Cauliflower Alfredo

4.96 from 409 votes

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!

Course Entree

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 13

Total Time 18

Servings servings

Calories 190kcal

Author Yumna Jawad

Equipment

Ingredients

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.

Video

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