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    Home » Recipes » Paleo

    Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce with Cashews (dairy-free & vegan)

    Modified: Nov 28, 2024 • Published: Jun 6, 2018 by Dr. Erin Carter • This post may contain affiliate links • 9 Comments

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    A bowl of pasta with cauliflower Alfredo sauce on it.

    This is the best cauliflower Alfredo sauce recipe. It's so rich and creamy and surprisingly easy to make. This dairy free Alfredo sauce is also vegan, gluten-free, Whole30, and paleo. Loaded with vegetables this sneaky veggie sauce is healthy and can be used in so many ways.

    Two bowls of pasta with cauliflower Alfredo sauce on them.

    Sneaky veggie recipes like my cherry cheesecake smoothie, healthy key lime pie smoothie, cauliflower cheese sauce and key lime pie popsicles are some of my favourite to create, which is why I can't wait for you to try this sneaky veggie cauliflower sauce!

    Table of Contents
    • Why you will love this recipe:
    • Ingredients and substitutions:
    • Recipe variations and add ins:
    • How to make cauliflower Alfredo sauce:
    • Top Tips:
    • How to serve:
    • How to store:
    • Cauliflower Alfredo sauce FAQs:
    • Other vegetable recipes you will love:
    • Recipe

    Why you will love this recipe:

    • Even though this Alfredo sauce is made with cauliflower you would never know it! It's so rich and creamy and doesn't actually taste like cauliflower. It has the most amazing flavour that is similar to a traditional Alfredo sauce.
    • It's quick and easy to make and takes less than 30 minutes to prepare.
    • This sauce is dairy free, healthy, sugar free, gluten-free, paleo, Whole30 compliant, plant based and vegan.
    • It's made with simple ingredients that you can find in any grocery store.
    • This cauliflower Alfredo sauce freezes really well and makes great leftovers so it's perfect for meal prep.
    • Kids love it!
    • This sauce can be used in so many ways including as a topping for pasta, as a sauce for casseroles and more!

    If you love cauliflower recipes you also need to try my cauliflower fried rice, vegan cauliflower soup recipe and cilantro lime cauliflower rice.

    Ingredients and substitutions:

    The ingredients needed to make cauliflower Alfredo sauce separate into bowls including cauliflower florets, cashews, coconut milk and broth.
    • Cauliflower - Cauliflower is the star of this healthy Alfredo sauce. When cooked, it becomes nice and tender to help make the most rich and creamy sauce. You can use either fresh cauliflower or frozen cauliflower to make this sauce.
    • Coconut milk - this is used to make this sauce really rich and creamy, without using cream, milk, or dairy. I recommend using full fat coconut milk rather than low fat coconut milk.
    • Nutritional yeast - this helps this sauce taste cheesy, while keeping it dairy free and cheese free.
    • Broth - this helps add both flavour and depth to this cauliflower Alfredo sauce. You can use any type of broth that you like including vegetable broth, chicken broth or bone broth.
    • Cashews - raw cashews are used to help make this sauce so smooth and creamy. Be sure to use raw cashews instead of roasted cashews.
    • Herbs and spices - Italian seasoning, sea salt, fresh garlic, and ground black pepper are all you need to perfectly season this delicious sauce. If you don't tolerate fresh garlic you could add garlic infused olive oil instead.

    Recipe variations and add ins:

    • If you can't have cashews I would recommend using pine nuts instead.
    • You can use any type of broth that you like for making this cauliflower Alfredo sauce including vegetable broth, chicken broth or bone broth.
    • If you can't have coconut milk I would recommend using unsweetened cashew milk instead.
    • To make this sauce nut free or AIP compliant: omit the cashews.
    • To lower the carb count of this cauliflower sauce use half the cashews or omit them altogether.
    • For a different flavour you can use roasted cauliflower to make this white sauce.

    How to make cauliflower Alfredo sauce:

    A pot full of cauliflower florets steaming on a stovetop.
    1. Step 1: First you are going to steam the cauliflower florets until they are tender.
    A blender filled with steamed cauliflower, cashews, milk and spices.
    1. Step 2: When the cauliflower is finished cooking, transfer it to your Vitamix blender (or other high speed blender) and add the remaining ingredients.
    A blender filled with a creamy white sauce.
    1. Step 3: Now blend everything well until it's smooth.
    A bowl filled with cooked noodles topped with Alfredo sauce.
    1. Step 4: Serve and enjoy!

    Top Tips:

    • To make this recipe even easier you can buy pre-cut cauliflower florets!
    • This recipe makes a very large batch of cauliflower Alfredo sauce so you could easily cut it in half if you are only serving a few people.
    • If you don't have a high speed blender you could blend this sauce in a food processor instead.

    How to serve:

    Alfredo sauce is classically served over pasta - some options include Linguini, fettuccini, spaghetti, penne, or fusilli noodles. You can also use this sauce to make chicken Alfredo, casseroles, for topping broccoli, or it can be used as a dip for nachos or as a white pizza sauce.

    How to store:

    Store any leftover cauliflower Alfredo sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days.

    This cauliflower cream sauce also freezes really well for up to 3 months.

    A bowl of pasta with Alfredo sauce on it and a spoon in it.

    Cauliflower Alfredo sauce FAQs:

    Is this Alfredo sauce keto?

    As written this sauce has 14 grams of net carbs, but you can easily lower the carb count by decreasing the cashews or omitting them.

    What to use instead of cream in Alfredo sauce?

    Instead of cream, to make Alfredo sauce you can use coconut milk to give it a similar rich and creamy flavour.

    What is the difference between white sauce and Alfredo sauce?

    While both Alfredo sauce and white sauce are white in color, they are different. Alfredo sauce is an Italian sauce traditionally made with heavy cream, butter, and parmesan cheese. White sauce on the other hand is a French sauce otherwise known as Béchamel sauce. It is made up of a roux with flour and butter plus cream.

    Can I use frozen cauliflower to make this sauce?

    Yes, it will just take longer to steam than fresh cauliflower.

    Does this sauce taste like cauliflower?

    No! Even though this sauce is loaded with cauliflower, it doesn't taste like it.

    Other vegetable recipes you will love:

    • A bowl of creamy cauliflower soup topped with roasted cauliflower and fresh parsley.
      The Best Instant Pot Cauliflower Soup (Healthy, Vegan & Whole30)
    • The Best Egg Free Cauliflower Pizza Crust
    • A pan of cauliflower rice with shrimp with a serving spoon in it.
      Spanish Cauliflower Rice with Shrimp
    • A bowl of vegan roasted red pepper dip garnished with chopped green onion and with four crackers in it.
      Vegan Roasted Red Pepper Dip with Cashews

    Since you made it this far we are basically best friends so be sure to follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok and Facebook where I share even more recipes and healthy living tips! And don’t forget to leave this recipe a star review before you go!

    Recipe

    A bowl of pasta with cauliflower Alfredo sauce on it.

    Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce

    This cauliflower Alfredo sauce is so rich and creamy! Even though it's loaded with veggies and is dairy free, you'd never know it.
    4.60 from 30 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course, Side Dish
    Cuisine: American, Italian
    Diet: Diabetic, Gluten Free, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Servings: 8 servings
    Calories: 294kcal
    Author: Dr. Erin Carter

    Equipment

    • Vitamix blender

    Ingredients

    • 1 head cauliflower (approximately 500 grams of cauliflower florets)
    • 3 cloves garlic, minced
    • 2 cups full fat coconut milk
    • 1 cup broth (you can use vegetable broth, chicken broth or bone broth)
    • 1 cup raw cashews (omit for AIP and for nut free)
    • 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
    • 1-2 teaspoon Italian seasoning (more or less to taste)
    • 1 teaspoon sea salt (to taste)
    • 1/4-1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper (omit for AIP)

    Instructions

    • Cut the cauliflower into florets and steam them until they are tender.
    • Once the cauliflower is finished cooking, transfer it to your blender and add the remaining ingredients.
    • Blend everything well until it's smooth.
    • Serve and enjoy!

    Notes

    1. If you are on the AIP diet or can't have nuts, omit the cashews. 
    2. Store any leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 7 days. 
    3. Nutritional values are an estimate and will vary depending on the exact ingredients used. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 294kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 8011mg | Potassium: 641mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 5IU | Vitamin C: 36mg | Calcium: 56mg | Iron: 4mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @pureandsimpleno or tag #pureandsimpleno!

    DISCLAIMERS: The statements made on this website have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration or Health Canada. The information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease. You assume full responsibility for how you use this information. Always consult with your physician or other health professionals before making any diet or lifestyle changes. This post may contain affiliate links whereby if you purchase these products I receive a small percentage of the sale price. This allows me to keep the blog running and I thank you for allowing me to do that!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Sharon

      January 13, 2022 at 8:19 pm

      I’m new to coconut milk. Is there a brand of coconut milk that tastes best? My daughter loves Alfredo sauce. In fact she sounds exactly like you were about it. She is newly having to get off of cheese and dairy and is really missing this sauce. So I’m hoping to make it and have it be a replacement so that won’t hurt her body. Thanks.

      Reply
      • Erin Carter

        January 13, 2022 at 10:13 pm

        Hey! This is the one I use and really like:

        https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07ZW8WFP6/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=pureandsimp07-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B07ZW8WFP6&linkId=24ab4e4adf7cf3831b606ffee698c56c

        Reply
        • Sharon

          January 14, 2022 at 1:44 am

          Thank you so much! Ordered! Can’t wait to try your recipes!

          Reply
    2. Traci

      July 27, 2021 at 9:47 pm

      How much sauce does this make? Enough for 4 people served over grain free noodles I hope? 🙂
      Can’t wait to try this and report back:)

      Reply
      • Erin Carter

        July 31, 2021 at 3:08 pm

        It's been a while since I made it but yes it should be enough for 4 people! Enjoy!

        Reply
    3. Charla

      April 22, 2021 at 4:38 pm

      I totally botched the recipe due to mom brain and poured an entire can of coconut milk and a random amount of broth and used hand beaters to blend it. Despite all my errors the recipe was still very delicious but next time I make the recipe I’ll be following the recipe! I made it with Cajun chicken and spaghetti squash! Sooo good!5 stars

      Reply
    4. Fitoru Fitness

      February 09, 2020 at 10:26 pm

      Thank you!I will definitely try these.We are working on eating better for our kids.

      Reply
      • Erin Carter

        February 10, 2020 at 10:44 pm

        I hope you all love it!

        Reply
    5. Kristie

      January 22, 2020 at 11:44 pm

      So good!!5 stars

      Reply

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    My name is Dr. Erin Carter and I am so thrilled you are here. I am a physician with specialties in both internal medicine and rheumatology, and I believe that food and healthy living are forms of medicine. In my spare time I share health information and delicious, healthy recipes here on Pure and Simple Nourishment.

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