Cauliflower Alfredo

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Ditching the traditional heavy cream for cauliflower in an Alfredo sauce might sound a bit out there, but hear me out. This cauliflower Alfredo swaps out the usual butter, flour, and cream for something lighter but still keeps that hug-your-fork kind of feel you want in an Alfredo pasta sauce. It’s so good! Plus, this cauliflower Alfredo sauce is SO easy to make, ready in under 20 minutes for a quick and easy dinner.

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This healthy Cauliflower Alfredo sauce is gluten-free, vegan, and paleo-friendly, but honestly, everyone will love it! Diced shallot, garlic, and seasonings join up with cooked cauliflower florets and milk, which all blends together to make the most creamy Alfredo sauce. 

Toss with fettuccine for a classic pasta dish, or try another shape for another Cauliflower Alfredo pasta. If needed, just sub in your favorite gluten-free pasta! Serve as-is for a comforting, cozy plate of pasta, or add pan-seared chicken or tender shrimp and a salad or easy broccoli side for a full meal.

No matter how you serve it up, this Cauliflower Alfredo sauce makes weeknight dinners a cinch!

Recipe at a Glance

Cuisine Inspiration: American
Primary Cooking Method: Stovetop
Dietary Info: Vegetarian, Gluten Free, Paleo Friendly
Key Flavor: Creamy and garlicky
Skill Level: Easy

• Cauliflower magic: By now, you likely know that cauliflower is an incredible vegetable that can be used in so many creative ways, whether it’s Cauliflower Rice, Cauliflower Crust Pizza, Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes or even Cauliflower Mac and Cheese. And, as it turns out, it makes an incredible Alfredo sauce, too!
• Lighter than traditional Alfredo: With fiber and beneficial vitamins, this healthy Cauliflower Alfredo is a nutrient-dense sauce that’s a great stand-in for traditional Alfredo.
• Versatile: Not just for Cauliflower Alfredo pasta like fettuccine, this garlicky sauce is so good on gnocchi or rice, too. You can also use it as a base for pizza or drizzle it over roasted veggies.
• Fast & easy: All you need are a few ingredients and less than 20 minutes to make this healthy Cauliflower Alfredo sauce.

Ingredients to Make Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce

• Cauliflower: Use one fresh head of cauliflower, cut into florets. You can also use frozen cauliflower; this Cauliflower Alfredo sauce recipe works just the same with frozen cauliflower as it does with fresh cauliflower (and it cuts down on the prep time!)
• Shallot: The delicate onion flavor is perfect in Cauliflower Alfredo. You can substitute about ¼ cup of chopped sweet onion instead.
• Garlic: Several cloves of fresh garlic add so much flavor to this vegan Cauliflower Alfredo!
• Cauliflower cooking water: You’ll want to reserve a cup of the water you cooked the cauliflower in, as this will be blended with the other ingredients to transform your cooked cauliflower into a creamy sauce. If you accidentally toss the water (it happens!) or you’d like a creamier Cauliflower Alfredo, you can use broth, more milk, or olive oil instead.
• Milk: Whole milk will give you the richest sauce, but 2% will work, too. For a vegan version, use any unsweetened plant-based milk. Vegetable broth will work, too.
• Crushed red pepper flakes: For a touch of heat, but you can leave these out for a milder Cauliflower Alfredo pasta.
• Salt and white pepper: I use ground white pepper here for its mild flavor and also because it keeps the sauce a pure, creamy white color. Freshly ground black pepper will work fine instead.

Popular Substitutions & Additions

• Add herbs or spices: Throw in a few fresh herbs for more flavor, or a pinch of dried spices like Italian seasoning mix, thyme, or oregano. A bit of smoked paprika or a some freshly ground nutmeg add flavor, too.
• Make it a pesto Alfredo: Swirl some pesto into your Cauliflower Alfredo for a creamy green sauce that’s amazing with pasta!
• Easily vegan: All you need to do to make this Cauliflower Alfredo vegan is to use a plant-based milk. Unsweetened, full-fat oat milk is a nice creamy option; unsweetened almond milk is great, too.
• Amp up the flavor: Stir in 1 tablespoon of white miso or ¼ cup of nutritional yeast to add an umami note to your Cauliflower Alfredo sauce while also keeping it vegan. Or you can add a handful of Parmesan or shredded mozzarella for a cheesy touch.
• Make it milder: If you have young kids or others who are sensitive to heat, feel free to leave out the crushed red pepper flakes and/or the ground pepper.

How to Make Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add cauliflower. Cover and cook until the cauliflower is fork-tender. Reserve a cup of the cooking water.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, and add the onion, garlic, and crushed red pepper. Sauté until soft and fragrant, but not browned.
3. Transfer the cooked cauliflower to the skillet with a slotted spoon.
4. Season with salt and pepper and cook until fragrant.
5. Transfer the cauliflower mixture to the blender with the reserved cooking water and the milk.
6. Blend until smooth and creamy.

Tips for Making Cauliflower Alfredo

• Try the frozen cauliflower shortcut. A time-saving hack is to use frozen cauliflower instead of fresh. No washing and no chopping needed! Perfect for busy weeknight dinners.
• Don’t let your garlic get brown. Stir your garlic frequently while it cooks, removing it from the heat if it begins to turn brown. Browned garlic tastes very bitter and can add an unpleasant taste to your Cauliflower Alfredo sauce.
• Use a high-speed blender. This sauce is best made with a good, strong blender to make a perfectly smooth, velvety Cauliflower Alfredo. If you don’t have a high-speed blender, it should still work, though. Just blend your sauce for longer, adding a bit more milk if needed, until it’s completely smooth.

What to Serve With Healthy Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce

• Lemony Garlic Chicken
• Crispy Air Fried Chicken Tenders
• Blackened Salmon
• Baked Tofu

Frequently asked questions

This Cauliflower Alfredo sauce is a delicious and nutritious replacement for traditional Alfredo! With just a few ingredients and less than 20 minutes to make it, you’ll love how fast and easy it is to make a creamy vegan Cauliflower Alfredo for pasta, pizza, veggies, and more.

More pasta recipes:

• Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
• Vegan Creamy Tomato Pasta
• Hummus Pasta
• Pumpkin Pasta
• Beetroot Pasta
• Pasta Bolognese
• One Pot Turkey Pasta
• Cottage Cheese Alfredo Pasta
• Creamy Tomato Cottage Cheese Pasta

If you try this feel good Cauliflower Alfredo recipe or any other recipe on Feel Good Foodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe. We would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots, share it on Instagram so we can repost on Stories!

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Review

Cauliflower Alfredo

This gluten-free and nut-free homemade Alfredo sauce is a lighter alternative to traditional Alfredo, but it's still rich, creamy, and full of flavor!

5 from 409 votes

Author Yumna Jawad

Servings 6 servings

Course Entree

Calories 190

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 13 minutes mins

Total Time 18 minutes mins

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Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 head cauliflower cut into florets
• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 1 shallot minced
• ▢ 6 garlic cloves minced
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon white pepper
• ▢ ½ cup milk
• ▢ 1 pound cooked fettuccine

Instructions

• Bring a large pot of boiling water to a boil. Add the cauliflower and cook, covered, for 8-10 minutes or until cauliflower is fork tender. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water.
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, sauté the onion and garlic with crushed red pepper until the garlic is soft and fragrant, but not browned, about 1-2 minutes.
• Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked cauliflower to the skillet. Season with salt and pepper and cook until fragrant, 1 minute.
• Transfer the cauliflower mixture to a blender along with the reserved cooking liquid and milk. Cover the vent in your blender lid with a thin kitchen towel to allow venting and puree until the sauce is smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. If the sauce starts to look dry, add a few drops of water, milk, or olive oil.
• Toss the alfredo sauce with cooked fettucine and serve immediately.

Equipment

• 5 Piece Cookware Set
• High Speed Blender

Notes

This recipe has been updated from a vegan recipe using plant milk to using regular milk or milk of choice, plus added seasoning and shallot. Simply swap for plant milk to match the previous recipe.

Storage: Store any leftovers in an airtight container. They will last about 4-5 days in the fridge. 

Substitutes: For best results, follow the recipe as is. However here are some common substitutes that would work well in this recipe.

• To make it gluten-free, you can use any gluten-free pasta of your choice.
• To make the sauce more creamy, you can use more milk and olive oil instead of the cauliflower cooking water.

 

Original vegan recipe

  

  

  

   

  

   

  

• Bring a large pot of boiling water to a boil. Add the cauliflower and cook, covered, for 8-10 minutes or until cauliflower is fork tender. Reserve 1 cup of the boiling water.
• Heat the olive oil a large skillet over medium heat, sauté the minced garlic until soft and fragrant, but not browned, about 1-2 minutes.
• Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked cauliflower to a blender. Add the sautéed garlic, reserved 1 cup cooking liquid, milk, salt and pepper. Cover the vent in your blender lid with a thin kitchen towel to allow venting and puree until the sauce is smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. If the sauce starts to look dry, add a few drops of water, milk, or olive oil.
• Serve with cooked fettuccine

Nutrition

Calories: 190kcal, Carbohydrates: 27g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.02g, Cholesterol: 24mg, Sodium: 430mg, Potassium: 374mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 74IU, Vitamin C: 47mg, Calcium: 63mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.

Cuisine American

Course: Entree