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This Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo recipe is truly the best of all time! It’s made with just a handful of ingredients and only one pot needed. Finish with cracked black pepper and your favorite fresh herbs for a creamy, delicious meal the whole family will love.
This Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo was created by my dear friend and co-author, Michelle Cehn of World of Vegan. It is one of the most popular recipes from our cookbook, The Friendly Vegan Cookbook and I’m so excited to share this recipe exclusive for free with you on the blog.
The original fettuccine Alfredo is incredibly heavy and a not-so-healthy meal. By using almonds and a few other wholesome plant-based ingredients in this vegan version, we’ve not only skipped the dairy, but made a pasta dish that you can feel good about enjoying for both your health and the animals. If you’re a creamy pasta lover, don’t miss this Creamy Tahini Pasta or this Vegan Pasta Primavera Recipe, too!
Why You’ll Love This Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo
- No one will miss the dairy! This vegan version of the classic pasta dish is so creamy and delicious, absolutely no one will miss the heavy cream, parmesan cheese, or unsalted butter. The whole family will devour this – kids included!
- Made with simple ingredients. Homemade Alfredo sauce is incredibly easy to make from scratch and requires just 7 ingredients.
- It’s healthy vegan comfort food. Classic Alfredo sauce is typically made with a significant amount of dairy butter. Instead, this vegan Alfredo sauce is made rich and flavorful using whole nuts (no vegan butter!) and can be made entirely oil-free! It’s the best way to enjoy vegan comfort food while sticking to a Whole Food Plant-Based Diet.
- No soaking required. If you have a high powered blender, there’s no soaking required, meaning you can have this hearty pasta dish on the table in under 30 minutes!
- It uses minimal dishes! Since the pasta cooks directly in the Alfredo sauce, you’ll only dirty one pot and a blender. Minimal mess, minimal cleanup!
The Ingredients
- Almonds: Use raw, unsalted almonds. If the almonds used have added flavors or are roasted, the flavor of the homemade Alfredo sauce will be very different.
- Oil: I used 1 tablespoon of neutral tasting oil to sauté the onion and garlic and enhance the flavor. If you are oil-free, substitute the oil with a splash of water or low-sodium vegetable broth.
- Aromatics: Onion and garlic add depth and flavor to the foundation of the vegan Alfredo sauce. Fresh is highly recommended over dried.
- Vegetable broth: Low-sodium vegetable broth works best and helps infuse the pasta with flavor.
- Pasta: Fettuccine pasta is the classic choice for Alfredo, but use your favorite pasta. Any shape of pasta will work.
- Cornstarch: Helps thicken the pasta sauce and sticks to the cooked pasta.
Add-ins and Variations
- Add a ‘cheesy’ flavor: As is, this pasta is naturally creamy tasting but if you’d like to take it to the next level, add nutritional yeast and vegan parmesan cheese to taste. You can even stir in a dollop of your favorite vegan cream cheese to make it ultra creamy.
- Make it spicy: Sprinkle the final dish with red pepper flakes to taste.
- Add veggies: Enjoy the pasta plain or add in your favorite roasted vegetables, such as roasted cherry tomatoes, sautéed mixed vegetables, or steamed veggies.
How to Make Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo
Step 1: First, make the almond cream. To a high powered blender, add the almonds and 3 cups of water. Blend until a creamy almond milk forms, about 60 seconds.
Step 2: Over a large bowl, pour the blended liquid into a nut milk bag. Gently massage the bag to strain the almond milk and only a thick, crumbly almond pulp remains. Set the bowl of almond cream aside and either discard the pulp or save it for another recipe.
Step 3: Next, sauté the onions and garlic. In a large pot over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Once hot, add the onion and garlic and cook for 2 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently, until soft and fragrant.
Step 4: 3) Add in the vegetable broth and almond cream, increase the heat to medium high, and bring the mixture to a boil.
Step 5: Once boiling, add the fettuccine pasta directly into the pot. Cook the pasta, uncovered, according to package instructions or until the pasta is al dente. Stir frequently to prevent the pasta from clumping to the bottom of the pot.
Step 6: While the pasta cooks, prepare the cornstarch slurry. In a small mixing bowl, add the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of water. Stir until the cornstarch is completely dissolved and set aside. When the pasta has 2 minutes left to cook, stir in the cornstarch slurry.
Step 7: Season with salt and black pepper, and continue to cook for 2 to 5 minutes, or until the sauce starts to thicken. Turn off the heat and allow the vegan fettuccine Alfredo to rest on the stovetop for about 5 minutes. The sauce should continue to thicken and will continue to thicken as it cools. Serve immediately!
Recipe FAQs
Yes. Replace the classic wheat fettuccine with your favorite gluten-free pasta. For best results, I’d recommend brown rice pasta. Bean-based pastas are more tender and may not hold up as well in this one pot recipe.
Some readers have asked if they can replace the almonds in this recipe with another type of nut such as raw cashews or sunflower seeds. We have only made this Alfredo pasta using raw almonds, but give our Dairy Free Alfredo Sauce a try. It’s made with raw, hulled pumpkin seeds and is equally delicious. Or, for a nut-free version, try this Velvety Vegan Alfredo Sauce.
Vegan fettuccine Alfredo can be reheated on the stovetop or in the microwave. Once the fettuccine Alfredo pasta sits, the fettuccine pasta will absorb a lot of the creamy sauce and become very thick. When reheating, splash the fettuccine with a bit of additional water or unsweetened plant-based milk to help thin the sauce back out as it warms.
The next best appliance to use would be a food processor. We wouldn’t recommend replacing the homemade almond milk with store-bought milk. The homemade version is significantly creamier and richer tasting than store-bought.
Store-bought milks are convenient, they are also typically watered down and don’t have the best creamy texture. If you don’t have a high speed blender, place the soaked almonds in a food processor with 1 cup of water. Blend until pureed then mix in the remaining two cups of water and strain.
Use the almond pulp to bake vegan muffins (like these blueberry banana muffins), cookies (like these chickpea chocolate chip cookies), or add it to smoothies (like this mango blueberry smoothie) for a boost of plant-based fiber. You can also dry almond pulp out and add it to oatmeal. There’s so many delicious ways to repurpose this almond milk by-product.
Top Recipe Tips
- Stir frequently. Once the pasta is added to the white sauce, stir the pasta frequently to prevent the pasta from sinking and sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Use low-sodium vegetable broth. This recipe was developed using low-sodium vegetable broth and salted to taste with additional sea salt. If you only have full-sodium vegetable broth, reduce or fully omit the added sea salt.
- Use uncooked pasta. The amount of liquid called for in this recipe is written so that the pasta can cook directly in the Alfredo sauce. If you add cooked Alfredo to the pot, the sauce will be very liquidy and have too much volume.
What to Serve with Fettuccine Alfredo
Vegan fettuccine Alfredo is just as rich as the traditional Alfredo sauce and makes for a delicious, hearty main dish. It pairs best with light, vegetable heavy sides or classics like Vegan Garlic Bread or Dinner Rolls.
If you’re looking for the perfect light side dish, check out a few of our favorites from the blog:
- Easy Vegan Brussels Sprouts Recipe
- Sautéed Asparagus
- Crispy Green Bean Fries
- Glazed Carrots
- Oven Baked Mushrooms
- Tomato and Silken Tofu Caprese Salad
Storage Instructions and Make Ahead Tips
To store: This pasta dish will keep best in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Before covering and storing, allow the pasta to cool to room temperature.
To freeze: Freezing this pasta is not recommended.
Make ahead tips: There are a couple of ways to prep this recipe for meal prep. First, the homemade almond milk can be prepped up to 48 hours in advance. Follow recipe step 1, then pour the almond milk into an airtight glass jar such as a mason jar. Seal tightly and refrigerate until ready to make the pasta.
Second, if you are prepping this recipe for easy vegan lunches, follow the recipe as usual, but leave the Alfredo sauce on the saucier side (it will continue to thicken as it cools in your individual meal prep containers). Add a splash of water or plant-based milk to each to help the homemade Alfredo sauce loosen up upon reheating.
The Best Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw unsalted almonds
- 3 cups plus 2 tablespoons water, divided
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 5 large garlic cloves, minced
- 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth (or the equivalent amount of vegetable bouillon/paste and water)
- 16 ounces of uncooked fettuccine
- 4 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon salt (only if using low-sodium broth)
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Freshly cracked black pepper to taste, for garnish
- ½ cup finely chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Using a high-powered blender, blend the almonds and 3 cups of water until a creamy plant milk forms. Over a large bowl, pour the liquid through a nut milk bag to strain out the pulp, and gently massage the bag until all the plant milk has passed through and only a thick crumbly clump of almond pulp remains. Set aside the silky smooth almond cream and discard the pulp (or save it to use in another recipe).
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 2 to 4 minutes, until soft and fragrant.
- Add the vegetable broth and homemade almond milk, increase the heat to medium high, and bring to a boil.
- Add the fettuccine to the pot and cook uncovered for the amount of time suggested on the package or until the noodles are cooked and tender. This will take 9 to 12 minutes but can vary depending on the type of pasta you use. Stir the pasta frequently to prevent it from clumping and sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- While the pasta is cooking, mix the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of water in a small bowl until the cornstarch dissolves.
- Two minutes before the pasta is done, add the cornstarch and water mixture, salt, and ground black pepper to the pot. Cook for 2 to 5 minutes, until the sauce starts to thicken.
- Turn the heat off and allow the pasta and sauce to rest on the stove for 5 minutes to thicken. If the sauce is still very liquid, turn the heat on while mixing the pasta and sauce for another 1 to 2 minutes—but keep in mind that the sauce will continue to thicken with time.
- Plate the pasta and garnish with the cracked black pepper and parsley.
Notes
- Stir frequently. Once the pasta is added to the white sauce, stir the pasta frequently to prevent the pasta from sinking and sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Use low-sodium vegetable broth. This recipe was developed using low-sodium vegetable broth and salted to taste with additional sea salt. If you only have full-sodium vegetable broth, reduce or fully omit the added sea salt.
- Use uncooked pasta. The amount of liquid called for in this recipe is written so that the pasta can cook directly in the Alfredo sauce. If you add cooked Alfredo to the pot, the sauce will be very liquidy and have too much volume.
I took a chance and tripled this recipe yesterday. Added lemon pepper, red pepper flakes, a bit of coconut milk and nutritional yeast after tasting. So good!!! A gallon and a half to share and stash in the deep freeze. This one beats my best from before!! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Love this! So glad you enjoyed this yummy vegan fettuccine! 🙂
I wish your post were pinnable. (Pinterest)
Hi! They are 🙂 There’s a pin button in the recipe card!
Super creamy and savory. A must-make pasta dish for any night of the week!
Agreed! It’s great all the time!
This recipe is one of my family’s favorite! So creamy and flavourful 🙂
Love that! I made it for thanksgiving one year and it was a hit!
This vegan fettuccine alfredo is so creamy and delicious!
Agreed! So creamy and tasty!
I am so impressed wit how this turned out!! It’s so creamy and delicious!
Right?! The creaminess is unreal!
If you used purchased almond milk, how much would you use?
We have not tried this recipe using almond milk. Let us know if you try it, thanks.
Winner, winner, alfredo dinner! I threw in a handful of dehydrated kale while the sauce was boiling. Definitely a keeper recipe. Thank you so much!
Love the addition of kale! Sounds amazing!
I’ve tried a LOT of Alfredo recipes and this is hand down the BEST. I hate squeezing almond milk, but it’s worth it for this recipe. This is a “company is coming” recipe that will impress the dairy lovers. My kids fight over this. The only time it hasn’t been great is when I used almonds that weren’t so fresh, so be sure to taste them before making the milk. The age of the almonds can really make a difference.
Love that you enjoyed this recipe and that’s such a great tip for keeping tabs on the almonds being used!
Can I use unflavored almond, oat or cashew milk instead of squeezing the almonds?? Never did that, sounds tedious? I’d add some spinach & mushrooms, & sub shallots for onions, my personal flavor profile!
I did 3 cups of store bought oat milk to sup for the homemade almond milk and that worked for me. Used a little more at the end to thin it out.
One of our all-time favorite dinner meals. Really creamy and delicious!
I’m with you! So so good!
Fettuccine Alfredo is one of fav pastas
Same! Love how creamy this one turns out too!
Perfect! Creamy and so tastsy!
Gotta love how creamy it turns out! I love it!
Is it possible to use store bought almond milk instead of making your own?
yes! feel free to use any almond milk you prefer, enjoy!
This fettuccine Alfredo is incredible! Can’t wait to make it again soon!
It’s soooo good! Creamy and delicious!
Made this last Thanksgiving. It was sooo good!
easy homemade white sauce that is a good change up from tomato all the time
Great recipe! I love fettuccine alfredo, but not all the saturated fat. This tastes really good and while it has 18 g of fat, it only has 2 g of saturated fat. The color isn’t same as regular fettuccine alfredo, but that didn’t even bother my very picky teenager because she liked how it tasted.
Love that it was a hit with your teenager! Everyone loved it last thanksgiving at my house 🙂
Can’t go wrong with vegan alfredo!
We love nut based sauces here! Delicious recipe, definitely recommend adding red pepper flakes.
I’m with you! So so good!
Do you think it would be possible to use cashews with this receipe?
Hi Doug! We haven’t tried subbing in cashews for the almonds so we can’t guarantee the results. However, if you do end up trying it out, please let us know how it works out!