This Dairy Free, Vegan Alfredo Sauce With Fettucine is an easy dinner recipe that's rich, creamy, and oh-so-satisfying!
When I was younger, I thought fettuccine alfredo was IT.
Thick fettuccine noodles swimming in a sea of cheesy, creamy alfredo sauce...YUM!
Of course, my much younger metabolism could more easily withstand the onslaught of carbs, dairy, and fat that traditional fettuccine has in one sitting back then.
During the past decade, fettuccine alfredo and I have become near strangers, only seeing each other during impulsive craving moments of weakness. But since going dairy-free, I've been playing around with some recipes to see if I could rekindle the ol' fettuccine flame.
I'm happy to say, I've come up with a veganized recipe put fettuccine alfredo back into my life again.
Vegan Alfredo Sauce with Fettuccine
This vegan alfredo sauce is just as rich and creamy as the original.
The coconut milk gives it a bit of a nutty flavor, which you would normally get with traditional parmesan cheese anyway, but it's just a different kind of nuttiness to it. If you prefer, you can also use almond milk or soy milk.
The Dijon mustard adds just a hint of a tanginess to the sauce.
And of course, this dish requires lots of minced garlic, freshly cracked black pepper, and freshly chopped parsley.
Nutritional Yeast
What gives the dairy-free, vegan cream sauce the "cheesy" flavor is a quarter cup of nutritional yeast.
If you've never had Nutritional Yeast before, you should know it's different than the quick rise yeast you use in baking. It is a deactivated yeast that is usually sold in flake or powder form in the bulk aisle or baking aisle of grocery stores. Luckily it has become more popular in the past few years and easier to find nationwide.
I use the Bragg brand of nutritional yeast flakes; it's a popular one that you can purchase online and in many grocery stores around the United States.
It has a nutty flavor that (loosely) resembles parmesan cheese, which makes it an excellent cheese substitute in this fettuccine alfredo recipe and in so many other "cheesy" vegan dishes.
What pasta goes with vegan Alfredo sauce?
I find that wider, thicker pastas like fettuccine, tagliatelle, papperdelle, and linguine go best with this dairy-free alfredo sauce. The thick sauce needs a long, thick pasta that it can cling to.
You can also use pasta shapes that help hold the rich, creamy vegan alfredo sauce in. Pastas such as fusilli and rotini could work.
A satisfying, creamy, dairy-free vegan alfredo sauce
I love this dish, you guys. It truly satisfies any cravings for rich, creamy pasta and if you're mostly dairy-free for lactose/casein intolerance reasons like I am (and not because you're vegan), it's a great dish to add some shrimp, salmon, or chicken.
This dairy-free vegan alfredo sauce with fettuccine is an easy dinner recipe that also heats up well for leftovers the next day!
More Dairy-Free Recipes
Vegan Cashew Queso Dip- One Pot Lasagna Soup (Dairy-Free)
- The Ultimate Creamy Dairy-Free Mac and Cheese
- Instant Pot Tuscan Chicken Pasta (Dairy-Free)
- Thai Peanut Curry
- Lemon Garlic Scallop Pasta (Dairy Free)
Dairy-Free, Vegan Alfredo Sauce with Fettuccine Recipe
Dairy-Free Fettuccine Alfredo
Ingredients
- 8 ounces fettuccine pasta
- 4 tablespoons vegan butter
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced use less or more, depending on how much you like garlic!
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 14.5-ounce can coconut milk
- ⅓ cup vegetable stock or broth
- 2 tablespoons reserve hot pasta water use more if your sauce needs it
- 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon parsley freshly chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, make the sauce.
- In a large saucepan, add vegan butter and garlic over medium heat. Sauté garlic for 1-2 minutes, until butter is just melted.
- Sprinkle flour into the pan and stir just until the flour is incorporated into the butter. Slowly add in the coconut milk and vegetable stock; use a whisk to stir away clumps and combine ingredients.
- Whisk until the mixture comes to a low boil then starts to thicken a bit. Add two tablespoons of hot starchy pasta water (the water from the pot in which you cooked the pasta) and continue to stir continuously for another minute. The sauce will continue to thicken, so it shouldn't be super thick yet at this point, but it should be thicker than when you started stirring the liquid.
- Remove from heat and immediately stir in Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon of black pepper, and nutritional yeast flakes. Stir until the flakes have melted. Add the cooked pasta to the pan and gently toss together with the sauce, coating all of the pasta evenly.
- Salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is a general estimate. Actual nutrition details may vary depending on the exact foods & brands you use to make this recipe. It does not take into account any substitutions, toppings, or optional ingredients.
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This post contains affiliate links. This post was first published February 8, 2018, and has been updated with additional content.
Cheyenne says
Love this recipe. Could I make this sauce and freeze it to use at a later date?
Marlynn Jayme Schotland says
Hi Cheyenne, I'm so glad you love this recipe! I have not frozen this particular sauce on its own, so I can't say for sure. However, I have frozen other dairy-free pastas with similar sauces, then reheated them in a pan on the stovetop with a little extra coconut milk to "wake up" the sauce. You could try it and if you do, please let us all know how it turned out!
Rosalinda Y. says
I made this sauce last night for my vegan son. He absolutely loved it.
I will definitely make it again. It was easy and we had everything in the pantry already.
Marie says
I love seeing recipes like this as I am completely intolerant of dairy in any form. I LOVED alfredo before that unfortunate turn of events. Have you had any luck with making a substitute alfredo without garlic?
Life's little curveballs ensure I can't eat that either anymore and I've been having a terrible time trying to make a substitute alfredo without it.
Marlynn Jayme Schotland says
I've never made this recipe without garlic but it would definitely change the flavor of the original recipe. If you do try it, let me know how you like it without garlic! :)
Kathleen says
This recipe is a God-send! Am eager to try but must make GF ...is sweet rice flour a suitable substitute for wheat flour? I have it on hand for our 2 dairy and gluten intolerant family members...thanks so much!
Marlynn Jayme Schotland says
Hi Kathleen! I have personally never tried using sweet rice flour as a thickener before so I cannot say for sure whether it will work in this recipe or not. I usually use Arrowroot powder or cornstarch (which is gluten-free) as a thickener in place of flour these days. Whatever substitute you decide to try, please do let me know how it turns out so we can share with others who might have the same question. Thank you! :)
Kathleen says
Thanks so much for this recipe - it is a God-send! Eager to try but must do GF..can I sub sweet rice flour to thicken? Have it on hand for our 2 dairy and gluten intolerant family members.
Michelle Gaza says
Wow! Simple, easy and full of flavor! Thank you so much for sharing!
Marlynn Jayme Schotland says
So glad you loved it! Thanks, Michelle :)
Jess says
Im planning on making the recipe this week, but do you think I can sub cashew milk for coconut milk?
Marlynn Jayme Schotland says
Hi Jess! I haven't used cashew milk, so I can't say for sure how it will turn out. If you try it with cashew milk, please do let me know how it goes!
Kushigalu says
Love this vegaN version of alfredo sauce. So delicious.
Marlynn Jayme Schotland says
So glad to hear you love it!
Alisa says
I tripled the recipe and served this for company. We had a dairy allergy and a vegan in attendance. I used avocado oil in place of vegan butter and it worked just fine, the garlic was clumping at first but I just kept at it. I had to use more flour than the recipe said in order for it to resemble a roux that I'm used to working with. It was delicious, had to add more salt of course but it was great and the company loved it. I served chicken on the side for those that wanted it. Thank you, will make again!
Danielle says
I used regular yellow mustard as I didn’t have Dijon on hand. Still delicious!! Overtop dairy free spinach raviolis. Being lactose intolerant, Alfredo hates me but I love Alfredo! This was a major HIT! Will def make over and over again. SO easy!
Kayla says
This recipe is a family staple now! The only thing we change is that we add a TON of garlic powder. Revolutionary.