Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo

This is the best Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo recipe because it’s creamy, garlicky comfort food that makes a perfect plant-based dinner. It begins with freshly cooked fettuccine noodles smothered with a creamy vegan cashew alfredo sauce. Be sure to serve it with some vegan garlic bread on the side.

A fork dips into a bowl of fettuccine covered with vegan alfredo sauce and parsley sprigs.

If you love a rich, creamy sauce over your pasta, this healthy vegan fettuccine alfredo is for you. It may seem impossible to make a creamy vegan sauce, but once again, it’s cashews to the rescue. They deliver a truly plant-based creaminess that you’ll want to make time and time again!

Why is This the Best Recipe?

  • Vegan butter adds healthy fats and a scrumptious buttery flavor as the base of the sauce
  • Raw cashews don’t have to be soaked first, keeping this recipe easy to make and ready in minutes
  • Adding just the right amount of garlic makes this recipe perfect to drizzle over freshly cooked fettuccine noodles.

Key Ingredients

You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are some explanations of ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfect every time.

Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe, including substitution ideas:

  • Vegan Butter — Use storebought or make your own vegan butter.
  • Onion — I used a mild, yellow onion which I think works best for this recipe.
  • Garlic — You’ll need 3 to 4 cloves of garlic peeled and roughly chopped
  • Raw cashews — I buy these in health food stores or online.
  • Water — If your water has flavor, consider using filtered water.
  • Bouillon — We’ll be using Better than Bouillon Vegetarian Broth Base to make a quality vegetable broth.
  • Vegan cream cheese — I use Daiya, Tofutti, or Miyoko’s vegan cream cheese. You can find these at health food stores and sometimes the refrigerated health food department of local grocery stores.
  • Vegan Parmesan — Use storebought or make your own vegan parmesan
  • Black pepper — I prefer fresh cracked black pepper
  • Fettuccine noodles — Be sure to read the package ingredients to confirm that it’s vegan.

Marly’s Tips

Make vegan zucchini lemon fettuccine Alfredo by adding 1 teaspoon of finely grated lemon zest to the cashew sauce.

How to Make Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo

It doesn’t take much time to make this easy vegan fettuccine alfredo recipe. It begins with cashews.

  1. Make the alfredo sauce by cooking onions and cashews in a saucepan with vegan butter over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes until the onions are tender. Add chopped garlic and cook for another minute.
  2. Add water and bouillon and stir to combine. Bring this to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer (low boil) for 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.
  3. Pour the slightly cooled mixture into a blender. Add vegan cream cheese and vegan parmesan and pulse in several short bursts, increasing the speed until the mixture is smooth. Learn more about making vegan alfredo sauce.
  4. Prepare the fettuccine noodles according to the package directions. Drain the pasta in a colander and turn it out into a large serving bowl.
  5. To serve, arrange mounds of fettuccine noodles on individual plates. Pour the warm vegan alfredo sauce over the fettuccine noodles. Garnish with fresh herbs and sprinkle with nutmeg, sea salt, and cracked pepper.

Storage Tips

Store the sauce and noodles in separate containers or combine them and store them in one single airtight container. Either way, it will keep up to 5 days in the fridge.

Serving Suggestions

You can use this vegan cream cheese pasta sauce in so many ways. Here are some ideas for serving this tasty pasta dish:

  • Vegan Chicken Alfredo — Add some delicious vegan chicken fillets
  • With a Salad — Serve this vegan caesar salad on the side
  • Vegan Meatballs — Use this lentil burger recipe to create meatballs for a tasty plant-based protein option.
  • Vegan Sausage — Crumble some of this vegan breakfast sausage recipe over the top to add yummy flavor, texture, and protein.
  • Bacon Fettucini Alfredo — Add tempeh bacon crumbles as a garnish on top of each serving.
  • Vegan Mushroom Fettuccini Alfredo — Add some sauteed mushrooms to the sauce before serving.
  • Vegan Zucchini Alfredo — Looking to go low-carb? Skip the pasta and serve that creamy sauce over cooked zucchini noodles. Check out this post on sesame zoodles to learn how to make your own.
  • Serve Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo with Broccoli by adding some steamed broccoli on the side.
  • Make Vegan Lemon Fettuccine Alfredo by adding some lemon zest to the Alfredo sauce.

When it comes to sides for fettuccini alfredo, you can’t go wrong with some balsamic green beans, vegan garlic bread, or these tasty vegan breadsticks.

More Vegan Italian Recipes

Do you love vegan pasta recipes like this vegan fettuccine Alfredo? Here are some more favorite plant-based pasta recipes to try:

A closeup of a bowl of noodles doused with alfredo sauce.
A fork dips into a bowl of fettuccine covered with vegan alfredo sauce and parsley sprigs.

Plant-Based Fettuccine Alfredo

This plant-based non-dairy Fettuccine Alfredo is a comforting pasta meal you can make in minutes. It's a perfect weeknight plant-based meal. Be sure to serve it with some steamed broccoli.
5 from 6 votes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 10
Calories: 242kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons vegan butter
  • ½ cup chopped onion
  • 3 to 4 cloves garlic peeled and roughly chopped
  • ½ cup raw cashews
  • 1 ¼ cups water
  • 1 teaspoon Better than Bouillon Vegetarian Base
  • 2 tablespoons vegan cream cheese
  • 1 tablespoon vegan parmesan
  • teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
  • 1 package fettuccine noodles
  • Optional toppings: Fresh herbs, ground nutmeg, vegan parmesan, sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper.

Instructions

  • Add vegan butter to a saucepan over medium heat. Once it's melted, add chopped onions and cashews. Stir to coat. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until the onions are tender. Add chopped garlic and cook for another minute.
  • Add water and bouillon to the saucepan. Stir to combine. Bring it to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.
    A saucepan is full of onions, broth, and other ingredients to make alfredo sauce.
  • Once the broth mixture has cooled, transfer it to a blender. Add vegan cream cheese and vegan parmesan and pulse in several short bursts. Then use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the blender jar. Then pulse again, increasing the speed until the mixture is smooth. Learn more about ways to use vegan alfredo sauce.
    A blender jar has vegan freshly whipped alfredo sauce in it.
  • Pour the alfredo sauce into a glass jar or sealable container. Sprinkle with pepper. The sauce may seem a bit runny at first but it thickens as it cools.
  • Prepare the fettuccine according to the package directions. Drain the pasta in a colander and turn it out into a large serving bowl.
  • To serve, arrange a mound of fettuccine noodles on individual plates. Pour the warm vegan alfredo sauce over the fettuccine noodles. Garnish with fresh herbs and sprinkle with nutmeg, sea salt, and cracked pepper.

Recommended Equipment

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Calories: 242kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 134mg | Potassium: 169mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 139IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 1mg

The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

This post was originally published in 2015 and was updated to include new photos, new text, and an updated recipe in 2021.

11 Responses to Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo

  1. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyRose Martine Reply

    5 stars
    This looks really wonderful. I do think spaghetti squash is a great option for enjoying traditional noodle dishes on a grain-free diet. Thanks for posting this on Food Flicks Friday.

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      Hi Rose. I love using spaghetti squash. I’m also in love with the zucchini noodles too. I’m not familiar with Food Flicks Friday, but it sounds great!

  2. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyLydia Claire Reply

    A seafood bake from my childhood. I need proper substitutes for the tuna and shrimp. More so for the taste than the texture.

  3. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyCorrine Reply

    It’s not so much a recipe as a product. I have yet to see vegan cottage cheese!

  4. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyBlaine Reply

    I would love vegan tamales

  5. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyAnardana Reply

    A recipe I’d like to see veganized is lady finger cookies!

  6. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyNicollette D Reply

    I’d love a recipe for easy vegan croissant. Boy do I miss them!

  7. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyDon Z Reply

    Mincemeat pies, eccles cakes, kedgeree, scotch eggs, steak n ale pies, yorkshire puddings. I want a vegan version of each.

  8. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlySamantha Reply

    5 stars
    I’d love to see a Mexican flan veganized!

  9. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyJei Reply

    I would love to experiment with a great vegan cream cheese frosting!

  10. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyRika@VM Reply

    I would love to see a South African dish veganized – Bobotie with eggy custard topping!

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