese Alfredo
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup 75g raw cashews or white beans if you don't mind bean-based sauces-See Note
- 1 cup 240g water
- 1/2 cup 120g "plain" soy or coconut yogurt (I use the SoDelicious coconut from Sprouts or Silk Soy from Krogers)
- 1/2 cup 120g cooked/mashed yukon gold potato
- 1/2 teaspoon 2g garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon 4g onion powder
- 2 1/2 teaspoons 13g white vinegar (white vinegar is infinitely better than apple for the cream cheese flavor)
- 2-3 teaspoons dried Italian herbs 3 will yield a darker colored sauce
- 1 teaspoon 6g fine sea salt and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- optional: 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- pasta of choice
- Note: If you are allergic to cashews and are a fan of white bean sauces then you can sub with them at your own risk. I am personally NOT a fan of white bean sauces. They are a weird mouth feel and not nearly as creamy, but that is personal. If you do the beans, the sauce will not be as thick, so you may need to heat it up for a few minutes over the stove to thicken it some before adding to the pasta.
Instructions
- If you do not have a high-powered blender then you will need to soak your cashews in a bowl of water overnight, drain and rinse and proceed with the recipe. Otherwise, your sauce will be gritty. I never soak mine because I have a Vitamix.
- Begin boiling a large pot of water for your pasta and cook according to the box directions for whatever pasta you use. Make sure to salt your water well so your pasta is not bland.
- Cook your potato your preferred method. I just wrap a potato (with skin on) in plastic wrap and microwave until soft and then peel the skin and measure out 1/2 cup mashed (120g). The plastic does not touch the actual part of the potato being used. Let cool a minute while you add the ingredients to a blender.
- Add the cashews, water, yogurt, potato, garlic powder, onion powder, vinegar, Italian herbs, salt/pepper and optional nutmeg and blend until completely smooth. Taste and if a tangier taste is desired, add more yogurt or vinegar. I found it to be perfect. Add more salt if desired. Serve over cooked pasta and enjoy! Feel free to add any veggies you want but classic alfredo is served plain and it's actually my favorite way to eat it. Just a bit of herbs or red pepper flakes I like to add sometimes.
This was amazing! Thank you for the easy and tasteful recipe.
Hello,
What does the vegan cream cheese pasta taste like…? I’m personally not a vegan myself and I’m considering trying some of your alfredo recipes. Can you do a vegan carbonara (including egg yolk) and a penne alla vodka?
God Bless,
Gen
Hi Gen! Well, it has a cream cheese flavor! It’s creamy, rich and delicious. If you see all the reviews above, readers have loved it and I’ve served it many times to non-vegans and heard from many non vegans who made and loved it. My alfredo recipes are a universal hit with people, whether vegan or not, just creamy, rich sauces! Honestly, try not to think of it as “vegan”, but rather just a yummy creamy sauce, which it is! I’ll kero those others in mind!
Oh my goodness! This was delish! Couldn’t stop eating it. I added asparagus and steamed sweet peas. Will be making again and again! Uses riced noodles which were perfect.
That is so wonderful to hear Tonya, thank you so much for the wonderful feedback!
Brandi…. we need to talk…
This sauce is….. amazing! I am also sensitive to nutritional yeast (I have a bad reaction to it as it gives me headaches) also I never thought it had a good smell or a cheesy flavor. This recipe is a game changer!!! Your recipes are on a roll with me… keep this up and I will have no problem maintaining my whole food plant based diet (I’m on my 3rd weeks so far and was vegetarian prior)! One thing I am wondering is how long can this sauce be stored in the fridge and does it reheat well?
Thank you!!!
haha, thank you so much Emma, you are too sweet! So honored to hear my recipes are making your transition such a success, that warms my heart! This sauce is good a week in the fridge and yes, it reheats well! Just give it a good whisk 🙂
Thank you so much!
OMG!!! This was delicious! I’ve been looking at recipes and none seemed to be what I looking for. This was it and was a hit. It was so easy to make. The only problem is it tastes to good. I was full and couldn’t stop eating.
Is there a substitute for the yogurt? I live in Jamaica and we only have dairy yogurt. I have just started going vegan and came across your site. I love it, the ingredients are simple and the list is short. Excellent!!!. I just don’t have access to some of them. Keep up the good work
Thank you Paula! Do you have vegan sour cream, I think that should work as a substitute.
This was super creamy and dreamy, Brandi!! I’ve always made your original & 20 minute Alfredo recipes and loved them so much I never thought to try another one. I’m SO glad I did. This is decadent in its own right with a zing from the yogurt and a bit of sweetness from the sprinkle of nutmeg! I put it on top of GF butternut squash pasta-perfection!
I’m so happy to hear you gave this one a try Colleen, thank you so much for always making my recipes! I know I say that a lot, but it really means so much to me. Sounds delicious on that pasta, too!
Loved this recipe but made a few minor adjustments! I added a little bit more potato to make it a bit thicker, swapped the white vinegar for lemon juice and used almond yogurt instead of coconut. This will definitely be a staple!!
So happy you loved it Heather!
I just made the Vegan Cream Cheese Alfredo. The sauce is pretty good. I want it thicker so I may try less water or more potato next time. My husband makes a killer Alfredo sauce but since I am trying to be plant-based I can’t eat his. But he said this did taste good. Can the extra sauce be frozen?
Just use less liquid if you like. I wouldn’t add more potato. That would dilute the flavor. I’ve never tried freezing it but it should be ok I think!
I mastered making homemade fettuccine sauce, and it was one of my favorite meals. Recently, I became vegan and I have missed fettuccine so much 😭 your recipe came up so I had to give it a try. I didn’t have huge expectations because I know how good home made fettuccine sauce is… this surpassed my expectation by a million!!!!! I will forever make this recipe! Thank you so much for creating this! My whole family (not vegan) said it was delicious.
This thrills me to hear Lalia, thank you!!