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Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo ~ rich, creamy and buttery. It's a simple, yet luxurious dish, that can be yours in 30 minutes or less.
Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and I think this Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo would be the perfect romantic meal to have at home. When I think of Valentine's Day, I think of comfort food and nothing says comfort like a good ol' plate of creamy pasta.
So, I'll be cooking it up along with one of these 20 Valentine's Dessert recipes from my fellow food bloggers. I can't wait!
WHERE DID FETTUCCINE ALFREDO ORIGINATE FROM?
In 1908, an Italian restaurant owner, Alfredo Di Lelio created this recipe for his pregnant wife because she didn't have an appetite and was losing weight. She regained her appetite and fell in love with his creation. Per her suggestion, his recipe was placed on the restaurant's menu.
The original Fettuccine Alfredo recipe was called Pasta Bianco and wasn't made with cream. It was just simply butter, parmesan cheese and cooking water that was tossed over fresh-cooked pasta. The butter and cheese melt together to form a smooth cream-like sauce.
Years later, two famous Hollywood actors were in Rome on their honeymoon. They had dinner at Alfredo's and ordered the Pasta Bianco with the house-made fettuccine pasta. The pair thought it was the tastiest pasta dish they've ever had, and spread the word about Alfredo's creation amongst Hollywood's elite.
To thank Alfredo for his hospitality, they sent him an engraved silverware set and a photo of them. American Press caught wind of the gesture and published the story everywhere and Fettucine Alfredo was born.
Alfredo's restaurant now became a stomping ground for famous actors and started to draw large crowds outside. Each star left their photograph which became a part of the restaurant's decor and is still there today.
Local Italians stayed clear of this tourist attraction and were unimpressed by the butter and cheese dish. The popularity of Alfredo's grew and a few restaurants were opened up in the US. Over time, the American version of the dish changed from simple butter and cheese to a creamy rich sauce, which ironically isn't the best tummy ache healer.
DOES VEGAN FETTUCCINE ALFREDO TASTE LIKE THE ORIGINAL?
I grew up with the Americanized version of Fettucine Alfredo, and it would be my first choice on the menu while dining out. I just loved that super cheesy and creamy sauce, but over the years I would order it less and less because it would really hurt my tummy. After going vegan, I realized that humans were not meant to consume dairy.
Well, just because vegans don't consume dairy doesn't mean we can't have any fun. This vegan version is just as creamy and cheesy as the Americanized version, but it will leave your tummy much happier afterward.
WHAT'S IN VEGAN FETTUCCINE ALFREDO?
To replace the heavy cream, I used very simple and wholesome ingredients. I used unsweetened soy milk, raw cashews, and potatoes. The potato part might sound weird, but it really helps thicken the sauce and makes it creamy and velvety. Plus they are good for you!
To enhance the cheesy flavor, I used nutritional yeast and fresh lemon juice which adds a subtle zing to every bite. Then for added savory flavor, I used vegan butter, fresh garlic, vegetable broth, and seasonings.
I tossed it all with fettuccine, peas and topped the dish with fresh-cut parsley, cut tomatoes, and vegan parmesan cheese. SO good!
If you'd like to try a cauliflower-based sauce, you may like my Vegan Alfredo Sauce recipe.
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN FETTUCCINE ALFREDO
STEP 1 - Boil 2 small potatoes and cashews about 8-10 minutes until softened.
STEP 2 - Now cook the fettuccine in a large pot of salted boiling water and cook it until al dente. Drain and drizzle the pasta with olive oil to prevent sticking. I usually start the sauce 5 minutes before the pasta will be done. This way it's not sitting too long and it will be hot and fresh when it goes into the sauce.
STEP 4 - For the sauce, place potatoes, cashews and remaining ingredient (except the garlic and butter) into a high-speed blender. Blend on high until the sauce is completely smooth then set aside.
STEP 5 - Heat up vegan butter in a large pan over medium heat. When melted, add minced garlic and sauté for 30-60 seconds until lightly brown and fragrant. Pour cream sauce into the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes until sauce slightly thickens up. Add pasta and thawed peas to the pan and gently toss to coat. Serve immediately.
MORE VEGAN PASTA RECIPES TO TRY
And here are 30 more delicious Vegan Pasta Recipes by Vegan Heaven. I'm literally drooling over all of them!
I’D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU
If you make this Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo, let me know what you think by ★ star rating it and leaving a comment below. It would really make my day. You can also follow me on Instagram and share your creation with me. Just tag me @veganhuggs and hashtag #veganhuggs so I don’t miss it.
📖 Recipe
Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo
Ingredients
- ½ cup raw cashews
- 1 ½ cups white potato , peeled & chopped into 1-inch pieces (about 2 small potatoes)
- 16 ounces fettuccine , dried (GF if preferred)
- Olive oil , a drizzle if needed
- 1 cup soy milk , unsweetened (or any plant-based milk)
- 1 cup vegetable broth , low sodium
- ¾ teaspoon granulated onion
- 1 teaspoon salt , more to taste
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon tapioca flour/starch
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice , freshly squeezed
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- ¾ cup frozen peas , thawed (*See note)
Instructions
- Boil the potatoes and cashews about 8-10 minutes until the potatoes are fork-tender. Drain well and set aside.
- Place fettuccine in a large pot of salted boiling water. Cook until al dente (about 10-12 minutes). Drain and drizzle with olive oil to prevent sticking.
- Now place all ingredients into a blender (except butter & garlic). Blend until potatoes and cashews have completely broken down and sauce is smooth. Set aside.
- Heat up butter in a large pan over medium heat. When melted, add garlic and sauté for 30-60 seconds until lightly brown and fragrant.
- Pour cream sauce into the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes until sauce slightly thickens up. Stir often to prevent burning. Taste for seasoning and add more if needed.
- Now add pasta and thawed peas to pan and gently toss to coat. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
- To thaw peas, place in a colander and rinse under cool water for 1-2 minutes.
Ketcia
Can the cashews be substituted for something else? My son has an allergy.
Melissa Huggins
Is your son allergic to all nuts? If not, macadamia nuts will work great. Pine nuts too 🙂
Ketcia
Thanks! I can try those.
Sarah
Wow! I never heard the story about how Alfredo got its start—how sweet! This looks delicious!!!
Amy Katz from Veggies Save The Day
Looks delicious, Melissa! I'll be trying this recipe very soon.
Jenn
I love hearing the background of Fettuccine Alfredo - how fun! And how interesting that it didn't originally contain cream. Your version sounds MUCH better to me either way. Looks fabulous too!
Mel |avirtualvegan.com
I love your photos of this recipe! They are so pretty. The Alfredo sauce sounds and looks fantastic too!
Becky Striepe
Ooh this looks so creamy and delicious! I have got to make it.
Mary Ellen @ VNutrition
This looks absolutely amazing Melissa! As do all of your recipes. And I might have said this before but your pictures are always done so well. 🙂
Ginny McMeans
Bring on that gorgeous vegan comfort food. Love the sauce!
Elise
Made this today and it was phenomenal! Did almond milk instead of soy, and skipped the nooch because we were out, and it was still amazing! Will definitely make it again!
Melissa Huggins
Hi Elise, I'm sorry for the late reply. Your comment was in the spam folder 🙁 Thank you for making it! I'm so happy it turned out for you. Have a great week! 🙂
Trish
I was right!! This tasted just as good as it looks. Made it last night. Husband, who is not a vegan nor a fan of peas, raved on about it multiple times throughout the meal. I think when you can get a non-vegan loving a vegan dish, then you know you've got a winner. Thanks so much for an awesome, comforting meal. Def a keeper!!
Melissa Huggins
Hi Trish, Thank you so much for making it. I'm so happy that your hubby loved it. I love when a non-vegan gives my recipe a thumbs up. Made my day 🙂
Kathryn Grace
Now this just might be the vegan Alfredo sauce that finally helps me make the switch on this dish--still one of my big weaknesses. I suspect the potatoes are the clincher as I never met a potato dish I didn't like. We don't buy soy milk, and I don't make it, but I do make cashew, almond and coconut milks. Would any of those work as well as the soy, do you think?
Melissa Huggins
Hi Kathryn, I hope this will be the recipe to help you. Dairy was really hard for me to give up too. Yes, the potatoes give this sauce a thick and creamy texture. They are quite awesome! You can use any plant-based milk you prefer...just make sure it's unsweetened. I'd love to hear your feedback. Thank you for stopping by 🙂
Kathryn Grace
Thank you Melissa. As soon as Cuisinart sends me my new chopping blades (they recalled all the chopping blades last fall and still haven't replaced mine), I'll go back to making nut milks and give this a try. I'm so frustrated with them for taking forever to send the replacements, as I had two and used them both nearly every day.
Trish
Looks amazing and I bet tastes just as good as it looks! Def making this over the weekend! I'm not a pasta fan but sometimes dishes like this makes crave it! Funny you should mention tummy probs eating dairy. I was a vegetarian for decades and thought I had severe IBS. I mean I would be in agony during the night that it'd wake me up. And over the course of the day my stomach would slowly bloat up. I hated going out at night and if I had a special event to go to it was not uncommon for me to give myself a laxative!! When I went vegan my stomach issues disappeared immediately! I mean gone and I've never had another issue with my gut. Decades I lived with this debilitating problem and not once did doctors suggest to cut out dairy. So that's my story 🙂 Will report back once I've made this dish of yumminess! 😉
Melissa Huggins
Hi Trish, thank you for sharing your story. I can so relate to the belly bloat too. I always had a thin build, but my stomach would stick out. I tried doing a ton of ab work and exercise, but it would remain the same. After giving up dairy, it went down a lot... it wasn't perfectly flat, but I was so happy. It was the dairy all along. I felt so much better too, and had tons more energy. Same here, not one doctor recommended that I give up dairy. Thank you for stopping by. I'd love to get your feedback on this recipe 🙂
Shayna Medinger
This looks amazing! Can anything be subbed for the tapioca flour, though? I don't want to buy some just for one recipe if I can avoid it, as it's not something I use frequently. Does regular flour work?
Thank you!
Melissa Huggins
Hi Shayna, you don't even need the tapioca at all. It just adds touch more thickness & slight stretch. The recipe will work fine without it, just cut the broth down a 1/4 cup (you can always add more if it's too thick). I haven't tried it with any other flour yet, but I'd imagine arrowroot, cornstarch or all-purpose would be fine. I'd love to hear how it turns out for you. Thank you for stopping by 🙂
Shayna Medinger
Thank you so much! I finally made it and used cornstarch, and it turned out phenomenal! Probably the best vegan alfredo I've ever had, and it tastes even better the next day. A+ on this one!!
Melissa Huggins
Hi Shayna, I'm so happy the cornstarch worked out for you. Thank you for giving this recipe a shot and leaving your feedback. It's great to hear that you loved it. I agree...the leftovers are great the next day. 🙂
Agness of Run Agness Run
This is such a great recipe for the alfredo sauce, Melissa.Love the combination of the ingredients!
Melissa Huggins
Thank you, Agnes! It's one of my favorites 🙂
Pam Allard
This sounds wonderful! I will be making it soon Melissa!
Melissa Huggins
Hi Pam! Thank you so much. I'd love to hear how you like it. 🙂 Have a great Sunday 🙂