This rich Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo tastes as decadent as the original, yet it contains no added fats. A few secret ingredients and you’ll be able to make a creamy-textured and cheesy-tasting nondairy alfredo sauce.
You don’t see fettuccine alfredo nowadays as much as you used to. I remember when I was younger it seemed like every restaurant, Italian or otherwise, had the dish on its menu. Perhaps this former crowd-pleaser has fallen out of favor due to its heaviness and high caloric content. Besides that, its “heart attack on a plate” moniker probably didn’t help to keep it in vogue. This version is certainly not low in fat, however all of that fat comes from raw, blended cashews. No additional fats are required to make it creamy, unless you want to add some vegan butter to really gild the lily. Either way, this is a real crowd-pleasing dish for pasta lovers of all ages.
You can make this simply as is, or gussy it up with various additions. I like caramelized onions or leeks, sautéed mushrooms, steamed broccoli or cauliflower, or even wilted greens like spinach or swiss chard. Like traditional fettuccine alfredo, this is best eaten right after you dress the pasta with the sauce. If it sits a while, the pasta absorbs the moisture in the sauce and it can become stiff. If this happens, simply stir in some hot water and a pinch of salt and it will become creamy again.
- 1 cup unroasted cashews, soaked in hot water for at least an hour
- 3½ cups water
- 2 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 1½ Tablespoons white miso
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- black pepper, to taste
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 Tablespoons flour
- 1lb of fettuccine or any kind of pasta
- After your cashews have soaked and are more tender, drain them and place into a blender along with all of the other ingredients. Blend on high until it is completely smooth and creamy-looking.
- Transfer the blended mixture into a saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer as you whisk occasionally. Once it comes to a boil, let it simmer for a minute or two. It's done!
- Pour it over cooked pasta and stir to combine. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.
-This recipe makes a generous amount of sauce--the more, the better!
-It's best to mix the sauce into the pasta right before serving. If it sits, it will get a little thicker. You can fix this by stirring in a little hot water and a pinch of salt.
-Since most fresh fettuccine pasta is made with eggs, you'll want to use dried fettuccine, which is most often made with just wheat and water. Just check the ingredients to be sure.
-Make this sauce gluten-free by replacing the flour with the same amount of cornstarch or tapioca starch. Then combine it with your favorite gluten-free pasta.
Yum <3
Omg!! You’ve done it again!! What a awesome and decadent pasta!! Much thanks to YOU again!! Pinning!!
Thank you and enjoy! It’s sooooo good.
What can I substitute for miso? Tahini?
The miso combined with the nutritional yeast really adds a certain cheesiness to the sauce, so it is difficult to replace exactly. You could bump up the amount of nutritional yeast by 2 Tablespoons and add 1 Tablespoon or so of tahini for a different, yet still creamy taste. You will also need to increase the salt amount since the miso is salty. Just taste and adjust as you blend.
HISTORY OF ALFREDO DI LELIO CREATOR IN 1908 OF “FETTUCCINE ALL’ALFREDO” (“FETTUCCINE ALFREDO”), NOW SERVED BY HIS NEPHEW INES DI LELIO, AT THE RESTAURANT “IL VERO ALFREDO” – “ALFREDO DI ROMA” IN ROME, PIAZZA AUGUSTO IMPERATORE 30
With reference of your article, I have the pleasure to tell you the history of my grandfather Alfredo Di Lelio, who is the creator of “Fettuccine all’Alfredo” (“Fettuccine Alfredo”) in 1908 in the “trattoria” run by his mother Angelina in Rome, Piazza Rosa (Piazza disappeared in 1910 following the construction of the Galleria Colonna / Sordi). This “trattoria” of Piazza Rosa has become the “birthplace of fettuccine all’Alfredo”.
More specifically, as is well known to many people who love the “fettuccine all’Alfredo”, this famous dish in the world was invented by Alfredo Di Lelio concerned about the lack of appetite of his wife Ines, who was pregnant with my father Armando (born February 26, 1908).
Alfredo di Lelio opened his restaurant “Alfredo” in 1914 in Rome and in 1943, during the war, he sold the restaurant to others outside his family.
In 1950 Alfredo Di Lelio decided to reopen with his son Armando his restaurant in Piazza Augusto Imperatore n.30 “Il Vero Alfredo” (“Alfredo di Roma”), whose fame in the world has been strengthened by his nephew Alfredo and that now managed by me, with the famous “gold cutlery” (fork and spoon gold) donated in 1927 by two well-known American actors Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks (in gratitude for the hospitality).
See also the website of “Il Vero Alfredo”.(with news also about franchising).
I must clarify that other restaurants “Alfredo” in Rome do not belong to the family tradition of “Il Vero Alfredo – Alfredo di Roma”.
I inform you that the restaurant “Il Vero Alfredo –Alfredo di Roma” is in the registry of “Historic Shops of Excellence” of the City of Rome Capitale.
Best regards Ines Di Lelio
What an interesting story about the real fettuccine alfredo, Ines! I wasn’t aware of this history. Thank you for sharing.
I wonder if the talented Mr. Di Lelio would have ever imagined that there would be vegan versions of his famous dish 100 years later! To be honest, maybe this can’t be called fettuccine alfredo because it lacks the butter and cheese, but for those who are avoiding dairy, it makes a suitable replacement for Mr. Di Lelio’s classic dish. 🙂
Hi,
Is there a substitute I can use for the almonds since I am allergic to nuts 🙁 ?
Great recipe!
Thanks Jai!
I know that a lot of people who have nut allergies substitute unroasted, unsalted sunflower seeds for cashews or almonds in vegan recipes. I’ve never tried it with this alfredo, but I imagine that it would taste good. The end result may be a bit darker in color though. I’d use a generous cup of sunflower seeds (soaked the same way as the cashews so that they become easier to blend) and add another tablespoon or so of flour (since cashews have their own thickening properties). If you feel that it doesn’t have a creamy enough mouthfeel, maybe blend in a tablespoon of vegan butter or 1/4 cup of full-fat coconut milk. Best of luck!
I try to avoid cheese and butter as much as I can and that looks just perfect.
I think you’ll be impressed with just how rich and creamy it can be without dairy!
Is this a single serving size? How many people would I get from the sauce?
It depends on how hungry you are! This recipe makes a generous amount of sauce for 1 pound (or roughly 500g) of pasta. So let’s say you can usually feed 4 people with a pound (500g) of spaghetti/fettuccine/penne, that’s how much this will feed. Of course, it depends on the appetite, but just think of how many people you normally feed with a 1lb/500g package of pasta.
I am allergic to cashews, which is sad because they lend to a creamier texture. Would you add anything different or in addition to the above ingredients if you sub in almonds?
Too bad about the cashews, Kristen! If you are going to sub something for the cashews I would use unfrosted sunflower seeds, not almonds. The almonds will never process into a silky, creamy texture, whereas the sunflower seeds will. It will taste slightly different and may have a darker beige color but it’ll still be good.
If you have some plain almond milk though, you can replace some of the water in the recipe with an equal amount of almond milk to bump up the creaminess. Also, maybe throw in an extra Tablespoon of flour, because cashews have their own natural thickening properties that will be missing in the sunflower seeds.
This looks amazing! Can the sauce be made ahead of time? I wasn’t sure if I could make it on the weekend for a weeknight meal or if I should reserve this one for Sunday dinner.
Hello and thanks, Ginger! Yes you can make this ahead! Just cool it down then put it into an airtight container and into the fridge. You will notice that it thickens as it cools so when you are heating it back up before tossing with pasta, you may want to add a splash of water to thin it back down. If you do, throw in an extra pinch of salt to compensate for the extra water.
May I suggest setting aside some
Of the starchy pasta water to add to the sauce instead of hot water to stretch it out?
Yes Camille, you are right, it’s always best to save some pasta cooking water for this purpose. I always am in such a rush to make sure that the pasta doesn’t overcook that I always forget to save some of the water! 😀
THIS WAS SO YUMMY! All of the packaged vegan cheese my boyfriend and I have been trying, don’t event come close to how great this tasted. The only thing we changed was adding more garlic.
Truly delicious, especially if you aren’t a fan of packaged vegan cheese.
Thanks Meg! I know what you mean because I feel the same way about most of the commercial vegan cheese products. And yes, more garlic is always welcome haha! 😀
Made this dish last night- Delectable! So yummy, thank you!!!
Glad to hear that Kerry! And it’s easy enough for a weeknight meal…just blend, boil, and toss with the pasta! 😀