I’ll show you how to make the best vegan Alfredo sauce in your blender with easy ingredients! It comes out ultra-rich, creamy, and cheesy. There are SO many ways to use Alfredo sauce that go beyond pasta, and I’m sharing those, too!

A spoon drizzling vegan alfredo sauce into a jar. - 1

What Is Vegan Alfredo Sauce?

This is my dairy-free, vegan-friendly version of classic Italian-style Alfredo sauce. Traditional Alfredo is a simple white sauce made from butter, heavy cream, and parmesan cheese (very much NOT vegan, unfortunately). Since fettuccine Alfredo was one of my favourite things to order in restaurants before going vegan, I’ve worked hard to perfect my homemade recipe. This vegan Alfredo sauce tastes like the real thing, made with a handful of wholesome ingredients in the blender.

Why You’ll Love This Alfredo Sauce Recipe

  • Quick to make. With minimal prep, you simply combine the ingredients in your blender, heat the sauce afterward, and enjoy!
  • Freezer-friendly. Unlike traditional Alfredo sauces, which contain dairy, this vegan sauce is freezer-friendly! Make a big batch and save the leftovers for more pasta dinners down the road.
  • Use it for more than just pasta. I realised a long time ago that there are loads of ways to use creamy vegan Alfredo sauce that go beyond pasta dishes. It’s become a staple in my house, and I’m sure you’ll have it on repeat, too.
Vegan garlic Alfredo pasta on plate being twirled by a gold fork. - 2

Notes on Ingredients

Let’s dive into what you’ll need to make this easy vegan Alfredo sauce. You’ll find the full, printable ingredients list in the recipe card below the post (keep scrolling!), along with detailed instructions.

  • Red Onion – Or another sweet, mild onion, like shallot or Vidalia. I like to chop and sauté the onion in butter or olive oil to bring out the flavor.
  • Cashews – When soaked or boiled (see below), fatty cashews become very easy to blend into cashew cream , the dairy-free substitute for heavy cream in this vegan Alfredo sauce. You don’t taste the nuttiness once the other ingredients are added, but the richness makes the sauce nice and creamy.
  • Roasted Garlic – Roasted garlic adds depth of flavor and makes the sauce ultra-rich and buttery. Roasting is an extra step, but it’s worth it (I usually do it while the cashews are soaking). You can even roast garlic in the air fryer !
  • Almond Milk – Or any unsweetened dairy-free milk that you prefer.
  • Nutritional Yeast – If you’re new to vegan cooking, nutritional yeast is an inactive yeast with a savory, “cheesy” flavor, used in recipes like vegan cheese sauce .
  • Vegan Parmesan – I like to up the cheesiness with vegan parmesan cheese , to mimic the flavors of classic Alfredo recipes. It takes minutes to make with raw cashews, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, and onion powder, or you can use store-bought.
  • Lime Juice – Or lemon juice, to brighten up the flavors a little.

How to Soak Cashews

If you plan ahead, you can soak the cashews for this recipe overnight. To make this Alfredo sauce the same day, I recommend boiling. Combine the cashews with just enough water to cover them and boil for 5 minutes, then drain and rinse them. Let the cashews cool, and proceed.

Overhead view of vegan alfredo sauce in a large skillet with a spoon. - 3

How to Make Vegan Alfredo Sauce

The best part about this recipe is that you make it in the blender. It’s mess-free and QUICK! Follow the steps below and scroll to the recipe card for the printable instructions.

  • Sauté the onion. First, cook the onions in a skillet with olive oil or butter until translucent.
  • Combine the ingredients. Next, add the onions to the blender along with the soaked and rinsed cashews and the remaining ingredients. Blend until you have a smooth sauce. In a high-powered blender, this takes only a minute, but if not, just keep blending until it’s creamy.
  • Finish and serve. Taste the sauce for seasoning, and then your vegan Alfredo sauce is ready to use! Heat it to use right away, or you can store the sauce airtight for later. See below for serving ideas and storage tips.

5 Ways to Use It

This vegan Alfredo sauce is super versatile, whether you whip it up for an easy weeknight dinner or a special occasion. These are just 5 of the MANY ways you can turn it into a meal:

  1. Pasta. Of course, the #1 spot goes to Alfredo pasta! I use this sauce in my vegan garlic Alfredo pasta , and it’s totally mouthwatering. You’ll also find it in this vegan pumpkin Alfredo and one-pot Alfredo penne pasta .
  2. As a dip. Alfredo sauce makes the best cheesy dip for veggies, crostini, you name it. Or, even better, try dunking vegan buffalo meatballs !
  3. Pizza topping. Use this sauce as a white pizza base. Spread it over homemade pizza dough or an almond flour pizza crust and add some tasty toppings, like buffalo cauliflower . You can also drizzle it over any of your favorite vegan pizza recipes.
  4. As a topping for vegetables. Drizzle Alfredo sauce over roasted vegetables , baked potatoes , roasted asparagus , or broccoli.
  5. In a casserole. Layer your vegan Alfredo sauce into lasagna , or use it as the sauce in a broccoli cheese casserole .
Overhead view of vegan alfredo sauce in a jar with a spoon. - 4

Recipe Tips

  • Use quality ingredients. Be sure to use the best and freshest ingredients you can get your hands on, always. This includes getting the best quality cashews you can. It makes a difference!
  • Use unsweetened milk. Be sure to use unsweetened almond milk (or whichever dairy-free milk you choose). If it’s sweetened, it’ll definitely throw off the flavor of the sauce.
  • Use starchy pasta water. You’ll notice the recipe card calls for pasta water. That’s because pasta water contains lots of starches that help to emulsify the sauce. So, if you’re making pasta, use it! Otherwise, filtered water is fine, but you may need to add more salt to taste.
  • Thoroughly soak the cashews. Ensure you soak your cashews properly! If they’re not properly soaked, the sauce won’t be rich and creamy.
  • Don’t skip the lime. Lime juice helps neutralise the cashew-y taste and really brings all the ingredients together.
  • Blend completely. Take the time to properly blend the sauce, even if it takes more than a minute or two. Keep blending until it’s silky smooth.

How to Store

  • Refrigerate. Store this vegan Alfredo sauce in an airtight jar in your fridge for 4 days. Pro tip: To extend the sauce’s shelf life up to a week, cook it on the stove for about 5 minutes over medium heat before you store it. This way, it’s cooked instead of “raw”.
  • Freeze. One of my favourite things about this vegan recipe is that it’s freezer-friendly! Freeze the vegan Alfredo sauce in a freezer-safe jar or container. When you’re ready to use it, just thaw it overnight in your fridge, then stir the sauce together.

More Vegan Pasta Sauces

  • Pomodoro Sauce
  • Arrabbiata Sauce
  • Homemade Tomato Sauce
  • Tartar Sauce
  • Homemade Marinara Sauce

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons vegan butter , or olive oil
  • 1/2 red onion , chopped
  • 1 cup raw cashews , soaked overnight, OR soaked in HOT water for 1 hour OR just easily boiled for 5 minutes*
  • 1/4 cup pasta water , or filtered water
  • 1 ½ cups unsweetened almond milk
  • 4 cloves roasted garlic , **
  • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt , or more to taste
  • 2 tablespoons vegan Parmesan cheese , + extra for topping
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice

Instructions

  • In a pan over medium-high heat, heat the vegan butter or olive oil. Add the onion, stir and let cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.
  • Remove the onions from the pan and add it to a blender. Add the rinsed off soaked cashews (without the water), the pasta water, the almond milk, the roasted garlic, the nutritional yeast, the sea salt, the vegan parmesan cheese and the lime juice.
  • Blend it all together until completely creamy. If you have a high powered blender this will happen quickly, about 1 minute, if not, just keep blending until completely smooth and creamy. Taste and add more salt or vegan parmesan cheese if necessary. Serve it with your desired dish or store in an airtight jar until you’re ready to use it!

Notes

  • *You can easily boil your cashews with just enough water covering them for 5 minutes. Drain, let cool, and proceed! This way you can make the recipe the same day.
  • ** YES, roasted garlic takes about 40 minutes, but you’ll need to wait for your cashews to soak for an hour at least anyway (or, if you’re doing the 5-minute method for boiling your cashews, it’s still worth it to roast your garlic for the best flavour)! Cut a bit of the top off of a whole head of garlic, put it in foil, drizzle olive oil on it, wrap the foil around it, and cook it at 450 degrees F for 45 minutes in your oven until the cloves are soft and velvety! Allow it to cool, then push the cloves out.
  • You can reheat this! Just reheat it in a stovetop over medium-high heat with a bit more almond milk to thin it out again until hot.
  • Prep time doesn’t include soaking the cashews overnight.
A spoon drizzling vegan alfredo sauce into a jar. - 5

Vegan Alfredo Sauce

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons vegan butter or olive oil
  • 1/2 red onion chopped
  • 1 cup raw cashews soaked overnight, OR soaked in HOT water for 1 hour OR just easily boiled for 5 minutes*
  • 1/4 cup pasta water or filtered water
  • 1 ½ cups unsweetened almond milk
  • 4 cloves roasted garlic **
  • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt or more to taste
  • 2 tablespoons vegan Parmesan cheese + extra for topping
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice

Instructions

  • In a pan over medium-high heat, heat the vegan butter or olive oil. Add the onion, stir and let cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.
  • Remove the onions from the pan and add it to a blender. Add the rinsed off soaked cashews (without the water), the pasta water, the almond milk, the roasted garlic, the nutritional yeast, the sea salt, the vegan parmesan cheese and the lime juice.
  • Blend it all together until completely creamy. If you have a high powered blender this will happen quickly, about 1 minute, if not, just keep blending until completely smooth and creamy. Taste and add more salt or vegan parmesan cheese if necessary. Serve it with your desired dish or store in an airtight jar until you’re ready to use it!

Video

Notes

  • *You can easily boil your cashews with just enough water covering them for 5 minutes. Drain, let cool, and proceed! This way you can make the recipe the same day.
  • ** YES, roasted garlic takes about 40 minutes, but you’ll need to wait for your cashews to soak for an hour at least anyway (or, if you’re doing the 5-minute method for boiling your cashews, it’s still worth it to roast your garlic for the best flavour)! Cut a bit of the top off of a whole head of garlic, put it in foil, drizzle olive oil on it, wrap the foil around it, and cook it at 450 degrees F for 45 minutes in your oven until the cloves are soft and velvety! Allow it to cool, then push the cloves out.
  • You can reheat this! Just reheat it in a stovetop over medium-high heat with a bit more almond milk to thin it out again until hot.
  • Prep time doesn’t include soaking the cashews overnight.

Nutrition

Vegan Alfredo Sauce https://jessicainthekitchen.com/vegan-alfredo-sauce-5-ways-to-use-it/ February 24, 2020

This is the BEST kale salad recipe ever! It’s made with fresh and flavorful massaged kale, topped with avocado, carrot ribbons, and a crunchy seed blend tossed in a creamy homemade tahini dressing. Enjoy this easy salad as the perfect light lunch or side.

Leafy green kale is one of my favorite salad ingredients. If you love kale recipes as much as I do, be sure to try my easy kale slaw recipe next!

Overhead view of kale salad topped with avocado, carrots, seeds, and dressing in a large serving bowl. - 6

This easy kale salad recipe is packed full of tender fresh greens, creamy avocado, crunchy carrot ribbons, cabbage, and a deliciously nutty seed blend. Drizzled with the best homemade tahini dressing, this is the perfect salad to enjoy for lunch or as a side with a larger meal. It’s super simple to pull together and the ingredients, as always, are totally customizable. Feel free to adapt them to suit your tastes, or with whatever you have on hand in the fridge!

Why You’ll Love This Easy Kale Salad Recipe

  • Fresh and crunchy. There are so many irresistible textures and flavors going on here. This salad has flavorful massaged kale that’s just tender enough, combined with crunchy veggies, toasted seeds, and the smooth creaminess of the avocado and dressing.
  • Quick to make. This kale salad comes together in 20 minutes or less. I’m sharing all my tips and tricks on how to get the utmost flavor out of each ingredient, including how to tenderize the kale.
  • Adaptable. All the best salad recipes aren’t only made one way, and this is the best kale salad for a reason! Make this recipe your own with your favorite toppings, change up the dressing, and get creative with proteins and add-ons.
A hand massaging kale leaves in a metal bowl. - 7

Notes on Ingredients

Let’s start with some quick notes on your best-ever kale salad components. Scroll down to the recipe card after the post for a printable list of ingredients with amounts.

  • Kale – You can’t make a kale salad without it! Kale is a wonderful ingredient, found in the produce aisle alongside other leafy greens. When massaged, kale loses some of its natural bitterness and takes on a deliciously tender texture.
  • Toppings – My kale salad toppings include fresh carrot ribbons, diced avocado, shredded red cabbage, and a crunchy combination of toasted pepitas, hemp seeds, and sesame seeds.

For the Dressing

  • Tahini – This is a creamy condiment made from ground toasted sesame seeds. You’ll find tahini in the condiment aisle of most major grocery chains, or you can make homemade tahini (all it takes is 2 ingredients!).
  • Sesame Oil – You’ll use oil to thin out the dressing a little. Sesame oil is a natural choice alongside the tahini, but you can also use avocado oil or even olive oil in a pinch.
  • Tamari – For a hit of delicious umami. Tamari is a gluten-free alternative to soy sauce, but regular soy sauce or coconut aminos are also good options.
  • Lime – Freshly squeezed lime juice brightens up the dressing. Feel free to substitute lime with lemon or a splash of vinegar if that’s what you have on hand.
  • Garlic – Because every dressing is better with freshly minced garlic!

Can I Use Another Salad Dressing?

I love the clean and creamy flavors of tahini dressing with this kale salad, but there are plenty of other dressing options, too! If you’d like to change things up, try a light vinaigrette like the one I use for my kale apple salad . There’s also the sweet and tangy poppyseed dressing from my kale chickpea salad . For something extra kicky, try this spicy tahini made with harissa.

Close up of kale salad topped with avocado, carrots, seeds, and dressing in a large serving bowl. - 8

How to Massage Kale for a Salad

As any kale lover will tell you, raw kale often comes with a slightly bitter flavor. But don’t let that deter you. To bring out the best in raw kale, all you need to do is give it a little massage to break down those tough fibers. Massaged kale is more tender, tastier, and easier to digest. Here’s how it’s done:

  • Separate the leaves. With your fresh bunch of kale ready to go, tear or trim the leaves away from the hard stems. Add the leaves to a bowl.
  • Use your hands. Get in there with your (clean) hands and squeeze and massage the leaves firmly. Continue for about a minute, to really get them nice and soft.
  • Chop and wash the kale. After massaging, chop the kale and wash it well under cold water. Your massaged kale is ready to go into your salad!
Overhead view of kale salad topped with avocado, carrots, seeds, and dressing in a large serving bowl, next to a spoon and a small bowl of tahini dressing. - 9

How to Make the Best Kale Salad

Once your ingredients are ready to go, this kale salad recipe comes together in minutes. Follow the step-by-step overview below, and scroll to the recipe card for printable instructions.

  • Prepare the kale. First, you’ll massage, chop, and then wash your raw kale leaves following the directions above. Add the
  • Add toppings. Top your salad with avocado, carrots, and seeds.
  • Add the dressing. Whisk together the dressing ingredients in a bowl until smooth. Drizzle the tahini dressing over the salad. Give everything a good toss to combine, making sure that tasty dressing gets into all the nooks and crannies.

Tips and Variations

  • Massage the kale. I repeat: Massage. The. Kale. Don’t skip this step, as raw kale that hasn’t been for a quick massage sesh isn’t nearly as appetizing.
  • Get creative with toppings. Feel free to create new topping combinations using your favorite add-ins. Try adding cooked chopped beetroot, roasted butternut squash, green cabbage, snap peas, edamame beans, roasted chickpeas , and more.
  • Add nuts. Chopped walnuts, pecans, or slivered almonds are a great way to add more crunch to this kale salad.
  • Add protein. To make this salad into a meal, add protein like marinated tofu , crispy baked tofu , or tempeh . See below for more easy serving suggestions.

What to Serve With Kale Salad

The beauty of a great kale salad is that it’s such a versatile meal idea. Kale stays fresh for a while even after being tossed in dressing, so pack this salad for an easy work lunch and wash it down with a fresh green smoothie . It’s also wonderful paired with a BBQ chickpea wrap , or you can serve it as a side with a bowl of creamy pumpkin soup in the colder months. Kale salad also makes a yummy side dish at the dinner table next to pasta dishes like butternut ravioli or baked eggplant parmesan .

How to Store Leftovers

  • Refrigerate. It’s best to store this kale salad without the dressing. Refrigerate any leftover salad airtight for up to 3 days. Store the dressing separately in a jar or container, and it will keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

More Easy Salad Recipes

  • Vegan Cobb Salad
  • Greek Cucumber Salad
  • Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
  • Easy Vegan Caesar Salad
  • Pear and Gorgonzola Salad

Ingredients

The Best Kale Salad

  • 6 cups kale , torn and washed

Tahini Dressing

  • 2 tablespoons tahini
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1/2 tablespoon tamari sauce , or liquid aminos or low sodium soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 1 clove garlic , minced

Toppings (use any amount you want, but these are my rough estimates)

  • ⅓ cup pumpkin seeds/pepitas
  • ½ avocado , cubed
  • carrot ribbons , from 1 carrot
  • ¼ cup shredded purple cabbage
  • ¼ cup hulled hemp seeds
  • 1 tablespoon black or white sesame seeds , optional

Instructions

The Best Kale Salad

  • Massage and cut or tear kale in a large strainer for about 2 minutes. After cutting, wash kale, dry and set aside.
  • Add dressing on top or lightly combine. Add toppings and toss to combine.
  • Enjoy!

Tahini Dressing

  • In a medium-size bowl add all the dressing ingredients and whisk until fully combined and smooth.

Notes

  • For an extra delicious salad, toast your pepitas beforehand in about 2 teaspoons of oil over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes. Shake occasionally, until pepitas begin to pop. Season generously with salt, pepper, and paprika.