Creamy Dairy-Free Alfredo Sauce

This dairy-free alfredo sauce delivers everything you love about the classic. It has a velvety smooth texture, luxurious mouthfeel, and comforting flavor – all without a drop of dairy. You can count on it to elevate pasta, casseroles, and pizza any night of the week. It’s also ready in minutes for busy weekday meals and to impress last minute dinner guests!

The Best Ever Dairy-Free Alfredo Sauce (Ready in 10 Minutes!)

This is far more than a dairy copycat recipe. It’s made with pure, natural ingredients that come together quickly to create a rich seamless sauce that has endless possibilities.

What Makes this Dairy-Free Alfredo Recipe Special?

• The Ingredient Synergy: Coconut and cashews each have their own distinctive flavors, but blend them together and they become something new. The consistency is almost silky and the flavor is well balanced and doesn’t overtly taste like either ingredient.
• No Soaking Needed: There’s no need to plan ahead for this dairy-free alfredo sauce! We skip the soaking step, and simply grind the dry cashews into a powder. The cashew “flour” absorbs liquid quite quickly, and thickens the sauce within a few minutes of cooking.
• Authentic Texture: This recipe achieves the thick, clingy consistency that makes a great restaurant-style alfredo.
• Quick Cooking Time: Yes, it really can be ready in 10 minutes! Just grind, blend, and heat for a delicious sauce on busy nights.
• Make Ahead Possibilities: This is a great sauce for meal prepping, as it will keep for about a week in the refrigerator if made with fresh ingredients.
• Freezer Ready: It freezes well on its own and in casseroles for meals at the ready.
• Accessible Ingredients: All of the ingredients are readily available at just about any grocery store, and usually for an affordable price.

Ingredient FAQs

• Cashews: Can I Substitute a Different Nut? I prefer cashews for optimal flavor and creaminess. But you can substitute almonds or macadamia nuts, or 1/4 cup pine nuts + 1/2 cup almonds or macadamia nuts for a richer finish. The pine nuts do not need to be pre-ground.
• Cashews: Should I Soak The Cashews? No, do not pre-soak them. Dry cashews soak up moisture, making the sauce creamier as it cooks. They also blend well when pre-ground and offer more of an “instant” option than soaking.
• Cashews: Do You Have a Nut-Free Option? Try this Tofu Alfredo, Coconut Milk Alfredo, or my classic Dairy-Free Bechamel Sauce.
• Broth: What Broth do You Recommend? Some brands of broth and bouillon do contain milk. See our Best Dairy-Free Broth Guide for some of my recommendations.
• Coconut Milk: What is Full-Fat Coconut Milk? This is regular canned coconut milk. It’s sold primarily in the Asian section of most supermarkets. You can use coconut cream  for a richer sauce, or lite canned coconut milk for a lighter sauce.
• Coconut Milk: Can You Taste the Coconut? None of my taste-testers throughout the testing process could tell there was any coconut in this sauce. But I’m sure some people can taste hints of coconut. Overall, the coconut milk and cashews combine to create a more neutral flavor.
• Coconut Milk: Can I Substitute Oat Milk or Almond Milk? I don’t recommend it from a flavor or consistency standpoint. Milk alternatives are too thin and the flavor profiles often don’t pair well. You could use a milk alternative in place of the coconut milk and broth (1 1/4 cups total) and add a dairy-free bouillon cube. But I haven’t tested this and can’t guarantee the results. Let us know if you try it!

Special Diet Notes: Dairy-Free Alfredo Sauce

By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, peanut-free, soy-free, paleo, and suitable for some keto diets. It’s also optionally vegan, plant-based, and vegetarian. Just be sure to choose a broth that suits your dietary needs.

Alisa Fleming

Creamy Dairy-Free Alfredo Sauce

5 from 2 votes

I adapted this rich and creamy sauce recipe from one submitted by a reader named Kerri over a decade ago. I've included her original version in the notes (just in case you're looking for it). We loved her recipe! But my newer version is a touch more flavorful, includes more specific ingredient amounts, and has more detailed instructions.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 10 minutes mins

Servings: 4 servings

Course: Entree

Cuisine: Italian

Calories: 182

Ingredients Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x?

• ¾ cup cashews
• 1 cup dairy-free chicken broth or vegan no chicken broth
• ¼ cup full-fat coconut milk
• 2 garlic cloves crushed (about 1 teaspoon) (can substitute 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder)
• Water as needed
• 1 ½ teaspoons lemon juice optional, but recommended
• ¾ teaspoon salt plus additional to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method

 

1. Put the cashews in your spice grinder or food processor. Process until powdered, about 1 minute.
2. Put the cashew powder, broth, coconut milk, and garlic in your blender. Blend until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.
3. Pour the nut cream through a fine-mesh sieve (to catch any remaining cashew pieces) into a medium pan over medium heat. Bring the sauce to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and whisk as it simmers for about 3 minutes, or until it reaches your desired thickness. If it thickens too much, whisk in water, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, as needed.
4. Add the lemon juice, salt, and black pepper, and whisk to combine.
5. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. It can be frozen for longer storage.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/3 cupCalories: 182kcalCarbohydrates: 9.2gProtein: 5.5gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 5.2gSodium: 664mgFiber: 1.2gSugar: 2.3g

Notes

Dairy-Free Pasta Alfredo: Cook 8 ounces of dry pasta (wheat-based or gluten-free) according to the package. Do not rinse the pasta. Stir the cooked pasta into the sauce.

Flavorful Add-In Options: Stir in about 1/4 cup diced sun-dried tomatoes in oil (drained), diced roasted red bell peppers, or 1/4 cup fresh chopped basil. For a touch of cheesiness, stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast or 1/4 to 1/2 cup shredded dairy-free parmesan, to taste.

Kerri’s Version: Her original recipe made 8 servings, and used 1½ cups cashews, ¾ cup coconut milk, 1 vegan bouillon cube, 3 garlic cloves, and listed black pepper and salt (or Herbamare) to taste.

Tried this recipe?

Let us know how it was!

More Recipe Tips: Dairy-Free Alfredo Sauce

Serving Suggestions

• Pasta: Obviously this recipe makes a great dairy-free fettuccine alfredo. This is included as an option in the recipe notes. Serve it with streamed broccoli or a side salad. Or stir baby spinach leaves into the hot sauce before adding the pasta.
• Meat or Seafood: Whether served with rice, pasta, or paleo-style, this dairy-free alfredo sauce pairs nicely with grilled chicken baked salmon, sauteed shrimp, and pan-fried pork chops. See my Dairy-Free Chicken Alfredo Recipe for an example.
• Vegetables: Drizzle it over roasted or steamed broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, kale, spinach, sweet potatoes, parsnips, or green beans.
• Dip: If you’re feeling casual, enjoy dipping some crusty bread and blanched broccoli and cauliflower florets in this sauce.
• Pizza Sauce: Don’t add water to keep the sauce quite thick. Use it as the sauce base on a homemade dairy-free white pizza. Top it with baby spinach leaves, mushroom slices, and chopped chicken. Sprinkle on a little shredded dairy-free parmesan, dairy-free mozzarella, or sliced olives.
• Over Gnocchi or Polenta: Skip the pasta, and serve this dairy-free alfredo sauce over dairy-free gnocchi or squares of polenta. Sauteed greens and mushrooms pair nicely with the gnocchi, and sauteed onions and bell peppers are delicious with the polenta.
• Casseroles: Instead of condensed soup, use this creamy sauce! Stir it into cooked rice, broccoli, and chicken, top with parma sprinkles and dairy-free breadcrumbs, and bake until bubbly. Or use it in layered casseroles, like lasagna.

Make Ahead

• Time: Up to 2 days ahead for optimal freshness, or frozen for longer storage.
• Tips: How long it lasts in the refrigerator does depend on the freshness of your ingredients. So keep in mind when you opened your broth and coconut milk. Since it doesn’t contain any starch or flour, this sauce freezes very well. It will thicken in the fridge and freezer, but you can whisk in more water, as needed to thin it out.

Storage

• Store: In an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
• Reheat: Put the cold or frozen sauce in a saucepan, and cook it over medium-low heat until warmed through, stirring often. In a pinch, you can reheat it in the microwave. Add water as needed to thin it out.

Troubleshooting

• The Sauce is Too Thick: Just add water! Whisk it in, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it reaches your desired consistency. You can do this while cooking the sauce or after  it cools.
• The Sauce is Too Thin: Cook it for longer. The cashews will thicken it the longer you cook. They soak up moisture and the liquid also evaporates off. The sauce will also thicken up as it cools, especially if you make it ahead.
• It’s a Little Bland: Make sure you add enough salt. Salt is key in sauces, particularly when you aren’t adding cheese. Cheese is very salty! You can also add more black pepper plus some onion powder if you want a bigger flavor boost.
• It’s Too Salty: If you are salt sensitive, start with just 1/4 teaspoon salt, and add more, to taste, as needed. If it’s already too salty, blend another 1/4 cup cashews into a powder. Put them in your blender with 1/4 cup water and 1 tablespoon coconut milk and puree until smooth and creamy. Pour this through a fine mesh sieve into your sauce, and whisk until smooth. Cook it a minute or two more to thicken. This should mellow out the flavor.

Also Try My Favorite Dairy-Free Cheese Sauce Recipe!