Vegan Cheesy Pasta Sauce (Cashew Alfredo)

This vegan cheesy pasta sauce – or cashew alfredo – is rich, smooth, creamy, healthy, and gluten-free. Ready in under five minutes, it's a quick 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.

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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) and vegan cauliflower cheese soup (with cashews).

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.

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 vegan cheesy pasta 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.

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 for vegan cheesy pasta sauce

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.

Variations/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. 
• Other nuts: Cashews are best since they’re creamy and have a relatively neutral flavour, but this could also work with e.g. pine nuts.  
• 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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If you liked this recipe, you may also enjoy:

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