Creamy vegan cauliflower alfredo sauce made with no oil, no cashews. Drench pasta in this creamy sauce for a slurp-worthy dinner. Plant-based, WFPB and McDougall friendly.
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time30 minutesmins
Total Time40 minutesmins
Course: Sauces and Condiments
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Vegan No Oil Creamy Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce
Add cauliflower to stockpot and cover with water. Boil over high heat until fork tender.
Garlic is optional. This sauce is delicious without it. If you enjoy garlic, feel free to add it, though! If using garlic, here's how to do it: For a strong garlic flavor (my preference), leave the garlic raw and add it straight to the blender with the cooked cauliflower. For a milder garlic flavor, gently sauté garlic in small pan until fragrant. Add tablespoon of water, if garlic starts to stick. Cook only until garlic is fragrant or starting to brown on the edges, do not overcook or burn. Or, you can add the garlic to the boiling cauliflower in the last 5 minutes before you drain it, to cook it up a bit and take the raw taste out.
Drain cauliflower and add to blender, along with sautéed garlic, almond milk, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Blend for about 60 seconds, or until completely pureed and smooth. Taste and add additional salt and/or pepper, as needed. If the sauce is too thick, add more milk.
Serve tossed with pasta (fettuccini, linguini, macaroni, rigatoni are all good options). Top pasta with (or serve as a side) steamed broccoli, sweet green peas and/or sautéed mushrooms.
Instant Pot Instructions
Add cauliflower florets and ½ cup of water to Instant Pot insert. For a mild garlic flavor, add garlic now and steam it along with the cauliflower. For a strong garlic flavor (my preference), add raw garlic just before blending the sauce up (see below). Cover Instant Pot and lock lid and set the vent to "sealing".
Press "Steam" function and set to 2 minutes.
When it's done steaming, allow to naturally release pressure for 5 minutes. Then, using a long spoon, turn the vent to "venting". Be careful of the steam!
Open lid and add almond milk, salt, pepper. Now add raw garlic, for that strong garlic flavor.
Blend sauce until smooth with an immersion blender. You may need to remove the insert and tilt it to one side to prevent splashes. Or, transfer all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. If the sauce is too thick, add more milk.
Serve tossed with pasta (fettuccini, linguini, macaroni, shells, rigatoni). Top pasta with (or serve as a side) steamed broccoli, sweet green peas and/or sautéed mushrooms.
Video
Notes
This sauce recipe will make about 5 cups of sauce, enough to coat one pound of pasta.This is delicious with sautéed mushrooms, peas, asparagus or broccoli.This sauce can be used not just with pasta, but also rice, as a base for creamy soups, as a base for gravy, poured over steamed broccoli, or baked with thinly sliced potatoes into an au gratin.The small pinch of ground nutmeg is optional, but traditional in European white bechamel type sauces.