Cashew Alfredo Sauce

[Porgy]

This was fantastic, and so easy! I will definitely make this again. My spouse was shocked that it was vegan--it has a very luxurious flavor and texture. Thank you very much for this recipe!

[Aprilld]

I was just wondering, how many servings will this make?  Thanks.

[humboldt_honey]

I was just wondering, how many servings will this make?  Thanks.

It made between 1 1/2 and 2 cups of sauce.  For pasta, it depends on the serving size and whether you like what you're serving smothered in sauce.  It was enough for a head of broccoli.

[humboldt_honey]

This recipe is easy to make with on-hand ingredients.  The flavor is good as is, but also leaves room for personal adaptation.  I added some potato flakes to substitute for starchy pasta water.  I added too many flakes and it became a bit too thick, but that's okay because it became a good dipping sauce.

[trisa]

I just made this last night... great! I used a little less water and it thickened up just fine, especially as it cooled a little. It's really making a nut cream (between cashew milk and cashew butter) so thickens just from the emulsion, and I guess cashew oil is more solid at room temperature? A half cup has about six grams of saturated fat so that makes sense. Anyway this is a perfect alfredo sauce.

If you have tahini on hand, you can make a sesame alfredo sauce in a similar way, starting with tahini, less water (and not boiling). I've made that before (and blending in some ripe roma tomatoes is amazing!). But it has a stronger nutty flavor (to me) than the cashew.

[nicklamon]

This was great.  I had to use dry roasted/unsalted cashews because raw cashews were out of stock at my local co-op, and it was still great.  I topped it with some vegan mozzarella and broiled it.  I think cashews are where it's at for alfredo!

[cashafrass]

I made this last week. i was looking for something quick that i had everything on hand for and this did the trick. i think it will lend itself nicely to embellishments in the future!

[Heliamphora]

Yumb!

I had to use a coffee grinder for the cashews (because our faithful old food processor went bang and died last week) and then I put all the ingredients in a blender, and it worked just fine and dandy. I also threw some black peppercorns into the whizz.

The sauce was a little too thin for my liking, so I simmered it on the stove and whisked in a spoonful of wheaten cornflour, which did the trick. I think the garlic would have been left tasting a bit raw if I hadn't simmered it for a few minutes, anyway.

Marvellous recipe, thanks!

[JessaCita]

I would never believe this was vegan if I didn't make it myself... It is so creamy! It's funny that I even made this recipe, because I have never cared for alfredo. I think the thickness & heaviness always grossed me out. But today I wasn't feeling well & wanted some quick & easy comfort food. This is the perfect alfredo sauce because it has the creamy deliciousness without the heaviness that sits in your tummy like led! It is light & yummy!

One problem I had was that it never thickened up much for me. It was almost like soup, but it tasted so good, I didn't care! Also, I didn't use pasta water--just regular water with a bunch of arrowroot powder--so I'm sure that part was my fault. I will definitely be making this again--and often! Thanks for a fantastic recipe!

[dcveggie]

I keep tweaking this recipe everytime I make it...and the last few times I've added some more cashews to get a thicker consistency right away. I think I probably used close to 3/4 cup of cashews the last time but I made it ahead of time and then popped it in the fridge where it thickened up nicely.

[dinkfeet]

So per lisaanddini's suggestion in a chat discussion, I made this for dinner with pasta and broccoli.

Alterations: per the reviews above, I was frugal in my water adding, and only started with 1/2 cup, ultimately ended up with 1 cup of water. Also, per Heliamphora's comment about raw garlic, I sauteed my garlic (and a few fried onions - my new favorite ingredient in everything) for two minutes before adding to the mix. After taste-testing, it was too bland, so I scooped in some raw garlic and 1 tsp of salt and 1 tsp of vegesal-esque salt mix. Then it had some good flavor.

Reaction: while I would describe this as a very yummy sauce (I'm having seconds as I type this!) , I wouldn't necessarily describe this is as an alfredo. It's nuttier, and creamy, yes, but not buttery or oily the way an alfredo would be. Like I said, I don't really care what you call it, it's fantastic on pasta!

[PeaceLoveandVegan]

I had this on pasta the other night, and it was wonderful.

[taraja]

Made this last night to go over gnocchi, it was very good.  Shocked at how creamy it was, really hit the spot--I realized I haven't had a creamy sauce in over 3 years (since going vegan)!  Added lots of black pepper, did garlic powder instead of fresh (lots of it), a little Spike, a little veg broth powder, it was so yummy!  Definitely recommend it.

[jgartistry]

This was definetely not thick enough so I did end up putting it into a saucepan and heating it up as well as adding more garlic, a dash of organic cream, onions, and also artichokes which were yummy too. Thanks!