Here’s an easy, creamy, cheesy cauliflower Alfredo sauce; its velvety smooth texture pairs perfectly with chewy fettuccine pasta.

You’ll love this veggiepacked Alfredo because it’s a million times lighter than the original Alfredo, but it’s still tasty, fulfilling, and ready in 30 minutes.

Cauliflower Alfredo with a fork

Check out our best pasta recipe collection!

Love Alfredo sauce but are looking for something lighter and healthier to feed your family? You’ll love this easy and tasty cauliflower Alfredo sauce!

You can make this recipe in less than 30 minutes with a few simple ingredients.

What makes this recipe light, ultra-creamy, and nutritious is cauliflower, steamed, or boiled. We slightly prefer steaming because that cauliflower gets less watery and preserves a little more antioxidants.

Once the cauliflower is very soft, you can blend it with the other ingredients, which can vary depending on how tasty you want the sauce to be.

We recommend adding parmesan cheese, ricotta, garlic, mustard, nutmeg, salt, and black pepper.

For a vegan version of cauliflower Alfredo, you can blend in vegan cheese or nutritional yeast and vegan ricotta or butter.

Blend everything for a minute or two until velvety smooth, and toss it with your favorite pasta. This is a quick, light, and delicious sauce that will make you feel great! Enjoy.

Ps. To make this recipe even more delicious, ovenbake or air fry a bunch of cauliflower or broccoli florets and toss them in. I did this once, and Louise wouldn’t have it any other way!

Cauliflower Alfredo with roasted cauliflower

Ingredients

Cauliflower Alfredo ingredients

Cauliflower

Fresh cauliflower is best for this recipe because it gets less watery. However, if you don’t mind a more watery sauce, you can also use frozen cauliflower florets.

You can steam or boil the cauliflower. Both methods work well for this cauliflower sauce, so pick the one you are more comfortable with.

Note: We prefer steaming because the cauliflower gets less watery that way. Also, steaming preserves more nutrients than boiling, although there isn’t a substantial difference in nutrient loss, so if you don’t have a steamer basket, go ahead and boil the cauliflower.

Garlic

You can add as much garlic as you like. Start with half a clove, taste the sauce and add more if you wish.

Mustard

We don’t add mustard in our original Alfredo sauce; however, cauliflower Alfredo benefits from the extra savory and tangy flavor of Dijon mustard.

You can substitute American mustard for Dijon.

Nutmeg

Nutmeg marries exceptionally well with cauliflower and adds a warm subtle aroma that takes this sauce up a notch.

Milk

We recommend unsweetened soy milk for this recipe, although you can also use dairy milk if you prefer that.

Milk and blended cauliflower replace the heavy cream in the original alfredo sauce.

We tested the sauce with water and vegetable broth too, and Louise really liked it.

Coconut milk and almond milk work too, althoug they add a flavor that makes this sauce too different from traditional Alfredo sauce.

Parmesan cheese

Grated parmesan adds flavor and richness to the sauce that otherwise would be very watery and tasteless.

You’ve got to add something with fat and flavor; otherwise, you’ll end up eating something that is not nice. For us, that’s good quality grated parmesan cheese. It melds perfectly with cauliflower.

If you are vegan, you can substitute vegan cheese for parmesan. Alternatively, you can use nutritional yeast.

Ricotta

Ricotta is the best cream and butter alternative for a lighter cauliflower Alfredo sauce. You can use regular ricotta cheese or dairy-free ricotta.

If you don’t have ricotta, adding a little butter or oil helps. You can use unsalted butter, vegan butter, or extra virgin olive oil.

Salt and pepper

This sauce needs salt (sea salt or kosher salt) and freshly ground black pepper.

Pasta

Serve the sauce with your favorite pasta. We love egg-free fettuccine, linguine, or bucatini, but you can use any shape.

For gluten-free, use gluten-free noodles.

Fresh parsley

Finely chopped flat-leaf parsley on top makes this recipe more interesting. Parsley, cauliflower, and parmesan are incredible, so try to add them if you can.

Extra veggies

While cauliflower Alfredo sauce is delicious as is, you can make this dish more complete by adding roasted or air-fried cauliflower or broccoli.

Cauliflower Alfredo with broccoli

Instructions

Cut the cauliflower into chunks, then steam or boil it until fork tender.

steaming cauliflower

To a blender, add steamed or boiled cauliflower, milk, parmesan, ricotta, garlic, mustard, grated nutmeg, salt, and black pepper.

Blend at high speed until perfectly smooth.

Cauliflower alfredo blended

Cook the pasta al dente in a large pot with plenty of heavily salted water. Reserve one cup of pasta water before draining the pasta.

Add the cauliflower Alfredo sauce on a large skillet on medium-low heat, toss in the pasta, and, if necessary, a ladleful of reserved pasta water.

Toss for a minute, add more parmesan if you want to, and toss until the pasta is fully coated in the sauce.

Note: you can serve up to about 1.20 pounds of pasta (540 grams) with this sauce – that’s about 6 portions of 2.8 ounces (80 grams) of pasta each. Use about 1 ladleful of cauliflower Afredo sauce per portion of pasta. Store leftover sauce in the fridge or freezer.

Creamy Alfredo sauce in a skillet

Serve immediately with a sprinkle of finely chopped parsley and freshly ground black pepper.

Cauliflower Alfredo in a white bowl

Serving suggestions

Serve with a side of fresh greens and salads, such as these palate-cleaning ideas:

Or, roast some veggies and serve them with the pasta. Try:

Variations

Double-cauliflower Alfredo sauce

Cauliflower Alfredo with roasted cauliflower

Who said one can only have double-chocolate something? Double-cauliflower Alfredo sauce is delicious, so we encourage you to try it! To make it, toss some cauliflower florets in olive oil and salt, and roast them in the oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Toss them in with the pasta and the sauce, et voilà. A delicious double-cauliflower Alfredo sauce that is tasty, crisp, and will make you feel awesome.

Cauliflower Alfredo sauce with broccoli

Cauliflower Alfredo with broccoli

To make this dish even tastier and more fulfilling, try adding steamed or roasted broccoli florets.

Broccoli and cauliflower together are perfect, and the tender-crisp texture of the broccoli is a pleasant addition to this pasta dish.

Mushroom Alfredo

Alfredo Mushroom in a white bowl

Feel like something even tastier – and definitely fatter? (We need that too sometimes, don’t we?). Check out our full-fat, full-flavor Alfredo sauce with sautèed mushrooms.

This is probably the tastiest Alfredo sauce in the world, and you can either make it with real cheese, butter, and cream; or turn it vegan and do it with dairy-free alternatives.

In any case, check out our mushroom Alfredo recipe.

Storage

Sauce: leftover cauliflower sauce stores well in a airtight container or jar in the fridge for up to 3 days. To use it, warm it up in a pan with a ladleful of pasta cooking water. You can also freeze the sauce for up to 3 months, then thaw it directly on a pan with pasta water.

Pasta: store leftover pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Reheat on a pan with some water, or olive oil.

More pasta recipes

If you liked this cauliflower Alfredo recipe, you might also enjoy these creamy pasta dishes:

More cauliflower recipes

Love cooking with cauliflower? Get more inspiration from these easy and wholesome cauliflower recipes:

For many more pasta ideas, check out our pasta category page.

Cauliflower Alfredo with silver fork

Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce

By: Nico Pallotta
4.82 from 11 votes
Here's an easycreamycheesy cauliflower Alfredo sauce; its velvety smooth texture pairs perfectly with chewy fettuccine pasta.
You'll love this veggiepacked Alfredo because it's a million times lighter than the original Alfredo, but it's still tasty, fulfilling, and ready in 30 minutes.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 6 people
Course: Dinner, pasta
Cuisine: American

Equipment

  • Blender

Ingredients 

  • 1 pound cauliflower (about ½ head, large)
  • 1 cup milk (we use unsweetened soy milk)
  • ½ cup parmesan cheese (or dairy-free cheese)
  • ½ cup ricotta cheese (or dairy-free ricotta)
  • 1 – 2 cloves garlic (or more to taste)
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (or American mustard)
  • teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 handful parsley
  • Serve with pasta (we use egg-free tagliatelle)**

Instructions 

  • Cut the cauliflower into chunks, then steam or boil it until very tender (about 15 – 20 minutes).
    steaming cauliflower
  • To a blender, add cooked cauliflower, milk, parmesan, ricotta, garlic, mustard, grated nutmeg, salt, and black pepper.
    Blend at high speed until smooth.
    Cauliflower alfredo blended
  • Cook the pasta al dente in plenty of heavily salted water. Reserve one cup of pasta water before draining the pasta.
    Add the sauce to a large skillet on medium heat, toss in the pasta, and, if necessary, add a ladleful of reserved pasta water.
    Toss until the pasta is fully coated in the sauce.
    Creamy Alfredo sauce in a skillet
  • Serve immediately with a sprinkle of finely chopped parsley and freshly ground black pepper.
    Cauliflower Alfredo with fork

Video

Easy Cauliflower Alfredo Pasta in 30 minutes

Notes

Nutrition information is an estimate for 1 portion of cauliflower Alfredo sauce out of 6 portions, with 2.8 ounces (80 grams) of pasta.
One portion of cauliflower Alfredo sauce without pasta has 105kcal with 6 grams of carbohydrates, 5 grams of protein, and 7 grams of fat.
SERVING SIZE
*You can serve up to about 1.20 pounds of pasta (540 grams) with this sauce – that’s about 6 portions of 2.8 ounces (80 grams) of pasta. Use about 1 ladleful of cauliflower Afredo sauce per portion of pasta. Store leftover sauce in the fridge or freezer.
ADD MORE VEGGIES
To make this recipe even more delicious, oven bake or air fry a bunch of cauliflower or broccoli florets and toss them in. I did this once, and Louise wouldn’t have it any other way! Check out the “variation chapter” for more info.

Nutrition

Calories: 402kcal, Carbohydrates: 66g, Protein: 18g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 0g, Cholesterol: 18mg, Potassium: 503mg, Dietary Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 307IU, Vitamin B6: 0.3mg, Vitamin C: 38mg, Vitamin E: 0.2mg, Vitamin K: 23µg, Calcium: 205mg, Folate: 62µg, Iron: 2mg, Manganese: 1mg, Magnesium: 68mg, Zinc: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment below or mention @nicoandlouise on Instagram. We are also on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and TikTok.

If you liked this cauliflower Alfredo recipe, you might also enjoy:

[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”wyovHto2″ upload-date=”2022-10-26T05:49:00.000Z” name=”Cauliflower Alfredo.mov” description=”Here’s an easy, creamy, cheesy cauliflower Alfredo sauce; its velvety smooth texture pairs perfectly with chewy fettuccine pasta.

You’ll love this veggie-packed Alfredo because it’s a million times lighter than the original Alfredo, but it’s still tasty, fulfilling, and ready in 30 minutes.” player-type=”default” override-embed=”default”]


Nico and Louise in the kitchen

Hi! We are Nico & Louise

Welcome to The Plant-Based School, a food blog with easy, tasty, and wholesome recipes.

Our aim is to help you and your family eat more veggies through delicious recipes with simple ingredients.

Easy right?

4.82 from 11 votes (6 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




11 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This was so delicious!! I replaced the ricotta with about 2 T store bought vegan butter, and 1/4 c each almond meal and nutritional yeast for the parmesan cheese. Also added roasted cauliflowe. Thank you so much for this recipe.

    1. Hi Rona, That’s such great news, I’m very happy you found it an easy and delicious experience ๐Ÿ™‚

      Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. Kindest,

      Louise

  2. Hallo, ihr zwei sind eine der besten auf Pinterest, ich Holle mir ganz viele Ideen von ihnen zum nachmachen,DANKE !!! ๐Ÿ˜Š

  3. 5 stars
    I have wanted to make this from the minute I saw it. I did modify slightly – hope thatโ€™s ok! I roasted a head of seasoned chopped cauliflower along with cloves of garlic. Did the rest per the recipe (with a little less mustard) and OMG it is SO good! This is an absolute keeper of a recipe, thank you!

    1. Hi Michelle,
      What a great way to add more veggies, I love the idea with chopped cauliflower in the sauce.
      I’m so happy you liked the recipe, and that you modified it to your liking ๐Ÿ™‚
      Have a great rest of your week. Kindest,
      Louise

  4. 3 stars
    The Dijon mustard is soooooo over powering! 2 Tbsp is way too much, ruined it. I would either completely omit or add 1/2 tsp at a time and keep tasting. So many other nice flavours and all you can taste is dijon. Otherwise nice textures, will add more garlic and no dijon next time.

    1. Hi Roxy,
      Thanks for your comment and feedback – I’m happy you liked the base flavor. We’ll be sure to include some suggestions for omitting the mustard as well.
      Have a wonderful week ahead!
      Kindest, Louise

    1. Hi Leslie, I’m delighted to hear that you liked the Alfredo sauce! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a message. Have a wonderful Sunday. Kindest, Louise