This vegan cheesy pasta sauce – or cashew alfredo – is rich, smooth, creamy, healthy, and gluten-free. Ready in under five minutes, it's a no-cook recipe that you can make while your pasta cooks.
Based on just five main ingredients – cashew nuts, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, garlic powder, and plant-based milk – it's oil-free and doesn't require any cooking time itself. Just blend until smooth and stir through a pasta of your choice.
For more quick vegan dinner ideas, check out these recipes for 15-minute tomato tahini pasta, 5-minute peanut noodles, and vegan pasta puttanesca.
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How to make vegan pasta sauce taste cheesy
There are several ways to make vegan food taste cheesy, but the most common is to add nutritional yeast or ‘nooch’. The salt and garlic powder in this recipe then tick off some other cheesy flavour notes, while the lemon juice and zest add sharpness and zing.
Want more cheesy vegan recipes? Check out this vegan cauliflower cheese (nut-free), vegan cauliflower cheese soup (with cashews), and vegan cream cheese (with tofu).
How to make the sauce creamy
This recipe uses blended cashew nuts and plant-based milk to create a creamy sauce that's 100% dairy-free. If you have the time, it helps to soak the cashews first before blending (see recipe notes).
Want to find out more about the endless possibilities of blended cashew nuts in vegan cooking? Check out my recipe for vegan cream, with varying ratios to create a 'single' or 'double' substitute. It's a versatile ingredient that I've also used in this vegan mushroom pasta and creamy tempeh and tarragon pasta.
What is nutritional yeast?
Nutritional yeast or ‘nooch’ is a magical ingredient that lends a cheesy umami flavour to dishes. It is sometimes fortified with vitamin B12 and is a complete plant-based protein, meaning it contains all nine essential amino acids.
Nutritional yeast comes in the form of a flaky yellowish powder, and I think it's delicious. You can add it to sauces, soups, vegan cheeses, or mashed potatoes, but it's also great as a condiment itself.
If you’re new to vegan cooking then prepare to be amazed by this stuff. Want to learn more? Check out these other unusual vegan ingredients.
Which plant-based milk is best for this sauce?
It’s no secret that I’m an oat milk fan, and it’s what usually ends up in my cooking. Here’s my take on some of the options:
- Oat milk: My go-to plant-based milk. A good, versatile all-rounder that usually doesn’t curdle.
- Cashew milk: This recipe already uses cashew nuts, and so creamy cashew milk would work well (you'll still need to include the cashew nuts though).
- Soya milk: This is also a decent all-rounder, and would work well.
- Coconut milk: I usually avoid vegan cheese in my cooking since it often tastes of coconut oil. I would avoid using coconut milk for the same reason.
- Rice milk: I haven’t experimented much with rice milk, but reckon it would be slightly too sweet here.
- Almond milk: I’ve always found almond milk to be a little overpowering, so unless you like the taste I’d avoid it.
Note: If you need to ensure that this recipe is 100% gluten-free, use a plant-based milk that is certified or labelled as such.
What you'll need
Not only is this alfredo sauce a no-cook recipe – it also has a very short list of ingredients. See the recipe card for a simple way to serve along with pasta, tomatoes, and spinach.
How to make vegan cheesy pasta sauce
One thing you will need for this recipe is a decent blender. If you don't have a blender, I'd highly recommend getting your hands on one as a food processor isn't going to cut it here.
A blender is a great investment when it comes to plant-based cooking, and I use mine a lot.
Once you've got your blender, it's a simple case of throwing in all the ingredients and whizzing until smooth.
After blending, the sauce should be loose but thick enough to easily coat the back of a spoon. It'll thicken up more once added to the pasta. If it seems too thick, you can add a splash of water or plant-based milk and give it another quick whizz.
If you want to add more lemon flavour, grate half a lemon (prior to juicing it!) and throw the zest in as well. I personally like adding the zest, but I realise that other people might prefer the emphasis to be on the garlic/cheesy flavour.
For extra creaminess, you can soak the cashews for five minutes in boiled water. This is useful if your blender isn't very powerful, but not really necessary if you have a good blender.
While the sauce may taste a bit overpowering by itself, it's perfect once you mix it through the hot pasta.
Serving suggestions
Here, I added some spinach to the pasta for the final 30 seconds of cooking time. I then drained it all, returned it to the pan, added some tomatoes, mixed in the sauce, and served with chopped parsley.
Adding fresh spinach to the pot of pasta is a great way to quickly soften it without the need for another pan, which means less washing up.
Feel free to add anything else you want. I've had this vegan cheesy pasta sauce with sautéed onion, mushroom, courgette, and broccoli, as well as with chopped vegan sausages.
It's also great when topped off with smoky vegan bacon bits and this four-ingredient vegan parmesan.
Recipe FAQ
If you need to ensure that the recipe is 100% gluten-free, use a plant-based milk that is certified or labelled as such. You'll also want to serve with a GF pasta variety.
I would go for a neutral all-rounder such as unsweetened oat milk or soya milk. Cashew milk would also work here.
Cashews are best since they’re creamy and have a relatively neutral flavour, but this could also work with e.g. pine nuts.
Yes – you can refrigerate the sauce for up to four days before stirring through hot pasta (see storage info below).
Variations and tips for vegan cheesy pasta sauce
- Soak cashews: For extra creaminess, you can soak the cashews for five minutes in boiled water. This is useful if your blender isn't very powerful, but not really necessary if you have a good blender.
- Lemon zest: If you want to add more lemon flavour, grate half a lemon (prior to juicing it!) and throw the zest in as well. I personally like adding the zest, but I realise that other people might prefer the emphasis to be on the garlic/cheesy flavour.
- Wild garlic: This is an excellent replacement for spinach, and is usually found around April in the UK. If it grows near you and is in season, give it a go!
How to store cashew alfredo sauce
While this sauce is delicious and creamy with freshly cooked pasta, it'll go a bit clumpy if stored in the fridge after you mix it into the pasta. If you're making a big batch of the sauce and want to keep some, refrigerate it on its own.
Refrigerate: Store the sauce in the fridge for up to four days, ready to stir through freshly cooked pasta. You may need to loosen it up first with some water or plant-based milk.
Freeze: Store the sauce in the freezer in sealed containers or resealable bags for up to six months. Defrost thoroughly before heating through in the microwave or in a pan with a splash of water.
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More vegan recipe ideas
If you liked this recipe, you may also enjoy:
- Easy Hummus Pasta
- Spaghetti Arrabbiata
- Creamy Vegan Mushroom and Leek Tagliatelle
- 15-Minute Tomato Tahini Pasta
- Creamy Tempeh and Tarragon Pasta
- Vegan Spaghetti Bolognese
- Tofu Cream Cheese
- Ultimate Vegan Lasagne
You can also check out my full list of vegan pasta recipes.
Full recipe
Vegan Cheesy Pasta Sauce (Cashew Alfredo)
Ingredients
Cheesy sauce
- ½ cup (75 g) unsalted cashew nuts
- 4 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ cup (120 ml) plant-based milk or water (plus more if necessary)
- Juice and zest of half a lemon (zest optional, just remember to grate before juicing)
- Good pinch of salt and pepper to taste
Serving suggestion: spaghetti with spinach and tomatoes
- 8 oz (225 g) dried spaghetti (gluten-free if necessary)
- Large handful cherry or baby plum tomatoes, halved (approx. ¾ cup / 100 g)
- Large handful fresh spinach (approx. 3 cups / 100 g)
- Chopped fresh parsley, to serve
Instructions
- First things first, get your pasta cooking in some boiling water (follow package instructions).
- Once that's on the go, it’s a simple case of throwing all the sauce ingredients into a blender and whizzing until smooth. Start with ½ cup (120 ml) of plant-based milk, and increase this amount if the sauce seems too thick. It should be fairly loose, but thick enough to easily coat the back of a spoon. It’ll thicken up more once added to the pasta.
- Taste the sauce and adjust the flavours to your liking. It should be slightly overpowering by itself, but it'll be perfect once you mix it through the hot pasta.
- If following my serving suggestion, add the spinach to the pasta pot for the final 30 seconds of cooking time. Once cooked, drain the pasta and spinach and return to the pan. Stir in the tomatoes and smooth cheesy sauce before serving with chopped parsley and homemade vegan parmesan.
Notes
- 5-Minute Peanut Noodles
- Creamy Vegan Mushroom and Leek Tagliatelle
- 12-Minute Tomato and Basil Pasta
- 15-Minute Tomato Tahini Pasta
- Creamy Tempeh and Tarragon Pasta
- Vegan Spaghetti Bolognese
- Easy Vegan Pesto Sauce
- Ultimate Vegan Lasagne
Nutrition
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Mark Holland
Super easy-to-make, delicious and versatile, but you gotta love the powerful flavor of nutritional yeast, which I do!
Thanks!
The Pesky Vegan
Cheers Mark.
Carole S
The whole family (all non vegan except for me) absolutely loved it. Will be making it again and again.
The Pesky Vegan
Great to hear you all enjoyed it, thanks!
Judy
Made this for dinner tonight. It was delish! Will definitely be making this again. It was quick and easy.
The Pesky Vegan
Glad you enjoyed, thanks for the review!
Maria
Thanks for reminding us about this lovely sauce which I made again tonight. I've just returned home after nearly 6 weeks in temporary accommodation after Storm Eunice damaged my roof. I haven't done a proper shop since coming home and this evening only had a few vegetables that I bought at a farmers' market near where I was staying, plus various odds and ends in my cupboard (but no pasta) I baked a potato and steamed some cauliflower, leeks and purple sprouting broccoli and ooured the sauce all over them. It was delicious and also saved me some money as I had been going to have something delivered.
The Pesky Vegan
Sorry to hear about your situation, but glad to hear you're home and enjoyed this!
Sarah
Hi Pesky, is my Thermomix a good enough blender for this recipe?
The Pesky Vegan
Hi Sarah, provided it's a powerful blender (i.e. you might use it to make a smoothie) then it should be all good! If in doubt, soaking the cashews in water for a little while before blending can help.
Syl
Hi Sarah,
If in doubt just buy the cashew pieces instead of the whole cashews. That will work just fine in pretty much any blender.
Terri Trimble
Great recipe — delicious and easy.
The Pesky Vegan
Cheers Terri, glad you enjoyed!
Maria
Thank you for re-posting this recipe. It was just what I needed for lunch to cheer me up on this unspringlike day in May. It was so much better than a traditional dairy-based Alfredo or cheese sauce, being very satisfying but not heavy, cloying and indigestion provoking. In my pre-vegan days I would have had to snooze for the afternoon, whereas I'm pleasantly full and with plenty of energy.
I didn't have any fresh spinach, so I thawed out 3 chunks of frozen leaf spinach, squeezed out as much moisture as possible and stirred it into the cooked pasta just before the sauce, finishing with halved cherry tomatoes as you suggest.
The Pesky Vegan
Thanks for the review Maria! I hadn't made it for such a long time and was delighted with how good it was last weekend, frozen spinach is a great idea!
Sylvia
This was so easy and quick. I follow a plant based lifestyle so I eat low fat , I substituted the raw cashews for powdered cashew and used half water and almond milk because I only drink almond milk. I tossed with hearts of palm linguine pasta and it was so good.
I used a little lemon zest so it was not over powering. This was such a nice change from my normal red pasta sauce and definitely a keeper, thank you.
The Pesky Vegan
Heart of palm linguine sounds great, thanks very much for the review!
Vicky
Such a quick and easy recipe - great one for a cheesy treat 🙂
The Pesky Vegan
Thanks for the review, glad it went down well!
Kate
This is incredible! I made a batch of it, it was so quick and easy, and I'll definitely be making again!
The Pesky Vegan
Yep still a regular in our household, thanks for the review!
Penny
My friend made this for me (sans tomatoes, with fakon) and honestly, it was the best meal I'd had all week (don't worry it was a Friday). The sauce is absolutely incredible and I can't wait to have it again.
The Pesky Vegan
So glad to hear you enjoyed it, thanks for taking the time to let me know!
Melanie
Absolutely amazing and easy recipe, made this in such little time after work and it's incredible how you can get something to taste so cheesy and flavourful. I've actually made this a few times with variations, adding peas is my favourite and my boyfriend had it with vegan bacon bits! Definitely going to be a regular 😀
The Pesky Vegan
Cheers Mel! Long may you enjoy it 🙂
Chris
Really nice sauce, loads of flavour! Had it with pasta, tomatoes and broccoli (of course!). Oh and those Wicked vegan meatballs chopped on top!
The Pesky Vegan
Sounds fantástico! Just can't help yourself with the ol' broccoli eh?
Kristy Theaker
This recipe is so delicious! I’ve recently gone vegan, so have been missing cheese, but the sauce is so creamy and cheesy, I’ve realised that I don’t need cheese anymore, I can just make this dish over and over again. It’s also really quick and easy to make, which is a bonus. I will definitely be making this again. Thank you!
The Pesky Vegan
Great to hear you enjoyed it, thanks for letting me know!