*This post was updated with photos and notes on 10-2025
This one of my favorite dishes to make and eat. Cauliflower ‘Alfredo’ is lush and creamy without being heavy and rich and is really satisfying.
This is a super adaptable dish, you can make it vegan, or add milk, or cheese or chicken stock. You can soak a handful of cashews overnight and blend them into the sauce to add fantastic richness and protein or add some leftover rotisserie chicken for a delicious weeknight chicken alfredo pasta that is healthy! Try this sauce on pasta or with on roasted vegetables, or even on pizza instead of red sauce.
I sauteed some chard and mushrooms and topped it with some cauliflower sauce here.
It’s rich but not overly so. Most recipes I have seen for this cauliflower sauce use milk, you can use any milk-plant or animal base or add nutritional yeast or any hard cheese. Use what you like and what you have, and I think you will be very happy with the result. Seriously you guys, you should make this.
Cauliflower ‘Alfredo’ Sauce
- 1 whole garlic bulb, minced
- 2 tablespoons oil. I used olive oil
- 5-6 cups cauliflower use the stems and all trimmed and cut into small pieces.
- 2 cups water
- salt and pepper
- ½ cup milk (optional, any milk is fine)
- 1/3 cup nutritional yeast, soaked cashews or Parmesan cheese, optional but really good
- a squeeze of lemon to finish
- Bring the water to a boil in a large pot. Add the cauliflower and cook, covered, for 7-10 minutes or until cauliflower is fork tender. Do not drain, you will use some of the water to thin the sauce.
- Sauté the minced garlic and oil in a large nonstick skillet over low heat. Cook until the garlic is soft and fragrant but not browned (browned or burnt garlic will taste bitter). Remove from heat and set aside.
- Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cauliflower pieces to the blender. Add 1 cup cooking liquid, sauteed garlic, salt, pepper, and milk if using. Blend or puree for several minutes until the sauce is very smooth, adding more cooking liquid or milk depending on how thick you want the sauce.
Taste and see if it needs any salt and if you are adding cheese or nutritional yeast do that now and taste it again and add a squeeze of lemon.
Cauliflower is packed full of all the B vitamins, loaded with antioxidants and also contains carotenoids, and phytonutrients, so it’s not just delicious it’s so healthy too!
Red Wagon Farm 
Nice post, nice tips as well :)
Is the recipe listed somewhere in the blog. Or is it (awesome) photo clues only. Or has my browser failed me again.
The recipe is posted. If you can’t see it I can email you. PM me if you need it sent. Thanks for reading the blog and commenting!
OK. It’s fixed. The recipe is there now.
Awesome! Simply awesome! :)
Looks beautiful! I will try this on Cappello’s almond flour linguini (available at Whole Foods and Natural Grocers/Vitamin Cottage–$1 less per package than WF). I often substitute coconut milk for dairy. Sprouts sells a variety that is just the right thickness.
Sounds great Rachel. Let us know how it turns out. It will be very sweet with coconut milk, maybe put a Thai twist on your sauce or use more than a little lemon to finish. THanks for the comments.