This rich and creamy vegan alfredo sauce will satisfy your cravings for indulgence! The cashews and coconut milk pair up for a delicious flavor that is smooth and luxurious. And we’ve found that the recipe is quite forgiving, too. You can adjust the cashews up or down for richness, use lite coconut milk in place of the water and coconut milk, and season to taste, even adding a splash of lemon for zing.
Thanks to Go Dairy Free viewer Kerri for emailing this recipe!
Photo credit: Vegan Yum Yum Feature
- 1-1/2 Cups Raw Cashews (not roasted or salted)
- 2-1/2 Cups water (fresh)
- 200mL Full-Fat Coconut Milk (about ½ can/package - Such as So Delicious Original Culinary Coconut Milk)
- 1 Vegetable Bouillon Cube [be sure to check the ingredients when allergies or special diets are a concern]
- 3 Cloves Garlic, minced (1-1/2 teaspoons fridge minced garlic)
- Pepper to taste
- Herbamare or Salt to taste
- Thoroughly blend all ingredients together. Thin out with more water if desired.
- Heat & serve over pasta, vegetables, or chicken!
- ENJOY!!
Diet type: Vegan, Vegetarian, Dairy free, Egg free, Gluten free, Peanut free, Soy free, Wheat free, Sugar free
66 Comments
Great!
Hi there! I’ve stored some leftovers, but looking for a way to thicken the sauce next time! I misunderstood the recipe and added 2 1/2 cups of water. Any paleo approved ways to make it happen? Hopefully w eggs or a flour? I have more coconut milk too. Thank you!
Do you have more cashews? You can grind some into powder and then blend them in. Refrigerate or cook and it will thicken it more! That will work the best for a paleo-approved option.
I do not have any more cashews but I can go buy some! How much would you grind in?
Hi Meredith, I just looked at the recipe again, and it does call for 2 1/2 cups of water. I think you made it correctly. Did you pre-soak the cashews? If so, that would cause a thinner sauce. If it is still really thin, I would start by grinding 1/2 cup cashews and blending it into the sauce.
I did pre-soak the cashews, I’ll blend raw next time. I’ve had the sauce on simmer for most of the day today and that did the trick, excellent flavors, very indulgent indeed! Thank you so much for sharing
This isn’t my personal recipe, but I don’t recommend soaking the cashews if you are using the full amount of water. It will be much thinner!
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Is unsweetened almond milk a good sub for the coconut milk?
Hi Sammi, it is full-fat coconut milk (like in cans), not coconut milk beverage, so almond milk isn’t a suitable substitute – way too watery. But you can simply increase the cashews (by about 1/4 cup) and add water as needed.
I did it today…it was delicious and very easy. At first I tough it was watery but when i heated it up in a saucepan, it came out great. Everyone loved it… thank you!!
Glad you persisted – yes, cashews suck up liquid like nobody’s business!
Can you provide the nutritional data for this recipe?
Hi Kelly, I have no idea, but you can use a nutrition calculator like this one – http://nutritiondata.self.com/ – to calculate the numbers you are interested in. If you’re concerned about fat, this definitely isn’t a low fat recipe, but isn’t fattier than typical alfredo.
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Wondering if you can use chick peas instead of cashews? We have severe nut allergies – but are ok with coconut – and this recipe sounds amazing. Just can’t do the cashews or pretty much any other nut.
Hi Tricia, that won’t be an equivalent swap, but you can experiment! A lot of people like avocado, which makes for more of a creamy pesto look.
We’re in the process of switching to a dairy free lifestyle due to my teens intolerance. We adhere to a low fat lifestyle and after figuring out the calorie count – WOW. Is there any way to lower the calories in this?
Thanks!
Hi Robyn, I make a similar variation of this recipe myself and can tell you a few things: this recipe makes much more than 4 servings, so don’t get too wrapped up on the serving size – I agree, WAY too rich for just 4 people. It makes about 8 servings. Also, if you want you can use light coconut milk – it won’t be quite as rich, but still plenty creamy and delicious.
My version will be out in Enjoy Dairy Free, due out shortly!
I can’t use the bouillon cube suggestions??
You can use part vegetable broth for some of the water.
Is there anything I can use instead of bouillon cube? Can’t wait to try!
Simply substitute 1 to 1 1/2 cups of the water with vegetable broth! You can alternatively season to taste.
Hi Alisa, My electrical appliances aren’t all that great and I am having problems getting the cashews to grind well. Can I substitute store bought cashew butter (100% cashews)? If so, how much would be the same as 1 cup of cashews?
Thanks so much
Yes, typically you use half the amount of cashew butter to cashews.
Hey im making this sauce tonight aand i was wondering how many does it serve?? thank you 🙂
Last time I made it we had tons of leftovers. I would say 8 perhaps? I need to measure the quantity next time.
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Can I use So Delicious coconut creamer for the full fat coconut milk, & if so do you know the measurement? Thank you very much.
Yes, it just won’t be quite as rich, but the cashews make it pretty darn rich. To compensate, you could use the creamer in place of the coconut milk and replace some of the water with the creamer. Be sure to use a creamer that is not sweetened at all though!
I made this recipe exactly the way you made it ( I think substitutions defeat the purpose of the recipe, take the “soul” out of the recipe) and it was fabulous!!!…I love it!…
Thank you so much for sharing it 🙂
Taste is good but came out watery… I used Thai kitchen coconut milk. Is there something else I should use?
Was it lite coconut milk? You would want to use their full-fat coconut milk. If you still felt it too watery, you can increase the cashews or just use coconut cream (the cream off the top of the coconut milk can, leaving the watery part.