Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo
- Total Time
- 20 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- ½teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
- 12ounces fettuccine, linguine or another pasta of choice (most dry pastas are vegan, but check the ingredient label to be sure)
- 1tablespoon olive oil or vegan butter
- 2garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 8ounces vegan cream cheese
- 2tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2teaspoons lemon juice, plus more as needed
- ⅛teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Black pepper, to taste
- Vegan Parmesan (optional)
- ¼cup nutritional yeast
- ¼cup cashews, pine nuts or shelled hemp seeds
- Pinch of fine sea salt
For the Pasta
For the Topping (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
630 calories; 26 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 80 grams carbohydrates; 13 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 29 grams protein; 424 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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- Step 1
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions.
- Step 2
While the pasta boils, heat the oil or butter in a small skillet over medium. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring often. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked garlic to a blender (discard the oil). Add the cream cheese, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, nutmeg, ¾ cup water and ½ teaspoon salt, and blend the ingredients into a creamy sauce. Season to taste with black pepper and salt, then add more lemon juice, if desired.
- Step 3
To prepare the optional topping, add all ingredients to a food processor and pulse until the mixture is finely ground.
- Step 4
When the pasta is ready, drain it and return it to the pot over low heat. Stir in the sauce and heat the pasta until well coated and warmed through. Serve immediately, and sprinkle with vegan Parmesan or the topping, if desired.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Liza
Excellent recipe. Thank you, NYTimes Cooking, for posting more plant-based recipes!
Ash
Awesome recipe! If you have vegan lactic acid on hand, that also adds some very nice tartness. I normally add 1/8 tsp to an 8 oz package of cream cheese (I use Tofutti’s, which has nice texture but isn’t very tangy).
Mitra
Nutritional yeast (not to be confused with brewers yeast or others) is a staple in vegan cooking. It adds a cheesy flavor to dishes.
E
Made this with Cracked Black Pepper Kite Hill Cream Cheese (found at Whole Foods) and both myself (a dairy enthusiast), and my husband (lactose intolerant) found this to be flavorful and delicious. I sued the immersion blender for the sauce since it's so much easier to clean, and needed slightly less water than what was called for. Served with roasted asparagus, easy weeknight dinner that will definitely go into rotation!
Richard
It's quite easy to make vegan cream cheese that's much healthier than commercial ones. Soak (or boil) two cups of raw cashews in water. When cool, drain. Place in a good blender (like a Vitamix) with a half cup water and a bit (say 1/4 tsp) salt. Add a tablespoon or so of vegan yogurt (or some yogurt cultures). Blend until smooth. Let sit a day or two in a glass covered container until fermented somewhat by the yogurt cultures. Voila---very tasty vegan cream cheese.
Natalie
Pretty good! I've been dairy-free for 5 years and this is my first attempt at vegan alfredo sauce. Definitely needs the lemon juice, don't omit it! I added twice as much garlic, some red pepper flakes, lots of cracked black pepper, and some onion salt. I blended it pretty thin and it thickened up as it was warmed. Super creamy and "cheesy"
Emily
Used Miyoko’s cream cheese and pasta water for this recipe. Upped the garlic to 4 small cloves and added 2 shallots to the sauté pan. Topped with some sautéed shiitake mushrooms. Was absolutely delicious! Whole family approved.
Carol Greilick
All brands of nutritional yeast that I've tried taste the same to me. But then, I love it on almost anything.
Dave Goldenberg
I've made this many times. To thicken the sauce, I cut the water to 1/2 cup, add a half cup of cashews and double the nutritional yeast. Then I thin with more water until I get the thickness I want. It's amazing on spaghetti squash.
Grace
Many brands of margarine contain lactose and whey, so, no, they're not the same.
Melissa
I sometimes make a dairy-free "mac and cheese" using a combination of dairy-free butter, dairy-free creamer (oatly barista, for example) dairy-free cream cheese, mayonnaise, and nutritional yeast. People couldn't always tell it was vegan.
Deborah
Made this as written except passed breadcrumbs that I made using the garlic oil. It was a hit and easy to make.
kvma
Remarkably good. I used pasta water to blend. My vegan-skeptical husband even loved it. Leftovers heated up nicely too
M
Great dish for vegans and non-vegans!
Moira in Altadena
Richard thanks for notes. Not a fan of vegan Franken-foods, want to do my own vegan cheeses from scratch.
Vikas Garg
Brilliant recipe! Both Tofutti and Kite Hill vegan cream cheeses work great. I’ve also added broccoli, green peas and shiitake mushrooms. The recipe calls for discarding the oil after frying the garlic. Instead keep that oil and fry up some shiitake mushrooms and add them in when you’re finishing the dish. Incredible flavors!
Vikas Garg
Great recipe! So fast. If using the measurements here then definitely keep the pasta super al dente because the sauce will need at least 3-5 minutes to cook down at a low / medium temperature. Amazing results!! Don’t skimp on making vegan parmesan, it brings the entire dish together!
virginia
Yum!! Added a touch of Worcestershire to the sauce and sautéed some shrimp and mushrooms for on top. Delicious
Krista
OMG, this was SOOOOO good! I omitted the butter and just sauteed the garlic in water, and I used chili flavored cream cheese because that was all I had. I also doubled the amount of garlic because that's just the way I like things, and added about a tablespoon of fresh basil. The cream cheese was an especially great idea since I didn't have any presoaked cashews that some of the other good fettucine recipes ask for. I would highly recommend this recipe because it's very good, and simple!
Vanessa
Good flavor. I was impressed with the creaminess and taste, but it was a bit stodgy (as Pru would say). I would use less pasta and more pasta water. I will definitely try again. It was my first time experimenting with vegan dairy products.
Kat
I made this and Elaine’s fettuccine Alfredo for an Alfredo bar (ie bowls of different mixins for different peoples preferences. I’m a full omnivore and dramatically preferred this over Elaine’s! Such a more punchy flavor and way healthier.
liz
this was such a great recipe! i swapped the nutmeg for garlic powder and just used squeezy garlic because i'm too lazy to prep the fresh stuff but it came out delicious! i used the violife original cream cheese and their parmesan, it's a great brand if you're allergic to cashews like me!
Maddy T
Delicious recipe. I added some soaked cashews, roasted red peppers and fresh basil in the blender and it added a beautiful color and zingy rich flavor.
MM
I must have used the wrong kind of cream cheese: this sauce turned out really awful, texture and taste. Affatto Alfredo.
alisson
I could be bothered dirtying the blender and losing precious sauce to its many surfaces so I mixed the sauce right in the hot, emptied pasta pot then added the drained pasta back in and tossed. (Skipped the garlic which allowed me to get away with this)
Emily
Used Miyoko’s cream cheese and pasta water for this recipe. Upped the garlic to 4 small cloves and added 2 shallots to the sauté pan. Topped with some sautéed shiitake mushrooms. Was absolutely delicious! Whole family approved.
Rochelle
I haven’t ever used tofuti or nutritional yeast before. But I am embracing more vegan & veg meals. This is tasty. Lots of flavor-not as unctuous as as traditional Alfredo, but that’s the point. I followed most of recipe- I did add in the leftover garlic oil to the cooked pasta, it is yummy and I don’t like waste. The only thing is this gets a bit gluey - and I added reserved pasta water- one cup by the end, it is still good, but dry. I prefer a looser sauce.
Jan S Krouwer
Very good. Had it with a salad with vegan Caeser dressing.
Susan
Hey, this is legit! Used Miyoko's cream cheese, which is cashew- and coconut-based, and a little garlic powder instead of fresh. I halved the recipe but wish I hadn't; it was delicious.
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