Simple and light 30-minutes Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo recipe is perfectly creamy, cheesy and rich. The cauliflower cashew Alfredo sauce will blow your mind!
Let me just say, I love pasta dinners! The creamier the better. Bonus point if you can sneak veggies into it. Remember my healthy pumpkin pasta with spinach and mushrooms? If you love it, here is another veganized comfort food favorite for you: Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo.
The recipe I’m sharing with you today recipe was created by Sam Turnbull, a vegan blogger behind It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken. You don’t have to be a vegan to fall in love with her new cookbook Fuss-Free Vegan. She veganized her favorite comfort food recipes, from pancakes and breads to jalapeno poppers, mozzarella and crème brûlée.
Sam shares quick and easy familiar meals like burgers, pastas, soups, cupcakes, cookies, burritos for everyday cooking. What I found useful was her vegan pantry must-haves. Liquid smoke was a discovery for me (think vegan bacon!).
One of my favorite sections of Sam’s book is vegan staples! If you are a cheese lover going vegan, you’ll love it too! Vegan feta, mozzarella, ricotta, mayonnaise, sour cream, gravy (hello, Thanksgiving!), parmegan and heavy cream all made from scratch with simple ingredients you probably already have in your pantry. Spoiler alert: Get your cashews ready!
I was flipping through Sam’s book checking out all delicious vegan foods, while my husband was looking over my shoulder. When I came to peanut butter cookies, he said: “I want these. Right now!” Then he went to the kitchen and made them! We both loved these cookies so much!
The Creamiest Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo
There is still a lot for me to try but I can already tell you that Sam’s Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo is to die for! You would never guess that it’s vegan!
Absolutely creamy, cheesy, rich and velvety crowd-pleasing pasta dish packed with veggie goodness has no chance but to become your go-to comforting pasta dinner! This vegan Alfredo has just the right amount of umami flavor while being nutrient-dense and 100% guilt-free!
The secret ingredient here? I would say, cauliflower for the silkiness (if you tried my silky vegan cauliflower soup, you know what I mean), miso paste and nutritional yeast for the umami flavor and cashew creme for the rich dairy flavor.
I made this awesome vegan fettuccine Alfredo to post on my blog, which usually requires a bigger batch. I had no regrets I doubled the amounts! My husband was asking for more after two helpings and wanted to have it for lunch on the next day. Besides, we used the rest of the sauce as a dip for raw veggies. This vegan Alfredo sauce is incredibly delicious and versatile too.
How to Make Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo
The traditional fettuccine Alfredo is packed with fats while lacking in nutrients. The vegan version is just as delicious as the traditional one (maybe even more!) but it is much more nutritious as it has veggies and nuts sneaked into it.
To make vegan fettuccine Alfredo, you’ll need 8 ingredients: Cauliflower, garlic, vegetable broth, vegan heavy cream (see notes below) or coconut milk, light miso paste, fettuccine (gluten free if preferred), vegan Parmesan (see notes below on how to make it) and fresh parsley to garnish.
To make the vegan heavy cream, simply blend soaked cashews with the same amount of water in a blender. You can use it for savory and sweet dishes.
As for the vegan Parmesan, you’ll need roughly same amounts of cashews, macadamia and nutritional yeast and a bit of salt. Pulse it in a blender until you like the consistency. Store it in the fridge and use for pasta, soups, stews, salad, pizza and casseroles. Spend 5 minutes on making it and enjoy it for up to a month refrigerated!
Once you’ve prepped these two lovely staples, it’s time to start with the sauce. Roughly chop cauliflower, put it to a large skillet together with garlic, vegetable broth and heavy cream (or coconut milk if preferred) and bring to a boil. Cook for about 10 minutes or until tender.
Meanwhile, cook your fettuccine (it can be linguine, tagliatelle, papardelle or even spaghetti if you don’t have fettuccine at hand) according to the package directions, and drain.
Once the cauliflower is tender, blend it together with the cooking liquid, adding miso paste and salt to taste. Return it to the skillet and add pasta. Toss to heat through and garnish with vegan Parmesan, parsley and freshly ground black pepper.
Check the full recipe for this vegan Alfredo pasta below and enjoy your new favorite pasta dinner!
This recipe is excerpted from Fuss Free Vegan: 101 Everyday Comfort Food Favorites, Veganized. Copyright © 2017 Samantha Turnbull. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.
The Creamiest Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo
Ingredients
For the Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce:
- 1 cauliflower roughly chopped
- 4 cloves garlic peeled
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 cup vegan heavy cream or full-fat coconut milk (see notes below)
- 2 teaspoons white miso paste
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
For the Pasta:
- 1 lb fettuccine gluten-free, if preferred
- vegan parmesan to serve
- Handful of parsley chopped, to garnish
- black pepper
Instructions
Make the Sauce:
- For the cauliflower Alfredo sauce, place the cauliflower, garlic cloves, vegetable broth, and vegan heavy cream or coconut milk in a large frying pan or saucepan, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook for about 10 minutes, until the cauliflower is very soft and falls apart when pierced with a fork.
- Add the white miso paste and salt. Using an immersion or stand blender, blend the cauliflower and its cooking liquid. If you use a stand blender, do this in batches, being careful not to fill the blender too high, so the hot liquid doesn’t explode out the top.
Make the pasta:
- In the meantime, cook the pasta according to the package directions until al-dente, then drain.
- Return the pasta to the pan, then pour the cauliflower Alfredo sauce over top. Toss to heat through. To serve, garnish with a sprinkle of vegan Parmesan and parsley, and freshly cracked black pepper. Enjoy!
Judy says
I cant wait to try it.But where did u use the macadamias?is it in place of the cashews?
Elena Szeliga says
Hey Judy, macadamias are used for vegan Parmesan to sprinkle with in the end. It is optional nut highly recommended 😉 Hope you enjoy this recipe! Please let me know how it turned out. Cheers!
Helena says
This fettuccine alfredo is so creamy that I think I can call it THE CREAMIEST fettuccine alfredo recipe I have recently seen. And the fact that it is vegan makes it even better!
Elena Szeliga says
Thank you Helena! That’s true, it is hard to believe that pasta that creamy can be vegan!
Jacquelyn says
Is the miso paste necessary or can it be replaced with something? I can’t have too much sodium and miso paste (and soy sauce ugh) seems to have a lot of it
Elena Szeliga says
Hi Jacquelyn, I would just more nutritional yeast. The flavor will be slightly different but it will cut off the sodium. Hope it helps!
Kushi says
Beautiful click. Great recipe. Looks so delicious
Elena Szeliga says
Thank you Kushi!
Nicole @ Foodie Loves Fitness says
Wow, this pasta looks delicious! I’m not a huge cauliflower person, but I totally want to try this dish out. Perhaps I’ll make it for my family the next time I’m visiting at my parents’ house!
Elena Szeliga says
Hi Nicole, I totally get you on this – cauliflower is not my favorite vegetable either. The thing is, you won’t even taste it here! If you try this recipe, I would love to hear your feedback. Thank you for stopping by!
Sam Turnbull says
Love the review and your photos are making me want that pasta again right now!!!! Thanks so much for taking the time to look at my book, Elena. Thrilled you enjoyed it so much 🙂
Elena Szeliga says
Thank YOU, Sam! Your book is amazing and I’m happy I got to read it. Wish you a lot of success with it!